The Seismotectonic Model of Southern Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Midzi, Vunganai; Mulabisana, Thifelimbulu; Manzunzu, Brassnavy

2013-04-01

Presented in this report is a summary of the major structures and seismotectonic zones in Southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland), which includes available information on fault plane solutions and stress data. Reports published by several experts contributed much to the prepared zones. The work was prepared as part of the requirements for the SIDA/IGCP Project 601 titled "Seismotectonics and Seismic Hazards in Africa" as well as part of the seismic source characterisation of the GEM-Africa Seismic hazard study. The seismic data used are part of the earthquake catalogue being prepared for the GEM-Africa project, which includes historical and instrumental records as collected from various agencies. Seventeen seismic zones/sources were identified and demarcated using all the available information. Two of the identiied sources are faults with reliable evidence of their activity. Though more faults have been identified in unpublished material as being active, more work is being carried out to obtain information that can be used to characterise them before they are included in the seismotectonic model. Explanations for the selected boundaries of the zones are also given in the report. It should be noted that this information is the first draft of the seismic source zones of the region. Futher interpreation of the data is envisaged which might result in more than one version of the zones.

Marine and land active-source seismic imaging of mid-Miocene to Holocene-aged faulting near geothermal prospects at Pyramid Lake, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eisses, A.; Kell, A.; Kent, G.

Amy Eisses, Annie Kell, Graham Kent, Neal Driscoll, Robert Karlin, Rob Baskin, John Louie, and Satish Pullammanappallil, 2011, Marine and land active-source seismic imaging of mid-Miocene to Holocene-aged faulting near geothermal prospects at Pyramid Lake, Nevada: presented at Geothermal Resources Council Annual Meeting, San Diego, Oct. 23-26.

Shallow active-source imaging of an andesite dike in southern New Mexico: comparing Reftek Texan and Fairfield Z-Land recordings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karplus, M. S.; Kaip, G.; Harder, S. H.; Johnson, K.

2016-12-01

In October 2015, the Advanced Exploration Seismology class at the University of Texas at El Paso together with additional volunteers acquired a 500-m active-source seismic profile across an andesite dike adjacent to the Rio Grande River near Sunland Park, New Mexico. Receivers included 100 RT-125 Reftek Texans with 4.5-Hz geophones, spaced every 5 m, and 47 Fairfield Z-Land nodes incorporating 5-Hz 3C geophones, spaced approximately every 10 m. A 8-gauge, 400 grain seismic gun source was fired every 5-10 m along most of the profile. Several locations at the ends of the profile experienced multiple gun shots, which have been stacked to increase signal-to-noise. We discuss similarities and differences in field methods and data acquired using the Texans compared to the nodes for a shallow active-source experiment. We extend the discussion to other types of active-source experiments using other recently-acquired nodal datasets. We observe changes in velocity between the andesite dike and surrounding lithologies, and create a seismic reflection image of the andesite dike.

Measuring the effects of pore-pressure changes on seismic amplitude using crosswell continuous active-source seismic monitoring (CASSM)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marchesini, Pierpaolo; Daley, Thomas; Ajo-Franklin, Jonathan

Monitoring of time-varying reservoir properties, such as the state of stress, is a primary goal of geophysical investigations, including for geological sequestration of CO 2, enhanced hydrocarbon recovery (EOR), and other subsurface engineering activities. In this work, we used Continuous Active-Source Seismic Monitoring (CASSM), with cross-well geometry, to measure variation in seismic coda amplitude, as a consequence of effective stress change (in the form of changes in pore fluid pressure). To our knowledge, the presented results are the first in-situ example of such crosswell measurement at reservoir scale and in field conditions. Data compliment the findings of our previous workmore » which investigated the relationship between pore fluid pressure and seismic velocity (velocity-stress sensitivity) using the CASSM system at the same field site (Marchesini et al., 2017, in review). We find that P-wave coda amplitude decreases with decreasing pore pressure (increasing effective stress).« less

Seismology of the moon and implications on internal structure, origin and evolution.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ewing, M.; Latham, G.; Dorman, J.; Press, F.; Sutton, G.; Meissner, R.; Duennebier, F.; Nakamura, Y.; Kovach, R.

1971-01-01

The objective of the passive seismic experiment is to measure vibrations of the lunar surface produced by all natural and artificial sources of seismic energy and to use these data to deduce the internal structure and constitution of the moon and the nature of tectonic processes which may be active within the moon. Lunar seismic signals are discussed together with the sources of these signals, and aspects of lunar structure and dynamics. Seismic signals from approximately 250 natural events and from two man-made impacts have been recorded during seven months of operation of the two seismic stations installed during Apollo missions 11 and 12.

Lunar seismicity and tectonics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lammlein, D. R.

1977-01-01

Results are presented for an analysis of all moonquake data obtained by the Apollo seismic stations during the period from November 1969 to May 1974 and a preliminary analysis of critical data obtained in the interval from May 1974 to May 1975. More accurate locations are found for previously located moonquakes, and additional sources are located. Consideration is given to the sources of natural seismic signals, lunar seismic activity, moonquake periodicities, tidal periodicities in moonquake activity, hypocentral locations and occurrence characteristics of deep and shallow moonquakes, lunar tidal control over moonquakes, lunar tectonism, the locations of moonquake belts, and the dynamics of the lunar interior. It is concluded that: (1) moonquakes are distributed in several major belts of global extent that coincide with regions of the youngest and most intense volcanic and tectonic activity; (2) lunar tides control both the small quakes occurring at great depth and the larger quakes occurring near the surface; (3) the moon has a much thicker lithosphere than earth; (4) a single tectonic mechanism may account for all lunar seismic activity; and (5) lunar tidal stresses are an efficient triggering mechanism for moonquakes.

Spatial extent of a hydrothermal system at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, determined from array analyses of shallow long-period seismicity 2. Results

USGS Publications Warehouse

Almendros, J.; Chouet, B.; Dawson, P.

2001-01-01

Array data from a seismic experiment carried out at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, in February 1997, are analyzed by the frequency-slowness method. The slowness vectors are determined at each of three small-aperture seismic antennas for the first arrivals of 1129 long-period (LP) events and 147 samples of volcanic tremor. The source locations are determined by using a probabilistic method which compares the event azimuths and slownesses with a slowness vector model. The results show that all the LP seismicity, including both discrete LP events and tremor, was generated in the same source region along the east flank of the Halemaumau pit crater, demonstrating the strong relation that exists between the two types of activities. The dimensions of the source region are approximately 0.6 X 1.0 X 0.5 km. For LP events we are able to resolve at least three different clusters of events. The most active cluster is centered ???200 m northeast of Halemaumau at depths shallower than 200 m beneath the caldera floor. A second cluster is located beneath the northeast quadrant of Halemaumau at a depth of ???400 m. The third cluster is <200 m deep and extends southeastward from the northeast quadrant of Halemaumau. Only one source zone is resolved for tremor. This zone is coincident with the most active source zone of LP events, northeast of Halemaumau. The location, depth, and size of the source region suggest a hydrothermal origin for all the analyzed LP seismicity. Copyright 2001 by the American Geophysical Union.

Strong S-wave attenuation and actively degassing magma beneath Taal volcano, Philippines, inferred from source location analysis using high-frequency seismic amplitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumagai, H.; Lacson, R. _Jr., Jr.; Maeda, Y.; Figueroa, M. S., II; Yamashina, T.

2014-12-01

Taal volcano, Philippines, is one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes given its history of explosive eruptions and its close proximity to populated areas. A key feature of these eruptions is that the eruption vents were not limited to Main Crater but occurred on the flanks of Volcano Island. This complex eruption history and the fact that thousands of people inhabit the island, which has been declared a permanent danger zone, together imply an enormous potential for disasters. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) constantly monitors Taal, and international collaborations have conducted seismic, geodetic, electromagnetic, and geochemical studies to investigate the volcano's magma system. Realtime broadband seismic, GPS, and magnetic networks were deployed in 2010 to improve monitoring capabilities and to better understand the volcano. The seismic network has recorded volcano-tectonic (VT) events beneath Volcano Island. We located these VT events based on high-frequency seismic amplitudes, and found that some events showed considerable discrepancies between the amplitude source locations and hypocenters determined by using onset arrival times. Our analysis of the source location discrepancies points to the existence of a region of strong S-wave attenuation near the ground surface beneath the east flank of Volcano Island. This region is beneath the active fumarolic area and above sources of pressure contributing inflation and deflation, and it coincides with a region of high electrical conductivity. The high-attenuation region matches that inferred from an active-seismic survey conducted at Taal in 1993. Our results, synthesized with previous results, suggest that this region represents actively degassing magma near the surface, and imply a high risk of future eruptions on the east flank of Volcano Island.

Identification of seismic activity sources on the subsatellite track by ionospheric plasma disturbances detected with the Sich-2 onboard probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuvalov, Valentin A.; Lazuchenkov, Dmitry N.; Gorev, Nikolai B.; Kochubei, Galina S.

2018-01-01

Using a cylindrical Langmuir probe and the authors' proprietary two-channel pressure transducer, ionospheric plasma parameter distributions along the orbit of the Sich-2 satellite (Ukraine, 2011-2012) were measured. This paper is concerned with identifying the space-time location of ionospheric plasma disturbance sources, including the epicenters of actual earthquakes (before or during the satellite flyover) and incipient earthquakes on the subsatellite track, from the measured distributions of the electron density and temperature and the neutral particle temperature along the satellite orbit. To do this, the measured ionospheric plasma parameter distributions are connected to the coordinates on the subsatellite track. It is shown that local disturbances in the electron density and temperature and neutral particle temperature distributions in the satellite orbit in the ionosphere may serve as indicators of seismic activity on the subsatellite track. The epicenters of incipient earthquakes may be set off from other plasma parameter disturbance sources associated with seismic activity using information provided by special monitoring and survey centers that monitor the current seismic situation.

Noise-based body-wave seismic tomography in an active underground mine.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olivier, G.; Brenguier, F.; Campillo, M.; Lynch, R.; Roux, P.

2014-12-01

Over the last decade, ambient noise tomography has become increasingly popular to image the earth's upper crust. The seismic noise recorded in the earth's crust is dominated by surface waves emanating from the interaction of the ocean with the solid earth. These surface waves are low frequency in nature ( < 1 Hz) and not usable for imaging smaller structures associated with mining or oil and gas applications. The seismic noise recorded at higher frequencies are typically from anthropogenic sources, which are short lived, spatially unstable and not well suited for constructing seismic Green's functions between sensors with conventional cross-correlation methods. To examine the use of ambient noise tomography for smaller scale applications, continuous data were recorded for 5 months in an active underground mine in Sweden located more than 1km below surface with 18 high frequency seismic sensors. A wide variety of broadband (10 - 3000 Hz) seismic noise sources are present in an active underground mine ranging from drilling, scraping, trucks, ore crushers and ventilation fans. Some of these sources generate favorable seismic noise, while others are peaked in frequency and not usable. In this presentation, I will show that the noise generated by mining activity can be useful if periods of seismic noise are carefully selected. Although noise sources are not temporally stable and not evenly distributed around the sensor array, good estimates of the seismic Green's functions between sensors can be retrieved for a broad frequency range (20 - 400 Hz) when a selective stacking scheme is used. For frequencies below 100 Hz, the reconstructed Green's functions show clear body-wave arrivals for almost all of the 153 sensor pairs. The arrival times of these body-waves are picked and used to image the local velocity structure. The resulting 3-dimensional image shows a high velocity structure that overlaps with a known ore-body. The material properties of the ore-body differ from the host rock and is likely the cause of the observed high velocity structure. For frequencies above 200 Hz, the seismic waves are multiply scattered by the tunnels and excavations and used to determine the scattering properties of the medium. The results of this study should be useful for future imaging and exploration projects in mining and oil and gas industries.

Marine and land active-source seismic investigation of geothermal potential, tectonic structure, and earthquake hazards in Pyramid Lake, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eisses, A.; Kell, A.; Kent, G.

Amy Eisses, Annie M. Kell, Graham Kent, Neal W. Driscoll, Robert E. Karlin, Robert L. Baskin, John N. Louie, Kenneth D. Smith, Sathish Pullammanappallil, 2011, Marine and land active-source seismic investigation of geothermal potential, tectonic structure, and earthquake hazards in Pyramid Lake, Nevada: presented at American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, Dec. 5-9, abstract NS14A-08.

Deep-towed high resolution seismic imaging II: Determination of P-wave velocity distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsset, B.; Ker, S.; Thomas, Y.; Colin, F.

2018-02-01

The acquisition of high resolution seismic data in deep waters requires the development of deep towed seismic sources and receivers able to deal with the high hydrostatic pressure environment. The low frequency piezoelectric transducer of the SYSIF (SYstème Sismique Fond) deep towed seismic device comply with the former requirement taking advantage of the coupling of a mechanical resonance (Janus driver) and a fluid resonance (Helmholtz cavity) to produce a large frequency bandwidth acoustic signal (220-1050 Hz). The ability to perform deep towed multichannel seismic imaging with SYSIF was demonstrated in 2014, yet, the ability to determine P-wave velocity distribution wasn't achieved. P-wave velocity analysis relies on the ratio between the source-receiver offset range and the depth of the seismic reflectors, thus towing the seismic source and receivers closer to the sea bed will provide a better geometry for P-wave velocity determination. Yet, technical issues, related to the acoustic source directivity, arise for this approach in the particular framework of piezoelectric sources. A signal processing sequence is therefore added to the initial processing flow. Data acquisition took place during the GHASS (Gas Hydrates, fluid Activities and Sediment deformations in the western Black Sea) cruise in the Romanian waters of the Black Sea. The results of the imaging processing are presented for two seismic data sets acquired over gas hydrates and gas bearing sediments. The improvement in the final seismic resolution demonstrates the validity of the velocity model.

Evidence for frozen melts in the mid-lithosphere detected from active-source seismic data.

PubMed

Ohira, Akane; Kodaira, Shuichi; Nakamura, Yasuyuki; Fujie, Gou; Arai, Ryuta; Miura, Seiichi

2017-11-17

The interactions of the lithospheric plates that form the Earth's outer shell provide much of the evidentiary basis for modern plate tectonic theory. Seismic discontinuities in the lithosphere arising from mantle convection and plate motion provide constraints on the physical and chemical properties of the mantle that contribute to the processes of formation and evolution of tectonic plates. Seismological studies during the past two decades have detected seismic discontinuities within the oceanic lithosphere in addition to that at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB). However, the depth, distribution, and physical properties of these discontinuities are not well constrained, which makes it difficult to use seismological data to examine their origin. Here we present new active-source seismic data acquired along a 1,130 km profile across an old Pacific plate (148-128 Ma) that show oceanic mid-lithosphere discontinuities (oceanic MLDs) distributed 37-59 km below the seafloor. The presence of the oceanic MLDs suggests that frozen melts that accumulated at past LABs have been preserved as low-velocity layers within the current mature lithosphere. These observations show that long-offset, high-frequency, active-source seismic data can be used to image mid-lithospheric structure, which is fundamental to understanding the formation and evolution of tectonic plates.

Imaging Stress Transients and Fault Zone Processes with Crosswell Continuous Active-Source Seismic Monitoring at the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, F.; Taira, T.; Daley, T. M.; Marchesini, P.; Robertson, M.; Wood, T.

2017-12-01

Recent field and laboratory experiments identify seismic velocity changes preceding microearthquakes and rock failure (Niu et al., 2008, Nature; Scuderi et al., 2016, NatureGeo), which indicates that a continuous monitoring of seismic velocity might provide a mean of understanding of the earthquake nucleation process. Crosswell Continuous Active-Source Seismic Monitoring (CASSM) using borehole sources and sensors has proven to be an effective tool for measurements of seismic velocity and its temporal variation at seismogenic depth (Silver, et al, 2007, BSSA; Daley, et al, 2007, Geophysics). To expand current efforts on the CASSM development, in June 2017 we have begun to conduct a year-long CASSM field experiment at the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) in which the preceding field experiment detected the two sudden velocity reductions approximately 10 and 2 hours before microearthquakes (Niu et al., 2008, Nature). We installed a piezoelectric source and a three-component accelerometer at the SAFOD pilot and main holes ( 1 km depth) respectively. A seismic pulse was fired from the piezoelectric source four times per second. Each waveform was recorded 150-ms-long data with a sampling rate of 48 kHz. During this one-year experiment, we expect to have 10-15 microearthquakes (magnitude 1-3) occurring near the SAFOD site, and the data collected from the new experiment would allow us to further explore a relation between velocity changes and the Parkfield seismicity. Additionally, the year-long data provide a unique opportunity to study long-term velocity changes that might be related to seasonal stress variations at Parkfield (Johnson et al., 2017, Science). We will report on initial results of the SAFOD CASSM experiment and operational experiences of the CASSM development.

Preliminary report on the Black Thunder, Wyoming CTBT R and D experiment quicklook report: LLNL input from regional stations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harben, P.E.; Glenn, L.A.

This report presents a preliminary summary of the data recorded at three regional seismic stations from surface blasting at the Black Thunder Coal Mine in northeast Wyoming. The regional stations are part of a larger effort that includes many more seismic stations in the immediate vicinity of the mine. The overall purpose of this effort is to characterize the source function and propagation characteristics of large typical surface mine blasts. A detailed study of source and propagation features of conventional surface blasts is a prerequisite to attempts at discriminating this type of blasting activity from other sources of seismic events.more » The Black Thunder Seismic experiment is a joint verification effort to determine seismic source and path effects that result from very large, but routine ripple-fired surface mining blasts. Studies of the data collected will be for the purpose of understanding how the near-field and regional seismic waveforms from these surface mining blasts are similar to, and different from, point shot explosions and explosions at greater depth. The Black Hills Station is a Designated Seismic Station that was constructed for temporary occupancy by the Former Soviet Union seismic verification scientists in accordance with the Threshold Test Ban Treaty protocol.« less

Seismic sample areas defined from incomplete catalogues: an application to the Italian territory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulargia, F.; Tinti, S.

1985-11-01

The comprehensive understanding of earthquake source-physics under real conditions requires the study not of single faults as separate entities but rather of a seismically active region as a whole, accounting for the interaction among different structures. We define "seismic sample area" the most convenient region to be used as a natural laboratory for the study of seismic source physics. This coincides with the region where the average large magnitude seismicity is the highest. To this end, time and space future distributions of large earthquakes are to be estimated. Using catalog seismicity as an input, the rate of occurrence is not constant but appears generally biased by incompleteness in some parts of the catalog and possible nonstationarities in seismic activity. We present a statistical procedure which is capable, under a few mild assumptions, of both detecting nonstationarities in seismicity and finding the incomplete parts of a seismic catalog. The procedure is based on Kolmogorov-Smirnov nonparametric statistics, and can be applied without a priori assuming the parent distribution of the events. The efficiency of this procedure allows the analysis of small data sets. An application to the Italian territory is presented, using the most recent version of the ENEL seismic catalog. Seismic activity takes place in six well defined areas but only five of them have a number of events sufficient for analysis. Barring a few exceptions, seismicity is found stationary throughout the whole catalog span 1000-1980. The eastern Alps region stands out as the best "sample area", with the highest average probability of event occurrence per time and area unit. Final objective of this characterization is to stimulate a program of intensified research.

Near- Source, Seismo-Acoustic Signals Accompanying a NASCAR Race at the Texas Motor Speedway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stump, B. W.; Hayward, C.; Underwood, R.; Howard, J. E.; MacPhail, M. D.; Golden, P.; Endress, A.

2014-12-01

Near-source, seismo-acoustic observations provide a unique opportunity to characterize urban sources, remotely sense human activities including vehicular traffic and monitor large engineering structures. Energy separately coupled into the solid earth and atmosphere provides constraints on not only the location of these sources but also the physics of the generating process. Conditions and distances at which these observations can be made are dependent upon not only local geological conditions but also atmospheric conditions at the time of the observations. In order to address this range of topics, an empirical, seismo-acoustic study was undertaken in and around the Texas Motor Speedway in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area during the first week of April 2014 at which time a range of activities associated with a series of NASCAR races occurred. Nine, seismic sensors were deployed around the 1.5-mile track for purposes of documenting the direct-coupled seismic energy from the passage of the cars and other vehicles on the track. Six infrasound sensors were deployed on a rooftop in a rectangular array configuration designed to provide high frequency beam forming for acoustic signals. Finally, a five-element infrasound array was deployed outside the track in order to characterize how the signals propagate away from the sources in the near-source region. Signals recovered from within the track were able to track and characterize the motion of a variety of vehicles during the race weekend including individual racecars. Seismic data sampled at 1000 sps documented strong Doppler effects as the cars approached and moved away from individual sensors. There were faint seismic signals that arrived at seismic velocity but local acoustic to seismic coupling as supported by the acoustic observations generated the majority of seismic signals. Actual seismic ground motions were small as demonstrated by the dominance of regional seismic signals from a magnitude 4.0 earthquake that arrived at the local seismometers as the race began. The infrasound arrays recorded a variety of atmosphere only processes including substantial helicopter traffic although the array outside the track did not capture the details of the race as a result of the rapid attenuation of high frequency signals.

Recent Advances in Subsurface Imaging and Monitoring with Active Sources in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, B.; Chen, Y.; Wang, W.; Yang, W.

2017-12-01

Imaging high-resolution crustal structures and monitoring their temporal changes with active sources is essential to our understanding of regional tectonics and seismic hazards. In the past decades, great efforts has been made in China to looking for an ideal artificial seismic source to study continental crustal structures. After a mountain of field experiments, we developed permanent and portable seismic airgun sources for inland seismotectonic studies. Here we introduce several applications of using airgun source to imaging local crustal structures and monitoring velocity changes associated with natural and anthropogenic loadings. During Oct. 10th-20th, 2015, we carried out a crustal structure exploration experiment by firing portable airgun source along the Yangtze River in Anhui Province of eastern China. About 5000 shots were fired along 300km long section of the river. More than 2000 portable short period seismometers or geophones were deployed during the experiment. About 3000 of 5000 shots were fired at 20 fixed sites roughly evenly distributed along the river, and the rest shots were fired in the walkway. Seismic signal radiated by airgun source can be tracked to 350km. 2D/3D near surface and crustal velocity structure along the Yangtze River and adjacent region were inverted from airgun seismic records. Inverted velocity show well consistence with previous images and geological structure. The high resolution structural image provides a better understanding on regional geologic features and distribution of mineral resources. In the past five years, three Fixed Aigun Signal Transmitting Stations (FASTS) were built in western China. Those FASTS generate seismic signals with high repeatability, which can be tracked to the distance 1300 km. The highly reproducible signals are used to monitor the subtle subsurface changes. Observed diurnal and semi-diurnal velocity changes 10-4 are supposed to be results of barometrical and tidal loading. Suspicious velocity changes prior to several moderate earthquakes are detected around. Seismic velocity measured around the Hutubi underground gas storage show clear correlation with the gas pressure. Those results shed some light on the short term evolution of the shallow to low crust, which may boost our understanding the mechanism of local seismic hazards.

Seismological investigation of earthquakes in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Final report, September 1986--December 1992

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Herrmann, R.B.; Nguyen, B.

Earthquake activity in the New Madrid Seismic Zone had been monitored by regional seismic networks since 1975. During this time period, over 3,700 earthquakes have been located within the region bounded by latitudes 35{degrees}--39{degrees}N and longitudes 87{degrees}--92{degrees}W. Most of these earthquakes occur within a 1.5{degrees} x 2{degrees} zone centered on the Missouri Bootheel. Source parameters of larger earthquakes in the zone and in eastern North America are determined using surface-wave spectral amplitudes and broadband waveforms for the purpose of determining the focal mechanism, source depth and seismic moment. Waveform modeling of broadband data is shown to be a powerful toolmore » in defining these source parameters when used complementary with regional seismic network data, and in addition, in verifying the correctness of previously published focal mechanism solutions.« less

Seismic Monitoring of Permafrost During Controlled Thaw: An Active-Source Experiment Using a Surface Orbital Vibrator and Fiber-Optic DAS Arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dou, S.; Wood, T.; Lindsey, N.; Ajo Franklin, J. B.; Freifeld, B. M.; Gelvin, A.; Morales, A.; Saari, S.; Ekblaw, I.; Wagner, A. M.; Daley, T. M.; Robertson, M.; Martin, E. R.; Ulrich, C.; Bjella, K.

2016-12-01

Thawing of permafrost can cause ground deformations that threaten the integrity of civil infrastructure. It is essential to develop early warning systems that can identify critically warmed permafrost and issue warnings for hazard prevention and control. Seismic methods can play a pivotal role in such systems for at least two reasons: First, seismic velocities are indicative of mechanical strength of the subsurface and thus are directly relevant to engineering properties; Second, seismic velocities in permafrost systems are sensitive to pre-thaw warming, which makes it possible to issue early warnings before the occurrence of hazardous subsidence events. However, several questions remain: What are the seismic signatures that can be effectively used for early warning of permafrost thaw? Can seismic methods provide enough warning times for hazard prevention and control? In this study, we investigate the feasibility of using permanently installed seismic networks for early warnings of permafrost thaw. We conducted continuous active-source seismic monitoring of permafrost that was under controlled heating at CRREL's Fairbanks permafrost experiment station. We used a permanently installed surface orbital vibrator (SOV) as source and surface-trenched DAS arrays as receivers. The SOV is characterized by its excellent repeatability, automated operation, high energy level, and the rich frequency content (10-100 Hz) of the generated wavefields. The fiber-optic DAS arrays allow continuous recording of seismic data with dense spatial sampling (1-meter channel spacing), low cost, and low maintenance. This combination of SOV-DAS provides unique seismic datasets for observing time-lapse changes of warming permafrost at the field scale, hence providing an observational basis for design and development of early warning systems for permafrost thaw.

Coupled High Speed Imaging and Seismo-Acoustic Recordings of Strombolian Explosions at Etna, July 2014: Implications for Source Processes and Signal Inversions.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taddeucci, J.; Del Bello, E.; Scarlato, P.; Ricci, T.; Andronico, D.; Kueppers, U.; Cannata, A.; Sesterhenn, J.; Spina, L.

2015-12-01

Seismic and acoustic surveillance is routinely performed at several persistent activity volcanoes worldwide. However, interpretation of the signals associated with explosive activity is still equivocal, due to both source variability and the intrinsically limited information carried by the waves. Comparison and cross-correlation of the geophysical quantities with other information in general and visual recording in particular is therefore actively sought. At Etna (Italy) in July 2014, short-lived Strombolian explosions ejected bomb- to lapilli-sized, molten pyroclasts at a remarkably repeatable time interval of about two seconds, offering a rare occasion to systematically investigate the seismic and acoustic fields radiated by this common volcanic source. We deployed FAMoUS (FAst, MUltiparametric Setup for the study of explosive activity) at 260 meters from the vents, recording more than 60 explosions in thermal and visible high-speed videos (50 to 500 frames per second) and broadband seismic and acoustic instruments (1 to 10000 Hz for the acoustic and from 0.01 to 30 Hz for the seismic). Analysis of this dataset highlights nonlinear relationships between the exit velocity and mass of ejecta and the amplitude and frequency of the acoustic signals. It also allows comparing different methods to estimate source depth, and to validate existing theory on the coupling of airwaves with ground motion.

Aleutian Array of Arrays (A-cubed) to probe a broad spectrum of fault slip under the Aleutian Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, A.; LI, B.

2016-12-01

Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone is one of the most seismically active subduction zones in this planet. It is characterized by remarkable along-strike variations in seismic behavior, more than 50 active volcanoes, and presents a unique opportunity to serve as a natural laboratory to study subduction zone processes including fault dynamics. Yet details of the seismicity pattern, spatiotemporal distribution of slow earthquakes, nature of interaction between slow and fast earthquakes and their implication on the tectonic behavior remain unknown. We use a hybrid seismic network approach and install 3 mini seismic arrays and 5 stand-alone stations to simultaneously image subduction fault and nearby volcanic system (Makushin). The arrays and stations are strategically located in the Unalaska Island, where prolific tremor activity is detected and located by a solo pilot array in summer 2012. The hybrid network is operational between summer 2015 and 2016 in continuous mode. One of the three arrays starts in summer 2014 and provides additional data covering a longer time span. The pilot array in the Akutan Island recorded continuous seismic data for 2 months. An automatic beam-backprojection analysis detects almost daily tremor activity, with an average of more than an hour per day. We imaged two active sources separated by a tremor gap. The western source, right under the Unalaska Island shows the most prolific activity with a hint of steady migration. In addition, we are able to identify more than 10 families of low frequency earthquakes (LFEs) in this area. They are located within the tremor source area as imaged by the bean-backprojection technique. Application of a match filter technique reveals that intervals between LFE activities are shorter during tremor activity and longer during quiet time period. We expect to present new results from freshly obtained data. The experiment A-cubed is illuminating subduction zone processes under Unalaska Island in unprecedented detail.

Sources of high frequency seismic noise: insights from a dense network of ~250 stations in northern Alsace (France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vergne, Jerome; Blachet, Antoine; Lehujeur, Maximilien

2015-04-01

Monitoring local or regional seismic activity requires stations having a low level of background seismic noise at frequencies higher than few tenths of Hertz. Network operators are well aware that the seismic quality of a site depends on several aspects, among them its geological setting and the proximity of roads, railways, industries or trees. Often, the impact of each noise source is only qualitatively known which precludes estimating the quality of potential future sites before they are tested or installed. Here, we want to take advantage of a very dense temporary network deployed in Northern Alsace (France) to assess the effect of various kinds of potential sources on the level of seismic noise observed in the frequency range 0.2-50 Hz. In September 2014, more than 250 seismic stations (FairfieldNodal@ Zland nodes with 10Hz vertical geophone) have been installed every 1.5 km over a ~25km diameter disc centred on the deep geothermal sites of Soultz-sous-Forêts and Rittershoffen. This region exhibits variable degrees of human imprints from quite remote areas to sectors with high traffic roads and big villages. It also encompasses both the deep sedimentary basin of the Rhine graben and the piedmont of the Vosges massif with exposed bedrock. For each site we processed the continuous data to estimate probability density functions of the power spectral densities. At frequencies higher than 1 Hz most sites show a clear temporal modulation of seismic noise related to human activity with the well-known variations between day and night and between weekdays and weekends. Moreover we observe a clear evolution of the spatial distribution of seismic noise levels with frequency. Basically, between 0.5 and 4 Hz the geological setting modulates the level of seismic noise. At higher frequencies, the amplitude of seismic noise appears mostly related to the distance to nearby roads. Based on road maps and traffic estimation, a forward approach is performed to model the induced seismic noise. Effects of other types of seismic sources, such as industries or wind, are also observed but usually have a more limited spatial extension and a specific signature in the spectrograms.

