How can the ISC location procedures be improved?

For many decades the International Seismological Centre (ISC) has used a well defined procedure to locate seismic events using first P-onsets and the Jeffreys-Bullen tables ([Jeffreys, H., Bullen, K.E., 1940. Seismological Tables. British Association for the Advancement of Science, Gray Milne Trust, London, 50 pp]) as the travel-time reference. However, during the last two decades, more accurate spherical Earth models have been published and enhanced computer capabilities make it easier to implement more sophisticated data inversion schemes. Several features that may improve the location procedure at the ISC were systematically tested using the location program HYPOSAT. The investigated features were the influence of

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the usage of the spherical Earth models JB, PREM, IASP91, SP6, and AK135;

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the usage of later onsets;

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travel-time corrections for local crustal structure based on CRUST 5.1;

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different weighting of the residuals;

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reducing the amount of defining data at a late stage of the inversion process.

Application of different combinations of these factors led to a reduction of the location errors for the 156 test events, of which the epicenter is known with an accuracy of less than 5 km. However, no clear rule of common factors to achieve this result could be defined. Most promising is the application of AK135 as model for travel-time calculations, applying crust specific station corrections and corrections for the reflection points of surface reflections, a combined usage of surface and core reflections, and removing data which have large residuals or do not much contribute to the solution for the last iterations.     

Results of locating the IASPEI GT(0-5) reference events using the standard ISC procedures

The International Seismological Centre (ISC) is charged with production of the definitive global bulletin of seismic events, based on the most comprehensive set of parametric data collected from all over the world. Almost every event in the bulletin retains the original hypocentral solutions reported to the ISC by contributing agencies. In addition, where possible, the ISC computes its own solution, which is intended to be the most accurate where the data from several networks are used. It is because of the requirement for consistency of the bulletin over the years that the procedures used at the centre to compute hypocentres have remained rather conservative despite considerable advances made in the field of earthquake location.The ISC has developed and put into operation a new data management system. As a result, it is now possible to review and subsequently introduce more up-to-date methods of locating seismic events into the operations. The ISC Governing Council called for a workshop dedicated to location procedures, which was held during the 2005 IASPEI General Assembly in Santiago, Chile.To compare the accuracy of different location algorithms, a list of 156 reference events (IWREF) was selected prior to the workshop. The list includes geographically well distributed earthquakes and explosions with positions known with an accuracy of up to 5 km. It covers the period of 1954-2001 and includes all station readings and hypocentral solutions of different agencies available for these events in the ISC bulletin. Although the original ISC solutions are included, these may be different from the solution obtainable now due to changes in the ISC procedures over the years. This paper presents the results of relocation of these events using standard ISC location procedures as of 2005. These new ISC locations and analysis of their shifts with respect to reference locations present a benchmark for further improvement.     

Using beamforming for the global network location

The aim of this study is the design and trial of a novel sparse network beamforming (NB) technique to improve earthquake location. For this purpose bulletin phase arrival time data were processed via the use of complex exponents form and then used in an optimization via grid-search to search for the maximum semblance in hypocenter space. The use of the robust semblance statistic, provides reliable location results. The NB location results for a set of test events were compared to standard iterative ISC location procedure “iscloc” and its prototype the Jeffreys maximum likelihood estimator. For this purpose a data-base of 139 reference ground-truth events was extracted from the catalog of the International Seismological Centre (ISC) (97 GT5 events, assumed earthquakes, and 42 GT0 nuclear tests). The tuned NB procedure has shown excellent location results for events with a “good” ISC location and demonstrated the large epicenter deviations have been decreased in “bad” cases. Further developments of the algorithm would include allowances for 3D earth structure and a priori site-specific information.     

A scheme to set preferred magnitudes in the ISC Bulletin

One of the main purposes of the International Seismological Centre (ISC) is to collect, integrate and reprocess seismic bulletins provided by agencies around the world in order to produce the ISC Bulletin. This is regarded as the most comprehensive bulletin of the Earth’s seismicity, and its production is based on a unique cooperation in the seismological community that allows the ISC to complement the work of seismological agencies operating at global and/or local-regional scale. In addition, by using the seismic wave measurements provided by reporting agencies, the ISC computes, where possible, its own event locations and magnitudes such as short-period body wave m _b and surface wave M _S . Therefore, the ISC Bulletin contains the results of the reporting agencies as well as the ISC own solutions. Among the most used seismic event parameters listed in seismological bulletins, the event magnitude is of particular importance for characterizing a seismic event. The selection of a magnitude value (or multiple ones) for various research purposes or practical applications is not always a straightforward task for users of the ISC Bulletin and related products since a multitude of magnitude types is currently computed by seismological agencies (sometimes using different standards for the same magnitude type). Here, we describe a scheme that we intend to implement in routine ISC operations to mark the preferred magnitudes in order to help ISC users in the selection of events with magnitudes of their interest.     

