scholarly journals The slip history of the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake determined from strong-motion, teleseismic, GPS, and leveling data

1996 ◽  
Vol 86 (1B) ◽  
pp. S49-S70 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Wald ◽  
Thomas H. Heaton ◽  
K. W. Hudnut

Abstract We present a rupture model of the Northridge earthquake, determined from the joint inversion of near-source strong ground motion recordings, P and SH teleseismic body waves, Global Positioning System (GPS) displacement vectors, and permanent uplift measured along leveling lines. The fault is defined to strike 122° and dip 40° to the south-southwest. The average rake vector is determined to be 101°, and average slip is 1.3 m; the peak slip reaches about 3 m. Our estimate of the seismic moment is 1.3 ± 0.2 × 1026 dyne-cm (potency of 0.4 km3). The rupture area is small relative to the overall aftershock dimensions and is approximately 15 km along strike, nearly 20 km in the dip direction, and there is no indication of slip shallower than about 5 to 6 km. The up-dip, strong-motion velocity waveforms are dominated by large S-wave pulses attributed to source directivity and are comprised of at least 2 to 3 distinct arrivals (a few seconds apart). Stations at southern azimuths indicate two main S-wave arrivals separated longer in time (about 4 to 5 sec). These observations are best modeled with a complex distribution of subevents: The initial S-wave arrival comes from an asperity that begins at the hypocenter and extends up-dip and to the north where a second, larger subevent is centered (about 12 km away). The secondary S arrivals at southern azimuths are best fit with additional energy radiation from another high slip region at a depth of 19 km, 8 km west of the hypocenter. The resolving power of the individual data sets is examined by predicting the geodetic (GPS and leveling) displacements with the dislocation model determined from the waveform data, and vice versa, and also by analyzing how well the teleseismic solution predicts the recorded strong motions. The general features of the geodetic displacements are not well predicted from the model determined independently from the strong-motion data; likewise, the slip model determined from geodetic data does not adequately reproduce the strong-motion characteristics. Whereas a particularly smooth slip pattern is sufficient to satisfy the geodetic data, the strong-motion and teleseismic data require a more heterogeneous slip distribution in order to reproduce the velocity amplitudes and frequency content. Although the teleseismic model can adequately reproduce the overall amplitude and frequency content of the strong-motion velocity recordings, it does a poor job of predicting the geodetic data. Consequently, a robust representation of the slip history and heterogeneity requires a combined analysis of these data sets.

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (6) ◽  
pp. 2892-2911
Author(s):  
Eri Ito ◽  
Kenichi Nakano ◽  
Fumiaki Nagashima ◽  
Hiroshi Kawase

ABSTRACT The main purpose of the site classification or velocity determination at a target site is to obtain or estimate the horizontal site amplification factor (HSAF) at that site during future earthquakes because HSAF would have significant effects on the strong-motion characteristics. We have been investigating various kinds of methods to delineate the S-wave velocity structures and the subsequent HSAF, as precisely as possible. After the advent of the diffuse field concept, we have derived a simple formula based on the equipartitioned energy density observed in the layered half-space for incident body waves. In this study, based on the diffuse field concept, together with the generalized spectral inversion technique (GIT), we propose a method to directly estimate the HSAF of the S-wave portion from the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio of earthquakes (eHVSRs). Because the vertical amplification is included in the denominator of eHVSR, it cannot be viewed as HSAF without correction. We used GIT to determine both the HSAF and the vertical site amplification factor (VSAF) simultaneously from strong-motion data observed by the networks in Japan and then deduced the log-averaged vertical amplification correction function (VACF) from VSAFs at a total of 1678 sites in which 10 or more earthquakes have been observed. The VACF without a category has a constant amplitude of about 2 in the frequency range from 1 to 15 Hz. By multiplying eHVSR by VACF, we obtained the simulated HSAF. We verified the effectiveness of this correction method using data from observation sites not used in the aforementioned averaging in the frequency range from 0.12 to 15 Hz.


Geophysics ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. R105-R115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar Manukyan ◽  
Sabine Latzel ◽  
Hansruedi Maurer ◽  
Stefano Marelli ◽  
Stewart A. Greenhalgh

Elastic-waveform inversions have the potential to provide detailed subsurface images of the elastic parameters (P- and S-wave velocities and density), but acquisition of suitable data sets and their inversion are nontrivial tasks. We explore the information content offered by elastic-waveform data by means of a 2D synthetic study. Comprehensive noise-free data sets that include recordings based on multicomponent (directed) sources and multicomponent (vector) receivers that fully surround the area of interest allow all elastic parameters to be reliably recovered. Results that are almost as good can be achieved with the more commonly used crosshole configuration. If only single-source components (e.g., those oriented perpendicular to the borehole walls) are used, then there is no significant quality degradation of the tomographic images. Crosshole experiments that include pressure sources and multicomponent receivers still allow P- and S-wave velocities to be recovered, but such data sets contain virtually no information about the density. Finally, seismic data collected with omnidirectional pressure sources and pressure receivers contain information about P- and S-wave velocities, but there are pronounced trade-offs between these parameters. This is demonstrated through formal model-resolution analyses. This study concludes that seismic data recorded with pressure sources and 2C receivers offer the best compromise between acquisition efficiency and data-information content.