High-Resolution Analysis of Seismicity Induced at Berlín Geothermal Field, El Salvador

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwiatek, G.; Bulut, F.; Dresen, G. H.; Bohnhoff, M.

2012-12-01

We investigate induced microseismic activity monitored at Berlín Geothermal Field, El Salvador, during a hydraulic stimulation. The site was monitored for a time period of 17 months using thirteen 3-component seismic stations located in shallow boreholes. Three stimulations were performed in the well TR8A with a maximum injection rate and well head pressure of 160l/s and 130bar, respectively. For the entire time period of our analysis, the acquisition system recorded 581 events with moment magnitudes ranging between -0.5 and 3.7. The initial seismic catalog provided by the operator was substantially improved: 1) We re-picked P- and S-wave onsets and relocated the seismic events using the double-difference relocation algorithm based on cross-correlation derived differential arrival time data. Forward modeling was performed using a local 1D velocity model instead of homogeneous full-space. 2) We recalculated source parameters using the spectral fitting method and refined the results applying the spectral ratio method. We investigated the source parameters and spatial and temporal changes of the seismic activity based on the refined dataset and studied the correlation between seismic activity and production. The achieved hypocentral precision allowed resolving the spatiotemporal changes in seismic activity down to a scale of a few meters. The application of spectral ratio method significantly improved the quality of source parameters in a high-attenuating and complex geological environment. Of special interest is the largest event (Mw3.7) and its nucleation process. We investigate whether the refined seismic data display any signatures that the largest event is triggered by the shut-in of the well. We found seismic activity displaying clear spatial and temporal patterns that could be easily related to the amount of water injected into the well TR8A and other reinjection wells in the investigated area. The migration of seismicity outside of injection point is observed while injection rate is increasing. The locations of migrating seismic events are related to the existing fault system that is independently supported by calculated focal mechanisms. We found that the event migration occurs until the shut-in of the well. We observe that the large magnitude events are observed right after the shut-in, located in undamaged parts of the fault system. Results show that the following stimulation episodes require increased injection rate level (or increased well head pressure) to re-activate the seismic activity (Kaiser Effect, "Crustal memory" effect). The static stress drop values increase with the distance from injection point that is interpreted to be related to pore pressure perturbations introduced by stimulation of the injection well.

Infrasound as a Geophysical Probe Using Earth as a Venus Analog

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komjathy, Attila; Cutts, James; Pauken, Michael; Kedar, Sharon; Smrekar, Suzanne

2016-10-01

JPL is in a process of developing an instrument to measure seismic activity on Venus by detecting infrasonic waves in the atmosphere. The overall objective of this research is to demonstrate the feasibility of using sensitive barometers to detect infrasonic signals from seismic and explosive activity on Venus from a balloon platform. Because of Venus' dense atmosphere, seismic signatures from even small quakes (magnitude ~3) are effectively coupled into the atmosphere. The seismic signals are known to couple about 60 times more efficiently into the atmosphere on Venus than on Earth. It was found that almost no attenuation below 80 km on Venus for frequency less than 1Hz. Whereas wind noise is a major source of background noise for terrestrial infrasonic arrays, it is expected that a balloon platform, which drifts with winds will be capable of very sensitive measurements with low noise.In our research we will demonstrate and apply techniques for discriminating upward propagating waves from a seismic event by making measurements with two or more infrasonic sensors using very sensitive barometers on a tether deployed from the balloon in a series of earth-based tests. We will first demonstrate and validate the technique using an artificial infrasound source in a deployment from a hot air balloon on Earth and then extend it with longer duration flights in the troposphere and stratosphere.We will report results on the first flight experiment that will focus on using the barometer instruments on a tethered helium-filled balloon. The balloon flight will be conducted in the vicinity of a known seismic source generated by a seismic hammer. Earlier tests conducted by Sandia National Laboratory demonstrated that this is a highly reproducible source of seismic and acoustic energy using infrasound sensors. The results of the experiments are intended to validate the two-barometer signal processing approach using a well-characterized point signal source.

Infrasound as a Geophysical Probe Using Earth as a Venus Analog

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komjathy, A.; Cutts, J. A.; Pauken, M.; Kedar, S.; Smrekar, S. E.; Hall, J. R.

2016-12-01

JPL is in a process of developing an instrument to measure seismic activity on Venus by detecting infrasonic waves in the atmosphere. The overall objective of this research is to demonstrate the feasibility of using sensitive barometers to detect infrasonic signals from seismic and explosive activity on Venus from a balloon platform. Because of Venus' dense atmosphere, seismic signatures from even small quakes (magnitude 3) are effectively coupled into the atmosphere. The seismic signals are known to couple about 60 times more efficiently into the atmosphere on Venus than on Earth. It was found that almost no attenuation below 80 km on Venus for frequency less than 1Hz. Whereas wind noise is a major source of background noise for terrestrial infrasonic arrays, it is expected that a balloon platform, which drifts with winds will be capable of very sensitive measurements with low noise. In our research we will demonstrate and apply techniques for discriminating upward propagating waves from a seismic event by making measurements with two or more infrasonic sensors using very sensitive barometers on a tether deployed from the balloon in a series of earth-based tests. We will first demonstrate and validate the technique using an artificial infrasound source in a deployment from a hot air balloon on Earth and then extend it with longer duration flights in the troposphere and stratosphere. We will report results on the first flight experiment that will focus on using the barometer instruments on a tethered helium-filled balloon. The balloon flight will be conducted in the vicinity of a known seismic source generated by a seismic hammer. Earlier tests conducted by Sandia National Laboratory demonstrated that this is a highly reproducible source of seismic and acoustic energy using infrasound sensors. The results of the experiments are intended to validate the two-barometer signal processing approach using a well-characterized point signal source.

Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment for Iraq Using Complete Earthquake Catalogue Files

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ameer, A. S.; Sharma, M. L.; Wason, H. R.; Alsinawi, S. A.

2005-05-01

Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) has been carried out for Iraq. The earthquake catalogue used in the present study covers an area between latitude 29° 38.5° N and longitude 39° 50° E containing more than a thousand events for the period 1905 2000. The entire Iraq region has been divided into thirteen seismogenic sources based on their seismic characteristics, geological setting and tectonic framework. The completeness of the seismicity catalogue has been checked using the method proposed by Stepp (1972). The analysis of completeness shows that the earthquake catalogue is not complete below Ms=4.8 for all of Iraq and seismic source zones S1, S4, S5, and S8, while it varies for the other seismic zones. A statistical treatment of completeness of the data file was carried out in each of the magnitude classes. The Frequency Magnitude Distributions (FMD) for the study area including all seismic source zones were established and the minimum magnitude of complete reporting (Mc) were then estimated. For the entire Iraq the Mc was estimated to be about Ms=4.0 while S11 shows the lowest Mc to be about Ms=3.5 and the highest Mc of about Ms=4.2 was observed for S4. The earthquake activity parameters (activity rate λ, b value, maximum regional magnitude mmax) as well as the mean return period (R) with a certain lower magnitude mmin ≥ m along with their probability of occurrence have been determined for all thirteen seismic source zones of Iraq. The maximum regional magnitude mmax was estimated as 7.87 ± 0.86 for entire Iraq. The return period for magnitude 6.0 is largest for source zone S3 which is estimated to be 705 years while the smallest value is estimated as 9.9 years for all of Iraq.

Antarctic icequakes triggered by the 2010 Maule earthquake in Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Zhigang; Walter, Jacob I.; Aster, Richard C.; Nyblade, Andrew; Wiens, Douglas A.; Anandakrishnan, Sridhar

2014-09-01

Seismic waves from distant, large earthquakes can almost instantaneously trigger shallow micro-earthquakes and deep tectonic tremor as they pass through Earth's crust. Such remotely triggered seismic activity mostly occurs in tectonically active regions. Triggered seismicity is generally considered to reflect shear failure on critically stressed fault planes and is thought to be driven by dynamic stress perturbations from both Love and Rayleigh types of surface seismic wave. Here we analyse seismic data from Antarctica in the six hours leading up to and following the 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake in Chile. We identify many high-frequency seismic signals during the passage of the Rayleigh waves generated by the Maule earthquake, and interpret them as small icequakes triggered by the Rayleigh waves. The source locations of these triggered icequakes are difficult to determine owing to sparse seismic network coverage, but the triggered events generate surface waves, so are probably formed by near-surface sources. Our observations are consistent with tensile fracturing of near-surface ice or other brittle fracture events caused by changes in volumetric strain as the high-amplitude Rayleigh waves passed through. We conclude that cryospheric systems can be sensitive to large distant earthquakes.

InSAR Surface Deformation and Source Modelling at Semisopochnoi Island During the 2014 and 2015 Seismic Swarms with Constraints from Geochemical and Seismic Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeGrandpre, K.; Pesicek, J. D.; Lu, Z.

2017-12-01

During the summer of 2014 and the early spring of 2015 two notable increases in seismic activity at Semisopochnoi Island in the western Aleutian islands were recorded on AVO seismometers on Semisopochnoi and neighboring islands. These seismic swarms did not lead to an eruption. This study employs interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) techniques using TerraSAR-X images in conjunction with more accurately relocating the recorded seismic events through simultaneous inversion of event travel times and a three-dimensional velocity model using tomoDD. The InSAR images exhibit surprising coherence and an island wide spatial distribution of inflation that is then used in Mogi, Okada, spheroid, and ellipsoid source models in order to define the three-dimensional location and volume change required for a source at the volcano to produce the observed surface deformation. The tomoDD relocations provide a more accurate and realistic three-dimensional velocity model as well as a tighter clustering of events for both swarms that clearly outline a linear seismic void within the larger group of shallow (<10 km) seismicity. The source models are fit to this void and pressure estimates from geochemical analysis are used to verify the storage depth of magmas at Semisopochnoi. Comparisons of calculated source cavity, magma injection, and surface deformation volumes are made in order to assess the reality behind the various modelling estimates. Incorporating geochemical and seismic data to provide constraints on surface deformation source inversions provides an interdisciplinary approach that can be used to make more accurate interpretations of dynamic observations.

Identifying bubble collapse in a hydrothermal system using hidden Markov models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dawson, P.B.; Benitez, M.C.; Lowenstern, J. B.; Chouet, B.A.

2012-01-01

Beginning in July 2003 and lasting through September 2003, the Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park exhibited an unusual increase in ground temperature and hydrothermal activity. Using hidden Markov model theory, we identify over five million high-frequency (>15Hz) seismic events observed at a temporary seismic station deployed in the basin in response to the increase in hydrothermal activity. The source of these seismic events is constrained to within ???100 m of the station, and produced ???3500-5500 events per hour with mean durations of ???0.35-0.45s. The seismic event rate, air temperature, hydrologic temperatures, and surficial water flow of the geyser basin exhibited a marked diurnal pattern that was closely associated with solar thermal radiance. We interpret the source of the seismicity to be due to the collapse of small steam bubbles in the hydrothermal system, with the rate of collapse being controlled by surficial temperatures and daytime evaporation rates. copyright 2012 by the American Geophysical Union.

Identifying bubble collapse in a hydrothermal system using hiddden Markov models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dawson, Phillip B.; Benitez, M.C.; Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Chouet, Bernard A.

2012-01-01

Beginning in July 2003 and lasting through September 2003, the Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park exhibited an unusual increase in ground temperature and hydrothermal activity. Using hidden Markov model theory, we identify over five million high-frequency (>15 Hz) seismic events observed at a temporary seismic station deployed in the basin in response to the increase in hydrothermal activity. The source of these seismic events is constrained to within ~100 m of the station, and produced ~3500–5500 events per hour with mean durations of ~0.35–0.45 s. The seismic event rate, air temperature, hydrologic temperatures, and surficial water flow of the geyser basin exhibited a marked diurnal pattern that was closely associated with solar thermal radiance. We interpret the source of the seismicity to be due to the collapse of small steam bubbles in the hydrothermal system, with the rate of collapse being controlled by surficial temperatures and daytime evaporation rates.

Insight into subdecimeter fracturing processes during hydraulic fracture experiment in Äspö hard rock laboratory, Sweden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwiatek, Grzegorz; Martínez-Garzón, Patricia; Plenkers, Katrin; Leonhardt, Maria; Zang, Arno; Dresen, Georg; Bohnhoff, Marco

2017-04-01

We analyze the nano- and picoseismicity recorded during a hydraulic fracturing in-situ experiment performed in Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory, Sweden. The fracturing experiment included six fracture stages driven by three different water injection schemes (continuous, progressive and pulse pressurization) and was performed inside a 28 m long, horizontal borehole located at 410 m depth. The fracturing process was monitored with two different seismic networks covering a wide frequency band between 0.01 Hz and 100000 Hz and included broadband seismometers, geophones, high-frequency accelerometers and acoustic emission sensors. The combined seismic network allowed for detection and detailed analysis of seismicity with moment magnitudes MW<-4 (source sizes approx. on cm scale) that occurred solely during the hydraulic fracturing and refracturing stages. We relocated the seismicity catalog using the double-difference technique and calculated the source parameters (seismic moment, source size, stress drop, focal mechanism and seismic moment tensors). The physical characteristics of induced seismicity are compared to the stimulation parameters and to the formation parameters of the site. The seismic activity varies significantly depending on stimulation strategy with conventional, continuous stimulation being the most seismogenic. We find a systematic spatio-temporal migration of microseismic events (propagation away and towards wellbore injection interval) and temporal transitions in source mechanisms (opening - shearing - collapse) both being controlled by changes in fluid injection pressure. The derived focal mechanism parameters are in accordance with the local stress field orientation, and signify the reactivation of pre-existing rock flaws. The seismicity follows statistical and source scaling relations observed at different scales elsewhere, however, at an extremely low level of seismic efficiency.

HFT events - Shallow moonquakes. [High-Frequency Teleseismic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nakamura, Y.

1977-01-01

A few large distant seismic events of distinctly high signal frequency, designated HFT (high-frequency teleseismic) events, are observed yearly by the Apollo lunar seismic network. Their sources are located on or near the surface of the moon, leaving a large gap in seismic activity between the zones of HFT sources and deep moonquakes. No strong regularities are found in either their spatial or temporal distributions. Several working hypotheses for the identity of these sources have advanced, but many characteristics of the events seem to favor a hypothesis that they are shallow moonquakes. Simultaneous observations of other lunar phenomena may eventually enable the determination of their true identity.

Post-blasting seismicity in Rudna copper mine, Poland - source parameters analysis.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caputa, Alicja; Rudziński, Łukasz; Talaga, Adam

2017-04-01

The really important hazard in Polish copper mines is high seismicity and corresponding rockbursts. Many methods are used to reduce the seismic hazard. Among others the most effective is preventing blasting in potentially hazardous mining panels. The method is expected to provoke small moderate tremors (up to M2.0) and reduce in this way a stress accumulation in the rockmass. This work presents an analysis, which deals with post-blasting events in Rudna copper mine, Poland. Using the Full Moment Tensor (MT) inversion and seismic spectra analysis, we try to find some characteristic features of post blasting seismic sources. Source parameters estimated for post-blasting events are compared with the parameters of not-provoked mining events that occurred in the vicinity of the provoked sources. Our studies show that focal mechanisms of events which occurred after blasts have similar MT decompositions, namely are characterized by a quite strong isotropic component as compared with the isotropic component of not-provoked events. Also source parameters obtained from spectral analysis show that provoked seismicity has a specific source physics. Among others, it is visible from S to P wave energy ratio, which is higher for not-provoked events. The comparison of all our results reveals a three possible groups of sources: a) occurred just after blasts, b) occurred from 5min to 24h after blasts and c) not-provoked seismicity (more than 24h after blasting). Acknowledgements: This work was supported within statutory activities No3841/E-41/S/2016 of Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland.

Seismic structure off the Kii Peninsula, Japan, deduced from passive- and active-source seismographic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Yojiro; Takahashi, Tsutomu; Kaiho, Yuka; Obana, Koichiro; Nakanishi, Ayako; Kodaira, Shuichi; Kaneda, Yoshiyuki

2017-03-01

We conduct seismic tomography to model subsurface seismicity between 2010 and 2012 and structural heterogeneity off the Kii Peninsula, southwestern Japan, and to investigate their relationships with segmentation of the Nankai and Tonankai seismogenic zones of the Nankai Trough. In order to constrain both the shallow and deep structure of the offshore seismogenic segments, we use both active- and passive-source data recorded by both ocean-bottom seismometers and land seismic stations. The relocated microearthquakes indicate a lack of seismic activity in the Tonankai seismogenic segment off Kumano, whereas there was active intraslab seismicity in the Kii Channel area of the Nankai seismogenic segment. Based on comparisons among the distribution of seismicity, age, and spreading rate of the subducting Philippine Sea plate, and the slip-deficit distribution, we conclude that seismicity in the subducting slab under the Kii Channel region nucleated from structures in the Philippine Sea slab that pre-date subduction and that fluids released by dehydration are related to decreased interplate coupling of these intraslab earthquakes. Our velocity model clearly shows the areal extent of two key structures reported in previous 2-D active-source surveys: a high-velocity zone beneath Cape Shionomisaki and a subducted seamount off Cape Muroto, both of which are roughly circular and of 15-20 km radius. The epicenters of the 1944 Tonankai and 1946 Nankai earthquakes are near the edge of the high-velocity body beneath Cape Shionomisaki, suggesting that this anomalous structure is related to the nucleation of these two earthquakes. We identify several other high- and low-velocity zones immediately above the plate boundary in the Tonankai and Nankai seismogenic segments. In comparison with the slip-deficit model, some of the low-velocity zones appear to correspond to an area of strong coupling. Our observations suggest that, unlike the Japan Trench subduction zone, in our study area there is not a simple correspondence between areas of large coseismic slip or strong interplate coupling and areas of high velocity in the overriding plate.

Reflection seismic imaging in the volcanic area of the geothermal field Wayang Windu, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polom, Ulrich; Wiyono, Wiyono; Pramono, Bambang; Krawczyk, CharLotte M.

2014-05-01

Reflection seismic exploration in volcanic areas is still a scientific challenge and requires major efforts to develop imaging workflows capable of an economic utilization, e.g., for geothermal exploration. The SESaR (Seismic Exploration and Safety Risk study for decentral geothermal plants in Indonesia) project therefore tackles still not well resolved issues concerning wave propagation or energy absorption in areas covered by pyroclastic sediments using both active P-wave and S-wave seismics. Site-specific exploration procedures were tested in different tectonic and lithological regimes to compare imaging conditions. Based on the results of a small-scale, active seismic pre-site survey in the area of the Wayang Windu geothermal field in November 2012, an additional medium-scale active seismic experiment using P-waves was carried out in August 2013. The latter experiment was designed to investigate local changes of seismic subsurface response, to expand the knowledge about capabilities of the vibroseis method for seismic surveying in regions covered by pyroclastic material, and to achieve higher depth penetration. Thus, for the first time in the Wayang Windu geothermal area, a powerful, hydraulically driven seismic mini-vibrator device of 27 kN peak force (LIAG's mini-vibrator MHV2.7) was used as seismic source instead of the weaker hammer blow applied in former field surveys. Aiming at acquiring parameter test and production data southeast of the Wayang Windu geothermal power plant, a 48-channel GEODE recording instrument of the Badan Geologi was used in a high-resolution configuration, with receiver group intervals of 5 m and source intervals of 10 m. Thereby, the LIAG field crew, Star Energy, GFZ Potsdam, and ITB Bandung acquired a nearly 600 m long profile. In general, we observe the successful applicability of the vibroseis method for such a difficult seismic acquisition environment. Taking into account the local conditions at Wayang Windu, the method is superior to the common seismic explosive source techniques, both with respect to production rate as well as resolution and data quality. Source signal frequencies of 20-80 Hz are most efficient for the attempted depth penetration, even though influenced by the dry subsurface conditions during the experiment. Depth penetration ranges between 0.5-1 km. Based on these new experimental data, processing workflows can be tested the first time for adapted imaging strategies. This will not only allow to focus on larger exploration depths covering the geothermal reservoir at the Wayang Windu power plant site itself, but also opens the possibility to transfer the lessons learned to other sites.

The Utility of the Extended Images in Ambient Seismic Wavefield Migration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girard, A. J.; Shragge, J. C.

2015-12-01

Active-source 3D seismic migration and migration velocity analysis (MVA) are robust and highly used methods for imaging Earth structure. One class of migration methods uses extended images constructed by incorporating spatial and/or temporal wavefield correlation lags to the imaging conditions. These extended images allow users to directly assess whether images focus better with different parameters, which leads to MVA techniques that are based on the tenets of adjoint-state theory. Under certain conditions (e.g., geographical, cultural or financial), however, active-source methods can prove impractical. Utilizing ambient seismic energy that naturally propagates through the Earth is an alternate method currently used in the scientific community. Thus, an open question is whether extended images are similarly useful for ambient seismic migration processing and verifying subsurface velocity models, and whether one can similarly apply adjoint-state methods to perform ambient migration velocity analysis (AMVA). Herein, we conduct a number of numerical experiments that construct extended images from ambient seismic recordings. We demonstrate that, similar to active-source methods, there is a sensitivity to velocity in ambient seismic recordings in the migrated extended image domain. In synthetic ambient imaging tests with varying degrees of error introduced to the velocity model, the extended images are sensitive to velocity model errors. To determine the extent of this sensitivity, we utilize acoustic wave-equation propagation and cross-correlation-based migration methods to image weak body-wave signals present in the recordings. Importantly, we have also observed scenarios where non-zero correlation lags show signal while zero-lags show none. This may be a valuable missing piece for ambient migration techniques that have yielded largely inconclusive results, and might be an important piece of information for performing AMVA from ambient seismic recordings.

Seismic Hazard Assessment for a Characteristic Earthquake Scenario: Probabilistic-Deterministic Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

mouloud, Hamidatou

2016-04-01

The objective of this paper is to analyze the seismic activity and the statistical treatment of seismicity catalog the Constantine region between 1357 and 2014 with 7007 seismic event. Our research is a contribution to improving the seismic risk management by evaluating the seismic hazard in the North-East Algeria. In the present study, Earthquake hazard maps for the Constantine region are calculated. Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) is classically performed through the Cornell approach by using a uniform earthquake distribution over the source area and a given magnitude range. This study aims at extending the PSHA approach to the case of a characteristic earthquake scenario associated with an active fault. The approach integrates PSHA with a high-frequency deterministic technique for the prediction of peak and spectral ground motion parameters in a characteristic earthquake. The method is based on the site-dependent evaluation of the probability of exceedance for the chosen strong-motion parameter. We proposed five sismotectonique zones. Four steps are necessary: (i) identification of potential sources of future earthquakes, (ii) assessment of their geological, geophysical and geometric, (iii) identification of the attenuation pattern of seismic motion, (iv) calculation of the hazard at a site and finally (v) hazard mapping for a region. In this study, the procedure of the earthquake hazard evaluation recently developed by Kijko and Sellevoll (1992) is used to estimate seismic hazard parameters in the northern part of Algeria.

Geodynamic Constraints on the Sources of Seismic Anisotropy Beneath Madagascar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajaonarison, T. A.; Stamps, D. S.; Fishwick, S.

2017-12-01

The rheological structure of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system controls the degree in which the mantle drives surface motions. Seismic anisotropy is a proxy to infer information about previous tectonic events imprinted in lithospheric structures and/or asthenospheric flow pattern in regions absent of active volcanism, however, distinguishing between the shallow and deeper sources, respectively, remains ambiguous. Madagascar is an ideal natural laboratory to study the sources of anisotropy and the rheological implications for lithosphere-asthenosphere system because 1) active volcanism is minimal or absent, 2) there are well-exposed tectonic fabrics for comparison, and 3) numerous geological and geophysical observations provides evidence of present-day tectonic activities. Recent studies suggest new seismic anisotropy observations in southern Madagascar are sourced from both fossilized lithospheric structure and asthenospheric flow driven by rigid lithospheric plate motion. In this work we compare geodynamic simulations of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system with seismic anisotropy data set that includes all of Madagascar. We use the numerical code Advanced Solver for Problems in Earth's ConvecTion (ASPECT) to calculate instantaneous deformation in the lithosphere and edge-driven convective flow in the asthenosphere accounting for variations in buoyancy forces and temperature dependent viscosity. The initial temperature conditions are based on interpretations from high resolution regional surface wave tomography. We assume visco-plastic rheology for a uniform crust, dislocation creep for a laterally varying mantle lithospheric structure, and diffusion creep for the asthenosphere. To test for the source of anisotropy we compare our velocity solution azimuths with azimuths of anisotropy at 25 km depth intervals. Calculated asthenospheric flow aligns with measured seismic anisotropy with a 15° WRMS at 175 km depth and possibly down to 250 km suggesting the majority of the seismic anisotropy are due to sub-lithospheric asthenospheric flow beneath Madagascar. Our results suggest the dislocation creep regime extends beneath the lithosphere, which implies the rheology of the upper asthenosphere deforms by dislocation creep rather than diffusion creep.

Determination of Destress Blasting Effectiveness Using Seismic Source Parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojtecki, Łukasz; Mendecki, Maciej J.; Zuberek, Wacaław M.

2017-12-01

Underground mining of coal seams in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin is currently performed under difficult geological and mining conditions. The mining depth, dislocations (faults and folds) and mining remnants are responsible for rockburst hazard in the highest degree. This hazard can be minimized by using active rockburst prevention, where destress blastings play an important role. Destress blastings in coal seams aim to destress the local stress concentrations. These blastings are usually performed from the longwall face to decrease the stress level ahead of the longwall. An accurate estimation of active rockburst prevention effectiveness is important during mining under disadvantageous geological and mining conditions, which affect the risk of rockburst. Seismic source parameters characterize the focus of tremor, which may be useful in estimating the destress blasting effects. Investigated destress blastings were performed in coal seam no. 507 during its longwall mining in one of the coal mines in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin under difficult geological and mining conditions. The seismic source parameters of the provoked tremors were calculated. The presented preliminary investigations enable a rapid estimation of the destress blasting effectiveness using seismic source parameters, but further analysis in other geological and mining conditions with other blasting parameters is required.

Earthquake sources near Uturuncu Volcano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keyson, L.; West, M. E.

2013-12-01

Uturuncu, located in southern Bolivia near the Chile and Argentina border, is a dacitic volcano that was last active 270 ka. It is a part of the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex, which spans 50,000 km2 and is comprised of a series of ignimbrite flare-ups since ~23 ma. Two sets of evidence suggest that the region is underlain by a significant magma body. First, seismic velocities show a low velocity layer consistent with a magmatic sill below depths of 15-20 km. This inference is corroborated by high electrical conductivity between 10km and 30km. This magma body, the so called Altiplano-Puna Magma Body (APMB) is the likely source of volcanic activity in the region. InSAR studies show that during the 1990s, the volcano experienced an average uplift of about 1 to 2 cm per year. The deformation is consistent with an expanding source at depth. Though the Uturuncu region exhibits high rates of crustal seismicity, any connection between the inflation and the seismicity is unclear. We investigate the root causes of these earthquakes using a temporary network of 33 seismic stations - part of the PLUTONS project. Our primary approach is based on hypocenter locations and magnitudes paired with correlation-based relative relocation techniques. We find a strong tendency toward earthquake swarms that cluster in space and time. These swarms often last a few days and consist of numerous earthquakes with similar source mechanisms. Most seismicity occurs in the top 10 kilometers of the crust and is characterized by well-defined phase arrivals and significant high frequency content. The frequency-magnitude relationship of this seismicity demonstrates b-values consistent with tectonic sources. There is a strong clustering of earthquakes around the Uturuncu edifice. Earthquakes elsewhere in the region align in bands striking northwest-southeast consistent with regional stresses.

Added-value joint source modelling of seismic and geodetic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudhaus, Henriette; Heimann, Sebastian; Walter, Thomas R.; Krueger, Frank

2013-04-01

In tectonically active regions earthquake source studies strongly support the analysis of the current faulting processes as they reveal the location and geometry of active faults, the average slip released or more. For source modelling of shallow, moderate to large earthquakes often a combination of geodetic (GPS, InSAR) and seismic data is used. A truly joint use of these data, however, usually takes place only on a higher modelling level, where some of the first-order characteristics (time, centroid location, fault orientation, moment) have been fixed already. These required basis model parameters have to be given, assumed or inferred in a previous, separate and highly non-linear modelling step using one of the these data sets alone. We present a new earthquake rupture model implementation that realizes a fully combined data integration of surface displacement measurements and seismic data in a non-linear optimization of simple but extended planar ruptures. The model implementation allows for fast forward calculations of full seismograms and surface deformation and therefore enables us to use Monte Carlo global search algorithms. Furthermore, we benefit from the complementary character of seismic and geodetic data, e. g. the high definition of the source location from geodetic data and the sensitivity of the resolution of the seismic data on moment releases at larger depth. These increased constraints from the combined dataset make optimizations efficient, even for larger model parameter spaces and with a very limited amount of a priori assumption on the source. A vital part of our approach is rigorous data weighting based on the empirically estimated data errors. We construct full data error variance-covariance matrices for geodetic data to account for correlated data noise and also weight the seismic data based on their signal-to-noise ratio. The estimation of the data errors and the fast forward modelling opens the door for Bayesian inferences of the source model parameters. The source model product then features parameter uncertainty estimates and reveals parameter trade-offs that arise from imperfect data coverage and data errors. We applied our new source modelling approach to the 2010 Haiti earthquake for which a number of apparently different seismic, geodetic and joint source models has been reported already - mostly without any model parameter estimations. We here show that the variability of all these source models seems to arise from inherent model parameter trade-offs and mostly has little statistical significance, e.g. even using a large dataset comprising seismic and geodetic data the confidence interval of the fault dip remains as wide as about 20 degrees.