EGS hydraulic stimulation monitoring by surface arrays - location accuracy and completeness magnitude: the Basel Deep Heat Mining Project case study

The potential and limits of monitoring induced seismicity by surface-based mini arrays was evaluated for the hydraulic stimulation of the Basel Deep Heat Mining Project. This project aimed at the exploitation of geothermal heat from a depth of about 4,630?m. As reference for our results, a network of borehole stations by Geothermal Explorers Ltd. provided ground truth information. We utilized array processing, sonogram event detection and outlier-resistant, graphical jackknife location procedures to compensate for the decrease in signal-to-noise ratio at the surface. We could correctly resolve the NNW?CSSE striking fault plane by relative master event locations. Statistical analysis of our catalog data resulted in M _L 0.36 as completeness magnitude, but with significant day-to-night dependency. To compare to the performance of borehole data with M _W 0.9 as completeness magnitude, we applied two methods for converting M _L to M _W which raised our M _C to M _W in the range of 0.99?C1.13. Further, the b value for the duration of our measurement was calculated to 1.14 (related to M _L), respectively 1.66 (related to M _W), but changes over time could not be resolved from the error bars.     

An empirical earthquake prediction model

We have monitored seismic activity induced by impoundment of Lake Jocassee in northwest South Carolina for about two years. Low-level shallow activity was recorded. The larger felt events (2.0 ? M_L ? 2.6) were found to be associated with precursory changes in one or more of the following; number of events, t_S/t_p ratio values and radon concentrations in groundwater.The microearthquakes in the precursory period were accurately located in time and space, and their location pattern was used to develop an empirical earthquake prediction model.The precursory period consists of two phases; α-phase or a period of slow (or no) increase in seismicity, and β-phase, a period when the activity increase is more rapid. The main shock was found to be located within a cluster, a “target” area defined by the location of events in the β-phase. There is a general absence of seismic activity in the “target” area in the α-phase. The main shock occurred soon after a period of quiescence in the seismic activity in the β-phase. The magnitude of the shock, M_L is given by: M_L = 2 log D ? 0.07, where D is the duration of the precursory period in days.The model was successfully tested with data for a magnitude 2.3 event on February 23, 1977 which was also accompanied by radon and t_s/t_p anomalies.     

Event detectability of seismograph stations in Fennoscandia

The event detection probability as a function of ISC magnitude shows significant variations between seismic stations in Fennoscandia. In the teleseismic range, the 50% incremental detection thresholds extend from m_b = 4.5 to 5.5 among those stations that reported to the ISC during 1964–1969; the best stations being located in Finland. Most of this variation, though not all, can be explained from noise level fluctuation and regional signal attenuation effects. A common feature for all stations studied is a significantly better detectatbility for signals from eastern Asia than from western North America at a similar distance range. This is interpreted as resulting from higher attenuation in the mantle of high-frequency signals from the latter region.     

Seismic evidence for stepwise thickening of the crust across the NE Tibetan plateau

We performed a receiver function analysis on teleseismic data recorded along two 550 km-long profiles crossing the northeastern Tibetan plateau. Results from time to depth migration, grid-search V_p/V_s determination and simulated annealing inversion of waveforms, reveal that the crust thickens from ∼50 km near the northern edge of the plateau to ∼80 km south of the Jinsha suture in the Qiang Tang block. Crustal thickening occurs in staircase fashion with steps located beneath the main, reactivated sutures. The V_p/V_s ratio, close to the global continental average does not suggest widespread partial melting but rather a more usual separation between an upper felsic and a lower mafic part within the northeastern Tibetan crust.     

