AFORS autonomous fibre-optic rotational seismograph: Design and application

We outline the research leading to development of the Autonomous Fibre-Optic Rotational Seismograph (AFORS) and describe the final version of the instrument. The instrument with linear changes of sensitivity keeps accuracy from 5.1 × 10⁻⁹ to 5.5 × 10⁻⁸ rad/s in the detection bandpass 1.66–212.30 Hz; it is designed for a direct measurement of rotational components emitted during seismic events. The presented system is based on the optical part of the fibre optic gyro construction where a special autonomous signal processing unit (ASPU) optimizes its operation for the measurement of rotation motions instead of the angular changes. The application of a newly designed telemetric system based on the Internet allows for a remote system control, as shown in an example of the system’s operation in Książ (Poland) seismological observatory.     

光纤振动传感之一:旋转测量技术及其地震学应用

地震波场可分解为三分量平动和三分量旋转运动.旋转分量包含重要的波场梯度信息,是地震波场重建的关键要素,但过去由于缺乏稳定的高灵敏度旋转测量仪器,它在不同的地震学应用中常被忽略.光纤旋转地震仪是率先打破测量仪器缺乏困境、最先实现商业化的旋转地震仪,也是目前最有发展前景的地震波旋转直接测量设备.光纤旋转地震仪基于Sagnac效应,并依托成熟的光纤陀螺技术实现振动的旋转分量测量.它具有纯光电传感不受平动影响的测量优势;并且能够在高灵敏度和宽频带旋转测量的基础下实现设备的小型化,有利于旋转测量的应用推广.因此,光纤旋转地震仪和传统的地震仪将形成互补,实现旋转和平动六分量(6C)的观测,更好地提取地震波场特征,提高振动监测能力,有效改善震源过程反演、地下结构成像和地震破坏机理研究等应用.本文主要介绍光纤旋转测量的基本原理、旋转地震学的应用及其潜在应用前景.     

Spin and twist motions in the earthquake preparation processes: Analysis of records

Three seismic events in L’Aquila region and one in western Greece have been chosen for comparative analysis of two kinds of seismic motions, spin and twist. These torque components of the seismic field were detected in horizontal plane with the rotational seismometers. Homologous parts were sought in the signals of spin and twist components — curve of one component was compared to the other directly and after transformations: phase-shifting and sign reversal. To achieve better clarity, these operations were done on the data divided into several descendant signals with the use of band-pass filtration. Conformities of spin and twist, revealed in this way, are assumed to be results of distant processes in the source, where relations between rotational and shear motions include retardations.     

Microseismic noise in northern European Russia: Seismic recordings in the town of Vorkuta

Microseismic noise was studied in the frequency range 0.5–30 Hz in the conditions prevailing in the town of Vorkuta. A seismic noise model was developed consisting of power spectral densities of ground motion velocity separately for daytime and nighttime in different frequency ranges. The absolute noise level for frequencies of 1–5 Hz in Vorkuta varies between −140 and −150 dB in daytime and from −152 to −158 dB in nighttime, with the ranges for the 8-15 Hz noise being −140 to −155 dB in daytime and −155 to −165 dB in nighttime. Well-pronounced daily variations in noise amplitude were observed in the frequency ranges 1.5–3 Hz and 14–17 Hz. The noise amplitude varies by 7 dB over 24 hours, with the amplitude of horizontal component variation being 5 dB above that of the vertical component. The power spectral densities of ground motion velocity in the microseismic noise involve several spectral peaks, whose central frequencies did not vary by more than 0.15 Hz during the entire period of instrumental observation. The seismic background in the town of Vorkuta contains seismic events due to distant earthquakes and local industrial explosions.     