Detailed investigation of Long-Period activity at Campi Flegrei by Convolutive Independent Component Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capuano, P.; De Lauro, E.; De Martino, S.; Falanga, M.

2016-04-01

This work is devoted to the analysis of seismic signals continuously recorded at Campi Flegrei Caldera (Italy) during the entire year 2006. The radiation pattern associated with the Long-Period energy release is investigated. We adopt an innovative Independent Component Analysis algorithm for convolutive seismic series adapted and improved to give automatic procedures for detecting seismic events often buried in the high-level ambient noise. The extracted waveforms characterized by an improved signal-to-noise ratio allows the recognition of Long-Period precursors, evidencing that the seismic activity accompanying the mini-uplift crisis (in 2006), which climaxed in the three days from 26-28 October, had already started at the beginning of the month of October and lasted until mid of November. Hence, a more complete seismic catalog is then provided which can be used to properly quantify the seismic energy release. To better ground our results, we first check the robustness of the method by comparing it with other blind source separation methods based on higher order statistics; secondly, we reconstruct the radiation patterns of the extracted Long-Period events in order to link the individuated signals directly to the sources. We take advantage from Convolutive Independent Component Analysis that provides basic signals along the three directions of motion so that a direct polarization analysis can be performed with no other filtering procedures. We show that the extracted signals are mainly composed of P waves with radial polarization pointing to the seismic source of the main LP swarm, i.e. a small area in the Solfatara, also in the case of the small-events, that both precede and follow the main activity. From a dynamical point of view, they can be described by two degrees of freedom, indicating a low-level of complexity associated with the vibrations from a superficial hydrothermal system. Our results allow us to move towards a full description of the complexity of the source, which can be used, by means of the small-intensity precursors, for hazard-model development and forecast-model testing, showing an illustrative example of the applicability of the CICA method to regions with low seismicity in high ambient noise.

Imaging Basin Structure with Teleseismic Virtual Source Reflection Profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Z.; Sheehan, A. F.; Yeck, W. L.; Miller, K. C.; Worthington, L. L.; Erslev, E.; Harder, S. H.; Anderson, M. L.; Siddoway, C. S.

2011-12-01

We demonstrate a case of using teleseisms recorded on single channel high frequency geophones to image upper crustal structure across the Bighorn Arch in north-central Wyoming. The dataset was obtained through the EarthScope FlexArray Bighorn Arch Seismic Experiment (BASE). In addition to traditional active and passive source seismic data acquisition, BASE included a 12 day continuous (passive source) deployment of 850 geophones with 'Texan' dataloggers. The geophones were deployed in three E-W lines in north-central Wyoming extending from the Powder River Basin across the Bighorn Mountains and across the Bighorn Basin, and two N-S lines on east and west flanks of the Bighorn Mountains. The station interval is roughly 1.5-2 km, good for imaging coherent shallow structures. The approach used in this study uses the surface reflection as virtual seismic source and reverberated teleseismic P-wave phase (PpPdp) (teleseismic P-wave reflected at receiver side free surface and then reflected off crustal seismic interface) to construct seismic profiles. These profiles are equivalent to conventional active source seismic reflection profiles except that high-frequency (up to 2.4 Hz) transmitted wave fields from distant earthquakes are used as sources. On the constructed seismic profiles, the coherent PpPdp phases beneath Powder River and Bighorn Basins are distinct after the source wavelet is removed from the seismograms by deconvolution. Under the Bighorn Arch, no clear coherent signals are observed. We combine phases PpPdp and Ps to constrain the averaged Vp/Vs: 2.05-2.15 for the Powder River Basin and 1.9-2.0 for the Bighorn Basin. These high Vp/Vs ratios suggest that the layers within which P-wave reverberates are sedimentary. Assuming Vp as 4 km/s under the Powder River Basin, the estimated thickness of sedimentary layer above reflection below the profile is 3-4.5 km, consistent with the depth of the top of the Tensleep Fm. Therefore we interpret the coherent PpPdp phases about 1-3 s after direct P-wave arrival as the reflections off the interface between the Paleozoic carbonates/sandstones and Mesozoic shales.

Change-point detection of induced and natural seismicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiedler, B.; Holschneider, M.; Zoeller, G.; Hainzl, S.

2016-12-01

Earthquake rates are influenced by tectonic stress buildup, earthquake-induced stress changes, and transient aseismic sources. While the first two sources can be well modeled due to the fact that the source is known, transient aseismic processes are more difficult to detect. However, the detection of the associated changes of the earthquake activity is of great interest, because it might help to identify natural aseismic deformation patterns (such as slow slip events) and the occurrence of induced seismicity related to human activities. We develop a Bayesian approach to detect change-points in seismicity data which are modeled by Poisson processes. By means of a Likelihood-Ratio-Test, we proof the significance of the change of the intensity. The model is also extended to spatiotemporal data to detect the area of the transient changes. The method is firstly tested for synthetic data and then applied to observational data from central US and the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland.

Icequake Tremors During Glacier Calving (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walter, F.; O'Neel, S.; Bassis, J. N.; Fricker, H. A.; Pfeffer, W. T.

2009-12-01

Calving poses the largest uncertainty in the prediction of sea-level rise in response to global climate changes. A physically-based calving law has yet to be successfully implemented into ice-sheet models in order to adequately describe the mass loss of tidewater glaciers and ice shelves. Observations from a variety of glacial environments are needed in order to develop a theoretical framework for glacier calving. To this end, several recent investigations on glacier calving have involved the recording of seismic waves. In this context, the study of icequakes has been of high value, as it allows for detecting and monitoring of calving activity. However, there are unanswered fundamental questions concerning source aspects of calving-related seismic activity, such as focal depths of icequakes preceding and accompanying calving events, failure mechanisms and the role of fracturing and crevasse formation upstream from the glacier terminus. Icequake sources associated with opening of surface crevasses are well understood. As glacier ice is often homogeneous these waveforms are relatively simple and can be modeled using the moment tensor representation of a seismic point source. Calving-related seismicity, on the other hand, is more complex, and occurs near the terminus of a glacier, which is often highly heterogeneous due to pervasive crevassing. The signals last up to several minutes or even hours and exhibit both low-frequency (1-3Hz) as well as high-frequency (10-20Hz) energy or tremor-like waveforms. These characteristics can be explained by finite source properties, such as connecting and migrating fractures and repeated slip across contact planes between two bodies of ice. In this presentation we discuss sources of calving-related seismicity by comparing seismic calving records from several different glacial settings. We consider icequakes recorded during tidewater calving at Columbia Glacier, Alaska, during lake calving on Gornergletscher, Switzerland, and during ice shelf calving in Antarctica. The similarities and differences in seismic signatures of these different calving settings provide valuable insights and will be helpful in the theoretical treatment of glacier calving.

Exploring the interior of Venus with seismic and infrasonic techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackson, J. M.; Cutts, J. A.; Pauken, M.; Komjathy, A.; Smrekar, S. E.; Kedar, S.; Mimoun, D.; Garcia, R.; Schubert, G.; Lebonnois, S.; Stevenson, D. J.; Lognonne, P. H.; Zhan, Z.; Ko, J. Y. T.; Tsai, V. C.

2016-12-01

The dense atmosphere of Venus, which efficiently couples seismic energy into the atmosphere as infrasonic waves, enables an alternative to conventional seismology: detection of infrasonic waves in the upper atmosphere using either high altitude balloons or orbiting spacecraft. Infrasonic techniques for probing the interior of Venus can be implemented without exposing sensors to the severe surface environments on Venus. This approach takes advantage of the fact that approximately sixty-times the energy from a seismic event on Venus is coupled into the atmosphere on Venus as would occur for a comparable event on Earth. The direct or epicentral wave propagates vertically above the event, and the indirect wave propagates through the planet as a Rayleigh wave and then couples to an infrasonic wave. Although there is abundant evidence of tectonic activity on Venus, questions remain as to whether the planet is still active and whether energy releases are seismic or aseismic. In recent years, seismologists have developed techniques for probing crustal and interior structure in parts of the Earth where there are very few quakes. We have begun an effort to determine if this is also possible for Venus. Just as seismic energy propagates more efficiently upward across the surface atmosphere interface, equally acoustic energy originating in the atmosphere will propagate downwards more effectively. Measurements from a balloon platform in the atmosphere of Venus could assess the nature and spectral content of such sources, while having the ability to identify and discriminate signatures from volcanic events, storm activity, and meteor impacts. We will discuss our ongoing assessment on the feasibility of a balloon acoustic monitoring system. In particular, we will highlight our results of the flight experiment on Earth that will focus on using barometer instruments on a tethered helium-filled balloon in the vicinity of a known seismic source generated by a seismic hammer. Implications for conducting such measurements on Venus, including seismic and aseismic energy sources and propagation through its atmosphere, will also be discussed.

Spatial relationships between crustal structures and mantle seismicity in the Vrancea Seismogenic Zone of Romania: Implications for geodynamic evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enciu, Dana-Mihaela

Integration of active and passive-source seismic data is employed to study the relationships between crustal structures and seismicity in the SE Carpathian foreland of Romania, and the connection with the Vrancea Seismogenic Zone. Relocated crustal epicenters and focal mechanisms are correlated with industry seismic profiles Comanesti, Ramnicu Sarat, Braila and Buzau, the reprocessed DACIA PLAN profile and the DRACULA (Deep Reflection Acquisition Constraining Unusual Lithospheric Activity) II and III profiles in order to understand the link between neo-tectonic foreland deformation and Vrancea mantle seismicity. Projection of crustal foreland hypocenters onto deep seismic profiles identified active crustal faults suggesting a mechanical coupling between sedimentary, crustal and upper mantle structures on the Trotus, Sinaia and newly observed Ialomita Faults. Seismic reflection imaging revealed the absence of west dipping reflectors in the crust and an east dipping to horizontal Moho in the proximity of the Vrancea area. These findings argue against both 'subduction-in-place' and 'slab break-off' as viable mechanisms for generating Vrancea mantle seismicity.

Time-Lapse Monitoring with 4D Seismic Coda Waves in Active, Passive and Ambient Noise Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lumley, D. E.; Kamei, R.; Saygin, E.; Shragge, J. C.

2017-12-01

The Earth's subsurface is continuously changing, due to temporal variations in fluid flow, stress, temperature, geomechanics and geochemistry, for example. These physical changes occur at broad tectonic and earthquake scales, and also at very detailed near-surface and reservoir scales. Changes in the physical states of the earth cause time-varying changes in the physical properties of rocks and fluids, which can be monitored with natural or manmade seismic waves. Time-lapse (4D) seismic monitoring is important for applications related to natural and induced seismicity, hydrocarbon and groundwater reservoir depletion, CO2 sequestration etc. An exciting new research area involves moving beyond traditional methods in order to use the full complex time-lapse scattered wavefield (4D coda waves) for both manmade active-source 3D/4D seismic data, and also to use continuous recordings of natural-source passive seismic data, especially (micro) earthquakes and ocean ambient noise. This research involves full wave-equation approaches including waveform inversion (FWI), interferometry, Large N sensor arrays, "big data" information theory, and high performance supercomputing (HPC). I will present high-level concepts and recent data results that are quite spectacular and highly encouraging.

PH5 for integrating and archiving different data types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azevedo, Steve; Hess, Derick; Beaudoin, Bruce

2016-04-01

PH5 is IRIS PASSCAL's file organization of HDF5 used for seismic data. The extensibility and portability of HDF5 allows the PH5 format to evolve and operate on a variety of platforms and interfaces. To make PH5 even more flexible, the seismic metadata is separated from the time series data in order to achieve gains in performance as well as ease of use and to simplify user interaction. This separation affords easy updates to metadata after the data are archived without having to access waveform data. To date, PH5 is currently used for integrating and archiving active source, passive source, and onshore-offshore seismic data sets with the IRIS Data Management Center (DMC). Active development to make PH5 fully compatible with FDSN web services and deliver StationXML is near completion. We are also exploring the feasibility of utilizing QuakeML for active seismic source representation. The PH5 software suite, PIC KITCHEN, comprises in-field tools that include data ingestion (e.g. RefTek format, SEG-Y, and SEG-D), meta-data management tools including QC, and a waveform review tool. These tools enable building archive ready data in-field during active source experiments greatly decreasing the time to produce research ready data sets. Once archived, our online request page generates a unique web form and pre-populates much of it based on the metadata provided to it from the PH5 file. The data requester then can intuitively select the extraction parameters as well as data subsets they wish to receive (current output formats include SEG-Y, SAC, mseed). The web interface then passes this on to the PH5 processing tools to generate the requested seismic data, and e-mail the requester a link to the data set automatically as soon as the data are ready. PH5 file organization was originally designed to hold seismic time series data and meta-data from controlled source experiments using RefTek data loggers. The flexibility of HDF5 has enabled us to extend the use of PH5 in several areas one of which is using PH5 to handle very large data sets. PH5 is also good at integrating data from various types of seismic experiments such as OBS, onshore-offshore, controlled source, and passive recording. HDF5 is capable of holding practically any type of digital data so integrating GPS data with seismic data is possible. Since PH5 is a common format and data contained in HDF5 is accessible randomly it has been easy to extend to include new input and output data formats as community needs arise.

Surface Deformation and Source Model at Semisopochnoi Volcano from InSAR and Seismic Analysis During the 2014 and 2015 Seismic Swarms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeGrandpre, K.; Pesicek, J. D.; Lu, Z.

2016-12-01

During the summer of 2014 and the early spring of 2015 two notable increases in seismic activity at Semisopochnoi volcano in the western Aleutian islands were recorded on AVO seismometers on Semisopochnoi and neighboring islands. These seismic swarms did not lead to an eruption. This study employs differential SAR techniques using TerraSAR-X images in conjunction with more accurately relocating the recorded seismic events through simultaneous inversion of event travel times and a three-dimensional velocity model using tomoDD. The interferograms created from the SAR images exhibit surprising coherence and an island wide spatial distribution of inflation that is then used in a Mogi model in order to define the three-dimensional location and volume change required for a source at Semisopochnoi to produce the observed surface deformation. The tomoDD relocations provide a more accurate and realistic three-dimensional velocity model as well as a tighter clustering of events for both swarms that clearly outline a linear seismic void within the larger group of shallow (<10 km) seismicity. While no direct conclusions as to the relationship of these seismic events and the observed surface deformation can be made at this time, these techniques are both complimentary and efficient forms of remotely monitoring volcanic activity that provide much deeper insights into the processes involved without having to risk hazardous or costly field work.

Variations in pockmark composition at the Vestnesa Ridge: Insights from marine controlled source electromagnetic and seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goswami, Bedanta K.; Weitemeyer, Karen A.; Bünz, Stefan; Minshull, Timothy A.; Westbrook, Graham K.; Ker, Stephan; Sinha, Martin C.

2017-03-01

The Vestnesa Ridge marks the northern boundary of a known submarine gas hydrate province in the west Svalbard margin. Several seafloor pockmarks at the eastern segment of the ridge are sites of active methane venting. Until recently, seismic reflection data were the main tool for imaging beneath the ridge. Coincident controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM), high-resolution two-dimensional (2-D) airgun, sweep frequency SYSIF, and three-dimensional (3-D) p-cable seismic reflection data were acquired at the south-eastern part of the ridge between 2011 and 2013. The CSEM and seismic data contain profiles across and along the ridge, passing several active and inactive pockmarks. Joint interpretation of resistivity models obtained from CSEM and seismic reflection data provides new information regarding the fluid composition beneath the pockmarks. There is considerable variation in transverse resistance and seismic reflection characteristics of the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ) between the ridge flanks and chimneys beneath pockmarks. Layered seismic reflectors on the flanks are associated with around 300 Ωm2 transverse resistance, whereas the seismic reflectors within the chimneys exhibit amplitude blanking and chaotic patterns. The transverse resistance of the GHSZ within the chimneys vary between 400 and 1200 Ωm2. Variance attributes obtained from the 3-D p-cable data also highlight faults and chimneys, which coincide with the resistivity anomalies. Based on the joint data interpretation, widespread gas hydrate presence is likely at the ridge, with both hydrates and free gas contained within the faults and chimneys. However, at the active chimneys the effect of gas likely dominates the resistive anomalies.

Geophysical investigations in Jordan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovach, Robert L.; Andreasen, Gordon E.; Gettings, Mark E.; El-Kaysi, Kays

1990-08-01

A number of geophysical investigations have been undertaken in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to provide data for understanding the tectonic framework, the pattern of seismicity, earthquake hazards and geothermal resources of the country. Both the historical seismic record and the observed recent seismicity point to the dominance of the Dead Sea Rift as the main locus of seismic activity but significant branching trends and gaps in the seismicity pattern are also seen. A wide variety of focal plane solutions are observed emphasizing the complex pattern of fault activity in the vicinity of the rift zone. Geophysical investigations directed towards the geothermal assessment of the prominent thermal springs of Zerga Ma'in and Zara are not supportive of the presence of a crustal magmatic source.

Geophysical investigations in Jordan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kovach, R.L.; Andreasen, G.E.; Gettings, M.E.; El-Kaysi, K.

1990-01-01

A number of geophysical investigations have been undertaken in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to provide data for understanding the tectonic framework, the pattern of seismicity, earthquake hazards and geothermal resources of the country. Both the historical seismic record and the observed recent seismicity point to the dominance of the Dead Sea Rift as the main locus of seismic activity but significant branching trends and gaps in the seismicity pattern are also seen. A wide variety of focal plane solutions are observed emphasizing the complex pattern of fault activity in the vicinity of the rift zone. Geophysical investigations directed towards the geothermal assessment of the prominent thermal springs of Zerga Ma'in and Zara are not supportive of the presence of a crustal magmatic source. ?? 1990.

An alternative approach to probabilistic seismic hazard analysis in the Aegean region using Monte Carlo simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weatherill, Graeme; Burton, Paul W.

2010-09-01

The Aegean is the most seismically active and tectonically complex region in Europe. Damaging earthquakes have occurred here throughout recorded history, often resulting in considerable loss of life. The Monte Carlo method of probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) is used to determine the level of ground motion likely to be exceeded in a given time period. Multiple random simulations of seismicity are generated to calculate, directly, the ground motion for a given site. Within the seismic hazard analysis we explore the impact of different seismic source models, incorporating both uniform zones and distributed seismicity. A new, simplified, seismic source model, derived from seismotectonic interpretation, is presented for the Aegean region. This is combined into the epistemic uncertainty analysis alongside existing source models for the region, and models derived by a K-means cluster analysis approach. Seismic source models derived using the K-means approach offer a degree of objectivity and reproducibility into the otherwise subjective approach of delineating seismic sources using expert judgment. Similar review and analysis is undertaken for the selection of peak ground acceleration (PGA) attenuation models, incorporating into the epistemic analysis Greek-specific models, European models and a Next Generation Attenuation model. Hazard maps for PGA on a "rock" site with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years are produced and different source and attenuation models are compared. These indicate that Greek-specific attenuation models, with their smaller aleatory variability terms, produce lower PGA hazard, whilst recent European models and Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) model produce similar results. The Monte Carlo method is extended further to assimilate epistemic uncertainty into the hazard calculation, thus integrating across several appropriate source and PGA attenuation models. Site condition and fault-type are also integrated into the hazard mapping calculations. These hazard maps are in general agreement with previous maps for the Aegean, recognising the highest hazard in the Ionian Islands, Gulf of Corinth and Hellenic Arc. Peak Ground Accelerations for some sites in these regions reach as high as 500-600 cm s -2 using European/NGA attenuation models, and 400-500 cm s -2 using Greek attenuation models.

Active Fault Near-Source Zones Within and Bordering the State of California for the 1997 Uniform Building Code

USGS Publications Warehouse

Petersen, M.D.; Toppozada, Tousson R.; Cao, T.; Cramer, C.H.; Reichle, M.S.; Bryant, W.A.

2000-01-01

The fault sources in the Project 97 probabilistic seismic hazard maps for the state of California were used to construct maps for defining near-source seismic coefficients, Na and Nv, incorporated in the 1997 Uniform Building Code (ICBO 1997). The near-source factors are based on the distance from a known active fault that is classified as either Type A or Type B. To determine the near-source factor, four pieces of geologic information are required: (1) recognizing a fault and determining whether or not the fault has been active during the Holocene, (2) identifying the location of the fault at or beneath the ground surface, (3) estimating the slip rate of the fault, and (4) estimating the maximum earthquake magnitude for each fault segment. This paper describes the information used to produce the fault classifications and distances.

Italian Case Studies Modelling Complex Earthquake Sources In PSHA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gee, Robin; Peruzza, Laura; Pagani, Marco

2017-04-01

This study presents two examples of modelling complex seismic sources in Italy, done in the framework of regional probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA). The first case study is for an area centred around Collalto Stoccaggio, a natural gas storage facility in Northern Italy, located within a system of potentially seismogenic thrust faults in the Venetian Plain. The storage exploits a depleted natural gas reservoir located within an actively growing anticline, which is likely driven by the Montello Fault, the underlying blind thrust. This fault has been well identified by microseismic activity (M<2) detected by a local seismometric network installed in 2012 (http://rete-collalto.crs.inogs.it/). At this time, no correlation can be identified between the gas storage activity and local seismicity, so we proceed with a PSHA that considers only natural seismicity, where the rates of earthquakes are assumed to be time-independent. The source model consists of faults and distributed seismicity to consider earthquakes that cannot be associated to specific structures. All potentially active faults within 50 km of the site are considered, and are modelled as 3D listric surfaces, consistent with the proposed geometry of the Montello Fault. Slip rates are constrained using available geological, geophysical and seismological information. We explore the sensitivity of the hazard results to various parameters affected by epistemic uncertainty, such as ground motions prediction equations with different rupture-to-site distance metrics, fault geometry, and maximum magnitude. The second case is an innovative study, where we perform aftershock probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (APSHA) in Central Italy, following the Amatrice M6.1 earthquake of August 24th, 2016 (298 casualties) and the subsequent earthquakes of Oct 26th and 30th (M6.1 and M6.6 respectively, no deaths). The aftershock hazard is modelled using a fault source with complex geometry, based on literature data and field evidence associated with the August mainshock. Earthquake activity rates during the very first weeks after the deadly earthquake were used to calibrated an Omori-Utsu decay curve, and the magnitude distribution of aftershocks is assumed to follow a Gutenberg-Richter distribution. We apply uniform and non-uniform spatial distribution of the seismicity across the fault source, by modulating the rates as a decreasing function of distance from the mainshock. The hazard results are computed for short-exposure periods (1 month, before the occurrences of October earthquakes) and compared to the background hazard given by law (MPS04), and to observations at some reference sites. We also show the results of disaggregation computed for the city of Amatrice. Finally, we attempt to update the results in light of the new "main" events that occurred afterwards in the region. All source modeling and hazard calculations are performed using the OpenQuake engine. We discuss the novelties of these works, and the benefits and limitations of both analyses, particularly in such different contexts of seismic hazard.

How seismicity and shear stress-generated tilt can indicate imminent explosions on Tungurahua

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neuberg, Jurgen; Mothes, Patricia; Collinson, Amy; Marsden, Luke

2017-04-01

Seismic swarms and tilt measurement on active silicic volcanoes have been successfully used to assess their eruption potential. Swarms of low-frequency seismic events have been associated with brittle failure or stick-slip motion of magma during ascent and have been used to estimate qualitatively the magma ascent. Tilt signals are extremely sensitive indicators for volcano deformation and their interpretation includes shear stress as a generating source as well as inflation or deflation of a shallow magma reservoir. Here we use data sets from different tiltmeters deployed on Tungurahua volcano, Ecuador, and contrast the two source models for different locations and time intervals. We analyse a simultaneously recorded seismic data set and address the question of shear stress partitioning resulting in both the generation of tilt and low-frequency seismicity in critical phases prior to Vulcanion explosions.

Tsunamis hazard assessment and monitoring for the Back Sea area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Partheniu, Raluca; Ionescu, Constantin; Constantin, Angela; Moldovan, Iren; Diaconescu, Mihail; Marmureanu, Alexandru; Radulian, Mircea; Toader, Victorin

2016-04-01

NIEP has improved lately its researches regarding tsunamis in the Black Sea. As part of the routine earthquake and tsunami monitoring activity, the first tsunami early-warning system in the Black Sea has been implemented in 2013 and is active during these last years. In order to monitor the seismic activity of the Black Sea, NIEP is using a total number of 114 real time stations and 2 seismic arrays, 18 of the stations being located in Dobrogea area, area situated in the vicinity of the Romanian Black Sea shore line. Moreover, there is a data exchange with the Black Sea surrounding countries involving the acquisition of real-time data for 17 stations from Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia and Ukraine. This improves the capability of the Romanian Seismic Network to monitor and more accurately locate the earthquakes occurred in the Black Sea area. For tsunamis monitoring and warning, a number of 6 sea level monitoring stations, 1 infrasound barometer, 3 offshore marine buoys and 7 GPS/GNSS stations are installed in different locations along and near the Romanian shore line. In the framework of ASTARTE project, few objectives regarding the seismic hazard and tsunami waves height assessment for the Black Sea were accomplished. The seismic hazard estimation was based on statistical studies of the seismic sources and their characteristics, compiled using different seismic catalogues. Two probabilistic methods were used for the evaluation of the seismic hazard, the Cornell method, based on the Gutenberg Richter distribution parameters, and Gumbel method, based on extremes statistic. The results show maximum values of possible magnitudes and their recurrence periods, for each seismic source. Using the Tsunami Analysis Tool (TAT) software, a set of tsunami modelling scenarios have been generated for Shabla area, the seismic source that could mostly affect the Romanian shore. These simulations are structured in a database, in order to set maximum possible tsunami waves that could be generated and to establish minimum magnitude values that could trigger tsunamis in this area. Some particularities of Shabla source are: past observed magnitudes > 7 and a recurrence period of 175 years. Some other important objectives of NIEP are to continue the monitoring of the seismic activity of the Black Sea, to improve the data base of the tsunami simulations for this area, near real time fault plane solution estimations used for the warning system, and to add new seismic, GPS/GNSS and sea level monitoring equipment to the existing network. Acknowledgements: This work was partially supported by the FP7 FP7-ENV2013 6.4-3 "Assessment, Strategy And Risk Reduction For Tsunamis in Europe" (ASTARTE) Project 603839/2013 and PNII, Capacity Module III ASTARTE RO Project 268/2014. This work was partially supported by the "Global Tsunami Informal Monitoring Service - 2" (GTIMS2) Project, JRC/IPR/2015/G.2/2006/NC 260286, Ref. Ares (2015)1440256 - 01.04.2015.

A preliminary probabilistic analysis of tsunami sources of seismic and non-seismic origin applied to the city of Naples, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonini, R.; Anita, G.

2011-12-01

In both worldwide and regional historical catalogues, most of the tsunamis are caused by earthquakes and a minor percentage is represented by all the other non-seismic sources. On the other hand, tsunami hazard and risk studies are often applied to very specific areas, where this global trend can be different or even inverted, depending on the kind of potential tsunamigenic sources which characterize the case study. So far, few probabilistic approaches consider the contribution of landslides and/or phenomena derived by volcanic activity, i.e. pyroclastic flows and flank collapses, as predominant in the PTHA, also because of the difficulties to estimate the correspondent recurrence time. These considerations are valid, for example, for the city of Naples, Italy, which is surrounded by a complex active volcanic system (Vesuvio, Campi Flegrei, Ischia) that presents a significant number of potential tsunami sources of non-seismic origin compared to the seismic ones. In this work we present the preliminary results of a probabilistic multi-source tsunami hazard assessment applied to Naples. The method to estimate the uncertainties will be based on Bayesian inference. This is the first step towards a more comprehensive task which will provide a tsunami risk quantification for this town in the frame of the Italian national project ByMuR (http://bymur.bo.ingv.it). This three years long ongoing project has the final objective of developing a Bayesian multi-risk methodology to quantify the risk related to different natural hazards (volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis) applied to the city of Naples.

Seismic source inversion using Green's reciprocity and a 3-D structural model for the Japanese Islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simutė, S.; Fichtner, A.

2015-12-01

We present a feasibility study for seismic source inversions using a 3-D velocity model for the Japanese Islands. The approach involves numerically calculating 3-D Green's tensors, which is made efficient by exploiting Green's reciprocity. The rationale for 3-D seismic source inversion has several aspects. For structurally complex regions, such as the Japan area, it is necessary to account for 3-D Earth heterogeneities to prevent unknown structure polluting source solutions. In addition, earthquake source characterisation can serve as a means to delineate existing faults. Source parameters obtained for more realistic Earth models can then facilitate improvements in seismic tomography and early warning systems, which are particularly important for seismically active areas, such as Japan. We have created a database of numerically computed 3-D Green's reciprocals for a 40°× 40°× 600 km size area around the Japanese Archipelago for >150 broadband stations. For this we used a regional 3-D velocity model, recently obtained from full waveform inversion. The model includes attenuation and radial anisotropy and explains seismic waveform data for periods between 10 - 80 s generally well. The aim is to perform source inversions using the database of 3-D Green's tensors. As preliminary steps, we present initial concepts to address issues that are at the basis of our approach. We first investigate to which extent Green's reciprocity works in a discrete domain. Considering substantial amounts of computed Green's tensors we address storage requirements and file formatting. We discuss the importance of the initial source model, as an intelligent choice can substantially reduce the search volume. Possibilities to perform a Bayesian inversion and ways to move to finite source inversion are also explored.