Using the match-and-locate method to characterize foreshocks of the July 2019 MW6.4 Ridgecrest,California earthquake

The July 2019 M_W6.4 Ridgecrest, California earthquake and its distinct foreshocks were well recorded by local and regional stations, providing a great opportunity to characterize its foreshocks and investigate the nucleation mechanisms of the mainshock. In this study, we utilized the match-and-locate (M&L) method to build a high-precision foreshock catalog for this M_W6.4 earthquake. Compared with the sequential location methods (matched-filter + cross-correlation-based hypoDD), our new catalog contains more events with higher location accuracy. The M_W6.4 mainshock was preceded by 40 foreshocks within ～2 h (on July 4, 2019 from 15:35:29 to 17:32:52, UTC). Their spatiotemporal distribution revealed a complex seismogenic structure consisting of multiple fault strands, which were connected as a throughgoing fault by later foreshocks and eventually accommodated the 2019 M_W6.4 mainshock. To better understand the nucleation mechanism, we determined the rupture dimension of the largest M_L4.0 foreshock by calculating its initial rupture and centroid points using the M&L method. By estimating Coulomb stress change we suggested that the majority of foreshocks following the M_L4.0 event and M_W6.4 mainshock occurred within regions of increasing Coulomb stress, indicating that they were triggered by stress transfer. The nucleation process before the M_L4.0 event remains unclear due to the insufficient sampling rate of waveforms and small magnitude of events. Thus, our study demonstrates that the M&L method has superior detection and location ability, showing potential for studies that require high-precision location (e.g., earthquake nucleation).     

Lp-NORM DECONVOLUTION1

The purpose of deconvolution is to retrieve the reflectivity from seismic data. To do this requires an estimate of the seismic wavelet, which in some techniques is estimated simultaneously with the reflectivity, and in others is assumed known. The most popular deconvolution technique is inverse filtering. It has the property that the deconvolved reflectivity is band-limited. Band-limitation implies that reflectors are not sharply resolved, which can lead to serious interpretation problems in detailed delineation. To overcome the adverse effects of band-limitation, various alternatives for inverse filtering have been proposed. One class of alternatives is L_p-norm deconvolution, L₁norm deconvolution being the best-known of this class. We show that for an exact convolutional forward model and statistically independent reflectivity and additive noise, the maximum likelihood estimate of the reflectivity can be obtained by L_p-norm deconvolution for a range of multivariate probability density functions of the reflectivity and the noise. The L_∞-norm corresponds to a uniform distribution, the L₂-norm to a Gaussian distribution, the L₁-norm to an exponential distribution and the L₀-norm to a variable that is sparsely distributed. For instance, if we assume sparse and spiky reflectivity and Gaussian noise with zero mean, the L_p-norm deconvolution problem is solved best by minimizing the L₀-norm of the reflectivity and the L₂-norm of the noise. However, the L₀-norm is difficult to implement in an algorithm. From a practical point of view, the frequency-domain mixed-norm method that minimizes the L₁norm of the reflectivity and the L₂-norm of the noise is the best alternative. L_p-norm deconvolution can be stated in both time and frequency-domain. We show that both approaches are only equivalent for the case when the noise is minimized with the L₂-norm. Finally, some L_p-norm deconvolution methods are compared on synthetic and field data. For the practical examples, the wide range of possible L_p-norm deconvolution methods is narrowed down to three methods with p= 1 and/or 2. Given the assumptions of sparsely distributed reflectivity and Gaussian noise, we conclude that the mixed L₁norm (reflectivity) L₂-norm (noise) performs best. However, the problems inherent to single-trace deconvolution techniques, for example the problem of generating spurious events, remain. For practical application, a greater problem is that only the main, well-separated events are properly resolved.     

Location Performance and Detection Threshold of the Spanish National Seismic Network