Rotation and strain seismology

Asymmetric continuum theory points to the equal roles of the rotation motions and those related directly to shear or confining strains. The strain motions could be quite independent or mutually related with the eventual phase shifts, while the displacements have only a mathematical sense; a real displacement may appear along the fracture slip only. Formally, any deformation could be presented as related to the displacements; however, its origin in a fracture source should be considered either as belonging to an individual process or to complex correlated events; in these cases, the confining, shear and rotation strains can be related mathematically to the different displacement fields. Some of these related deformations could be emitted from a source with a phase shift, while the observed displacements (deduced from records) result as a sum of these independent displacements. An important influence on a source process and on the premonitory micro-events has the material defects, their distribution, and mobility. The defect arrays lead to a concentration of stresses and their local reorganization. Thus, in this paper, we consider the induced stresses and strains related to defect content and to its modification and redistribution. Moreover, an important role in understanding the complex correlated events in a source plays the release?Crebound mechanism. The release?Crebound mechanism in an earthquake source processes leads to a possible direct or phase-shifted correlations between the emitted motions; in this aspect, a propagation of the coupled strain and rotation waves is discussed. In particular, we consider the point fracture events as related either to a confining load or/and to the shear and rotation processes; we discuss the related effects and their meaning when discussing the fault plane mechanism and emitted waves. In some important seismic regions, we have the recording system which permits to record the strains and rotations. However, we should point that the wordwide seismological network is not adequate to record the complex strain deformations released in the fracture processes and remains quite insufficient to understand the global stress changes and related strain waves of a very low period. Consideration on a recording mechanism of the long displacement waves indicates the insufficiencies of the present global recording system and points that recording of the global strain and rotation waves is an important and urgent task.     

Source parameters of the 2004 Kaliningrad earthquakes

An analysis of source parameters of the two unexpected earthquakes from the Kaliningrad (Russia) area is presented. The earthquakes occurred on 21 September 2004 at 11:05:01 and 13:32:31 UT, respectively. The first event was located at the latitude φ = 54.924°N and the longitude λ = 20.120°E, with a depth h = 16 km, and the second event at φ = 54.876°N, λ = 20.120°E and h = 20 km. Magnitudes Mw of the two events were very similar: 5.1 and 5.2. The magnitude values reported by various international data centers have been meaningfully different. The reason is the presence of high-frequency components in Z velocity component of the S wavefield. They were observed along the direction defined by two stations, BLEU in Sweden and SUW in Poland, located in opposite sides of the source. Along the direction perpendicular to it, the effects are relatively very small. The high-frequency waves are understood to mean components in the 6–8 Hz band for event 1 and 2-4 Hz for event 2. The effects in question are also clearly visible on displacement spectrograms. The magnitude values calculated at such stations from S-wave amplitudes or from seismic spectra are clearly overestimated and are close to 6. Therefore, we made a careful selection of channels in order to determine the spectral parameters and, on this basis, the source parameters. The size of the source is relatively small, of about 2 km. The closest seismic station is at 100 source radii from the source. One can clearly see the effect of the TT zone which markedly reduces the seismic moment value for seismic stations laying on the opposite sides of the source. Both events have very similar spatial distributions of the source parameters: magnitude, seismic moment and radius.     

Quantifying felt events: A joint analysis of intensities, accelerations and dominant frequencies

Recent seismic events for which macroseismic intensities and accelerometric records are simultaneously available are investigated in order to derive empirical relationships between intensities and ground accelerations. 20 events with local magnitudes 3.0 to 5.4 are selected in a single country (France), in order to have homogeneous intensity data. Records are obtained in about 50 stations. Relationships are first established between intensities, magnitudes and distances on one side, between S-wave horizontal peak ground accelerations (PGA), magnitudes and distances R on the other side. They show that the PGA decays with distance roughly as R ⁻², in agreement with previous studies, and that PGA and intensities lead to different attenuation models. An intensity-acceleration relationship is established from direct observations, and from a combination of the previous relationships. It reveals that the intensity felt depends not only on the PGAs, but also on the distance. This may be explained by the frequency dependent attenuation of the waves, and by a different sensitivity of humans to the different frequencies. The influence of frequency on the felt intensity is then investigated, and a relation between intensity, PGA and frequency is established. It shows that the acceleration needed to be felt with a given intensity is larger at high frequency than at low frequency.Finally, as sound also contributes to earthquake perception, the P-wave displacement is analysed in an attempt to find in which conditions a perceptible sound is generated. The perturbation in air pressure induced by the P-wave is compared to the threshold of hearing in two frequency ranges, 20–40 Hz and 40–60 Hz. The maximum distance of perceptibility as a function of magnitude deduced from the P-wave displacement alone is found to be below the experimental distances of perception reported in the macroseismic enquiries.     