Dynamic of the volcanic activity of La Soufrière volcano (Guadeloupe, Lesser Antillles): Evidence for shallow fluid seismic sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ucciani, G.; Beauducel, F.; Bouin, M. P.; Nercessian, A.

2015-12-01

La Soufrière is one of the many hazardous volcanoes in the inner arc of Lesser Antilles. Located South of Basse-Terre island, it is the only active volcano of the Guadeloupe archipelago. Since the last significant magmatic eruption in 1535 AD, the activity has been exculsively phreatic. Since 1992 and the abrupt renewal of seismic and fumarollic activities, the Guadeloupe Volcanological and Seismological Observatory (OVSG-IPGP) has recorded a progressive increasing of seismicity and degassing that led scientists and authorities to set the alert level ``Vigilance'' and hold it until today. According to the recent geophysical, geochemical and geological studies, the current volcanic activity of la Soufrière volcano seems to be exclusively associated to the hydrothermal system, while the link with seismic activity is still poorly studied. In this context of possible pre-eruptive unrest, we investigated the spatial and temporal variations of the seismicity recorded between 1981 and 2013. From a consistent seismological framework coupling spectral, statistical, signal processing, clustering, and inverse problems methods, we demonstrate that this seismicity is largely generated by shallow hydrothermal fluid sources located in a complex plumbing system. Spatial variations of Vp/Vs ratio and B-value in seismogenic structures allow us to document three main seismic zones associated to : (1) migration of magmatic gas, (2) the storage and mixing of underground water and gas and (3) the shallow migration of hydrothermal fluids in high fractured and heterogeneous system. Waveform analysis revealed a low number of significant families consistent with fracturing process, and the temporal evolution of multiplet activities highlighted several variations associated with surface manifestations and brutal dynamic changes after major local tectonic earthquakes of Les Saintes (21 November 2004, Mw=6.3), its main aftershock (14 February 2005, Mw=5.7) and the last major earthquake of la Martinique (29 November 2007, Mw=7.4).

Seismicity pattern: an indicator of source region of volcanism at convergent plate margins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Špičák, Aleš; Hanuš, Václav; Vaněk, Jiří

2004-04-01

The results of detailed investigation into the geometry of distribution of earthquakes around and below the volcanoes Korovin, Cleveland, Makushin, Yake-Dake, Oshima, Lewotobi, Fuego, Sangay, Nisyros and Montagne Pelée at convergent plate margins are presented. The ISC hypocentral determinations for the period 1964-1999, based on data of global seismic network and relocated by Engdahl, van der Hilst and Buland, have been used. The aim of this study has been to contribute to the solution of the problem of location of source regions of primary magma for calc-alkaline volcanoes spatially and genetically related to the process of subduction. Several specific features of seismicity pattern were revealed in this context. (i) A clear occurrence of the intermediate-depth aseismic gap (IDAG) in the Wadati-Benioff zone (WBZ) below all investigated active volcanoes. We interpret this part of the subducted slab, which does not contain any teleseismically recorded earthquake with magnitude greater than 4.0, as a partially melted domain of oceanic lithosphere and as a possible source of primary magma for calc-alkaline volcanoes. (ii) A set of earthquakes in the shape of a seismically active column (SAC) seems to exists in the continental wedge below volcanoes Korovin, Makushin and Sangay. The seismically active columns probably reach from the Earth surface down to the aseismic gap in the Wadati-Benioff zone. This points to the possibility that the upper mantle overlying the subducted slab does not contain large melted domains, displays an intense fracturing and is not likely to represent the site of magma generation. (iii) In the continental wedge below the volcanoes Cleveland, Fuego, Nisyros, Yake-Dake, Oshima and Lewotobi, shallow seismicity occurs down to the depth of 50 km. The domain without any earthquakes between the shallow seismically active column and the aseismic gap in the Wadati-Benioff zone in the depth range of 50-100 km does not exclude the melting of the mantle also above the slab. (iv) Any earthquake does not exist in the lithospheric wedge below the volcano Montagne Pelée. The source of primary magma could be located in the subducted slab as well as in the overlying mantle wedge. (v) Frequent aftershock sequences accompanying stronger earthquakes in the seismically active columns indicate high fracturing of the wedge below active volcanoes. (vi) The elongated shape of clusters of epicentres of earthquakes of seismically active columns, as well as stable parameters of the available fault plane solutions, seem to reflect the existence of dominant deeply rooted fracture zones below volcanoes. These facts also favour the location of primary magma in the subducting slab rather than in the overlying wedge. We suppose that melts advancing from the slab toward the Earth surface may trigger the observed earthquakes in the continental wedge that is critically pre-stressed by the process of subduction. However, for definitive conclusions it will be necessary to explain the occurrence of earthquake clusters below some volcanoes and the lack of seismicity below others, taking into account the uncertainty of focal depth determination from global seismological data in some regions.

Imaging near surface mineral targets with ambient seismic noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dales, P.; Audet, P.; Olivier, G.

2017-12-01

To keep up with global metal and mineral demand, new ore-deposits have to be discovered on a regular basis. This task is becoming increasingly difficult, since easily accessible deposits have been exhausted to a large degree. The typical procedure for mineral exploration begins with geophysical surveys followed by a drilling program to investigate potential targets. Since the retrieved drill core samples are one-dimensional observations, the many holes needed to interpolate and interpret potential deposits can lead to very high costs. To reduce the amount of drilling, active seismic imaging is sometimes used as an intermediary, however the active sources (e.g. large vibrating trucks or explosive shots) are expensive and unsuitable for operation in remote or environmentally sensitive areas. In recent years, passive seismic imaging using ambient noise has emerged as a novel, low-cost and environmentally sensitive approach for exploring the sub-surface. This technique dispels with active seismic sources and instead uses ambient seismic noise such as ocean waves, traffic or minor earthquakes. Unfortunately at this point, passive surveys are not capable of reaching the required resolution to image the vast majority of the ore-bodies that are being explored. In this presentation, we will show the results of an experiment where ambient seismic noise recorded on 60 seismic stations was used to image a near-mine target. The target consists of a known ore-body that has been partially exhausted by mining efforts roughly 100 years ago. The experiment examined whether ambient seismic noise interferometry can be used to image the intact and exhausted ore deposit. A drilling campaign was also conducted near the target which offers the opportunity to compare the two methods. If the accuracy and resolution of passive seismic imaging can be improved to that of active surveys (and beyond), this method could become an inexpensive intermediary step in the exploration process and result in a large decrease in the amount of drilling required to investigate and identify high-grade ore deposits.

Seismic gaps and source zones of recent large earthquakes in coastal Peru

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dewey, J.W.; Spence, W.

1979-01-01

The earthquakes of central coastal Peru occur principally in two distinct zones of shallow earthquake activity that are inland of and parallel to the axis of the Peru Trench. The interface-thrust (IT) zone includes the great thrust-fault earthquakes of 17 October 1966 and 3 October 1974. The coastal-plate interior (CPI) zone includes the great earthquake of 31 May 1970, and is located about 50 km inland of and 30 km deeper than the interface thrust zone. The occurrence of a large earthquake in one zone may not relieve elastic strain in the adjoining zone, thus complicating the application of the seismic gap concept to central coastal Peru. However, recognition of two seismic zones may facilitate detection of seismicity precursory to a large earthquake in a given zone; removal of probable CPI-zone earthquakes from plots of seismicity prior to the 1974 main shock dramatically emphasizes the high seismic activity near the rupture zone of that earthquake in the five years preceding the main shock. Other conclusions on the seismicity of coastal Peru that affect the application of the seismic gap concept to this region are: (1) Aftershocks of the great earthquakes of 1966, 1970, and 1974 occurred in spatially separated clusters. Some clusters may represent distinct small source regions triggered by the main shock rather than delimiting the total extent of main-shock rupture. The uncertainty in the interpretation of aftershock clusters results in corresponding uncertainties in estimates of stress drop and estimates of the dimensions of the seismic gap that has been filled by a major earthquake. (2) Aftershocks of the great thrust-fault earthquakes of 1966 and 1974 generally did not extend seaward as far as the Peru Trench. (3) None of the three great earthquakes produced significant teleseismic activity in the following month in the source regions of the other two earthquakes. The earthquake hypocenters that form the basis of this study were relocated using station adjustments computed by the method of joint hypocenter determination. ?? 1979 Birkha??user Verlag.

Monitoring El Hierro submarine volcanic eruption events with a submarine seismic array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jurado, Maria Jose; Molino, Erik; Lopez, Carmen

2013-04-01

A submarine volcanic eruption took place near the southernmost emerged land of the El Hierro Island (Canary Islands, Spain), from October 2011 to February 2012. The Instituto Geografico Nacional (IGN) seismic stations network evidenced seismic unrest since July 2012 and was a reference also to follow the evolution of the seismic activity associated with the volcanic eruption. From the beginning of the eruption a geophone string was installed less than 2 km away from the new volcano, next to La Restinga village shore, to record seismic activity related to the volcanic activity, continuously and with special interest on high frequency events. The seismic array was endowed with 8, high frequency, 3 component, 250 Hz, geophone cable string with a separation of 6 m between them. The analysis of the dataset using spectral techniques allows the characterization of the different phases of the eruption and the study of its dynamics. The correlation of the data analysis results with the observed sea surface activity (ash and lava emission and degassing) and also with the seismic activity recorded by the IGN field seismic monitoring system, allows the identification of different stages suggesting the existence of different signal sources during the volcanic eruption and also the posteruptive record of the degassing activity. The study shows that the high frequency capability of the geophone array allow the study of important features that cannot be registered by the standard seismic stations. The accumulative spectral amplitude show features related to eruptive changes.

Source characterization of a small earthquake cluster at Edmond, Oklahoma using a very dense array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ng, R.; Nakata, N.

2017-12-01

Recent seismicity in Oklahoma has caught the attention of the public in the last few years since seismicity is commonly related to loss in urban areas. To account for the increase in public interest, improve the understanding of damaging ground motions produced in earthquakes and develop better seismic hazard assessment, we must characterize the seismicity in Oklahoma and its associated structure and source parameters. Regional changes in subsurface stresses have increased seismic activities due to reactivation of faults in places such as central Oklahoma. It is imperative for seismic investigation and modeling to characterize subsurface structural features that may influence the damaging effects of ground motion. We analyze the full-waveform data collected from a temporary dense array of 72 portable seismometers with a 110 meter spacing that were active for a one-month period from May to June 2017, deployed at Edmond, Oklahoma. The data from this one-month duration array captured over 10,000 events and enabled us to make measurements of small-scale lateral variations of earthquake wavefields. We examine the waveform for events using advanced methods of detection, location and determine the source mechanism. We compare our results with selected events listed in the Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) catalogue. Based on the detection and located small events, we will discuss the causative fault structure at the area and present the results of the investigation.

Lunar seismic profiling experiment natural activity study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duennebier, F. K.

1976-01-01

The Lunar Seismic Experiment Natural Activity Study has provided a unique opportunity to study the high frequency (4-20 Hz) portion to the seismic spectrum on the moon. The data obtained from the LSPE was studied to evaluate the origin and importance of the process that generates thermal moonquakes and the characteristics of the seismic scattering zone at the lunar surface. The detection of thermal moonquakes by the LSPE array made it possible to locate the sources of many events and determine that they are definitely not generated by astronaut activities but are the result of a natural process on the moon. The propagation of seismic waves in the near-surface layers was studied in a qualitative manner. In the absence of an adequate theoretical model for the propagation of seismic waves in the moon, it is not possible to assign a depth for the scattering layer. The LSPE data does define several parameters which must be satisfied by any model developed in the future.

DSOD Procedures for Seismic Hazard Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, J. K.; Fraser, W. A.

2005-12-01

DSOD, which has jurisdiction over more than 1200 dams in California, routinely evaluates their dynamic stability using seismic shaking input ranging from simple pseudostatic coefficients to spectrally matched earthquake time histories. Our seismic hazard assessments assume maximum earthquake scenarios of nearest active and conditionally active seismic sources. Multiple earthquake scenarios may be evaluated depending on sensitivity of the design analysis (e.g., to certain spectral amplitudes, duration of shaking). Active sources are defined as those with evidence of movement within the last 35,000 years. Conditionally active sources are those with reasonable expectation of activity, which are treated as active until demonstrated otherwise. The Division's Geology Branch develops seismic hazard estimates using spectral attenuation formulas applicable to California. The formulas were selected, in part, to achieve a site response model similar to the 2000 IBC's for rock, soft rock, and stiff soil sites. The level of dynamic loading used in the stability analysis (50th, 67th, or 84th percentile ground shaking estimates) is determined using a matrix that considers consequence of dam failure and fault slip rate. We account for near-source directivity amplification along such faults by adjusting target response spectra and developing appropriate design earthquakes for analysis of structures sensitive to long-period motion. Based on in-house studies, the orientation of the dam analysis section relative to the fault-normal direction is considered for strike-slip earthquakes, but directivity amplification is assumed in any orientation for dip-slip earthquakes. We do not have probabilistic standards, but we evaluate the probability of our ground shaking estimates using hazard curves constructed from the USGS Interactive De-Aggregation website. Typically, return periods for our design loads exceed 1000 years. Excessive return periods may warrant a lower design load. Minimum shaking levels are provided for sites far from active faulting. Our procedures and standards are presented at the DSOD website http://damsafety.water.ca.gov/. We review our methods and tools periodically under the guidance of our Consulting Board for Earthquake Analysis (and expect to make changes pending NGA completion), mindful that frequent procedural changes can interrupt design evaluations.

3D basin structure of the Santa Clara Valley constrained by ambient noise tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, H.; Lee, S. J.; Rhie, J.; Kim, S.

2017-12-01

The basin structure is an important factor controls the intensity and duration of ground shaking due to earthquake. Thus it is important to study the basin structure for better understanding seismic hazard and also improving the earthquake preparedness. An active source seismic survey is the most appropriate method to determine the basin structure in detail but its applicability, especially in urban areas, is limited. In this study, we tested the potential of an ambient noise tomography, which can be a cheaper and more easily applicable method compared to a traditional active source survey, to construct the velocity model of the basin. Our testing region is the Santa Clara Valley, which is one of the major urban sedimentary basins in the States. We selected this region because continuous seismic recordings and well defined velocity models are available. Continuous seismic recordings of 6 months from short-period array of Santa Clara Valley Seismic Experiment are cross-correlated with 1 hour time window. And the fast marching method and the subspace method are jointly applied to construct 2-D group velocity maps between 0.2 - 4.0 Hz. Then, shear wave velocity model of the Santa Clara Valley is calculated up to 5 km depth using bayesian inversion technique. Although our model cannot depict the detailed structures, it is roughly comparable with the velocity model of the US Geological Survey, which is constrained by active seismic surveys and field researches. This result indicate that an ambient noise tomography can be a replacement, at least in part, of an active seismic survey to construct the velocity model of the basin.

Coda Q Attenuation and Source Parameters Analysis in North East India Using Local Earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohapatra, A. K.; Mohanty, W. K.; Earthquake Seismology

2010-12-01

Alok Kumar Mohapatra1* and William Kumar Mohanty1 *Corresponding author: alokgpiitkgp@gmail.com 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal, India. Pin-721302 ABSTRACT In the present study, the quality factor of coda waves (Qc) and the source parameters has been estimated for the Northeastern India, using the digital data of ten local earthquakes from April 2001 to November 2002. Earthquakes with magnitude range from 3.8 to 4.9 have been taken into account. The time domain coda decay method of a single back scattering model is used to calculate frequency dependent values of Coda Q (Qc) where as, the source parameters like seismic moment(Mo), stress drop, source radius(r), radiant energy(Wo),and strain drop are estimated using displacement amplitude spectrum of body wave using Brune's model. The earthquakes with magnitude range 3.8 to 4.9 have been used for estimation Qc at six central frequencies 1.5 Hz, 3.0 Hz, 6.0 Hz, 9.0 Hz, 12.0 Hz, and 18.0 Hz. In the present work, the Qc value of local earthquakes are estimated to understand the attenuation characteristic, source parameters and tectonic activity of the region. Based on a criteria of homogeneity in the geological characteristics and the constrains imposed by the distribution of available events the study region has been classified into three zones such as the Tibetan Plateau Zone (TPZ), Bengal Alluvium and Arakan-Yuma Zone (BAZ), Shillong Plateau Zone (SPZ). It follows the power law Qc= Qo (f/fo)n where, Qo is the quality factor at the reference frequency (1Hz) fo and n is the frequency parameter which varies from region to region. The mean values of Qc reveals a dependence on frequency, varying from 292.9 at 1.5 Hz to 4880.1 at 18 Hz. Average frequency dependent relationship Qc values obtained of the Northeastern India is 198 f 1.035, while this relationship varies from the region to region such as, Tibetan Plateau Zone (TPZ): Qc= 226 f 1.11, Bengal Alluvium and Arakan-Yuma Zone (BAZ) : Qc= 301 f 0.87, Shillong Plateau Zone (SPZ): Qc=126 fo 0.85. It indicates Northeastern India is seismically active but comparing of all zones in the study region the Shillong Plateau Zone (SPZ): Qc= 126 f 0.85 is seismically most active. Where as the Bengal Alluvium and Arakan-Yuma Zone (BAZ) are less active and out of three the Tibetan Plateau Zone (TPZ)is intermediate active. This study may be useful for the seismic hazard assessment. The estimated seismic moments (Mo), range from 5.98×1020 to 3.88×1023 dyne-cm. The source radii(r) are confined between 152 to 1750 meter, the stress drop ranges between 0.0003×103 bar to 1.04×103 bar, the average radiant energy is 82.57×1018 ergs and the strain drop for the earthquake ranges from 0.00602×10-9 to 2.48×10-9 respectively. The estimated stress drop values for NE India depicts scattered nature of the larger seismic moment value whereas, they show a more systematic nature for smaller seismic moment values. The estimated source parameters are in agreement to previous works in this type of tectonic set up. Key words: Coda wave, Seismic source parameters, Lapse time, single back scattering model, Brune's model, Stress drop and North East India.

Induced seismicity and the potential for liability under U.S. law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cypser, Darlene A.; Davis, Scott D.

1998-04-01

Research by seismologists over the past 30+ years has firmly established that some human activities induce seismicity. Sometimes induced seismicity causes injuries to people or property. The activities which induce seismicity generally involve extraction of energy, or natural resources, or the disposal of wastes. As the human population increases these extraction and disposal activities will increase in number of sites and intensity of effort as the demands become greater and the resources scarcer. With these increases the number and severity of damaging induced earthquakes is likely to increase. Induced seismicity may cause injuries by vibrations or by seismically induced ground failure. In either case compensation for injuries caused by induced seismicity should be paid for by the inducer. In the United States the inducer of damaging seismicity can be made to pay for the harm caused. Liability for damage caused by vibrations can be based on several legal theories: trespass, strict liability, negligence and nuisance. Our research revealed no cases in which an appellate court has upheld or rejected the application of tort liability to an induced earthquake situation. However, there are numerous analogous cases that support the application of these legal theories to induced seismicity. Vibrations or concussions due to blasting or heavy machinery are sometimes viewed as a `trespass' analogous to a physical invasion. In some states activities which induce earthquakes might be considered `abnormally dangerous' activities that require companies engaged in them to pay for injuries the quakes cause regardless of how careful the inducers were. In some circumstances, a court may find that an inducer was negligent in its site selection or in maintenance of the project. If induced seismicity interferes with the use or enjoyment of another's land, then the inducing activity may be a legal nuisance, even if the seismicity causes little physical damage. In most states of the United States owners of land owe a duty of lateral support to adjacent landowners, and, in some states, mineral estate owners and lessees owe a duty of subjacent support to the surface owners. Failure to meet those duties of support can result in liability. Seismicity induced by one source might accelerate failure of support originating from another source, leaving both of the parties at fault proportionally liable to the injured parties. Geoscientists can use their roles as investigators, educators and advisors to help companies in the petroleum, mining and geothermal fields avoid liability.

A New Seismic Hazard Model for Mainland China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rong, Y.; Xu, X.; Chen, G.; Cheng, J.; Magistrale, H.; Shen, Z. K.

2017-12-01

We are developing a new seismic hazard model for Mainland China by integrating historical earthquake catalogs, geological faults, geodetic GPS data, and geology maps. To build the model, we construct an Mw-based homogeneous historical earthquake catalog spanning from 780 B.C. to present, create fault models from active fault data, and derive a strain rate model based on the most complete GPS measurements and a new strain derivation algorithm. We divide China and the surrounding regions into about 20 large seismic source zones. For each zone, a tapered Gutenberg-Richter (TGR) magnitude-frequency distribution is used to model the seismic activity rates. The a- and b-values of the TGR distribution are calculated using observed earthquake data, while the corner magnitude is constrained independently using the seismic moment rate inferred from the geodetically-based strain rate model. Small and medium sized earthquakes are distributed within the source zones following the location and magnitude patterns of historical earthquakes. Some of the larger earthquakes are distributed onto active faults, based on their geological characteristics such as slip rate, fault length, down-dip width, and various paleoseismic data. The remaining larger earthquakes are then placed into the background. A new set of magnitude-rupture scaling relationships is developed based on earthquake data from China and vicinity. We evaluate and select appropriate ground motion prediction equations by comparing them with observed ground motion data and performing residual analysis. To implement the modeling workflow, we develop a tool that builds upon the functionalities of GEM's Hazard Modeler's Toolkit. The GEM OpenQuake software is used to calculate seismic hazard at various ground motion periods and various return periods. To account for site amplification, we construct a site condition map based on geology. The resulting new seismic hazard maps can be used for seismic risk analysis and management.

Evaluation of potential surface rupture and review of current seismic hazards program at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1991-12-09

This report summarizes the authors review and evaluation of the existing seismic hazards program at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The report recommends that the original program be augmented with a probabilistic analysis of seismic hazards involving assignment of weighted probabilities of occurrence to all potential sources. This approach yields a more realistic evaluation of the likelihood of large earthquake occurrence particularly in regions where seismic sources may have recurrent intervals of several thousand years or more. The report reviews the locations and geomorphic expressions of identified fault lines along with the known displacements of these faults and last knowmore » occurrence of seismic activity. Faults are mapped and categorized into by their potential for actual movement. Based on geologic site characterization, recommendations are made for increased seismic monitoring; age-dating studies of faults and geomorphic features; increased use of remote sensing and aerial photography for surface mapping of faults; the development of a landslide susceptibility map; and to develop seismic design standards for all existing and proposed facilities at LANL.« less

Brady's Geothermal Field - March 2016 Vibroseis SEG-Y Files and UTM Locations

DOE Data Explorer

Kurt Feigl

2016-03-31

PoroTomo March 2016 (Task 6.4) Updated vibroseis source locations with UTM locations. Supersedes gdr.openei.org/submissions/824. Updated vibroseis source location data for Stages 1-4, PoroTomo March 2016. This revision includes source point locations in UTM format (meters) for all four Stages of active source acquisition. Vibroseis sweep data were collected on a Signature Recorder unit (mfr Seismic Source) mounted in the vibroseis cab during the March 2016 PoroTomo active seismic survey Stages 1 to 4. Each sweep generated a GPS timed SEG-Y file with 4 input channels and a 20 second record length. Ch1 = pilot sweep, Ch2 = accelerometer output from the vibe's mass, Ch3 = accel output from the baseplase, and Ch4 = weighted sum of the accelerometer outputs. SEG-Y files are available via the links below.

Spatial heterogeneity of the structure and stress field in Hyuga-nada region, southwest Japan, deduced from onshore and offshore seismic observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uehira, K.; Yakiwara, H.; Yamada, T.; Umakoshi, K.; Nakao, S.; Kobayashi, R.; Goto, K.; Miyamachi, H.; Mochizuki, K.; Nakahigashi, K.; Shinohara, M.; Kanazawa, T.; Hino, R.; Goda, M.; Shimizu, H.

2010-12-01

In Hyuga-nada region, the Philippine Sea (PHS) plate is subducting beneath the Eurasian (EU) plate (the southwest Japan arc) along the Nankai trough at a rate of about 5 cm per year. The seismic activity in the boundary between the PHS and the Eurasian (EU) plates varies spatially along the Nankai trough. Especially the region from off coast of Shikoku to the Bungo channel and Hyuga-nada has large variation of seismicity. Although usual microearthquake activity is active in Hyuga-nada, it is inactive near Shikoku. On the other hand, although the great earthquake (M>8) has occurred repeatedly in near Shikoku at intervals of about 100 years, in Hyuga-nada, smaller earthquakes (M7 class) has occurred at intervals of about dozens of years, and so plate coupling varies dozens of kilometers specially. Big earthquakes (M7 class) have occurred in the north region from latitude 31.6 degrees north, but it has not occurred in the south region from latitude 31.6 degrees north. The largest earthquake ever recorded in Hyuga-nada region is the 1968 Hyuga-nada earthquake (Mw 7.5). And microseismicity varies spatially. It is important to understand seismic activity, stress field, and structure in such region in order to understand seismic cycle. We performed extraordinary seismic observation in and around Hyuga-nada region. More than 20 pop-up type OBSs were deployed above hypocentral region of Hyuga-nada using Nagasaki-maru and several data loggers were deployed in order to compensate a regular seismic network on land. We detected earthquakes more than 2 times of JMA. Seismic activity in source region of the 1961 Hyuga-nada Earthquake (M7.0) is low, but around its source region, seismic activity is very high. In order to obtain a 3D seismic velocity structure and precise hypocenter distribution and focal mechanisms around the Hyuga-nada region, we used Double-Difference (DD) Tomography method developed by Zhang and Thurber (2003). We could detect the structure of subduction of Kyushu-Palau Ridge at low seismicity area. We estimated the stress filed using a stress tensor inversion method by polarity of first arrivals from earthquakes [Horiuchi et al. (1995)], and we found that there is a good correlation between the slip distribution at large earthquakes and the angle between maximum principal axis and the plate boundary in northern part of Hyuga-nada region [Uehira et al. (2007)]. Because the shear stress of plate boundary is large on the subducted Kyushu-Palau Ridge, we suspected that it might be caused the strong interplate coupling. We also found a subducted seamount in the southwest margin of source region of the 1968 Hyuga-nada earthquake (Mw 7.5). This may acts as a barrier.

Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: Considering an Active Leech River Fault

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kukovica, J.; Molnar, S.; Ghofrani, H.

2017-12-01

The Leech River fault is situated on Vancouver Island near the city of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The 60km transpressional reverse fault zone runs east to west along the southern tip of Vancouver Island, dividing the lithologic units of Jurassic-Cretaceous Leech River Complex schists to the north and Eocene Metchosin Formation basalts to the south. This fault system poses a considerable hazard due to its proximity to Victoria and 3 major hydroelectric dams. The Canadian seismic hazard model for the 2015 National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) considered the fault system to be inactive. However, recent paleoseismic evidence suggests there to be at least 2 surface-rupturing events to have exceeded a moment magnitude (M) of 6.5 within the last 15,000 years (Morell et al. 2017). We perform a Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) for the city of Victoria with consideration of the Leech River fault as an active source. A PSHA for Victoria which replicates the 2015 NBCC estimates is accomplished to calibrate our PSHA procedure. The same seismic source zones, magnitude recurrence parameters, and Ground Motion Prediction Equations (GMPEs) are used. We replicate the uniform hazard spectrum for a probability of exceedance of 2% in 50 years for a 500 km radial area around Victoria. An active Leech River fault zone is then added; known length and dip. We are determining magnitude recurrence parameters based on a Gutenberg-Richter relationship for the Leech River fault from various catalogues of the recorded seismicity (M 2-3) within the fault's vicinity and the proposed paleoseismic events. We seek to understand whether inclusion of an active Leech River fault source will significantly increase the probabilistic seismic hazard for Victoria. Morell et al. 2017. Quaternary rupture of a crustal fault beneath Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. GSA Today, 27, doi: 10.1130/GSATG291A.1

Waveform classification of volcanic low-frequency earthquake swarms and its implication at Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, David N.; Neuberg, Jürgen

2006-05-01

Low-frequency volcanic earthquakes are indicators of magma transport and activity within shallow conduit systems. At a number of volcanoes, these events exhibit a high degree of waveform similarity providing a criterion for classification. Using cross-correlation techniques to quantify the degree of similarity, we develop a method to sort events into families containing comparable waveforms. Events within a family have been triggered within one small source volume from which the seismic wave has then travelled along an identical path to the receiver. This method was applied to a series of 16 low-frequency earthquake swarms, well correlated with cyclic deformation recorded by tiltmeters, at Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat, in June 1997. Nine waveform groups were identified containing more than 45 events each. The families are repeated across swarms with only small changes in waveform, indicating that the seismic source location is stable with time. The low-frequency seismic swarms begin prior to the point at which inflation starts to decelerate, suggesting that the seismicity indicates or even initiates a depressurisation process. A major dome collapse occurred within the time window considered, removing the top 100 m of the dome. This event caused activity within some families to pause for several cycles before reappearing. This shows that the collapse did not permanently disrupt the source mechanism or the path of the seismic waves.

Revised crustal architecture of the southeastern Carpathian foreland from active and passive seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enciu, Dana M.; Knapp, Camelia C.; Knapp, James H.