Spain is a low-to-moderate seismicity area with relatively low seismic hazard. However, several strong shallow earthquakes have shaken the country causing casualties and extensive damage. Regional seismicity is monitored and surveyed by means of the Spanish National Seismic Network, maintenance and control of which are entrusted to the Instituto Geográfico Nacional. This array currently comprises 120 seismic stations distributed throughout Spanish territory (mainland and islands). Basically, we are interested in checking the noise conditions, reliability, and seismic detection capability of the Spanish network by analyzing the background noise level affecting the array stations, errors in hypocentral location, and detection threshold, which provides knowledge about network performance. It also enables testing of the suitability of the velocity model used in the routine process of earthquake location. To perform this study we use a method that relies on P and S wave travel times, which are computed by simulation of seismic rays from virtual seismic sources placed at the nodes of a regular grid covering the study area. Given the characteristics of the seismicity of Spain, we drew maps for M _L magnitudes 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0, at a focal depth of 10 km and a confidence level 95 %. The results relate to the number of stations involved in the hypocentral location process, how these stations are distributed spatially, and the uncertainties of focal data (errors in origin time, longitude, latitude, and depth). To assess the extent to which principal seismogenic areas are well monitored by the network, we estimated the average error in the location of a seismic source from the semiaxes of the ellipsoid of confidence by calculating the radius of the equivalent sphere. Finally, the detection threshold was determined as the magnitude of the smallest seismic event detected at least by four stations. The northwest of the peninsula, the Pyrenees, especially the westernmost segment, the Betic Cordillera, and Tenerife Island are the best-monitored zones. Origin time and focal depth are data that are far from being constrained by regional events. The two Iberian areas with moderate seismicity and the highest seismic hazard, the Pyrenees and Betic Cordillera, and the northwestern quadrant of the peninsula, are the areas wherein the focus of an earthquake is determined with an approximate error of 3 km. For M _L 2.5 and M _L 3.0 this error is common for almost the whole peninsula and the Canary Islands. In general, errors in epicenter latitude and longitude are small for near-surface earthquakes, increasing gradually as the depth increases, but remaining close to 5 km even at a depth of 60 km. The hypocentral depth seems to be well constrained to a depth of 40 km beneath the zones with the highest density of stations, with an error of less than 5 km. The M _L magnitude detection threshold of the network is approximately 2.0 for most of Spain and still less, almost 1.0, for the western sector of the Pyrenean region and the Canary Islands.     

2013年山东莱州M4.6地震序列发震构造初探

采用双差定位法对山东莱州地震序列重新定位,通过CAP方法反演M4.6地震震源机制,在此基础上初步探讨莱州地震序列发震构造。结果显示:精确定位震中位置主要位于柞村—仙夼断裂的NW方向,深度剖面显示从SE方向到NW方向断层深度呈由浅逐渐变深的趋势,这均与柞村—仙夼断裂位置、走向、倾向特征较为吻合;M4.6地震震源机制解的节面Ⅰ与柞村—仙夼断裂走向、倾角较为接近。综合精确定位震中位置、剖面深度分布特征、M4.6地震震源机制解及宏观调查烈度分布等结果与柞村-仙夼断裂产状之间的关系,初步推测柞村—仙夼断裂可能为莱州地震序列的发震断层。     

Seismic Monitoring of Poland–Description and Results of Temporary Seismic Project with Mobile Seismic Network

The paper describes a temporary seismic project aimed at developing the national database of natural seismic activity for seismic hazard assessment, officially called “Monitoring of Seismic Hazard of Territory of Poland” (MSHTP). Due to low seismicity of Poland, the project was focused on events of magnitude range 1–3 in selected regions in order to maximize the chance of recording any natural event. The project used mobile seismic stations and was divided into two stages.Five-year measurements brought over one hundred natural seismic events of magnitudes M_L range 0.5–3.8. Most of them were located in the Podhale region in the Carpathians. Together with previously recorded events this made it possible to conduct a preliminary study on ground motion prediction equation for this region. Only one natural event, of magnitude M_L = 3.8, was recorded outside the Carpathians in a surprising location in central-west Poland.     

Comparison of two earthquake early warning location methods

According to earthquake catalog records of Fujian Seismic Network, the T _now method and the four-station continuous location method put forward by Jin Xing are inspected by using P-wave arrival information of the first four stations in each earthquake. It shows that the four-station continuous location method can locate more seismic events than the T _now method. By analyzing the results, it is concluded that the reason for this is that the T _now method makes use of information from stations without being triggered, while some stations failed to be reflected in earthquake catalog because of discontinuous records or unclear records of seismic phases. For seismic events whose location results can be given, there is no obvious difference in location results of the two methods and positioning deviation of most seismic events is also not significant. For earthquakes outside the network, the positioning deviation may amplify as the epicentral distance enlarges, which may relate to the situation that the seismic stations are centered on one side of epicenter and the opening angle between seismic stations used for location and epicenter is small.     

Validity of paleomagnetic poles and principles of constructing their wander paths: A case study of the East European platform

Methods of selecting paleomagnetic data for the construction of apparent polar wander paths (APWPs) are analyzed. It is shown that the existing criteria of reliability of paleomagnetic data cannot be regarded as evidence for their validity. In other words, no unambiguous dependence exists between the reliability and the closeness of paleomagnetic poles to a hypothetical region crossed by the reliable APWP. A new approach to the construction of paleomagnetic APWPs based on simple principles (principle of space and principle of time) is proposed. Using a numerical implementation of this algorithm, three stable clusters were determined (L _p = 164, F _p = 43; L _p = 144, F _p = 13; and L _p = 170, F _p = ?2); the respective maximum estimates of their ages are 248–251, 345, and 385 Ma. These clusters can be regarded as reliable paleomagnetic poles in the Paleozoic of the East European platform.     