Non‐structure‐specific intensity measure parameters and characteristic period of near‐fault ground motions

This paper focuses on the effects of long‐period pulse of near‐fault ground motions on the structural damage potential. Two sets of near‐fault ground motion records from Chi‐Chi, Taiwan earthquake and Northridge earthquake with and without distinct pulse are selected as the input, and the correlation analysis between 30 non‐structure‐specific intensity measure parameters and maximum inelastic displacements and energy responses (input energy and hysteretic energy) of bilinear single degree of freedom systems are conducted. Based on the frequency characteristic of near‐fault ground motions with remarkable long‐period components, two intensity indices are proposed, namely, the improved effective peak acceleration (IEPA) and improved effective peak velocity (IEPV). In addition a new characteristic period of these ground motions is defined based on IEPA and IEPV. Numerical results illustrate that the intensity measure parameters related to ground acceleration present the best correlation with the seismic responses for rigid systems; the velocity‐related and displacement‐related parameters are better for medium‐frequency systems and flexible systems, respectively. The correlation curves of near‐fault ground motions with velocity pulse differ from those of ground motions without pulse. Moreover, the improved parameters IEPA and IEPV of near‐fault impulsive ground motions enhance the performance of intensity measure of corresponding conventional parameters, i.e. EPA and EPV. The new characteristic period based on IEPA and IEPV can better reflect the frequency content of near‐fault ground motions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Portable seismic sensor

The problems related to design of a portable seismic sensor working in a frequency range of 0.01–40 Hz are considered. Its main parts (pendulum, capacitive displacement transducer, magnetoelectric converter), structural diagram, and amplitude-frequency characteristic are described.     

Source parameters of the earthquakes of the Baikal rift system

The dynamic parameters of the earthquake source—the seismic moment, the moment magnitude, the source radius, the stress drop, and the amplitude of displacement—are determined by the amplitude Fourier spectra of the body shear waves (S-waves) for 62 earthquakes of the Baikal rift system with the energy class of K _P = 9.1–15.7. In the calculations I used the classical Brune model. The seismic moment of the earthquakes being investigated changes from 3.65 × 10¹¹ N m to 1.35 × 10¹⁸ N m, and the radii of earthquake sources vary from 390 m to 1.84 km. The values of the drop in stress Δσ grow with an increase in the seismic moment up to 1.7 × 10⁸ Pa. For the group of weak earthquakes (M _w = 1.7–3.3), extremely low values of the drop in stress 10³–10⁴ Pa are observed. The maximum amplitude of displacement in the source amounts to 5.95 m. The empirical equations between the seismic moment and the other dynamic parameters of the source are determined. The regional dependence of the seismic moment and energy class is obtained: log M ₀ ± 0.60 = 1.03K _P + 3.17. The character of the relationship between the seismic moment and the corner frequency indicates that the classical scaling law of the seismic spectrum for the earthquakes in question is not fulfilled. The obtained estimates of the dynamic parameters are in satisfactory agreement with the published data concerning the analogous parameters of the other rift zones, which reflects the general regular patterns of the destruction of the lithosphere and the seismicity in the extension zones of the lithosphere.     

Frequency analysis of the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake using spectral seismograms

Frequency analysis of the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of 2004, one of the most significant and best-recorded earthquakes, is based on spectral seismograms obtained from their broadband seismograms. The Sumatra-Andaman earthquake is found to have a wide-range frequency content of P-wave radiation during the rupturing process. On the basis of stacking spectral seismograms we distinguished four time events of the rupturing process of a total length of about 540 s. The frequency, f _max, is the highest for the first event (0.163 Hz in time interval 0–88 s), lowest for the second — which is the strongest (0.075 Hz in time interval 88–204 s). For third and fourth events frequencies are similar (0.089 and 0.082 Hz in time intervals 204–452 and 452–537 s, respectively). The frequency also shows an azimuthal dependence (±0.02 Hz). Azimuths for which the frequency, f _max, has maximum and minimum values are 203–222° and 23–42°, respectively. These observations are discussed in relation to previously published papers on this topic.     

Small-scale heterogeneities below the Lanzhou CTBTO seismic array,from seismic wave field fluctuations

Seismic wave field fluctuations below Lanzhou Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization seismic array are determined and interpreted to describe the scattering characteristics of the crust beneath the northeastern margin of Qinghai–Tibet plateau in China. The frequency-dependent intensities of the mean and fluctuation wave fields are analyzed for 21 deep (206–632 km depth) teleseismic events. The observed wave field fluctuations in the frequency range 0.5–2.5 Hz can be explained by the scattering of the teleseismic P wave front at random media-type structures. The stable and narrow range of the fluctuation parameters from these teleseismic events indicates evidence for scattered seismic phases which are generated inside the crust. The reasonable structural models contain heterogeneities with 1–3% velocity fluctuations and 2.4–8.2 km correlation lengths in the crust with 53 km thickness.     