2009-08-01

Integration of active and passive source seismic data is employed in order to study the nature of the relationships between crustal seismicity and geologic structures in the southeastern (SE) Carpathian foreland of Romania and the possible connection with the Vrancea Seismogenic Zone (VSZ) of intermediate-depth seismicity, one of the most active earthquake-prone areas in Europe. Crustal epicenters and focal mechanisms are correlated with four deep industry seismic profiles, the reprocessed Danube and Carpathian Integrated Action on Process in the Lithosphere and Neotectonics (DACIA PLAN) profile and the Deep Reflection Acquisition Constraining Unusual Lithospheric Activity II and III (DRACULA) profiles in order to understand the link between neotectonic foreland deformation and Vrancea mantle seismicity. Projection of crustal foreland hypocenters onto deep seismic profiles identifies several active crustal faults in the SE Carpathian foreland and suggests a mechanical coupling between the mantle located VSZ and the overlying foreland crust. The coupled associated deformation appears to take place on the Trotus Fault, the Sinaia Fault, and the newly detected Ialomita Fault. Seismic reflection imaging reveals the absence of west dipping reflectors in the crystalline crust and a slightly east dipping to horizontal Moho in the proximity of the Vrancea area. These findings argue against previously purported mechanisms to generate mantle seismicity in the VSZ including oceanic lithosphere subduction in place and oceanic slab break off, furthermore suggesting that the Vrancea seismogenic body is undetached from the overlying crust in the foreland.

High temporal resolution mapping of seismic noise sources using heterogeneous supercomputers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gokhberg, Alexey; Ermert, Laura; Paitz, Patrick; Fichtner, Andreas

2017-04-01

Time- and space-dependent distribution of seismic noise sources is becoming a key ingredient of modern real-time monitoring of various geo-systems. Significant interest in seismic noise source maps with high temporal resolution (days) is expected to come from a number of domains, including natural resources exploration, analysis of active earthquake fault zones and volcanoes, as well as geothermal and hydrocarbon reservoir monitoring. Currently, knowledge of noise sources is insufficient for high-resolution subsurface monitoring applications. Near-real-time seismic data, as well as advanced imaging methods to constrain seismic noise sources have recently become available. These methods are based on the massive cross-correlation of seismic noise records from all available seismic stations in the region of interest and are therefore very computationally intensive. Heterogeneous massively parallel supercomputing systems introduced in the recent years combine conventional multi-core CPU with GPU accelerators and provide an opportunity for manifold increase and computing performance. Therefore, these systems represent an efficient platform for implementation of a noise source mapping solution. We present the first results of an ongoing research project conducted in collaboration with the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS). The project aims at building a service that provides seismic noise source maps for Central Europe with high temporal resolution (days to few weeks depending on frequency and data availability). The service is hosted on the CSCS computing infrastructure; all computationally intensive processing is performed on the massively parallel heterogeneous supercomputer "Piz Daint". The solution architecture is based on the Application-as-a-Service concept in order to provide the interested external researchers the regular access to the noise source maps. The solution architecture includes the following sub-systems: (1) data acquisition responsible for collecting, on a periodic basis, raw seismic records from the European seismic networks, (2) high-performance noise source mapping application responsible for generation of source maps using cross-correlation of seismic records, (3) back-end infrastructure for the coordination of various tasks and computations, (4) front-end Web interface providing the service to the end-users and (5) data repository. The noise mapping application is composed of four principal modules: (1) pre-processing of raw data, (2) massive cross-correlation, (3) post-processing of correlation data based on computation of logarithmic energy ratio and (4) generation of source maps from post-processed data. Implementation of the solution posed various challenges, in particular, selection of data sources and transfer protocols, automation and monitoring of daily data downloads, ensuring the required data processing performance, design of a general service oriented architecture for coordination of various sub-systems, and engineering an appropriate data storage solution. The present pilot version of the service implements noise source maps for Switzerland. Extension of the solution to Central Europe is planned for the next project phase.

Data-based diffraction kernels for surface waves from convolution and correlation processes through active seismic interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chmiel, Malgorzata; Roux, Philippe; Herrmann, Philippe; Rondeleux, Baptiste; Wathelet, Marc

2018-05-01

We investigated the construction of diffraction kernels for surface waves using two-point convolution and/or correlation from land active seismic data recorded in the context of exploration geophysics. The high density of controlled sources and receivers, combined with the application of the reciprocity principle, allows us to retrieve two-dimensional phase-oscillation diffraction kernels (DKs) of surface waves between any two source or receiver points in the medium at each frequency (up to 15 Hz, at least). These DKs are purely data-based as no model calculations and no synthetic data are needed. They naturally emerge from the interference patterns of the recorded wavefields projected on the dense array of sources and/or receivers. The DKs are used to obtain multi-mode dispersion relations of Rayleigh waves, from which near-surface shear velocity can be extracted. Using convolution versus correlation with a grid of active sources is an important step in understanding the physics of the retrieval of surface wave Green's functions. This provides the foundation for future studies based on noise sources or active sources with a sparse spatial distribution.

Determining Volcanic Deformation at San Miguel Volcano, El Salvador by Integrating Radar Interferometry and Seismic Analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiek, C. G.; Hurtado, J. M.; Velasco, A. A.; Buckley, S. M.; Escobar, D.

2008-12-01

From the early 1900's to the present day, San Miguel volcano has experienced many small eruptions and several periods of heightened seismic activity, making it one of the most active volcanoes in the El Salvadoran volcanic chain. Prior to 1969, the volcano experienced many explosive eruptions with Volcano Explosivity Indices (VEI) of 2. Since then, eruptions have decreased in intensity to an average VEI of 1. Eruptions mostly consist of phreatic explosions and central vent eruptions. Due to the explosive nature of this volcano, it is important to study the origins of the volcanism and its relationship to surface deformation and earthquake activity. We analyze these interactions by integrating interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) results with earthquake source location data from a ten-month (March 2007-January 2008) seismic deployment. The InSAR results show a maximum of 7 cm of volcanic inflation from March 2007 to mid-October 2007. During this time, seismic activity increased to a Real-time Seismic-Amplitude Measurement (RSAM) value of >400. Normal RSAM values for this volcano are <50. A period of quiescence began in mid-October 2007, and a maximum of 6 cm of deflation was observed in the interferometry results from 19 October 2007 to 19 January 2008. A clustering of at least 25 earthquakes that occurred between March 2007 and January 2008 suggests a fault zone through the center of the San Miguel volcanic cone. This fault zone is most likely where dyke propagation is occurring. Source mechanisms will be determined for the earthquakes associated with this fault zone, and they will be compared to the InSAR deformation field to determine if the mid-October seismic activity and observed surface deformation are compatible.

Repeated Earthquakes in the Vrancea Subcrustal Source and Source Scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popescu, Emilia; Otilia Placinta, Anica; Borleasnu, Felix; Radulian, Mircea

2017-12-01

The Vrancea seismic nest, located at the South-Eastern Carpathians Arc bend, in Romania, is a well-confined cluster of seismicity at intermediate depth (60 - 180 km). During the last 100 years four major shocks were recorded in the lithosphere body descending almost vertically beneath the Vrancea region: 10 November 1940 (Mw 7.7, depth 150 km), 4 March 1977 (Mw 7.4, depth 94 km), 30 August 1986 (Mw 7.1, depth 131 km) and a double shock on 30 and 31 May 1990 (Mw 6.9, depth 91 km and Mw 6.4, depth 87 km, respectively). The probability of repeated earthquakes in the Vrancea seismogenic volume is relatively large taking into account the high density of foci. The purpose of the present paper is to investigate source parameters and clustering properties for the repetitive earthquakes (located close each other) recorded in the Vrancea seismogenic subcrustal region. To this aim, we selected a set of earthquakes as templates for different co-located groups of events covering the entire depth range of active seismicity. For the identified clusters of repetitive earthquakes, we applied spectral ratios technique and empirical Green’s function deconvolution, in order to constrain as much as possible source parameters. Seismicity patterns of repeated earthquakes in space, time and size are investigated in order to detect potential interconnections with larger events. Specific scaling properties are analyzed as well. The present analysis represents a first attempt to provide a strategy for detecting and monitoring possible interconnections between different nodes of seismic activity and their role in modelling tectonic processes responsible for generating the major earthquakes in the Vrancea subcrustal seismogenic source.

Seismicity and Tectonics of the West Kaibab Fault Zone, AZ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilgus, J. T.; Brumbaugh, D. S.

2014-12-01

The West Kaibab Fault Zone (WKFZ) is the westernmost bounding structure of the Kaibab Plateau of northern Arizona. The WKFZ is a branching complex of high angle, normal faults downthrown to the west. There are three main faults within the WKFZ, the Big Springs fault with a maximum of 165 m offset, the Muav fault with 350 m of displacement, and the North Road fault having a maximum throw of approximately 90 m. Mapping of geologically recent surface deposits at or crossing the fault contacts indicates that the faults are likely Quaternary with the most recent offsets occurring <1.6 Ma. Slip rates are estimated to be less than 0.2 mm/yr. No historic fault slip has been documented. The WKFZ is one of the most seismically active areas in Arizona and lies within the Northern Arizona Seismic Belt (NASB), which stretches across northern Arizona trending NW-SE. The data set for this study includes 156 well documented events with the largest being a M5.75 in 1959 and including a swarm of seven earthquakes in 2012. The seismic data set (1934-2014) reveals that seismic activity clusters in two regions within the study area, the Fredonia cluster located in the NW corner of the study area and the Kaibab cluster located in the south central portion of the study area. The fault plane solutions to date indicate NE-SW to EW extension is occurring in the study area. Source relationships between earthquakes and faults within the WKFZ have not previously been studied in detail. The goal of this study is to use the seismic data set, the available data on faults, and the regional physiography to search for source relationships for the seismicity. Analysis includes source parameters of the earthquake data (location, depth, and fault plane solutions), and comparison of this output to the known faults and areal physiographic framework to indicate any active faults of the WKFZ, or suggested active unmapped faults. This research contributes to a better understanding of the present nature of the WKFZ and the NASB as well.

Source characteristics of 2000 small earthquakes nucleating on the Alto Tiberina fault system (central Italy).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munafo, I.; Malagnini, L.; Tinti, E.; Chiaraluce, L.; Di Stefano, R.; Valoroso, L.

2014-12-01

The Alto Tiberina Fault (ATF) is a 60 km long east-dipping low-angle normal fault, located in a sector of the Northern Apennines (Italy) undergoing active extension since the Quaternary. The ATF has been imaged by analyzing the active source seismic reflection profiles, and the instrumentally recorded persistent background seismicity. The present study is an attempt to separate the contributions of source, site, and crustal attenuation, in order to focus on the mechanics of the seismic sources on the ATF, as well on the synthetic and the antithetic structures within the ATF hanging-wall (i.e. Colfiorito fault, Gubbio fault and Umbria Valley fault). In order to compute source spectra, we perform a set of regressions over the seismograms of 2000 small earthquakes (-0.8 < ML< 4) recorded between 2010 and 2014 at 50 permanent seismic stations deployed in the framework of the Alto Tiberina Near Fault Observatory project (TABOO) and equipped with three-components seismometers, three of which located in shallow boreholes. Because we deal with some very small earthquakes, we maximize the signal to noise ratio (SNR) with a technique based on the analysis of peak values of bandpass-filtered time histories, in addition to the same processing performed on Fourier amplitudes. We rely on a tool called Random Vibration Theory (RVT) to completely switch from peak values in the time domain to Fourier spectral amplitudes. Low-frequency spectral plateau of the source terms are used to compute moment magnitudes (Mw) of all the events, whereas a source spectral ratio technique is used to estimate the corner frequencies (Brune spectral model) of a subset of events chosen over the analysis of the noise affecting the spectral ratios. So far, the described approach provides high accuracy over the spectral parameters of earthquakes of localized seismicity, and may be used to gain insights into the underlying mechanics of faulting and the earthquake processes.

Active deformation and seismicity in the Southern Alps (Italy): The Montello hill as a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danesi, Stefania; Pondrelli, Silvia; Salimbeni, Simone; Cavaliere, Adriano; Serpelloni, Enrico; Danecek, Peter; Lovati, Sara; Massa, Marco

2015-06-01

The Montello anticline is a morphotectonic feature of the east pede-mountain of the South Alpine Chain in northern Italy, which lies ca. 40 km northwest of Venice, Italy. The purpose of this study is to characterize the present-day crustal deformation and seismotectonics of the Montello area through multi-parametric geophysical observations. We used new data obtained from the installation of a temporary network of 12 seismic stations and 6 GPS sites. The GPS observations indicate that there is ~ 1 mm/yr shortening across the Montello thrust. Sites located north of the Montello thrust front deviate from the ~ NNW-ward Adria-Eurasia convergence direction, as they are constrained by a relative rotation pole in northwestern Italy that has a NNE-ward motion trend. Over 18 months, seismographic recordings allowed us to locate 142 local seismic events with Ml 0.5-3.5 with good reliability (rms < 0.5). After cross-correlation analysis, we classified 42 of these events into six clusters, with cross-correlation thresholds > 0.80. The source focal solutions indicate that: (i) there is thrusting seismic activity on the basal, sub-horizontal, portion of the Montello structure; and (ii) strike-slip source kinematics prevail on the western edge of the Montello hill. Our observations on the source mechanisms and the measured crustal deformation confirm that the Montello thrust is tectonically active.

Micro-seismicity in the Gulf of Cadiz: Is there a link between micro-seismicity, high magnitude earthquakes and active faults?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Sónia; Terrinha, Pedro; Matias, Luis; Duarte, João C.; Roque, Cristina; Ranero, César R.; Geissler, Wolfram H.; Zitellini, Nevio

2017-10-01

The Gulf of Cadiz seismicity is characterized by persistent low to intermediate magnitude earthquakes, occasionally punctuated by high magnitude events such as the M 8.7 1755 Great Lisbon earthquake and the M = 7.9 event of February 28th, 1969. Micro-seismicity was recorded during 11 months by a temporary network of 25 ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs) in an area of high seismic activity, encompassing the potential source areas of the mentioned large magnitude earthquakes. We combined micro-seismicity analysis with processing and interpretation of deep crustal seismic reflection profiles and available refraction data to investigate the possible tectonic control of the seismicity in the Gulf of Cadiz area. Three controlling mechanisms are explored: i) active tectonic structures, ii) transitions between different lithospheric domains and inherited Mesozoic structures, and iii) fault weakening mechanisms. Our results show that micro-seismicity is mostly located in the upper mantle and is associated with tectonic inversion of extensional rift structures and to the transition between different lithospheric/rheological domains. Even though the crustal structure is well imaged in the seismic profiles and in the bathymetry, crustal faults show low to negligible seismic activity. A possible explanation for this is that the crustal thrusts are thin-skinned structures rooting in relatively shallow sub-horizontal décollements associated with (aseismic) serpentinization levels at the top of the lithospheric mantle. Therefore, co-seismic slip along crustal thrusts may only occur during large magnitude events, while for most of the inter-seismic cycle these thrusts remain locked, or slip aseismically. We further speculate that high magnitude earthquake's ruptures may only nucleate in the lithospheric mantle and then propagate into the crust across the serpentinized layers.

Near surface characterisation with passive seismic data - a case study from the La Barge basin (Wyoming)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Behm, M.; Snieder, R.; Tomic, J.

2012-12-01

In regions where active source seismic data are inadequate for imaging purposes due to energy penetration and recovery, cost and logistical concerns, or regulatory restrictions, analysis of natural source and ambient seismic data may provide an alternative. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of using locally-generated seismic noise and teleseismic events in the 2-10 Hz band to obtain a subsurface model. We apply different techniques to 3-component data recorded during the LaBarge Passive Seismic Experiment, a local deployment in southwestern Wyoming in a producing hydrocarbon basin. Fifty-five broadband instruments with an inter-station distance of 250 m recorded continuous seismic data between November 2008 and June 2009. The consistency and high quality of the data set make it an ideal test ground to determine the value of passive seismology techniques for exploration purposes. The near surface is targeted by interferometric analysis of ambient noise. Our results indicate that traffic noise from a state highway generates coherent Rayleigh and Love waves that can then be inverted for laterally varying velocities. The results correlate well with surface geology, and are thought to represent the average of the few upper hundred meters. The autocorrelation functions (ACF) of teleseismic body waves provide information on the uppermost part (1 to 5 km depth) of the crust. ACFs from P-waves correlate with the shallow structure as known from active source studies. The analysis of S-waves exhibits a pronounced azimuthal dependency, which might be used to gain insights on anisotropy.

New Insights on Mt. Etna's Crust and Relationship with the Regional Tectonic Framework from Joint Active and Passive P-Wave Seismic Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz-Moreno, A.; Barberi, G.; Cocina, O.; Koulakov, I.; Scarfì, L.; Zuccarello, L.; Prudencio, J.; García-Yeguas, A.; Álvarez, I.; García, L.; Ibáñez, J. M.

2018-01-01

In the Central Mediterranean region, the production of chemically diverse volcanic products (e.g., those from Mt. Etna and the Aeolian Islands archipelago) testifies to the complexity of the tectonic and geodynamic setting. Despite the large number of studies that have focused on this area, the relationships among volcanism, tectonics, magma ascent, and geodynamic processes remain poorly understood. We present a tomographic inversion of P-wave velocity using active and passive sources. Seismic signals were recorded using both temporary on-land and ocean bottom seismometers and data from a permanent local seismic network consisting of 267 seismic stations. Active seismic signals were generated using air gun shots mounted on the Spanish Oceanographic Vessel `Sarmiento de Gamboa'. Passive seismic sources were obtained from 452 local earthquakes recorded over a 4-month period. In total, 184,797 active P-phase and 11,802 passive P-phase first arrivals were inverted to provide three different velocity models. Our results include the first crustal seismic active tomography for the northern Sicily area, including the Peloritan-southern Calabria region and both the Mt. Etna and Aeolian volcanic environments. The tomographic images provide a detailed and complete regional seismotectonic framework and highlight a spatially heterogeneous tectonic regime, which is consistent with and extends the findings of previous models. One of our most significant results was a tomographic map extending to 14 km depth showing a discontinuity striking roughly NW-SE, extending from the Gulf of Patti to the Ionian Sea, south-east of Capo Taormina, corresponding to the Aeolian-Tindari-Letojanni fault system, a regional deformation belt. Moreover, for the first time, we observed a high-velocity anomaly located in the south-eastern sector of the Mt. Etna region, offshore of the Timpe area, which is compatible with the plumbing system of an ancient shield volcano located offshore of Mt. Etna.

Broadband seismic and acoustic observations of volcanic seismicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aster, R.; Lees, J.; Neuberg, J.

2000-08-01

It has been frequently noted (e.g. Aki, 1992) that volcanoes present some of the most difficult challenges in seismology due to a plethora of complex source and structural issues. The broadband seismo-acoustic study of active volcanoes is still in its adolescence, and the papers in this volume primarily describe first-order attempts to understand these signals and to build on a much longer history of short-period seismic observations and interpretations.

Temporal variation of mass-wasting activity in Mount St. Helens crater, Washington, U. S. A. indicated by seismic activity

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mills, H.H.

1991-11-01

In the crater of Mount St. Helens, formed during the eruption of 18 May 1980, thousands of rockfalls may occur in a single day, and some rock and dirty-snow avalanches have traveled more than 1 km from their source. Because most seismic activity in the crater is produced by mass wasting, the former can be used to monitor the latter. The number and amplitude of seismic events per unit time provide a generalized measure of mass-wasting activity. In this study 1-min averages of seismic amplitudes were used as an index of rockfall activity during summer and early fall. Plots ofmore » this index show the diurnal cycle of rockfall activity and establish that the peak in activity occurs in mid to late afternoon. A correlation coefficient of 0.61 was found between daily maximum temperature and average seismic amplitude, although this value increases to 0.72 if a composite temperature variable that includes the maximum temperature of 1 to 3 preceding days as well as the present day is used. Correlation with precipitation is much weaker.« less

Characterizing the Seismic Ocean Bottom Environment of the Bransfield Strait

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Washington, B.; Lekic, V.; Schmerr, N. C.

2017-12-01

Ocean bottom seismometers record ground motions that result from earthquakes, anthropogenic sound sources (e.g. propellers, air gun sources, etc.), ocean waves and currents, biological activity, as well as surface processes on the sea and coastal land. Over a two-week span in April, 2001 - the Austral late fall -ten stations arranged in eleven lines were deployed beneath the Bransfield Strait along the Antarctica Peninsula to passively record data before and after an active source seismic survey. The goal of this study is to understand ocean bottom seismicity, identify centers of seismic activity and characterize possible glaciological mechanisms of icequakes and tremors. The instruments were sampled at 200Hz, allowing signals of ice-quakes, small earthquakes, and other high frequency sources to be detected and located. By visualizing the data as spectrograms, we identify and document ground vibrations excited by local earthquakes, whale songs, and those potentially due to surface processes, such as the cracking and movement of icebergs or ice shelves, including possible harmonic tremors from the ice or the volcanic arc nearby. Using relative timing of P-wave arrivals, we locate the hypocenters of nearby earthquakes and icequakes, and present frequency-dependent polarization analysis of their waveforms. Marine mammal sounds were detected in a substantial part of the overall acoustic environment-late March and Early April are the best months to hear whales such as humpback, sperm and orca communicating amongst each other because they are drawn to the cold, nutrient-rich Antarctic waters. We detect whales communicating for several hours in the dataset. Other extensively recorded sources resemble harmonic tremors, and we also identify signals possibly associated with waves set up on the notoriously stormy seas.

Significance and interest of dense seismic arrays for understanding the mechanics of clayey landslides: a test case of 150 nodes at Super-Sauze landslide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Provost, Floriane; Malet, Jean-Philippe; Hibert, Clément; Vergne, Jérôme

2017-04-01

Clayey landslides present various seismic sources generated by the slope deformation (rockfall, slidequakes, tremors, fluid transfers). However, the characterization of the micro-seismicity and the construction of advanced catalogs (classification of the seismic source, time, and location) are complex for such objects because of the variety of recorded signals, the low signal to noise ratios, the highly attenuating medium, and the small size of the object that limits the picking of the P and S-waves. A full understanding of the seismic sources is hence often difficult because of the few number of seismometers, the large distance source-to-sensor (> 50m) and because of the lack of a continous spatially distributed record of the slope deformation. Recent progress in the geophysical instrumentation allowed the deployment of a dense network of 150 ZLand nodes (Tesla Corp.) combined with a Ground-Based InSAR sensor (IDS, IBIS-FM) for a period of ca. 2 months at the Super-Sauze clayey landslide (South French Alps). The Zland nodes are vertical wireless seismometers with 12 days autonomy. Three nodes were co-located at 50 locations in the most active part of the landslide and above the main scarp with a sensor-to-sensor distance of ca. 50m and a sample frequency of 400Hz. The Ground-Based InSAR sensor was installed in front of the landslide at a distance of ca. 800m and acquired an image every 15 minutes. The seismic events are detected automatically based on their spectrogram content with Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) larger than 1.5 and automatically classified using the Random Forest algorithm. The landslide endogenous sources are then located by optimization of the inter-trace correlation of the first arrivals. This experiment aims to document the deformation of the landslide by combining surface and in depth information and provides a new insight into the seismic sources interpretation. The spatial distribution of the deformation is compared to the location of the endogenous seismic events in order to analyze seismic vs. aseismic deformation.

Planar seismic source characterization models developed for probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of Istanbul

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gülerce, Zeynep; Buğra Soyman, Kadir; Güner, Barış; Kaymakci, Nuretdin

2017-12-01

This contribution provides an updated planar seismic source characterization (SSC) model to be used in the probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA) for Istanbul. It defines planar rupture systems for the four main segments of the North Anatolian fault zone (NAFZ) that are critical for the PSHA of Istanbul: segments covering the rupture zones of the 1999 Kocaeli and Düzce earthquakes, central Marmara, and Ganos/Saros segments. In each rupture system, the source geometry is defined in terms of fault length, fault width, fault plane attitude, and segmentation points. Activity rates and the magnitude recurrence models for each rupture system are established by considering geological and geodetic constraints and are tested based on the observed seismicity that is associated with the rupture system. Uncertainty in the SSC model parameters (e.g., b value, maximum magnitude, slip rate, weights of the rupture scenarios) is considered, whereas the uncertainty in the fault geometry is not included in the logic tree. To acknowledge the effect of earthquakes that are not associated with the defined rupture systems on the hazard, a background zone is introduced and the seismicity rates in the background zone are calculated using smoothed-seismicity approach. The state-of-the-art SSC model presented here is the first fully documented and ready-to-use fault-based SSC model developed for the PSHA of Istanbul.

High lateral resolution exploration using surface waves from noise records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chávez-García, Francisco José Yokoi, Toshiaki

2016-04-01

Determination of the shear-wave velocity structure at shallow depths is a constant necessity in engineering or environmental projects. Given the sensitivity of Rayleigh waves to shear-wave velocity, subsoil structure exploration using surface waves is frequently used. Methods such as the spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) or multi-channel analysis of surface waves (MASW) determine phase velocity dispersion from surface waves generated by an active source recorded on a line of geophones. Using MASW, it is important that the receiver array be as long as possible to increase the precision at low frequencies. However, this implies that possible lateral variations are discarded. Hayashi and Suzuki (2004) proposed a different way of stacking shot gathers to increase lateral resolution. They combined strategies used in MASW with the common mid-point (CMP) summation currently used in reflection seismology. In their common mid-point with cross-correlation method (CMPCC), they cross-correlate traces sharing CMP locations before determining phase velocity dispersion. Another recent approach to subsoil structure exploration is based on seismic interferometry. It has been shown that cross-correlation of a diffuse field, such as seismic noise, allows the estimation of the Green's Function between two receivers. Thus, a virtual-source seismic section may be constructed from the cross-correlation of seismic noise records obtained in a line of receivers. In this paper, we use the seismic interferometry method to process seismic noise records obtained in seismic refraction lines of 24 geophones, and analyse the results using CMPCC to increase the lateral resolution of the results. Cross-correlation of the noise records allows reconstructing seismic sections with virtual sources at each receiver location. The Rayleigh wave component of the Green's Functions is obtained with a high signal-to-noise ratio. Using CMPCC analysis of the virtual-source seismic lines, we are able to identify lateral variations of phase velocity inside the seismic line, and increase the lateral resolution compared with results of conventional analysis.

Regionalization and dependence of coda Q on frequency and lapse time in the seismically active Peloritani region (northeastern Sicily, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giampiccolo, Elisabetta; Tuvè, Tiziana

2018-05-01

The Peloritani region is one of the most seismically active regions in Italy and, consequently, the quantification of attenuation of the medium plays an important role for seismic risk evaluation. Moreover, it is necessary for the prediction of earth ground motion and future seismic source studies. An in depth analysis has been made here to understand the frequency and lapse time dependence of attenuation characteristics of the region by using the coda of local earthquakes. A regionalization is likewise performed in order to investigate the spatial variation of coda Q across the whole region. Finally, our results are jointly interpreted with those obtained from recently published 3D velocity tomographies for further insights.

Active and passive seismic investigations in Alpine Permafrost at Hoher Sonnblick (Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steiner, Matthias; Maierhofer, Theresa; Pfeiler, Stefan; Chwatal, Werner; Behm, Michael; Reisenhofer, Stefan; Schöner, Wolfgang; Straka, Wolfgang; Flores Orozco, Adrian

2017-04-01

Different geophysical measurements have been applied at the Hoher Sonnblick study area to gain information about permafrost distribution as well as heterogeneities controlling heat circulation, in the frame of the ÖAW-AtmoPerm project, which aims at the understanding the impacts of atmospheric extreme events on the thermal state of the active layer. Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) has been widely accepted as a suitable method to characterize permafrost processes; however, limitations are imposed due to the challenges to inject high current densities in the frozen periods and the loss of resolution of electrical images at depth require the application of further geophysical methods. To overcome such problems, we investigate here the application of active and seismic methods. Seismic campaigns were performed using permanent borehole and temporarily installed surface geophones. A total of 15 borehole geophones are installed at depths of 1 m, 2 m, 5 m, 10 m and 20 m in three boreholes which are separated by a horizontal distance of 30 m between each other. Active measurements utilized 41 surface and 15 borehole geophones and a total of 199 excitation points. Surface geophones were laid out along two crossing lines with lengths of 92 m and 64 m, respectively. The longer line was placed directly along the borehole transect and the shorter one was oriented perpendicular to it. Hammer blows were performed with a spacing of 1 m inline the geophones and 4 m in crosslines rotated by 45 degrees, permitting 3D acquisition geometry. In addition to the active sources, data loggers connected to the borehole geophones permitted the collection of continuous 36-hours datasets for two different thermal conditions. Seismic ambient noise interferometry is applied to this data and aims at the identification of velocity changes in the subsurface related to seasonal changes of the active layer. A potential source of ambient seismic energy is the noise excited by hikers and the activity from the nearby cable cars station. Results obtained from the 3D-hammer seismics and interferometry are compared and benchmarked against each other. Changes in the seismic velocities in the subsurface permitted the delineation of the active layer and improved permafrost investigation when combined with ERT monitoring. Seismic results were then interpreted together with those obtained with ERT monitoring, electromagnetic induction (EMI) and ground-penetrating radar (GPR).