Global Event Location with Full and Sparse Data Sets Using Three-dimensional Models of Mantle P-wave Velocity

—?In order to improve on the accuracy of event locations at teleseismic distances it is necessary to adequately correct for lateral variations in structure along the ray paths, either through deterministic model-based corrections, empirical path/station corrections, or a combination of both approaches. In this paper we investigate the ability of current three-dimensional models of mantle P-wave velocity to accurately locate teleseismic events. We test four recently published models; two are parameterized in terms of relatively long-wavelength spherical harmonic functions up to degree 12, and two are parameterized in terms of blocks of constant velocity which have a dimension of a few hundreds of km. These models, together with detailed crustal corrections, are used to locate a set of 112 global test events, consisting of both earthquakes and explosions with P-wave travel-time data compiled by the Internation al Seismological Centre (ISC). The results indicate that the supposedly higher resolution block models do not improve the accuracy of teleseismic event locations over the longer wavelength spherical harmonic models. For some source locations the block models do not predict the range of observed travel-time residuals as well as the longer wavelength models. The accuracy of the locations largely varies randomly with geographic position although events in central Asia are particularly well located. We also tested the effect of reduced data sets on the locations. Multiple location iterations using 30 P-wave travel times indicate that teleseismic events may be located within an area of 1000?km² of the true location 66% of the time with only the model-based corrections, and increasing to 75% if calibration information is available. If as few as 8 phases are available then this is possible only 50% of the time. Further refinement in models and/or procedure, such as the addition of P _n phases, azimuth data, and consideration of P-wave anisotropy may provide further improvement in the teleseismic location of small events.     

The aftermath of 2011 Van earthquakes: evaluation of strong motion, geotechnical and structural issues

October 23rd, 2011 M _L 6.7 (M _w 7.2 KOERI) Tabanli-Van Earthquake caused damage in a widespread area specifically in the settlement regions throughout the Lake Van. A number of 58 buildings totally collapsed during the shake with 52 of them however, reported to be in Ercis district. 17 days after this destructive event, another earthquake of M _L 5.6 hit the region again on the 9th of November having the epicentral location at Edremit district. The second earthquake mostly affected the central region of Van province with a number of 25 totally collapsed buildings and furthermore it significantly increased the existing structural damages. Strong motion records from both earthquakes and their impacts on structures as well as geotechnical issues are studied in this paper. Extensive liquefaction triggered lateral spread, landslide and slope failure cases were observed mainly at non-residential areas. Soil amplification is evaluated to be one of the main reasons for the heavy damage occurred in Ercis. Furthermore, site investigations and damage assessment performed after each earthquake proved that the observed damages are strongly correlated with insufficient qualities of structural materials, inadequate detailing and poor workmanship.     

Application of 3D empirical travel times to routine event location

The unmodeled effects of lateral heterogeneity are a primary cause of event mislocation in routine methods. Approaches that account for the effect of lateral heterogeneity on travel times are commonly used in specialized studies, but some methods have recently been developed that are suitable for routine location. A variety of changes to the routine procedures have been suggested by other authors. These proposed changes are shown to be compatible to with the use of 3D travel time predictions. 3D empirical travel times are discussed in a routine context. This one step approach, based on direct use of a database of the most reliable previous observations, is shown to be suitable as an additional final step in routine procedures to give a supplementary high accuracy location. The empirical travel time approach is tested on a reference dataset of 155 ground truth events and shown to reduce epicentral mislocation by 45%. The approach is found to be particularly effective at reducing large mislocations. Improvement is demonstrated for every region represented in the dataset but particularly large improvements are shown for events in Europe, USA and Japan.     

Relocation of the 1998 Zhangbei-Shangyi earthquake sequence using the double difference earthquake location algorithm

Introduction On January 10, 1998, at 11h50min Beijing Time (03h50min UTC), an earthquake of ML=6.2 occurred in the border region between the Zhangbei County and Shangyi County of Hebei Province. In total 87 events with ML3.0 were recorded by Beijing Telemetry Seismic Network (BTSN) before March of 1999. Before relocation the preliminary hypocenters determined by BTSN showed an epicentral distribution of 25 km long and 25 km wide without any predominate orientation. The epicentral a…