Molecular transport in fracture processes

The Asymmetric Continuum Theory based on deformation fields includes the strain rotation as an equally important deformation part as the shear and confining strains; all these fields can be related to their origin in the fracture processes by some displacement motions in a source. Some of these motions may belong to an individual process, some to complex correlated events; in this latter case the displacements related to these strains could be shifted in phase. Moreover, we may expect an appearance of some molecular transport motions; the molecular transport may be helpful for understanding an interaction of the molecular processes and related molecular momentum flux. These correlated events should be mutually related in a source by the release-rebound mechanism. In particular, we consider the point fracture events as associated with a confining load or/and with the shear and rotation processes; we discuss the related effects and their meaning when discussing the fault plane mechanism and emitted waves. It is to be pointed out that such molecular motions are too small to be observed by the existing seismological networks.     

Attenuation,source parameters and site effects in the Irpinia–Basilicata region (southern Apennines,Italy)

We derive S-wave attenuation characteristics, earthquake source parameters and site amplification functions at seismic stations used for earthquake early warning in the Irpinia–Basilicata region, using non-parametric spectral inversion of seismograms from 49 local events with M _L = 1.5–3.1. We obtain relatively low Q values (Q ₀ = 28 at a frequency of 1 Hz) in conjunction with a strong frequency-dependence (close to linear). The source spectra can be satisfactorily modeled using the omega-square model, with stress drops ranging between 0.01–2 MPa, and in the narrow magnitude range available for analysis, the source spectra seem to scale self-similarly. The local magnitude M _L shows a linear correlation with moment magnitude M _W, however with a systematic underestimation by about 0.5-magnitude units. The results obtained in this work provide important insights into the ground-motion characteristics that are required for appropriate seismic hazard assessment and are of practical relevance for a suite of applications, such as the calibration of ground-motion prediction equations or the correction for site amplification in earthquake early warning and rapid calculation of shake-maps for seismic emergency management.     

Assessment of Seismic Site Conditions: a Case Study from Guwahati City,Northeast India

The 1897 Great Shillong earthquake revealed considerable seismic susceptibility in Guwahati City, such as soil liquefaction, landslides, and surface fissures. In an attempt to quantify the seismic vulnerability of the city based on geological, seismological, and geotechnical aspects concerning seismic site characterization, in-depth analysis was performed using a microtremor survey with recordings of five small to moderate magnitude (4.8 ≤ m_b ≤ 5.4) earthquakes that occurred in 2006 and geotechnical investigations using the Standard Penetration Test (SPT). Additionally, the basement topography was established using vertical electrical resistivity sounding and selected drill-hole information. Region-specific relationships are derived by correlating the estimated values of predominant frequency, shear-wave velocity, and basement depth indicating conformity with the predominant frequency distribution and the basin topography underlain by a hard granitic basement. Most parts of the city adhere to the predominant frequency range of 0.5–3.5 Hz, setting aside areas of deep sediment fills or hilly tracts, suggesting that the existing moderate-rise RC buildings in the territory are seismically vulnerable. Furthermore, the geotechnical assessment of the soil liquefaction potential reveals widespread susceptibility across the terrain. Eventually, a site classification map of the city is prepared following the National Earthquake Hazard Program (NEHRP) provision. The average site amplification factor from geotechnical modeling for site class D is about 3 in the frequency range of 2–4 Hz. In addition, earthquake data yield an average site amplification factor of 4–6 in the frequency range of 1.2–5.0 Hz at the seismic stations located in site class E and F. High site amplifications of around 5.5 and 7.5 at 2 Hz, respectively, are observed at AMTRON and IRRIG seismic stations, which are located in the proximity of Precambrian rocks, indicating probable basin edge effects—scattering and diffraction of incident energy. Interplay of dispersed valleys surrounded by small hillocks in the study region is likely to induce micro-basin effects where the sediment thickness/depth vis-à-vis predominant frequency and basin geometry in conjunction play pivotal roles in the augmentation of site response.     