Applying the seismic interferometry method to vertical seismic profile data using tunnel excavation noise as source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jurado, Maria Jose; Teixido, Teresa; Martin, Elena; Segarra, Miguel; Segura, Carlos

2013-04-01

In the frame of the research conducted to develop efficient strategies for investigation of rock properties and fluids ahead of tunnel excavations the seismic interferometry method was applied to analyze the data acquired in boreholes instrumented with geophone strings. The results obtained confirmed that seismic interferometry provided an improved resolution of petrophysical properties to identify heterogeneities and geological structures ahead of the excavation. These features are beyond the resolution of other conventional geophysical methods but can be the cause severe problems in the excavation of tunnels. Geophone strings were used to record different types of seismic noise generated at the tunnel head during excavation with a tunnelling machine and also during the placement of the rings covering the tunnel excavation. In this study we show how tunnel construction activities have been characterized as source of seismic signal and used in our research as the seismic source signal for generating a 3D reflection seismic survey. The data was recorded in vertical water filled borehole with a borehole seismic string at a distance of 60 m from the tunnel trace. A reference pilot signal was obtained from seismograms acquired close the tunnel face excavation in order to obtain best signal-to-noise ratio to be used in the interferometry processing (Poletto et al., 2010). The seismic interferometry method (Claerbout 1968) was successfully applied to image the subsurface geological structure using the seismic wave field generated by tunneling (tunnelling machine and construction activities) recorded with geophone strings. This technique was applied simulating virtual shot records related to the number of receivers in the borehole with the seismic transmitted events, and processing the data as a reflection seismic survey. The pseudo reflective wave field was obtained by cross-correlation of the transmitted wave data. We applied the relationship between the transmission response and the reflection response for a 1D multilayer structure, and next 3D approach (Wapenaar 2004). As a result of this seismic interferometry experiment the 3D reflectivity model (frequencies and resolution ranges) was obtained. We proved also that the seismic interferometry approach can be applied in asynchronous seismic auscultation. The reflections detected in the virtual seismic sections are in agreement with the geological features encountered during the excavation of the tunnel and also with the petrophysical properties and parameters measured in previous geophysical borehole logging. References Claerbout J.F., 1968. Synthesis of a layered medium from its acoustic transmision response. Geophysics, 33, 264-269 Flavio Poletto, Piero Corubolo and Paolo Comeli.2010. Drill-bit seismic interferometry whith and whitout pilot signals. Geophysical Prospecting, 2010, 58, 257-265. Wapenaar, K., J. Thorbecke, and D. Draganov, 2004, Relations between reflection and transmission responses of three-dimensional inhomogeneous media: Geophysical Journal International, 156, 179-194.

Seismic reflection and refraction data acquired in Canada Basin, Northwind Ridge and Northwind Basin, Arctic Ocean in 1988, 1992 and 1993

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grantz, Arthur; Hart, Patrick E.; May, Steven D.

2004-01-01

Seismic reflection and refraction data were collected in generally ice-covered waters of the Canada Basin and the eastern part of the Chukchi Continental Borderland of the Amerasia Basin, Arctic Ocean, during the late summers of 1988, 1992, and 1993. The data were acquired from a Polar class icebreaker, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, using a seismic reflection system designed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The northernmost data extend to 78? 48' N latitude. In 1988, 155 km of reflection data were acquired with a prototype system consisting of a single 195 cubic inch air gun seismic source and a two-channel hydrophone streamer with a 150-m active section. In 1992 and 1993, 500 and 1,900 km, respectively, of seismic reflection profile data were acquired with an improved six air gun, 674 to 1303 cubic inch tuned seismic source array and the same two-channel streamer. In 1993, a 12-channel streamer with a 150-m active section was used to record five of the reflection lines and one line was acquired using a three air gun, 3,000 cubic inch source. All data were recorded with a DFS-V digital seismic recorder. Processed sections feature high quality vertical incidence images to more than 6 km of sub-bottom penetration in the Canada Basin. Refraction data were acquired with U.S. Navy sonobuoys recorded simultaneously with the seismic reflection profiles. In 1988 eight refraction profiles were recorded with the single air gun, and in 1992 and 1993 a total of 47 refraction profiles were recorded with the six air gun array. The sonobuoy refraction records, with offsets up to 35 km, provide acoustic velocity information to complement the short-offset reflection data. The report includes trackline maps showing the location of the data, as well as both digital data files (SEG-Y) and images of all of the profiles.

Induced Seismicity from different sources in Italy: how to interpret it?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pastori, M.; De Gori, P.; Piccinini, D.; Bagh, S.; Improta, L.; Chiarabba, C.

2015-12-01

Typically the term "induced seismicity" is used to refer minor earthquakes and tremors caused by human activities that alter the stresses and strains on the Earth's crust. In the last years, the interest in the induced seismicity related to fluids (oil and gas, and geothermal resources) extraction or injection is increased, because it is believed to be responsible to enucleate earthquakes. Possible sources of induced seismicity are not only represented by the oil and gas production but also, i.e., by changes in the water level of artificial lakes. The aim of this work is to show results from two different sources, wastewater injection and changes in the water level of an artificial reservoir (Pertusillo lake), that can produce induced earthquakes observed in the Val d'Agri basin (Italy) and to compare them with variation in crustal elastic parameters. Val d'Agri basin in the Apennines extensional belt hosts the largest oilfield in onshore Europe and is bordered by NW-SE ­trending fault systems. Most of the recorded seismicity seems to be related to these structures. We correlated the seismicity rate, injection curves and changes in water levels with temporal variations of Vp/Vs and anisotropic parameters of the crustal reservoirs and in the nearby area. We analysed about 983 high-quality recordings occurred from 2002 to 2014 in Val d'Agri basin from temporary and permanent network held by INGV and ENI corporate. 3D high-precision locations and manual-revised P- and S-picking are used to estimate anisotropic parameters (delay time and fast direction polarization) and Vp/Vs ratio. Seismicity is mainly located in two areas: in the SW of the Pertusillo Lake, and near the Eni Oil field (SW and NE of the Val d'Agri basin respectively). Our correlations well recognize the seismicity diffusion process, caused by both water injection and water level changes; these findings could help to model the active and pre-existing faults failure behaviour.

Monitoring the englacial fracture state using virtual-reflector seismology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindner, F.; Weemstra, C.; Walter, F.; Hadziioannou, C.

2017-12-01

Fracturing and changes in the englacial macroscopic water content change the elastic bulk properties of ice bodies. Small seismic velocity variations, resulting from such changes, can be measured using a technique called coda-wave interferometry. Here, coda refers to the later-arriving, multiply scattered waves. Often, this technique is applied to so-called virtual-source responses, which can be obtained using seismic interferometry (a simple crosscorrelation process). Compared to other media (e.g., the Earth's crust), however, ice bodies exhibit relatively little scattering. This complicates the application of coda-wave interferometry to the retrieved virtual-source responses. In this work, we therefore investigate the applicability of coda-wave interferometry to virtual-source responses obtained using two alternative seismic interferometric techniques, namely, seismic interferometry by multidimensional deconvolution (SI by MDD), and virtual-reflector seismology (VRS). To that end, we use synthetic data, as well as active-source glacier data acquired on Glacier de la Plaine Morte, Switzerland. Both SI by MDD and VRS allow the retrieval of more accurate virtual-source responses. In particular, the dependence of the retrieved virtual-source responses on the illumination pattern is reduced. We find that this results in more accurate glacial phase-velocity estimates. In addition, VRS introduces virtual reflections from a receiver contour (partly) enclosing the medium of interest. By acting as a sort of virtual reverberation, the coda resulting from the application of VRS significantly increases seismic monitoring capabilities, in particular in cases where natural scattering coda is not available.

Earthquakes in Fiordland, Southern Chile: Initiation and Development of a Magmatic Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrientos, S.; Service, N. S.

2007-05-01

Several efforts in Chile are being conducted in relation to geophysical monitoring with the objective of disaster mitigation. A long and permanent monitoring effort along the country has been the continuous effort resulting in the recognition and delineation of new seismogenic sources. Here we report on the seismo-volcanic crisis that is currently taking place in the in the region close to the triple junction (Nazca, Antarctica and South America) in southern Chile at around latitude 45°S. On January 22, 2007, an intensity V-VI (MMI) earthquake shook the cities of Puerto Aysén, Puerto Chacabuco and Coyhaique. This magnitude 5 event, was the first of a series of earthquakes that have taken place in the region for nearly a month and a half (until end of February, time when this abstract was written). The closest station to the source area -part of the GEOSCOPE network located in Coyhaique, about 80 km away from the epicenters- reveals seismic activity about 3 hours before the first event. Immediately after the first event, more than 20 events per hour were detected and recorded by this station, rate which decreased with time with the exception of those time intervals following larger events. More than six events with magnitude 5 or more have been recorded. Five seismic stations were installed surrounding the epicentral area between 27 - 29 January and are currently operational. After processing some of the recorded events, a sixth station was installed at the closest possible site of the source of the seismic activity. Preliminary analysis of the recorded seismic activity reveals a concentration of hypocenters - 5 to 10 km depth- along an eight-km NNE-SSW vertical plane crossing the Aysén fiord. Harmonic tremor has also been detected. This seismic activity is interpreted as the result of a magmatic process in progress which will most likely culminate in the generation of a new underwater volcanic edifice. Because the seismic activity fully extends across the Aysén fiord -the only maritime outlet of the cities of Coyhaique, Puerto Aysén and Puerto Chacabuco- and large fisheries plants exist in the area, we will continue monitoring the area with experts of the National Emergency Office, National Geology and Mines Service, and Millennium Nucleus on Seismic Hazards to mitigate any possible disaster.

Using Earthquake Analysis to Expand the Oklahoma Fault Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, J. C.; Evans, S. C.; Walter, J. I.

2017-12-01

The Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS) is compiling a comprehensive Oklahoma Fault Database (OFD), which includes faults mapped in OGS publications, university thesis maps, and industry-contributed shapefiles. The OFD includes nearly 20,000 fault segments, but the work is far from complete. The OGS plans on incorporating other sources of data into the OFD, such as new faults from earthquake sequence analyses, geologic field mapping, active-source seismic surveys, and potential fields modeling. A comparison of Oklahoma seismicity and the OFD reveals that earthquakes in the state appear to nucleate on mostly unmapped or unknown faults. Here, we present faults derived from earthquake sequence analyses. From 2015 to present, there has been a five-fold increase in realtime seismic stations in Oklahoma, which has greatly expanded and densified the state's seismic network. The current seismic network not only improves our threshold for locating weaker earthquakes, but also allows us to better constrain focal plane solutions (FPS) from first motion analyses. Using nodal planes from the FPS, HypoDD relocation, and historic seismic data, we can elucidate these previously unmapped seismogenic faults. As the OFD is a primary resource for various scientific investigations, the inclusion of seismogenic faults improves further derivative studies, particularly with respect to seismic hazards. Our primal focus is on four areas of interest, which have had M5+ earthquakes in recent Oklahoma history: Pawnee (M5.8), Prague (M5.7), Fairview (M5.1), and Cushing (M5.0). Subsequent areas of interest will include seismically active data-rich areas, such as the central and northcentral parts of the state.

Stress and Strain Rates from Faults Reconstructed by Earthquakes Relocalization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morra, G.; Chiaraluce, L.; Di Stefano, R.; Michele, M.; Cambiotti, G.; Yuen, D. A.; Brunsvik, B.

2017-12-01

Recurrence of main earthquakes on the same fault depends on kinematic setting, hosting lithologies and fault geometry and population. Northern and central Italy transitioned from convergence to post-orogenic extension. This has produced a unique and very complex tectonic setting characterized by superimposed normal faults, crossing different geologic domains, that allows to investigate a variety of seismic manifestations. In the past twenty years three seismic sequences (1997 Colfiorito, 2009 L'Aquila and 2016-17 Amatrice-Norcia-Visso) activated a 150km long normal fault system located between the central and northern apennines and allowing the recordings of thousands of seismic events. Both the 1997 and the 2009 main shocks were preceded by a series of small pre-shocks occurring in proximity to the future largest events. It has been proposed and modelled that the seismicity pattern of the two foreshocks sequences was caused by active dilatancy phenomenon, due to fluid flow in the source area. Seismic activity has continued intensively until three events with 6.0

Teamwork tools and activities within the hazard component of the Global Earthquake Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pagani, M.; Weatherill, G.; Monelli, D.; Danciu, L.

2013-05-01

The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) is a public-private partnership aimed at supporting and fostering a global community of scientists and engineers working in the fields of seismic hazard and risk assessment. In the hazard sector, in particular, GEM recognizes the importance of local ownership and leadership in the creation of seismic hazard models. For this reason, over the last few years, GEM has been promoting different activities in the context of seismic hazard analysis ranging, for example, from regional projects targeted at the creation of updated seismic hazard studies to the development of a new open-source seismic hazard and risk calculation software called OpenQuake-engine (http://globalquakemodel.org). In this communication we'll provide a tour of the various activities completed, such as the new ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Catalogue, and of currently on-going initiatives like the creation of a suite of tools for the creation of PSHA input models. Discussion, comments and criticism by the colleagues in the audience will be highly appreciated.

2000-2002 Sultandağı-Afyon Earthquake Activity in Western Anatolia, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalafat, D.

2016-12-01

Western Anatolia is one of the seismically active region in Turkey. The high seismic activity is a result of the complex tectonic deformation of the Anatolian plate which has been dominated by the N-S extensional tectonic regime in the western edge. This extensional tectonic regime is partially maintained by a relative movement of the African-Arabian plates to north, average 2.5 cm per year. In western Turkey, relatively 3 major earthquakes (Mw≥6.0) were identified on the Sultandağı Fault zone (Afyon-Akşehir Graben) between years of 2000-2002. First event occurred at the year of 2000 (Eber-Sultandagi Earthquake, Mw=6.0) , and both events were occurred at February 3, 2002 Sultandağı (Mw=6.5) and Cay-Sultandagi (Mw=6.0). In this study, mentioned local earthquake activity, have been investigated to understand their nature and relation of the regional seismic activity and tectonic deformation on the Sultandağı Fault Zone (Afyon-Akşehir Graben) in western Anatolia. At first, we analyzed the distribution of mainshock and aftershocks of the two earthquakes which occurred in February 3, 2002 in the region. Fault mechanism solutions of the selected earthquakes and detailed stress regime analyses performed for the mainshock and aftershock sequences of two earthquakes. In regard with mentioned earthquakes, the identified surface ruptures have been investigated by detailed geological field study in the region. Also source mechanism solutions of the selected 17 regional earthquakes between years of 2000 and 2009 years in the region provided to understand the relation of the Sultandagi earthquakes sequences and regional seismic activity. Regional and local seismic investigations shows that, consecutive seismic activity is a result of the disturbance of stress balance in the region which has been triggered by sequentially occuring of earthquakes and triggering in short interval in years of 2000-2002. Also all seismic source studies approved that extensional deformation and normal faulting is dominant in the region. This study was supported by the Department of Science Fellowship and Grant programs (2014-2219) of TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) and by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) The Earth Resources Laboratory (ERL).

Source character of microseismicity in the San Francisco Bay block, California, and implications for seismic hazard

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, J.A.; Zoback, M.L.

1998-01-01

We examine relocated seismicity within a 30-km-wide crustal block containing San Francisco Bay and bounded by two major right-lateral strike-slip fault systems, the Hayward and San Andreas faults, to determine seismicity distribution, source character, and possible relationship to proposed faults. Well-located low-level seismicity (Md ??? 3.0) has occurred persistently within this block throughout the recording interval (1969 to 1995), with the highest levels of activity occurring along or directly adjacent to (within ???5 km) the bounding faults and falling off toward the long axis of the bay. The total seismic moment release within the interior of the Bay block since 1969 is equivalent to one ML 3.8 earthquake, one to two orders of magnitude lower than activity along and within 5 km of the bounding faults. Focal depths of reliably located events within the Bay block are generally less than 13 km with most seismicity in the depth range of 7 to 12 km, similar to focal depths along both the adjacent portions of the San Andreas and Hayward faults. Focal mechanisms for Md 2 to 3 events within the Bay block mimic focal mechanisms along the adjacent San Andreas fault zone and in the East Bay, suggesting that Bay block is responding to a similar regional stress field. Two potential seismic source zones have been suggested within the Bay block. Our hypocentral depths and focal mechanisms suggest that a proposed subhorizontal detachment fault 15 to 18 km beneath the Bay is not seismically active. Several large-scale linear NW-trending aeromagnetic anomalies within the Bay block were previously suggested to represent large through-going subvertical fault zones. The two largest earthquakes (both Md 3.0) in the Bay block since 1969 occur near two of these large-scale linear aeromagnetic anomalies; both have subvertical nodal planes with right-lateral slip subparallel to the magnetic anomalies, suggesting that structures related to the anomalies may be capable of brittle failure. Geodetic, focal mechanism and seismicity data all suggest the Bay block is responding elastically to the same regional stresses affecting the bounding faults; however, continuous Holocene reflectors across the proposed fault zones suggest that if the magnetic anomalies represent basement fault zones, then these faults must have recurrence times one to several orders of magnitude longer than on the bounding faults.

Using Seismic Interferometry to Investigate Seismic Swarms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matzel, E.; Morency, C.; Templeton, D. C.

2017-12-01

Seismicity provides a direct means of measuring the physical characteristics of active tectonic features such as fault zones. Hundreds of small earthquakes often occur along a fault during a seismic swarm. This seismicity helps define the tectonically active region. When processed using novel geophysical techniques, we can isolate the energy sensitive to the fault, itself. Here we focus on two methods of seismic interferometry, ambient noise correlation (ANC) and the virtual seismometer method (VSM). ANC is based on the observation that the Earth's background noise includes coherent energy, which can be recovered by observing over long time periods and allowing the incoherent energy to cancel out. The cross correlation of ambient noise between a pair of stations results in a waveform that is identical to the seismogram that would result if an impulsive source located at one of the stations was recorded at the other, the Green function (GF). The calculation of the GF is often stable after a few weeks of continuous data correlation, any perturbations to the GF after that point are directly related to changes in the subsurface and can be used for 4D monitoring.VSM is a style of seismic interferometry that provides fast, precise, high frequency estimates of the Green's function (GF) between earthquakes. VSM illuminates the subsurface precisely where the pressures are changing and has the potential to image the evolution of seismicity over time, including changes in the style of faulting. With hundreds of earthquakes, we can calculate thousands of waveforms. At the same time, VSM collapses the computational domain, often by 2-3 orders of magnitude. This allows us to do high frequency 3D modeling in the fault region. Using data from a swarm of earthquakes near the Salton Sea, we demonstrate the power of these techniques, illustrating our ability to scale from the far field, where sources are well separated, to the near field where their locations fall within each other's uncertainty ellipse. We use ANC to create a 3D model of the crust in the region. VSM provides better illumination of the active fault zone. Measures of amplitude and shape are used to refine source properties and locations in space and waveform modeling allows us to estimate near-fault seismic structure.

Detailed Velocity and Density models of the Cascadia Subduction Zone from Prestack Full-Waveform Inversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fortin, W.; Holbrook, W. S.; Mallick, S.; Everson, E. D.; Tobin, H. J.; Keranen, K. M.

2014-12-01

Understanding the geologic composition of the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) is critically important in assessing seismic hazards in the Pacific Northwest. Despite being a potential earthquake and tsunami threat to millions of people, key details of the structure and fault mechanisms remain poorly understood in the CSZ. In particular, the position and character of the subduction interface remains elusive due to its relative aseismicity and low seismic reflectivity, making imaging difficult for both passive and active source methods. Modern active-source reflection seismic data acquired as part of the COAST project in 2012 provide an opportunity to study the transition from the Cascadia basin, across the deformation front, and into the accretionary prism. Coupled with advances in seismic inversion methods, this new data allow us to produce detailed velocity models of the CSZ and accurate pre-stack depth migrations for studying geologic structure. While still computationally expensive, current computing clusters can perform seismic inversions at resolutions that match that of the seismic image itself. Here we present pre-stack full waveform inversions of the central seismic line of the COAST survey offshore Washington state. The resultant velocity model is produced by inversion at every CMP location, 6.25 m laterally, with vertical resolution of 0.2 times the dominant seismic frequency. We report a good average correlation value above 0.8 across the entire seismic line, determined by comparing synthetic gathers to the real pre-stack gathers. These detailed velocity models, both Vp and Vs, along with the density model, are a necessary step toward a detailed porosity cross section to be used to determine the role of fluids in the CSZ. Additionally, the P-velocity model is used to produce a pre-stack depth migration image of the CSZ.

Seismic source characterization for the 2014 update of the U.S. National Seismic Hazard Model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moschetti, Morgan P.; Powers, Peter; Petersen, Mark D.; Boyd, Oliver; Chen, Rui; Field, Edward H.; Frankel, Arthur; Haller, Kathleen; Harmsen, Stephen; Mueller, Charles S.; Wheeler, Russell; Zeng, Yuehua

2015-01-01

We present the updated seismic source characterization (SSC) for the 2014 update of the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) for the conterminous United States. Construction of the seismic source models employs the methodology that was developed for the 1996 NSHM but includes new and updated data, data types, source models, and source parameters that reflect the current state of knowledge of earthquake occurrence and state of practice for seismic hazard analyses. We review the SSC parameterization and describe the methods used to estimate earthquake rates, magnitudes, locations, and geometries for all seismic source models, with an emphasis on new source model components. We highlight the effects that two new model components—incorporation of slip rates from combined geodetic-geologic inversions and the incorporation of adaptively smoothed seismicity models—have on probabilistic ground motions, because these sources span multiple regions of the conterminous United States and provide important additional epistemic uncertainty for the 2014 NSHM.

Observations of rapid-fire event tremor at Lascar volcano, Chile

USGS Publications Warehouse

Asch, Guenter; Wylegalla, K.; Hellweg, M.; Seidl, D.; Rademacher, H.

1996-01-01

During the Proyecto de Investigacio??n Sismolo??gica de la Cordillera Occidental (PISCO '94) in the Atacama desert of Northern Chile, a continuously recording broadband seismic station was installed to the NW of the currently active volcano, Lascar. For the month of April, 1994, an additional network of three, short period, three-component stations was deployed around the volcano to help discriminate its seismic signals from other local seismicity. During the deployment, the volcanic activity at Lascar appeared to be limited mainly to the emission of steam and SO2. Tremor from Lascar is a random, ??rapid-fire?? series of events with a wide range of amplitudes and a quasi-fractal structure. The tremor is generated by an ensemble of independent elementary sources clustered in the volcanic edifice. In the short-term, the excitation of the sources fluctuates strongly, while the long-term power spectrum is very stationary.

Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Maps for Ecuador

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mariniere, J.; Beauval, C.; Yepes, H. A.; Laurence, A.; Nocquet, J. M.; Alvarado, A. P.; Baize, S.; Aguilar, J.; Singaucho, J. C.; Jomard, H.

2017-12-01

A probabilistic seismic hazard study is led for Ecuador, a country facing a high seismic hazard, both from megathrust subduction earthquakes and shallow crustal moderate to large earthquakes. Building on the knowledge produced in the last years in historical seismicity, earthquake catalogs, active tectonics, geodynamics, and geodesy, several alternative earthquake recurrence models are developed. An area source model is first proposed, based on the seismogenic crustal and inslab sources defined in Yepes et al. (2016). A slightly different segmentation is proposed for the subduction interface, with respect to Yepes et al. (2016). Three earthquake catalogs are used to account for the numerous uncertainties in the modeling of frequency-magnitude distributions. The hazard maps obtained highlight several source zones enclosing fault systems that exhibit low seismic activity, not representative of the geological and/or geodetical slip rates. Consequently, a fault model is derived, including faults with an earthquake recurrence model inferred from geological and/or geodetical slip rate estimates. The geodetical slip rates on the set of simplified faults are estimated from a GPS horizontal velocity field (Nocquet et al. 2014). Assumptions on the aseismic component of the deformation are required. Combining these alternative earthquake models in a logic tree, and using a set of selected ground-motion prediction equations adapted to Ecuador's different tectonic contexts, a mean hazard map is obtained. Hazard maps corresponding to the percentiles 16 and 84% are also derived, highlighting the zones where uncertainties on the hazard are highest.

Source signature estimation from multimode surface waves via mode-separated virtual real source method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Lingli; Pan, Yudi

2018-05-01

The correct estimation of the seismic source signature is crucial to exploration geophysics. Based on seismic interferometry, the virtual real source (VRS) method provides a model-independent way for source signature estimation. However, when encountering multimode surface waves, which are commonly seen in the shallow seismic survey, strong spurious events appear in seismic interferometric results. These spurious events introduce errors in the virtual-source recordings and reduce the accuracy of the source signature estimated by the VRS method. In order to estimate a correct source signature from multimode surface waves, we propose a mode-separated VRS method. In this method, multimode surface waves are mode separated before seismic interferometry. Virtual-source recordings are then obtained by applying seismic interferometry to each mode individually. Therefore, artefacts caused by cross-mode correlation are excluded in the virtual-source recordings and the estimated source signatures. A synthetic example showed that a correct source signature can be estimated with the proposed method, while strong spurious oscillation occurs in the estimated source signature if we do not apply mode separation first. We also applied the proposed method to a field example, which verified its validity and effectiveness in estimating seismic source signature from shallow seismic shot gathers containing multimode surface waves.

Radiated Seismic Energy of Earthquakes in the South-Central Region of the Gulf of California, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castro, Raúl R.; Mendoza-Camberos, Antonio; Pérez-Vertti, Arturo

2018-05-01

We estimated the radiated seismic energy (ES) of 65 earthquakes located in the south-central region of the Gulf of California. Most of these events occurred along active transform faults that define the Pacific-North America plate boundary and have magnitudes between M3.3 and M5.9. We corrected the spectral records for attenuation using nonparametric S-wave attenuation functions determined with the whole data set. The path effects were isolated from the seismic source using a spectral inversion. We computed radiated seismic energy of the earthquakes by integrating the square velocity source spectrum and estimated their apparent stresses. We found that most events have apparent stress between 3 × 10-4 and 3 MPa. Model independent estimates of the ratio between seismic energy and moment (ES/M0) indicates that this ratio is independent of earthquake size. We conclude that in general the apparent stress is low (σa < 3 MPa) in the south-central and southern Gulf of California.

The Detection of Very Low Frequency Earthquake using Broadband Seismic Array Data in South-Western Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishihara, Y.; Yamanaka, Y.; Kikuchi, M.

2002-12-01

The existences of variety of low-frequency seismic sources are obvious by the dense and equalized equipment_fs seismic network. Kikuchi(2000) and Kumagai et.al. (2001) analyzed about 50sec period ground motion excited by the volcanic activities Miyake-jima, Izu Islands. JMA is listing the low frequency earthquakes routinely in their hypocenter determination. Obara (2002) detected the low frequency, 2-4 Hz, tremor that occurred along subducting Philippine Sea plate by envelope analysis of high dense and short period seismic network (Hi-net). The monitoring of continuos long period waveform show us the existence of many unknown sources. Recently, the broadband seismic network of Japan (F-net, previous name is FREESIA) is developed and extends to linear array about 3,000 km. We reviewed the long period seismic data and earthquake catalogues. Many candidates, which are excited by unknown sources, are picked up manually. The candidates are reconfirmed in detail by the original seismograms and their rough frequency characteristics are evaluated. Most events have the very low frequency seismograms that is dominated period of 20 _E30 sec and smaller amplitude than ground noise level in shorter period range. We developed the hypocenter determination technique applied the grid search method. Moreover for the major events moment tensor inversion was performed. The most source locates at subducting plate and their depth is greater than 30km. However the location don_ft overlap the low frequency tremor source region. Major event_fs moment magnitude is 4 or greater and estimated source time is around 20 sec. We concluded that low frequency seismic event series exist in wide period range in subduction area. The very low frequency earthquakes occurred along Nankai and Ryukyu trough at southwestern Japan. We are planing to survey the very low frequency event systematically in wider western Pacific region.

Updated Colombian Seismic Hazard Map

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eraso, J.; Arcila, M.; Romero, J.; Dimate, C.; Bermúdez, M. L.; Alvarado, C.

2013-05-01

The Colombian seismic hazard map used by the National Building Code (NSR-98) in effect until 2009 was developed in 1996. Since then, the National Seismological Network of Colombia has improved in both coverage and technology providing fifteen years of additional seismic records. These improvements have allowed a better understanding of the regional geology and tectonics which in addition to the seismic activity in Colombia with destructive effects has motivated the interest and the need to develop a new seismic hazard assessment in this country. Taking advantage of new instrumental information sources such as new broad band stations of the National Seismological Network, new historical seismicity data, standardized global databases availability, and in general, of advances in models and techniques, a new Colombian seismic hazard map was developed. A PSHA model was applied. The use of the PSHA model is because it incorporates the effects of all seismic sources that may affect a particular site solving the uncertainties caused by the parameters and assumptions defined in this kind of studies. First, the seismic sources geometry and a complete and homogeneous seismic catalog were defined; the parameters of seismic rate of each one of the seismic sources occurrence were calculated establishing a national seismotectonic model. Several of attenuation-distance relationships were selected depending on the type of seismicity considered. The seismic hazard was estimated using the CRISIS2007 software created by the Engineering Institute of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México -UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico). A uniformly spaced grid each 0.1° was used to calculate the peak ground acceleration (PGA) and response spectral values at 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3.0 seconds with return periods of 75, 225, 475, 975 and 2475 years. For each site, a uniform hazard spectrum and exceedance rate curves were calculated. With the results, it is possible to determinate environments and scenarios where the seismic hazard is a function of distance and magnitude and also the principal seismic sources that contribute to the seismic hazard at each site (dissagregation). This project was conducted by the Servicio Geológico Colombiano (Colombian Geological Survey) and the Universidad Nacional de Colombia (National University of Colombia), with the collaboration of national and foreign experts and the National System of Prevention and Attention of Disaster (SNPAD). It is important to stand out that this new seismic hazard map was used in the updated national building code (NSR-10). A new process is ongoing in order to improve and present the Seismic Hazard Map in terms of intensity. This require new knowledge in site effects, in both local and regional scales, checking the existing and develop new acceleration to intensity relationships, in order to obtain results more understandable and useful for a wider range of users, not only in the engineering field, but also all the risk assessment and management institutions, research and general community.

Evaluation of the Seismic Hazard in Venezuela with a revised seismic catalog that seeks for harmonization along the country borders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rendon, H.; Alvarado, L.; Paolini, M.; Olbrich, F.; González, J.; Ascanio, W.