Author(s):  
Martin Reyners ◽  
Stuart Hodder

The Motu River earthquake of 8 March 1984 (M = 6.4) was the largest event to occur at the Hikurangi Margin of New Zealand since 1973. It originated in the upper part of the subducted Pacific plate at a depth of 73 kilometres, and appears typical of previous larger events in the region. The earthquake was widely felt, and has provided valuable data on the spatial distribution of intensity from intermediate depth events. The earthquake produced records of strong ground motion at nine sites within 152 kilometres of the epicentre, though the accelerograms of only one site were of sufficient amplitude to permit digitisation. The distribution of recorded peak accelerations correlates reasonably well with the pattern of S-wave radiation expected from a double-couple point source. A strong-motion instrument near the mouth of the Motu River recorded a relatively short-duration, moderate amplitude motion of extremely monochromatic frequency content. It is likely that a site resonance dominates the data at this location, thus severely limiting the usefulness of the accelerograms for earthquake source studies.


Geophysics ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (5) ◽  
pp. R175-R183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khiem T. Tran ◽  
Michael McVay ◽  
Michael Faraone ◽  
David Horhota

We have developed an application of 2D time-domain waveform tomography for detection of embedded sinkholes and anomalies. The measured seismic surface wavefields were inverted using a full-waveform inversion (FWI) technique, based on a finite-difference solution of 2D elastic wave equations and the Gauss-Newton inversion method. The key advantage of this approach is the ability to generate all possible wave propagation modes of seismic wavefields (body waves and Rayleigh waves) that are then compared with measured data to infer complex subsurface properties.The pressure-wave (P-wave) and shear-wave (S-wave) velocities are inverted independently and simultaneously. The FWI was applied to one synthetic and two real experimental data sets. The inversion results of synthetic data showed the useful capability of the waveform analysis in identifying an embedded void. The inversion results of real data sets showed that the waveform analysis was able to delineate (1) an embedded concrete culvert and (2) a complex profile with an embedded void and highly variable bedrock laterally and vertically. An independent invasive test (standard penetration test) was also conducted to verify the seismic test results.


1989 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 655-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Mendoza ◽  
Stephen H. Hartzell

Abstract We simultaneously invert the strong-motion velocity records and the long- and intermediate-period teleseismic P waveforms of the 19 September 1985 Michoacan, Mexico, earthquake to recover the distribution of slip on the fault using a point-by-point constrained and stabilized, least-squares inversion method. A fault plane with strike fixed at 300° and dip fixed at 14° is placed in the region of the earthquake hypocenter and divided into 120 subfaults. Rupture is assumed to propagate at a velocity of 2.6 km/sec away from the hypocenter. Synthetic near-source ground motions and teleseismic P waveforms for pure strike-slip and dipslip dislocations are calculated for each subfault. The observed data are then inverted to obtain the amount of strike-slip and dip-slip displacement required of each subfault. We also invert the data sets using a time-window procedure where the subfaults are allowed to slip up to three times. This approach relaxes the constraint of fixed subfault rupture time imposed by a constant rupture velocity. Inversion of the strong-motion data alone yields a slip model similar to the solution previously obtained using only teleseismic waveforms. This result supports the use of teleseismic waveform data for the derivation of fault dislocation models in the absence of strong-motion recordings. Our simultaneous inversion of both data sets suggests that rupture during the Michoacan earthquake was controlled largely by the failure of three major asperities located along the length and down the dip of a 150-km segment of the Cocos-North America plate boundary. The solution contains three major source regions including an 80 km by 55 km source near the hypocenter with a peak slip of 6.5 meters. Two additional sources are present on the southeast portion of the fault about 70 km away from the hypocenter. One of these sources, with a peak slip of 5 meters, covers a 45 km by 60 km area and extends downdip from a depth of about 10 km to 24 km. The third source region is somewhat smaller (30 km by 60 km area, 3.1-meters peak slip) and extends further downdip at depths between 27 km and 39 km. Aftershock activity following the earthquake was associated mainly with the two shallow sources. These two sources are separated by the aftershock zone of the 1981 Playa Azul earthquake.