Investigation of array-derived rotation in TAIPEI 101

We investigate rotational motions derived from measurements by arrays of translational seismometers??hereafter called array-derived rotations (ADRs)??and compare these to measurements made by a commercially available point rotation sensor (eentec? R-1?). We focus on two aspects of the array problem: (1) the requisite conditions for calculating an ADR well and (2) the effect of array configuration on the result. Our data set consists of translational accelerations and rotation rates recorded by an array of Kinemetrics? EpiSensor? accelerometers and two R-1? rotational sensors in the TAIPEI 101 building in Taipei, Taiwan. Our results indicate that (1) array configuration affects the accuracy of ADRs about orthogonal components in horizontal plane, (2) coherence between two point rotation measurements (two R-1?) can determine the maximum frequency of translations viably used for the calculating ADRs, and (3) the performance of the R-1? is adequate, at least above a frequency of 0.12?Hz (periods shorter than 8?s). We also discuss deriving strain from the same array.     

Methods for estimating rotational components of seismic ground motion and their numerical comparisons*

Rotational components play an important role in natural earthquake research, engineering seismic investigation, building monitoring, seismic exploration and other fields. Traditional researches mainly focus on three translational components, but less on rotational ones. As the precision of rotational sensing techniques has increased, many scholars have paid more attention to the seismic rotational motions. Because the rotational observations are not very popular before and now, approximately converting the translational components into rotational components is utilized in rotation analysis. Based on numerical six-component seismic data with the finite difference method, we compare three different conversion methods, the travelling-wave, frequency-domain and the difference method, to analyze their characteristics and feasibilities when they are applied to estimate rotational components with translational observations.     

RESEARCH ON PASSIVE SERVO SEISMIC ROTATIONAL ACCELERATION SENSOR WITH LARGE DAMPING

Many strong motion records show that under the strong seismic vibration of, the torsional disfigurement of building structures is a common and serious damage. At present, there are no special sensors for measuring seismic rotation in the world. Most of the experts obtain rotational components through observing deformation, theoretical analysis and calculation. The theory of elastic wave and source dynamics also prove the conclusion that the surface of the earth will rotate when an earthquake occurs. Based on a large number of investigations and experiments, a rotational acceleration sensor was developed for the observation of the rotational component of strong ground motions. This acceleration sensor is a double-pendulum passive servo large-damped seismic rotational acceleration sensor with the moving coil transducer. When an earthquake occurs, the seismic rotational acceleration acts on the bottom plate at the same time. The magnetic circuit system and the middle shaft fixedly connected to the bottom plate follow the bottom plate synchronous vibration, and the moving part composed of the mass ring, the swing frame and the moving ring produces relative corners to the central axis. The two working coils mounted on the two pendulums produce the same relative motion with respect to the magnetic gaps of the two magnetic circuits. Both working coils at this time generate an induced electromotive force by cutting magnetic lines of force in the respective magnetic gaps. The generated electromotive forces are respectively input to respective passive servo large damper dynamic ring transducer circuits and angular acceleration adjusting circuits, and the signals are simultaneously input to the synthesizing circuit after conditioning. Finally, the composite circuit outputs a voltage signal proportional to the seismic rotational acceleration to form a seismic rotational acceleration sensor. The paper presents the basic principles of the rotational acceleration sensor, including its mechanical structure diagram, circuit schematic diagram and mathematical models. The differential equation of motion and its circuit equation are derived to obtain the expressions of the main technical specifications, such as the damping ratio and sensitivity. The calculation shows that when the damping ratio is much larger than 1, the output voltage of the passive servo large damping dynamic coil transducer circuit is proportional to the ground rotation acceleration, and the frequency characteristic of bandpass is wider when the damping ratio is larger. Based on the calibration test, the dynamic range is greater than or equal to 100dB and the linearity error is less than 0.05%. The amplitude-frequency characteristics, the phase-frequency characteristics and their corresponding curves of the passive servo rotational acceleration sensor are acquired through the calculations. Based on the accurate measurement of the micro-vibration of the precision rotating vibration equipment, the desired result is obtained. The measured data are presented in the paper, which verify the correctness of the calculation result. The passive servo large damping rotational acceleration sensor has simple circuit design, convenient operation and high resolution, and can be widely applied to seismic acceleration measurement of earthquake or structure.