2013-05-01

Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment is a complex endeavor that relies on the quality of the information that comes from different sources: the seismic catalog, active faults parameters, strain rates, etc. Having this in mind, during the last several months, the FUNVISIS seismic hazard group has been working on a review and update of the local data base that form the basis for a reliable PSHA calculation. In particular, the seismic catalog, which provides the necessary information that allows the evaluation of the critical b-value, which controls how seismic occurrence distributes with magnitude, has received particular attention. The seismic catalog is the result of the effort of several generations of researchers along the years; therefore, the catalog necessarily suffers from the lack of consistency, homogeneity and completeness for all ranges of magnitude over any seismic study area. Merging the FUNVISIS instrumental catalog with the ones obtained from international agencies, we present the work that we have been doing to produce a consistent seismic catalog that covers Venezuela entirely, with seismic events starting from 1910 until 2012, and report the magnitude of completeness for the different periods. Also, we present preliminary results on the Seismic Hazard evaluation that takes into account such instrumental catalog, the historical catalog, updated known fault geometries and its correspondent parameters, and the new seismic sources that have been defined accordingly. Within the spirit of the Global Earthquake Model (GEM), all these efforts look for possible bridges with neighboring countries to establish consistent hazard maps across the borders.

Seismic body wave separation in volcano-tectonic activity inferred by the Convolutive Independent Component Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capuano, Paolo; De Lauro, Enza; De Martino, Salvatore; Falanga, Mariarosaria; Petrosino, Simona

2015-04-01

One of the main challenge in volcano-seismological literature is to locate and characterize the source of volcano/tectonic seismic activity. This passes through the identification at least of the onset of the main phases, i.e. the body waves. Many efforts have been made to solve the problem of a clear separation of P and S phases both from a theoretical point of view and developing numerical algorithms suitable for specific cases (see, e.g., Küperkoch et al., 2012). Recently, a robust automatic procedure has been implemented for extracting the prominent seismic waveforms from continuously recorded signals and thus allowing for picking the main phases. The intuitive notion of maximum non-gaussianity is achieved adopting techniques which involve higher-order statistics in frequency domain., i.e, the Convolutive Independent Component Analysis (CICA). This technique is successful in the case of the blind source separation of convolutive mixtures. In seismological framework, indeed, seismic signals are thought as the convolution of a source function with path, site and the instrument response. In addition, time-delayed versions of the same source exist, due to multipath propagation typically caused by reverberations from some obstacle. In this work, we focus on the Volcano Tectonic (VT) activity at Campi Flegrei Caldera (Italy) during the 2006 ground uplift (Ciaramella et al., 2011). The activity was characterized approximately by 300 low-magnitude VT earthquakes (Md < 2; for the definition of duration magnitude, see Petrosino et al. 2008). Most of them were concentrated in distinct seismic sequences with hypocenters mainly clustered beneath the Solfatara-Accademia area, at depths ranging between 1 and 4 km b.s.l.. The obtained results show the clear separation of P and S phases: the technique not only allows the identification of the S-P time delay giving the timing of both phases but also provides the independent waveforms of the P and S phases. This is an enormous advantage for all the problems related to the source inversion and location In addition, the VT seismicity was accompanied by hundreds of LP events (characterized by spectral peaks in the 0.5-2-Hz frequency band) that were concentrated in a 7-day interval. The main interest is to establish whether the occurrence of LPs is only limited to the swarm that reached a climax on days 26-28 October as indicated by Saccorotti et al. (2007), or a longer period is experienced. The automatically extracted waveforms with improved signal-to-noise ratio via CICA coupled with automatic phase picking allowed to compile a more complete seismic catalog and to better quantify the seismic energy release including the presence of LP events from the beginning of October until mid of November. Finally, a further check of the volcanic nature of extracted signals is achieved by looking at the seismological properties and the content of entropy held in the traces (Falanga and Petrosino 2012; De Lauro et al., 2012). Our results allow us to move towards a full description of the complexity of the source, which can be used for hazard-model development and forecast-model testing, showing an illustrative example of the applicability of the CICA method to regions with low seismicity in high ambient noise

Environmental baseline monitoring in the area of general crude oil - Department of Energy Pleasant Bayou Number 1 - a geopressured-geothermal test well, 1978. Volume II. Appendix I. Microseismic monitoring, Teledyne Geotech, Garland, Texas. Annual report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gustavson, T.C.

1979-01-01

This is an interim report on a project to monitor microseismic activity in the vicinity of a future geopressured well test site in Brazoria County, Texas. The data collected to date indicate that numerous weak seismic sources are intermittently active in the vicinity of the test site. However, all of these sources appear to be related to cultural or industrial activity of undetermined origin. At the present time there is no evidence for naturally occurring seismic acitivty within 4 kilometers of the future test site with local magnitudes in excess of 0.25.

Using Simulated Ground Motions to Constrain Near-Source Ground Motion Prediction Equations in Areas Experiencing Induced Seismicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bydlon, S. A.; Dunham, E. M.

2016-12-01

Recent increases in seismic activity in historically quiescent areas such as Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas, including large, potentially induced events such as the 2011 Mw 5.6 Prague, OK, earthquake, have spurred the need for investigation into expected ground motions associated with these seismic sources. The neoteric nature of this seismicity increase corresponds to a scarcity of ground motion recordings within 50 km of earthquakes Mw 3.0 and greater, with increasing scarcity at larger magnitudes. Gathering additional near-source ground motion data will help better constraints on regional ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) and will happen over time, but this leaves open the possibility of damaging earthquakes occurring before potential ground shaking and seismic hazard in these areas are properly understood. To aid the effort of constraining near-source GMPEs associated with induced seismicity, we integrate synthetic ground motion data from simulated earthquakes into the process. Using the dynamic rupture and seismic wave propagation code waveqlab3d, we perform verification and validation exercises intended to establish confidence in simulated ground motions for use in constraining GMPEs. We verify the accuracy of our ground motion simulator by performing the PEER/SCEC layer-over-halfspace comparison problem LOH.1 Validation exercises to ensure that we are synthesizing realistic ground motion data include comparisons to recorded ground motions for specific earthquakes in target areas of Oklahoma between Mw 3.0 and 4.0. Using a 3D velocity structure that includes a 1D structure with additional small-scale heterogeneity, the properties of which are based on well-log data from Oklahoma, we perform ground motion simulations of small (Mw 3.0 - 4.0) earthquakes using point moment tensor sources. We use the resulting synthetic ground motion data to develop GMPEs for small earthquakes in Oklahoma. Preliminary results indicate that ground motions can be amplified if the source is located in the shallow, sedimentary sequence compared to the basement. Source depth could therefore be an important variable to define explicitly in GMPEs instead of being incorporated into traditional distance metrics. Future work will include the addition of dynamic sources to develop GMPEs for large earthquakes.

Modelling Active Faults in Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) with OpenQuake: Definition, Design and Experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weatherill, Graeme; Garcia, Julio; Poggi, Valerio; Chen, Yen-Shin; Pagani, Marco

2016-04-01

The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) has, since its inception in 2009, made many contributions to the practice of seismic hazard modeling in different regions of the globe. The OpenQuake-engine (hereafter referred to simply as OpenQuake), GEM's open-source software for calculation of earthquake hazard and risk, has found application in many countries, spanning a diversity of tectonic environments. GEM itself has produced a database of national and regional seismic hazard models, harmonizing into OpenQuake's own definition the varied seismogenic sources found therein. The characterization of active faults in probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) is at the centre of this process, motivating many of the developments in OpenQuake and presenting hazard modellers with the challenge of reconciling seismological, geological and geodetic information for the different regions of the world. Faced with these challenges, and from the experience gained in the process of harmonizing existing models of seismic hazard, four critical issues are addressed. The challenge GEM has faced in the development of software is how to define a representation of an active fault (both in terms of geometry and earthquake behaviour) that is sufficiently flexible to adapt to different tectonic conditions and levels of data completeness. By exploring the different fault typologies supported by OpenQuake we illustrate how seismic hazard calculations can, and do, take into account complexities such as geometrical irregularity of faults in the prediction of ground motion, highlighting some of the potential pitfalls and inconsistencies that can arise. This exploration leads to the second main challenge in active fault modeling, what elements of the fault source model impact most upon the hazard at a site, and when does this matter? Through a series of sensitivity studies we show how different configurations of fault geometry, and the corresponding characterisation of near-fault phenomena (including hanging wall and directivity effects) within modern ground motion prediction equations, can have an influence on the seismic hazard at a site. Yet we also illustrate the conditions under which these effects may be partially tempered when considering the full uncertainty in rupture behaviour within the fault system. The third challenge is the development of efficient means for representing both aleatory and epistemic uncertainties from active fault models in PSHA. In implementing state-of-the-art seismic hazard models into OpenQuake, such as those recently undertaken in California and Japan, new modeling techniques are needed that redefine how we treat interdependence of ruptures within the model (such as mutual exclusivity), and the propagation of uncertainties emerging from geology. Finally, we illustrate how OpenQuake, and GEM's additional toolkits for model preparation, can be applied to address long-standing issues in active fault modeling in PSHA. These include constraining the seismogenic coupling of a fault and the partitioning of seismic moment between the active fault surfaces and the surrounding seismogenic crust. We illustrate some of the possible roles that geodesy can play in the process, but highlight where this may introduce new uncertainties and potential biases into the seismic hazard process, and how these can be addressed.

Observing the Microseism Source Regions from Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simard, M.; Kedar, S.; Rodriguez, E.; Webb, F. H.

2005-12-01

Correlations of this ambient seismic signal between seismic stations has recently emerged as a powerful technique for tomography of the Earth's crust, allowing continuous global monitoring of the crust to seismogenic depths without relying on the occurrence of earthquakes. The technique has the potential for resolving changes in the crust during periods of little or no earthquake activity. Since ambient seismic noise is predominantly generated by ocean wave-wave interactions known to originate in narrowly defined geographical source areas that vary according to ocean swell state and season, it may be possible to derive physical constraints of the source characteristics by globallyly observing candidate source regions from space. At present, such observations have been confined to point measurements such as directional buoys and ocean-bottom seismometers. Using a technique formulated by Engen and Jonsen [1995], a 'field view' of the generating region can be obtained by deriving ocean directional spectra from Synthetic Aperature Radar (SAR) images by analysis of cross correlation of single-look SAR images. In November 2004, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) air-borne SAR instrument, has collected data off the Alaska coast, while a large storm with wave heights of ~8m was pounding the coast. This was contemporaneous with the recording of strong microseismic activity by the Canadian National Seismic (CNSN). The AirSAR collected over a 100km long, 10km wide swath offshore, the region most likely to involve wave-wave interaction between the incoming swell and coast-reflected waves. JPL has implemented the cross correlation spectral technique, and applied it to the 2004 data-set. We will present results of the analysis of the SAR data in conjunction with analysis of the CNSN broadband seismic data.

Sources of seismic events in the cooling lava lake of Kilauea Iki, Hawaii

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chouet, B.

1979-05-10

Seismic surveys conducted in recent years revealed a suprisingly high and sustained activity of local seismic events originating in the partially frozen lava lake of Kilauea Iki crater, Hawaii. About 8000 events per day were counted in 1976 at the center of the lake with a seismograph having a peak magnification of 280,000 at 60 Hz. The activity was found to be uniform over the whole area above the inferred magma lens and very weak in the periphery of the lake. The frequency-amplitude relation for these shocks obeys the Ishimoto-Iida or Gutenberg-Richter law very well, with a b value ofmore » 1.19( +- 0.06). Locations of a few selected events indicate that they occur both above and below the layer of melt, although the seismic activity appears to be much higher in the upper crust. Whenever clear, the first motion is always outward from the source, suggesting that a crack opening under tensile stress owing to cooling is the responsible source mechanism. A simple model of a circular tensile crack nucleating at a point and growing at subsonic velocity can match the far-field P wave from these sources fairly well. Typical parameters for a large event inferred from the model are the following: radius, 2.7 m; maximum static tensile displacement between crack faces, 2.9..mu..; cavity volume, 4.4 x 10/sup -5/ m/sup 3/; and a seismic moment tensor with diagonal elements only, having the values 3.8 x 10/sup 2/exclamation2, 4.5 x 10/sup 12/, and 3.8 x 10/sup 12/ dyn cm. The magnitude of the event is about -1, and its stress drop is of the order of 0.01 bar. A Q as low as 10 is required to satisfy the shape of the observed wave forms. The total cavity volume integrated over all cracks which is generated daily in the upper crust of Kilauea Iki is of the order of 1--20 m/sup 3/. An alternate interpretation of the data, the seismic activity as reflecting the extension by up to several tens of centimeters of long existing cracks rather than the formation of new cracks.« less

A feasibility study for the application of seismic interferometry by multidimensional deconvolution for lithospheric-scale imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruigrok, Elmer; van der Neut, Joost; Djikpesse, Hugues; Chen, Chin-Wu; Wapenaar, Kees

2010-05-01

Active-source surveys are widely used for the delineation of hydrocarbon accumulations. Most source and receiver configurations are designed to illuminate the first 5 km of the earth. For a deep understanding of the evolution of the crust, much larger depths need to be illuminated. The use of large-scale active surveys is feasible, but rather costly. As an alternative, we use passive acquisition configurations, aiming at detecting responses from distant earthquakes, in combination with seismic interferometry (SI). SI refers to the principle of generating new seismic responses by combining seismic observations at different receiver locations. We apply SI to the earthquake responses to obtain responses as if there was a source at each receiver position in the receiver array. These responses are subsequently migrated to obtain an image of the lithosphere. Conventionally, SI is applied by a crosscorrelation of responses. Recently, an alternative implementation was proposed as SI by multidimensional deconvolution (MDD) (Wapenaar et al. 2008). SI by MDD compensates both for the source-sampling and the source wavelet irregularities. Another advantage is that the MDD relation also holds for media with severe anelastic losses. A severe restriction though for the implementation of MDD was the need to estimate responses without free-surface interaction, from the earthquake responses. To mitigate this restriction, Groenestijn en Verschuur (2009) proposed to introduce the incident wavefield as an additional unknown in the inversion process. As an alternative solution, van der Neut et al. (2010) showed that the required wavefield separation may be implemented after a crosscorrelation step. These last two approaches facilitate the application of MDD for lithospheric-scale imaging. In this work, we study the feasibility for the implementation of MDD when considering teleseismic wavefields. We address specific problems for teleseismic wavefields, such as long and complicated source wavelets, source-side reverberations and illumination gaps. We exemplify the feasibility of SI by MDD on synthetic data, based on field data from the Laramie and the POLARIS-MIT array. van Groenestijn, G.J.A. & Verschuur, D.J., 2009. Estimation of primaries by sparse inversion from passive seismic data, Expanded abstracts, 1597-1601, SEG. van der Neut, J.R, Ruigrok, E.N., Draganov, D.S., & Wapenaar, K., 2010. Retrieving the earth's reflection response by multi-dimensional deconvolution of ambient seismic noise, Extended abstracts, submitted, EAGE. Wapenaar, K., van der Neut, J., & Ruigrok, E.N., 2008. Passive seismic interferometry by multidimensional deconvolution, Geophysics, 75, A51-A56.

Monitoring the development of volcanic eruptions through volcanic lightning - Using a lightning mapping array, seismic and infrasound array, and visual plume analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, C. M.; Thompson, G.; McNutt, S. R.; Behnke, S. A.; Edens, H. E.; Van Eaton, A. R.; Gaudin, D.; Thomas, R. J.

2017-12-01

The period of 28 May - 7 June 2015 at Sakurajima Volcano, Japan witnessed a multitude of Vulcanian eruptive events, which resulted in plumes reaching 500-3000m above the vent. These plumes varied from white, gas-rich plumes to dark grey and black ash-rich plumes, and were recorded on lowlight and infrared cameras. A nine-station lightning mapping array (LMA) was deployed to locate sources of VHF (67-73 MHz) radiation produced by lightning flashes and other types of electrical activity such as `continuous RF (radio frequency)'. Two Nanometrics Trillium broadband seismometers and six BSU infrasound sensors were deployed. Over this ten day period we recorded 1556 events that consisted of both seismic and infrasound signals, indicating explosive activity. There are an additional 1222 events that were recorded as only seismic or infrasound signals, which may be a result of precursory seismic signals or noise contamination. Plume discharge types included both distinct lightning flashes and `continuous RF'. The LMA ran continuously for the duration of the experiment. On 30 May 2015 at least seven lightning flashes were also detected by the Vaisala Global Lightning Detection 360 network, which detects VLF (3-30 kHz) radiation. However the University of Washington's World Wide Lightning Location Network, which also detects VLF radiation, detected no volcanic lightning flashes in this time period. This indicates that the electrical activity in Sakurajima's plume occurs near the lower limits of the VLF detection threshold. We investigate relationships between the plume dynamics, the geophysical signal and the corresponding electrical activity through: plume velocity and height; event waveform cross-correlation; volcano acoustic-seismic ratios; overall geophysical energy; RSAM records; and VHF sources detected by the LMA. By investigating these relationships we hope to determine the seismic/infrasound energy threshold required to generate measurable electrical activity. Seismic and infrasound are two of the most common volcanic monitoring methods. By developing the relationships between plume electrification and these geophysical methods we hope to expand the use of lightning for active volcano monitoring.

Comparison of Seismic Sources and Frequencies in West Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaip, G.; Harder, S. H.; Karplus, M. S.

2017-12-01

During October 2017 the Seismic Source Facility (SSF) located at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Department of Geological Sciences collected seismic data at SSF test facility located near Fabens, TX. The project objective was to compare source amplitudes and frequencies of various seismic sources available through the SSF. Selecting the appropriate seismic source is important to reach geological objectives. We compare seismic sources between explosive sources (pentolite and shotgun) and mechanical sources (accelerated weight drop and hammer on plate), focusing on amplitude and frequency. All sources were tested in same geologic environment. Although this is not an ideal geologic formation for source coupling, it does allow an "apples to apples" comparison. Twenty Reftek RT125A seismic recorders with 4.5 Hz geophones were laid out in a line with 3m station separation. Mechanical sources were tested first to minimize changes in the subsurface related to explosive sources Explosive sources, while yielding higher amplitudes, have lower frequency content. The explosions exhibit a higher signal-to-noise ratio, allowing us to recognize seismic energy deeper and farther from the source. Mechanical sources yield higher frequencies allowing better resolution at shallower depths, but have a lower signal-to-noise ratio and lower amplitudes, even with source stacking. We analyze the details of the shot spectra from the different types of sources. A combination of source types can improve data resolution and amplitude, thereby improving imaging potential. However, cost, logistics, and complexities also have a large influence on source selection.

Identification of the seismogenic source of the 1875 Cucuta earthquake on the basis of a combination of neotectonic, paleoseismologic and historic seismicity studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez, Luz; Diederix, Hans; Torres, Eliana; Audemard, Franck; Hernández, Catalina; Singer, André; Bohórquez, Olga; Yepez, Santiago

2018-03-01

An interesting variety of field evidence that collectively cover the three branches of Earthquake Geology: Neotectonics, Paleoseismology and Historical seismicity, has been collected in the border area between Venezuela and Colombia, near the town of San José de Cúcuta, as part of a study aimed at establishing the seismic source of the great Cucuta Earthquake, that occurred on May 18th, 1875, and that caused heavy losses of life and destruction on both sides of the border, between the Department of Norte de Santander in Colombia and Táchira state in Venezuela. This region is affected by the activity of several cross-border fault systems that converge in the zone of the so-called Pamplona Indenter. Among these seismic sources, the potential candidates of this destructive seismic event in 1875 are those related to the Boconó Fault System, of the northwestern foothills of the Mérida Andes and in particular it's most northwestern expression, the Aguas Calientes Fault System, as suggested by previous research carried out by FUNVISIS for the Venezuelan oil industry in the late 80s. In order to confirm whether this was the responsible system for the earthquake or not, the following studies were carried out: 1) In Neotectonics, a detailed binational surface mapping of the active faults of this system was carried out. This system consists of three branches referred to in this paper as: the North, Central and South branch respectively; 2) In Paleoseismology, two trenches were excavated. The first trench was excavated across the South branch and the second one across the North branch, which confirmed fault activity during the Holocene epoch; 3) In historical seismicity the direct coseismic surface effects that occurred in the epicentral area of the earthquake were assessed. All evidence collected and integrated in these three lines of research, made it possible to conclude that the Central branch of the Aguas Calientes fault system is the most likely candidate to have been the cause of this seismic event.

Kernel Smoothing Methods for Non-Poissonian Seismic Hazard Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woo, Gordon

2017-04-01

For almost fifty years, the mainstay of probabilistic seismic hazard analysis has been the methodology developed by Cornell, which assumes that earthquake occurrence is a Poisson process, and that the spatial distribution of epicentres can be represented by a set of polygonal source zones, within which seismicity is uniform. Based on Vere-Jones' use of kernel smoothing methods for earthquake forecasting, these methods were adapted in 1994 by the author for application to probabilistic seismic hazard analysis. There is no need for ambiguous boundaries of polygonal source zones, nor for the hypothesis of time independence of earthquake sequences. In Europe, there are many regions where seismotectonic zones are not well delineated, and where there is a dynamic stress interaction between events, so that they cannot be described as independent. From the Amatrice earthquake of 24 August, 2016, the subsequent damaging earthquakes in Central Italy over months were not independent events. Removing foreshocks and aftershocks is not only an ill-defined task, it has a material effect on seismic hazard computation. Because of the spatial dispersion of epicentres, and the clustering of magnitudes for the largest events in a sequence, which might all be around magnitude 6, the specific event causing the highest ground motion can vary from one site location to another. Where significant active faults have been clearly identified geologically, they should be modelled as individual seismic sources. The remaining background seismicity should be modelled as non-Poissonian using statistical kernel smoothing methods. This approach was first applied for seismic hazard analysis at a UK nuclear power plant two decades ago, and should be included within logic-trees for future probabilistic seismic hazard at critical installations within Europe. In this paper, various salient European applications are given.

A seismically active section of the Southwest Indian Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wald, David J.; Wallace, Terry C.

1986-10-01

The section of the Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge west of the Prince Edward Fracture zone has a large ridge axis offset and a complicated ridge-transform morphology. We have determined the source mechanisms of transform earthquakes along this portion of the ridge from an inversion of long-period P and SH waveforms. The seismicity is characterized by anomalous faulting mechanisms, source complexity and an unexpectedly large seismic moment release. Several earthquakes with dip-slip components of faulting have been recognized on the central section of the Andrew Bain and 32° E transforms suggesting geometrical complexity along the transform. This region has experienced a Mw = 8.0 transform earthquake in 1942, yet we observe a seismic slip rate during the last 20 years that is still comparable to the predicted spreading rate (1.6 cm/yr). The calculated slip rate over a period of 60 years is three times greater than the expected rate of spreading.

Earthquakes - on the moon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nakamura, Y.

1981-01-01

Information obtained with the Apollo lunar seismic stations is discussed. The four types of natural seismic sources that have been identified are described, viz., thermal moonquakes, deep moonquakes, meteoroid impacts, and shallow moonquakes. It is suggested that: (1) the thermal quakes represent the slow cracking and movement of surface rocks; (2) the deep quakes are induced by the tide-generating force of the earth's gravity; (3) the meteoroids responsible for most of the observed impacts are in the mass range from 1 to 100 kg and are clustered in groups near the earth's orbit; and (4) the shallow quakes are similar to intraplate earthquakes and indicate that the moon is as seismically active as the interior regions of the earth's tectonic plates. The structure of the lunar interior as inferred from seismic signals due to both the last three natural sources and 'artificial' impacts of used spacecraft is examined in detail.

Seismic hazard assessment over time: Modelling earthquakes in Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Chung-Han; Wang, Yu; Wang, Yu-Ju; Lee, Ya-Ting

2017-04-01

To assess the seismic hazard with temporal change in Taiwan, we develop a new approach, combining both the Brownian Passage Time (BPT) model and the Coulomb stress change, and implement the seismogenic source parameters by the Taiwan Earthquake Model (TEM). The BPT model was adopted to describe the rupture recurrence intervals of the specific fault sources, together with the time elapsed since the last fault-rupture to derive their long-term rupture probability. We also evaluate the short-term seismicity rate change based on the static Coulomb stress interaction between seismogenic sources. By considering above time-dependent factors, our new combined model suggests an increased long-term seismic hazard in the vicinity of active faults along the western Coastal Plain and the Longitudinal Valley, where active faults have short recurrence intervals and long elapsed time since their last ruptures, and/or short-term elevated hazard levels right after the occurrence of large earthquakes due to the stress triggering effect. The stress enhanced by the February 6th, 2016, Meinong ML 6.6 earthquake also significantly increased rupture probabilities of several neighbouring seismogenic sources in Southwestern Taiwan and raised hazard level in the near future. Our approach draws on the advantage of incorporating long- and short-term models, to provide time-dependent earthquake probability constraints. Our time-dependent model considers more detailed information than any other published models. It thus offers decision-makers and public officials an adequate basis for rapid evaluations of and response to future emergency scenarios such as victim relocation and sheltering.

Interferometric Seismic Sources on the Core Mantle Boundary Revealed by Seismic Coda Crosscorrelation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, T. S.; Tkalcic, H.; Sambridge, M.

2017-12-01

The crosscorrelation of earthquake coda can be used to extract seismic body waves which are sensitive to deep Earth interior. The retrieved peaks in crosscorrelation of two seismic records are commonly interpreted as seismic phases that originate at a point source collocated with the first recorder (Huygens-Fresnel principle), reflected upward from prominent underground reflectors and reaching the second recorder. From the time shift of these peaks measured at different interstation distances, new travel time curves can be constructed. This study focuses on a previously unexplained interferometric phase (named temporarily a ghost or "G phase") observed in crosscorrelogram stack sections utilizing seismic coda. In particular, we deploy waveforms recorded by two regional seismic networks, one in Australia and another in Alaska. We show that the G phase cannot be explained by as a reflection. Moreover, we demonstrate that the G phase is explained through the principle of energy partitioning, and specifically, conversions from compressional to shear motions at the core-mantle boundary (CMB). This can be thought of in terms of a continuous distribution of Huygens sources across the CMB that are "activated" in long-range wavefield coda following significant earthquakes. The newly explained phase is renamed to cPS, to indicate a CMB origin and the P to S conversion. This mechanism explains a range of newly observed global interferometric phases that can be used in combination with existing phases to constrain Earth structure.

Travel-time source-specific station correction improves location accuracy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giuntini, Alessandra; Materni, Valerio; Chiappini, Stefano; Carluccio, Roberto; Console, Rodolfo; Chiappini, Massimo

2013-04-01

Accurate earthquake locations are crucial for investigating seismogenic processes, as well as for applications like verifying compliance to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Earthquake location accuracy is related to the degree of knowledge about the 3-D structure of seismic wave velocity in the Earth. It is well known that modeling errors of calculated travel times may have the effect of shifting the computed epicenters far from the real locations by a distance even larger than the size of the statistical error ellipses, regardless of the accuracy in picking seismic phase arrivals. The consequences of large mislocations of seismic events in the context of the CTBT verification is particularly critical in order to trigger a possible On Site Inspection (OSI). In fact, the Treaty establishes that an OSI area cannot be larger than 1000 km2, and its larger linear dimension cannot be larger than 50 km. Moreover, depth accuracy is crucial for the application of the depth event screening criterion. In the present study, we develop a method of source-specific travel times corrections based on a set of well located events recorded by dense national seismic networks in seismically active regions. The applications concern seismic sequences recorded in Japan, Iran and Italy. We show that mislocations of the order of 10-20 km affecting the epicenters, as well as larger mislocations in hypocentral depths, calculated from a global seismic network and using the standard IASPEI91 travel times can be effectively removed by applying source-specific station corrections.

The evolution of periodic seismicity, waveform similarity, and conduit processes during unrest episodes at Tungurahua volcano, Ecuador, in 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bell, Andrew; Hernandez, Stephen; Gaunt, Elizabeth; Mothes, Patricia; Hidalgo, Silvana; Ruiz, Mario

2016-04-01

Tungurahua is a large andesitic stratovolcano located in the Andes of Ecuador. The current eruptive phase at Tungurahua began in 1999, and has been characterised by episodes of vulcanian and strombolian activity, interspersed by periods of relative quiescence. Despite showing only modest eruptive activity in 2015, seismic data revealed a pronounced change in the behaviour of the magma-conduit system compared to the preceding 15 years of activity. The change is most notable in the periodicity of interevent-times of volcanic earthquakes. Previous seismicity at Tungurahua is characterised by interevent-time periodicities typical of a Poisson process, or modestly clustered, with slightly elevated (anti-clustered) periodicities observed only rarely during vulcanian episodes. However, activity in 2015 saw a series of unrest episodes characterised by highly-periodic interevent-times, and including several notable episodes of 'drumbeat' earthquakes. Here we report seismic and associated geophysical signals recorded at Tungurahua in 2015 by the monitoring network of the Instituto Geofisico of Ecuador, their relation to conduit processes, and implications for the origins of unrest and likely future activity. Although the nature of the low-frequency seismic signals change both within and between unrest episodes, the underlying periodicity is more consistent and gradually evolving. Waveform similarity is high within phases, resulting from the repeated activation of persistent sources, but low between different episodes, suggesting the emergence of new sources and locations. The strength of periodicity is correlated with the average waveform similarity for all unrest episodes, with the relatively low waveform similarities observed for the highly periodic drumbeat earthquakes in April due to contamination from coexisting continuous tremor. Eruptive activity consisted of a few minor explosions and ash emission events. Notably, a short-lived episode of Strombolian activity in November with juvenile magma was quickly followed by a resumption of periodic low-frequency seismicity. The changes in the seismicity of Tungurahua in 2015 suggest a significant change in the magma-conduit system. Elevated periodicity may indicate the presence of a slowly upward moving plug at a depth of 1-2km below the summit crater, likely associated with the unusually long repose period since the last major vulcanian episode in October 2014. Evolution in the periodicity and type of seismic signals within and between unrest episodes will be controlled by a combination of the gas flux and permeability, and a balance between thermo-mechanical plug degradation and time-dependent healing processes. These factors are also likely to determine the nature of future eruptive activity.