1999 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F Cassidy ◽  
Garry C Rogers

Three-component, digital recordings of two recent moderate earthquakes provide valuable new insight into the response to seismic shaking in the greater Vancouver area, particularly on the Fraser River delta. The 1996 M = 5.1 Duvall, Washington, earthquake (180 km southeast of Vancouver) triggered strong-motion seismographs at seven sites and the 1997 M = 4.3 Georgia Strait earthquake (37 km west of Vancouver) triggered instruments at 13 sites in the greater Vancouver area. The latter data set is especially important because it contains the first three-component recordings made on bedrock in greater Vancouver. Both data sets represent weak ground motion, with peak horizontal accelerations of 0.5-1.5% gravity (g) for the Duvall earthquake, and 0.2-2.4% g for the Georgia Strait earthquake. Using the method of spectral ratios, we estimate the site response for each of the strong-motion instrument soil sites. On the Fraser River delta amplification is observed over a relatively narrow frequency range of 1.5-4 Hz (0.25-0.67 s period), with peak amplification of 4-10 (relative to competent bedrock) for the thick soil delta centre sites, and about 7-11 for the delta edge sites. Relative to firm soil, the peak amplification ranges from 2 to 5 for the thick soil delta centre sites, and 2 to 6 for the delta edge sites. At higher frequencies, little or no amplification, and in many cases slight attenuation, is observed.Key words: seismic site response, Fraser delta, earthquakes.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itzhak Lior ◽  
Anthony Sladen ◽  
Diego Mercerat ◽  
Jean-Paul Ampuero ◽  
Diane Rivet ◽  
...  

<p>The use of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) presents unique advantages for earthquake monitoring compared with standard seismic networks: spatially dense measurements adapted for harsh environments and designed for remote operation. However, the ability to determine earthquake source parameters using DAS is yet to be fully established. In particular, resolving the magnitude and stress drop, is a fundamental objective for seismic monitoring and earthquake early warning. To apply existing methods for source parameter estimation to DAS signals, they must first be converted from strain to ground motions. This conversion can be achieved using the waves’ apparent phase velocity, which varies for different seismic phases ranging from fast body-waves to slow surface- and scattered-waves. To facilitate this conversion and improve its reliability, an algorithm for slowness determination is presented, based on the local slant-stack transform. This approach yields a unique slowness value at each time instance of a DAS time-series. The ability to convert strain-rate signals to ground accelerations is validated using simulated data and applied to several earthquakes recorded by dark fibers of three ocean-bottom telecommunication cables in the Mediterranean Sea. The conversion emphasizes fast body-waves compared to slow scattered-waves and ambient noise, and is robust even in the presence of correlated noise and varying wave propagation directions. Good agreement is found between source parameters determined using converted DAS waveforms and on-land seismometers for both P- and S-wave records. The demonstrated ability to resolve source parameters using P-waves on horizontal ocean-bottom fibers is key for the implementation of DAS based earthquake early warning, which will significantly improve hazard mitigation capabilities for offshore and tsunami earthquakes.</p>


1994 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 1387-1396
Author(s):  
Shigeo Kinoshita

Abstract The attenuation characteristics of shear waves in the crust of the southern Kanto area, central Japan, were estimated using strong-motion data, including acceleration data recorded in the pre-Tertiary basement rocks by means of downhole observation. The quality factor Qs(f) was determined for a range of discrete frequencies from 0.5 to 16 Hz from the analysis of data from 13 local earthquakes with focal depths of less than about 50 km that occurred in the Philippine Sea plate and in the boundary zone between the lower part of the Eurasian plate and the upper part of the Philippine Sea plate. The estimated 1/Qs(f) shows a peaked structure in this frequency range on the assumption that the geometrical spreading exponent is -1 (body waves). The estimated peak 1/Qs(f) is of the order of 10-2 at 0.8 Hz.


2022 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-53
Author(s):  
Zhiwen Deng ◽  
Rui Zhang ◽  
Liang Gou ◽  
Shaohua Zhang ◽  
Yuanyuan Yue ◽  
...  

The formation containing shallow gas clouds poses a major challenge for conventional P-wave seismic surveys in the Sanhu area, Qaidam Basin, west China, as it dramatically attenuates seismic P-waves, resulting in high uncertainty in the subsurface structure and complexity in reservoir characterization. To address this issue, we proposed a workflow of direct shear-wave seismic (S-S) surveys. This is because the shear wave is not significantly affected by the pore fluid. Our workflow includes acquisition, processing, and interpretation in calibration with conventional P-wave seismic data to obtain improved subsurface structure images and reservoir characterization. To procure a good S-wave seismic image, several key techniques were applied: (1) a newly developed S-wave vibrator, one of the most powerful such vibrators in the world, was used to send a strong S-wave into the subsurface; (2) the acquired 9C S-S data sets initially were rotated into SH-SH and SV-SV components and subsequently were rotated into fast and slow S-wave components; and (3) a surface-wave inversion technique was applied to obtain the near-surface shear-wave velocity, used for static correction. As expected, the S-wave data were not affected by the gas clouds. This allowed us to map the subsurface structures with stronger confidence than with the P-wave data. Such S-wave data materialize into similar frequency spectra as P-wave data with a better signal-to-noise ratio. Seismic attributes were also applied to the S-wave data sets. This resulted in clearly visible geologic features that were invisible in the P-wave data.


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