Controlled-source seismic interferometry with one way wave fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Neut, J.; Wapenaar, K.; Thorbecke, J. W.

2008-12-01

In Seismic Interferometry we generally cross-correlate registrations at two receiver locations and sum over an array of sources to retrieve a Green's function as if one of the receiver locations hosts a (virtual) source and the other receiver location hosts an actual receiver. One application of this concept is to redatum an area of surface sources to a downhole receiver location, without requiring information about the medium between the sources and receivers, thus providing an effective tool for imaging below complex overburden, which is also known as the Virtual Source method. We demonstrate how elastic wavefield decomposition can be effectively combined with controlled-source Seismic Interferometry to generate virtual sources in a downhole receiver array that radiate only down- or upgoing P- or S-waves with receivers sensing only down- or upgoing P- or S- waves. For this purpose we derive exact Green's matrix representations from a reciprocity theorem for decomposed wavefields. Required is the deployment of multi-component sources at the surface and multi- component receivers in a horizontal borehole. The theory is supported with a synthetic elastic model, where redatumed traces are compared with those of a directly modeled reflection response, generated by placing active sources at the virtual source locations and applying elastic wavefield decomposition on both source and receiver side.

Seismicity and Seismotectonic Properties of The Sultandağı Fault Zone (Afyonkarahisar-Konya): Western Anatolia,Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalafat, D.; Gunes, Y.; Kekovali, K.; Kara, M.; Gorgun, E.

2017-12-01

n this study we investigated seismicity and source characteristics of the Sultandağı Fault Zone (SFZ). As known Western Anatolia is one of the most important seismically active region in Turkey. The relative movement of the African-Arabian plates, it causes the Anatolian Plate to movement to the west-Southwest direction 2.5 cm per year and this result provides N-S direction with extensional regime in the recent tectonic. In this study, especially with the assessment of seismic activity occurring in Afyon and around between 200-2002 years, we have been evaluated to date with seismic activity as well as fault mechanism solution. We analyzed recent seismicity and distribution of earthquakes in this region. In the last century, 3 important earthquakes occurred in the Sultandağı Fault zone (Afyon-Akşehir Graben), this result shown it was seismic active and broken fault segments caused stress balance in the region and it caused to occur with short intervals of earthquakes in 2000 and 2002, triggering each other. The scope of this tudy, we installed new BB stations in the region and we have been done of the fault plane solutions for important earthquakes. The focal mechanisms clearly exhibit the activation of a NE-SW trending normal faulting system along the SFZ region. The results of stress analysis showed that the effective current tectonic evolution of normal faulting in this region. This study is supported by Bogazici University Research Projects Commission under SRP/BAP project No. 12280. Key Words: Sultandağı fault zone, normal faulting, seismicity, fault mechanism

Catalogs of micro-seismicity recorded at the Pechgraben landslide (Upper Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Provost, Floriane; Hibert, Clément; Vouillamoz, Naomi; Malet, Jean-Philippe; Ottowitz, David; Jochum, Birgit

2017-04-01

The microseismicity activity of soft-rock landslides (i.e. developed in clays and clay-shales) present various types of seismic event associated with the slope deformation. They are assumed to be linked to the slip at the interface with the bedrock or at the boundaries of the landslide, to material failures, to fissure openings or to fluid transfers within the medium. It is currently necessary to document the microseismicity generated by soft-rock landslides on a larger amount of instrumented slopes in order to validate the current seismic typology and understand the source mechanisms in relation with the deformation. Previous studies have shown the interest of the Pechgraben (Upper Austria) clay-shale landslide for such documentation. This landslide was reactivated in summer 2013 after heavy rainfalls and is characterized by a shallow bedrock (<10m) and varying displacement rates in space and time (from mm.day-1 to cm.day-1). A short pilot seismic campaign (<9 days) was carried out in 2015 and micro-earthquakes as well as episodic tremor-like signals were recorded. A new passive seismic campaign was conducted during one month in November-December 2016. Two broadband three-component seismometers were installed facing each other on the two stable borders of the slope with one tripartite seismic array deployed in the center, on top of the most active area of the landslide. The deformation pattern of the slope was monitored remotely with a ground-based InSAR at a high frequency (10 min). This study aims to present the variety of seismic sources generated by the landslide, using supervised machine learning algorithms for event detection and classification, and to correlate the resulting micro-seismic catalog with the changes in time of the slope deformation.

Source Inversion of Seismic Events Associated with the Sinkhole at Napoleonville Salt Dome, Louisiana using a 3D Velocity Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayak, Avinash; Dreger, Douglas S.

2018-05-01

The formation of a large sinkhole at the Napoleonville salt dome (NSD), Assumption Parish, Louisiana, caused by the collapse of a brine cavern, was accompanied by an intense and complex sequence of seismic events. We implement a grid-search approach to compute centroid locations and point-source moment tensor (MT) solutions of these seismic events using ˜0.1-0.3 Hz displacement waveforms and synthetic Green's functions computed using a 3D velocity model of the western edge of the NSD. The 3D model incorporates the currently known approximate geometry of the salt dome and the overlying anhydrite-gypsum cap rock, and features a large velocity contrast between the high velocity salt dome and low velocity sediments overlying and surrounding it. For each possible location on the source grid, Green's functions (GFs) to each station were computed using source-receiver reciprocity and the finite-difference seismic wave propagation software SW4. We also establish an empirical method to rigorously assess uncertainties in the centroid location, MW and source type of these events under evolving network geometry, using the results of synthetic tests with hypothetical events and real seismic noise. We apply the methods on the entire duration of data (˜6 months) recorded by the temporary US Geological Survey network. During an energetic phase of the sequence from 24-31 July 2012 when 4 stations were operational, the events with the best waveform fits are primarily located at the western edge of the salt dome at most probable depths of ˜0.3-0.85 km, close to the horizontal positions of the cavern and the future sinkhole. The data are fit nearly equally well by opening crack MTs in the high velocity salt medium or by isotropic volume-increase MTs in the low velocity sediment layers. We find that data recorded by 6 stations during 1-2 August 2012, right before the appearance of the sinkhole, indicate that some events are likely located in the lower velocity media just outside the salt dome at slightly shallower depth ˜0.35-0.65 km, with preferred isotropic volume-increase MT solutions. We find that GFs computed using the 3D velocity model generally result in better fits to the data than GFs computed using 1D velocity models, especially for the smaller amplitude tangential and vertical components, and result in better resolution of event locations. The dominant seismicity during 24-30 July 2012 is characterized by steady occurrence of seismic events with similar locations and MT solutions at a near-characteristic inter-event time. The steady activity is sometimes interrupted by tremor-like sequences of multiple events in rapid succession, followed by quiet periods of little of no seismic activity, in turn followed by the resumption of seismicity with a reduced seismic moment-release rate. The dominant volume-increase MT solutions and the steady features of the seismicity indicate a crack-valve-type source mechanism possibly driven by pressurized natural gas.

The discrimination of man-made explosions from earthquakes using seismo-acoustic analysis in the Korean Peninsula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Che, Il-Young; Jeon, Jeong-Soo

2010-05-01

Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) operates an infrasound network consisting of seven seismo-acoustic arrays in South Korea. Development of the arrays began in 1999, partially in collaboration with Southern Methodist University, with the goal of detecting distant infrasound signals from natural and anthropogenic phenomena in and around the Korean Peninsula. The main operational purpose of this network is to discriminate man-made seismic events from seismicity including thousands of seismic events per year in the region. The man-made seismic events are major cause of error in estimating the natural seismicity, especially where the seismic activity is weak or moderate such as in the Korean Peninsula. In order to discriminate the man-made explosions from earthquakes, we have applied the seismo-acoustic analysis associating seismic and infrasonic signals generated from surface explosion. The observations of infrasound at multiple arrays made it possible to discriminate surface explosion, because small or moderate size earthquake is not sufficient to generate infrasound. Till now we have annually discriminated hundreds of seismic events in seismological catalog as surface explosions by the seismo-acoustic analysis. Besides of the surface explosions, the network also detected infrasound signals from other sources, such as bolide, typhoons, rocket launches, and underground nuclear test occurred in and around the Korean Peninsula. In this study, ten years of seismo-acoustic data are reviewed with recent infrasonic detection algorithm and association method that finally linked to the seismic monitoring system of the KIGAM to increase the detection rate of surface explosions. We present the long-term results of seismo-acoustic analysis, the detection capability of the multiple arrays, and implications for seismic source location. Since the seismo-acoustic analysis is proved as a definite method to discriminate surface explosion, the analysis will be continuously used for estimating natural seismicity and understanding infrasonic sources.

A unified approach to fluid-flow, geomechanical, and seismic modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yarushina, Viktoriya; Minakov, Alexander

2016-04-01

The perturbations of pore pressure can generate seismicity. This is supported by observations from human activities that involve fluid injection into rocks at high pressure (hydraulic fracturing, CO2 storage, geothermal energy production) and natural examples such as volcanic earthquakes. Although the seismic signals that emerge during geotechnical operations are small both in amplitude and duration when compared to natural counterparts. A possible explanation for the earthquake source mechanism is based on a number of in situ stress measurements suggesting that the crustal rocks are close to its plastic yield limit. Hence, a rapid increase of the pore pressure decreases the effective normal stress, and, thus, can trigger seismic shear deformation. At the same time, little attention has been paid to the fact that the perturbation of fluid pressure itself represents an acoustic source. Moreover, non-double-couple source mechanisms are frequently reported from the analysis of microseismicity. A consistent formulation of the source mechanism describing microseismic events should include both a shear and isotropic component. Thus, improved understanding of the interaction between fluid flow and seismic deformation is needed. With this study we aim to increase the competence in integrating real-time microseismic monitoring with geomechanical modelling such that there is a feedback loop between monitored deformation and stress field modelling. We propose fully integrated seismic, geomechanical and reservoir modelling. Our mathematical formulation is based on fundamental set of force balance, mass balance, and constitutive poro-elastoplastic equations for two-phase media consisting of deformable solid rock frame and viscous fluid. We consider a simplified 1D modelling setup for consistent acoustic source and wave propagation in poro-elastoplastic media. In this formulation the seismic wave is generated due to local changes of the stress field and pore pressure induced by e.g. fault generation or strain localization. This approach gives unified framework to characterize microseismicity of both class-I (pressure induced) and class-II (stress triggered) type of events. We consider two modelling setups. In the first setup the event is located within the reservoir and associated with pressure/stress drop due to fracture initiation. In the second setup we assume that seismic wave from a distant source hits a reservoir. The unified formulation of poro-elastoplastic deformation allows us to link the macroscopic stresses to local seismic instability.

Cataloging tremor at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thelen, W. A.; Wech, A.

2013-12-01

Tremor is a ubiquitous seismic feature on Kilauea volcano, which emanates from at least three distinct sources. At depth, intermittent tremor and earthquakes thought to be associated with the underlying plumbing system of Kilauea (Aki and Koyanagi, 1981) occurs approximately 40 km below and 40 km SW of the summit. At the summit of the volcano, nearly continuous tremor is recorded close to a persistently degassing lava lake, which has been present since 2008. Much of this tremor is correlated with spattering at the lake surface, but tremor also occurs in the absence of spattering, and was observed at the summit of the volcano prior to the appearance of the lava lake, predominately in association with inflation/deflation events. The third known source of tremor is in the area of Pu`u `O`o, a vent that has been active since 1983. The exact source location and depth is poorly constrained for each of these sources. Consistently tracking the occurrence and location of tremor in these areas through time will improve our understanding of the plumbing geometry beneath Kilauea volcano and help identify precursory patterns in tremor leading to changes in eruptive activity. The continuous and emergent nature of tremor precludes the use of traditional earthquake techniques for automatic detection and location of seismicity. We implement the method of Wech and Creager (2008) to both detect and localize tremor seismicity in the three regions described above. The technique uses an envelope cross-correlation method in 5-minute windows that maximizes tremor signal coherency among seismic stations. The catalog is currently being built in near-realtime, with plans to extend the analysis to the past as time and continuous data availability permits. This automated detection and localization method has relatively poor depth constraints due to the construction of the envelope function. Nevertheless, the epicenters distinguish activity among the different source regions and serve as starting points for more sophisticated location techniques using cross-correlation and/or amplitude-based locations. The resulting timelines establish a quantitative baseline of behavior for each source to better understand and forecast Kilauea activity.

Seismic velocity structure in the western part of Nankai subduction zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Y.; Obana, K.; Takahashi, T.; Nakanishi, A.; Kodaira, S.; Kaneda, Y.

2011-12-01

In the Nankai Trough, three major seismogenic zones of megathrust earthquake exist (Tokai, Tonankai and Nankai earthquake regions). The Hyuga-nada region was distinguished from these seismogenic zones because of the lack of megathrust earthquake. However, recent studies show the possibility of simultaneous rupture of the Nankai and Hyuga-nada segments was also pointed out [e.g., Furumura et al, 2010 JGR]. Because seismic velocity structure is one of the useful and basic information for understanding the possibility of seismic linkage of Nankai and Hyuga-nada segments, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology has been carried out a series of wide-angle active source surveys and local seismic observations among the three major seismogenic zones and Hyuga-nada segment from 2008, as a part of "Research concerning Interaction Between the Tokai, Tonankai and Nankai Earthquakes' funded by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan". We are performing two set of three-dimensional seismic velocity tomographic inversions, one is in the Hyuga-nada region and the other is western part of the coseismic rupture area of 1946 Nankai earthquake, to discuss the relationship between the structural heterogeneities and the location of segment boundary between Hyuga-nada and Nankai segment. For the analysis of Hyuga-nada segment, we used both active and passive source data. The obtained velocity model clearly showed the subducted Kyushu-Palau ridge as thick low velocity Philippine Sea slab in the southwestern part. Our velocity image also indicates that "the thin oceanic crust zone" located between Nankai segment and Kyushu-Palau Ridge segment, founded by Nakanishi et al [2010, AGU] by analyzing of the active source survey, continuously exists from trough axis to near the coastline of Kyushu Island. The overriding plate just above the coseismic slip area of 1968 Hyuga-nada earthquake shows relatively high velocity. Although the tomographic study in the western part of Nankai seismogenic zone is still a preliminary stage and we used only a part of the passive source data, we found the anomalous high velocity zone in the overriding plate. This zone is located at just beneath the cape Ashizuri, corresponding to the boundary between the Nankai and Hyuga-nada segments. To clarify more detail structure, we will perform the joint inversion using both active and passive source data in the western Nankai seismogenic zone.

The Seismicity activity toward east of Bogotá D. C., Colombia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chicangana, G.; Vargas, C. A.; Gomez-Capera, A.; Pedraza, P.; Mora-Paez, H.; Salcedo, E.; Caneva, A.

2013-12-01

In the eastern flank of Eastern Cordillera very close to Bogotá D.C metropolitan area at least in last 450 years five magnitude 5.0 or higher earthquakes has occur. These were confirmed by both historical and instrumental seismicity information. Among these earthquakes, the first one in Colombian historical times was occur at March 16th, 1644 and was sense toward south of Santa Fé de Bogotá. Then on October 18th, 1743 occurred with a current probabilistic magnitude greater than 6.5 an earthquake that transcended in this region due to the economic slump and loss of lives that it caused. Recently the Quetame Earthquake with M = 5.9 occur on May 24th, 2008, that destroyed the Quetame town. This last earthquake was registered locally by Colombian Seismological Network (RSNC). In this study we realized an analysis over this seismicity activity both by historical chronicles with macroseismic estimation data, the seismicity record obtained mainly by the Colombian National Seismological Network (RSNC) data for the 1993-2012 lapse, for searching the seismogenics sources that produced this seismicity activity. So, with these results we show the tectonic panorama of this region indicating of this manner the faults that possibility can be potentially seismic actives. For this we have considered mainly geomorphologic features associated to the faults activity additionally corroborated with GPS velocities data of GEORED project of Colombian Geological Survey.

Studying physical properties of deformed intact and fractured rocks by micro-scale hydro-mechanical-seismicity model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raziperchikolaee, Samin

The pore pressure variation in an underground formation during hydraulic stimulation of low permeability formations or CO2 sequestration into saline aquifers can induce microseismicity due to fracture generation or pre-existing fracture activation. While the analysis of microseismic data mainly focuses on mapping the location of fractures, the seismic waves generated by the microseismic events also contain information for understanding of fracture mechanisms based on microseismic source analysis. We developed a micro-scale geomechanics, fluid-flow and seismic model that can predict transport and seismic source behavior during rock failure. This model features the incorporation of microseismic source analysis in fractured and intact rock transport properties during possible rock damage and failure. The modeling method considers comprehensive grains and cements interaction through a bonded-particle-model. As a result of grain deformation and microcrack development in the rock sample, forces and displacements in the grains involved in the bond breakage are measured to determine seismic moment tensor. In addition, geometric description of the complex pore structure is regenerated to predict fluid flow behavior of fractured samples. Numerical experiments are conducted for different intact and fractured digital rock samples, representing various mechanical behaviors of rocks and fracture surface properties, to consider their roles on seismic and transport properties of rocks during deformation. Studying rock deformation in detail provides an opportunity to understand the relationship between source mechanism of microseismic events and transport properties of damaged rocks to have a better characterizing of fluid flow behavior in subsurface formations.

Strong Motion Network of Medellín and Aburrá Valley: technical advances, seismicity records and micro-earthquake monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Posada, G.; Trujillo, J. C., Sr.; Hoyos, C.; Monsalve, G.

2017-12-01

The tectonics setting of Colombia is determined by the interaction of Nazca, Caribbean and South American plates, together with the Panama-Choco block collision, which makes a seismically active region. Regional seismic monitoring is carried out by the National Seismological Network of Colombia and the Accelerometer National Network of Colombia. Both networks calculate locations, magnitudes, depths and accelerations, and other seismic parameters. The Medellín - Aburra Valley is located in the Northern segment of the Central Cordillera of Colombia, and according to the Colombian technical seismic norm (NSR-10), is a region of intermediate hazard, because of the proximity to seismic sources of the Valley. Seismic monitoring in the Aburra Valley began in 1996 with an accelerometer network which consisted of 38 instruments. Currently, the network consists of 26 stations and is run by the Early Warning System of Medellin and Aburra Valley (SIATA). The technical advances have allowed the real-time communication since a year ago, currently with 10 stations; post-earthquake data is processed through operationally near-real-time, obtaining quick results in terms of location, acceleration, spectrum response and Fourier analysis; this information is displayed at the SIATA web site. The strong motion database is composed by 280 earthquakes; this information is the basis for the estimation of seismic hazards and risk for the region. A basic statistical analysis of the main information was carried out, including the total recorded events per station, natural frequency, maximum accelerations, depths and magnitudes, which allowed us to identify the main seismic sources, and some seismic site parameters. With the idea of a more complete seismic monitoring and in order to identify seismic sources beneath the Valley, we are in the process of installing 10 low-cost shake seismometers for micro-earthquake monitoring. There is no historical record of earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 3.5 beneath the Aburra Valley, and the neotectonic evidence are limited, so it is expected that this network helps to characterize the seismic hazards.

High frequency seismic signal generated by landslides on complex topographies: from point source to spatially distributed sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mangeney, A.; Kuehnert, J.; Capdeville, Y.; Durand, V.; Stutzmann, E.; Kone, E. H.; Sethi, S.

2017-12-01

During their flow along the topography, landslides generate seismic waves in a wide frequency range. These so called landquakes can be recorded at very large distances (a few hundreds of km for large landslides). The recorded signals depend on the landslide seismic source and the seismic wave propagation. If the wave propagation is well understood, the seismic signals can be inverted for the seismic source and thus can be used to get information on the landslide properties and dynamics. Analysis and modeling of long period seismic signals (10-150s) have helped in this way to discriminate between different landslide scenarios and to constrain rheological parameters (e.g. Favreau et al., 2010). This was possible as topography poorly affects wave propagation at these long periods and the landslide seismic source can be approximated as a point source. In the near-field and at higher frequencies (> 1 Hz) the spatial extent of the source has to be taken into account and the influence of the topography on the recorded seismic signal should be quantified in order to extract information on the landslide properties and dynamics. The characteristic signature of distributed sources and varying topographies is studied as a function of frequency and recording distance.The time dependent spatial distribution of the forces applied to the ground by the landslide are obtained using granular flow numerical modeling on 3D topography. The generated seismic waves are simulated using the spectral element method. The simulated seismic signal is compared to observed seismic data from rockfalls at the Dolomieu Crater of Piton de la Fournaise (La Réunion).Favreau, P., Mangeney, A., Lucas, A., Crosta, G., and Bouchut, F. (2010). Numerical modeling of landquakes. Geophysical Research Letters, 37(15):1-5.

Magnetic Oscillations Mark Sites of Magnetic Transients in an Acoustically Active Flare

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsey, Charles A.; Donea, A.; Hudson, H. S.; Martinez Oliveros, J.; Hanson, C.

2011-05-01

The flare of 2011 February 15, in NOAA AR11158, was the first acoustically active flare of solar cycle 24, and the first observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). It was exceptional in a number of respects (Kosovichev 2011a,b). Sharp ribbon-like transient Doppler, and magnetic signatures swept over parts of the active region during the impulsive phase of the flare. We apply seismic holography to a 2-hr time series of HMI observations encompassing the flare. The acoustic source distribution appears to have been strongly concentrated in a single highly compact penumbral region in which the continuum-intensity signature was unusually weak. The line-of-sight magnetic transient was strong in parts of the active region, but relatively weak in the seismic-source region. On the other hand, the neighbourhoods of the regions visited by the strongest magnetic transients maintained conspicuous 5-minutes-period variations in the line of sight magnetic signature for the full 2-hr duration of the time series, before the flare as well as after. We apply standard helioseismic control diagnostics for clues as to the physics underlying 5-minute magnetic oscillations in regions conducive to magnetic transients during a flare and consider the prospective development of this property as an indicator of flare potentiality on some time scale. We make use of high-resolution data from AIA, using diffracted images where necessary to obtain good photometry where the image is otherwise saturated. This is relevant to seismic emission driven by thick-target heating in the absence of back-warming. We also use RHESSI imaging spectroscopy to compare the source distributions of HXR and seismic emission.

Slab1.0: A three-dimensional model of global subduction zone geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayes, Gavin P.; Wald, David J.; Johnson, Rebecca L.

2012-01-01

We describe and present a new model of global subduction zone geometries, called Slab1.0. An extension of previous efforts to constrain the two-dimensional non-planar geometry of subduction zones around the focus of large earthquakes, Slab1.0 describes the detailed, non-planar, three-dimensional geometry of approximately 85% of subduction zones worldwide. While the model focuses on the detailed form of each slab from their trenches through the seismogenic zone, where it combines data sets from active source and passive seismology, it also continues to the limits of their seismic extent in the upper-mid mantle, providing a uniform approach to the definition of the entire seismically active slab geometry. Examples are shown for two well-constrained global locations; models for many other regions are available and can be freely downloaded in several formats from our new Slab1.0 website, http://on.doi.gov/d9ARbS. We describe improvements in our two-dimensional geometry constraint inversion, including the use of `average' active source seismic data profiles in the shallow trench regions where data are otherwise lacking, derived from the interpolation between other active source seismic data along-strike in the same subduction zone. We include several analyses of the uncertainty and robustness of our three-dimensional interpolation methods. In addition, we use the filtered, subduction-related earthquake data sets compiled to build Slab1.0 in a reassessment of previous analyses of the deep limit of the thrust interface seismogenic zone for all subduction zones included in our global model thus far, concluding that the width of these seismogenic zones is on average 30% larger than previous studies have suggested.

Extraction of Pn seismic signals from air-gun shots recorded by the Cascadia Amphibious seismic experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rathnayaka, S.; Gao, H.

2017-12-01

The goal of this study is to extract Pn (head wave) seismic waveforms recorded by both offshore and onshore (broadband and short period) seismic stations and evaluate the data quality. Two offshore active-source seismic experiments, MGL 1211 and MGL 1212, were conducted from 13th June to 24th July 2012, during the first year deployment of the Cascadia Initiative Amphibious Array. In total, we choose 110 ocean bottom seismometers and 209 inland stations that are located along the entire Cascadia subduction zone. We first remove the instrument response, and then explore the potential frequency ranges and the diurnal effect. We make the common receiver gathering for each seismic station and filter the seismic waveforms at multiple frequency bands, ranging from 3-5 Hz, 5-10 Hz, 10-20 Hz, to 20-40 Hz, respectively. To quantitatively evaluate the data quality, we calculate the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the waveforms for usable stations that record clear Pn arrivals at multiple frequency bands. Our results show that most offshore stations located at deep water (>1.5 km) record clear air-gun shot signals at frequencies higher than 3 Hz and up to 550 km away from the source. For most stations located on the shallow continental shelf, the seismic recordings appear much noisier at all the frequencies compared to stations at deep water. Three general trends are observed for the SNR distribution; First, the SNR ratio increases from lower to higher frequency bands; Second, the ratio decreases with the increasing source-to-receiver distance; And third, the ratio increases from shallow to deep water. We also observe a rough negative relationship of the signal-to-noise ratio with the thickness of the marine sediment. Only 5 inland stations record clear air-gun shot arrivals up to 200 km away from the source. More detailed data quality analysis with more results will also be present.

Near-Source Shaking and Dynamic Rupture in Plastic Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabriel, A.; Mai, P. M.; Dalguer, L. A.; Ampuero, J. P.

2012-12-01

Recent well recorded earthquakes show a high degree of complexity at the source level that severely affects the resulting ground motion in near and far-field seismic data. In our study, we focus on investigating source-dominated near-field ground motion features from numerical dynamic rupture simulations in an elasto-visco-plastic bulk. Our aim is to contribute to a more direct connection from theoretical and computational results to field and seismological observations. Previous work showed that a diversity of rupture styles emerges from simulations on faults governed by velocity-and-state-dependent friction with rapid velocity-weakening at high slip rate. For instance, growing pulses lead to re-activation of slip due to gradual stress build-up near the hypocenter, as inferred in some source studies of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. Moreover, off-fault energy dissipation implied physical limits on extreme ground motion by limiting peak slip rate and rupture velocity. We investigate characteristic features in near-field strong ground motion generated by dynamic in-plane rupture simulations. We present effects of plasticity on source process signatures, off-fault damage patterns and ground shaking. Independent of rupture style, asymmetric damage patterns across the fault are produced that contribute to the total seismic moment, and even dominantly at high angles between the fault and the maximum principal background stress. The off-fault plastic strain fields induced by transitions between rupture styles reveal characteristic signatures of the mechanical source processes during the transition. Comparing different rupture styles in elastic and elasto-visco-plastic media to identify signatures of off-fault plasticity, we find varying degrees of alteration of near-field radiation due to plastic energy dissipation. Subshear pulses suffer more peak particle velocity reduction due to plasticity than cracks. Supershear ruptures are affected even more. The occurrence of multiple rupture fronts affect seismic potency release rate, amplitude spectra, peak particle velocity distributions and near-field seismograms. Our simulations enable us to trace features of source processes in synthetic seismograms, for example exhibiting a re-activation of slip. Such physical models may provide starting points for future investigations of field properties of earthquake source mechanisms and natural fault conditions. In the long-term, our findings may be helpful for seismic hazard analysis and the improvement of seismic source models.

Seismicity remotely triggered by the magnitude 7.3 landers, california, earthquake

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hill, D.P.; Reasenberg, P.A.; Michael, A.; Arabaz, W.J.; Beroza, G.; Brumbaugh, D.; Brune, J.N.; Castro, R.; Davis, S.; Depolo, D.; Ellsworth, W.L.; Gomberg, J.; Harmsen, S.; House, L.; Jackson, S.M.; Johnston, M.J.S.; Jones, L.; Keller, Rebecca Hylton; Malone, S.; Munguia, L.; Nava, S.; Pechmann, J.C.; Sanford, A.; Simpson, R.W.; Smith, R.B.; Stark, M.; Stickney, M.; Vidal, A.; Walter, S.; Wong, V.; Zollweg, J.

1993-01-01

The magnitude 7.3 Landers earthquake of 28 June 1992 triggered a remarkably sudden and widespread increase in earthquake activity across much of the western United States. The triggered earthquakes, which occurred at distances up to 1250 kilometers (17 source dimensions) from the Landers mainshock, were confined to areas of persistent seismicity and strike-slip to normal faulting. Many of the triggered areas also are sites of geothermal and recent volcanic activity. Static stress changes calculated for elastic models of the earthquake appear to be too small to have caused the triggering. The most promising explanations involve nonlinear interactions between large dynamic strains accompanying seismic waves from the mainshock and crustal fluids (perhaps including crustal magma).

Developing seismogenic source models based on geologic fault data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haller, Kathleen M.; Basili, Roberto

2011-01-01

Calculating seismic hazard usually requires input that includes seismicity associated with known faults, historical earthquake catalogs, geodesy, and models of ground shaking. This paper will address the input generally derived from geologic studies that augment the short historical catalog to predict ground shaking at time scales of tens, hundreds, or thousands of years (e.g., SSHAC 1997). A seismogenic source model, terminology we adopt here for a fault source model, includes explicit three-dimensional faults deemed capable of generating ground motions of engineering significance within a specified time frame of interest. In tectonically active regions of the world, such as near plate boundaries, multiple seismic cycles span a few hundred to a few thousand years. In contrast, in less active regions hundreds of kilometers from the nearest plate boundary, seismic cycles generally are thousands to tens of thousands of years long. Therefore, one should include sources having both longer recurrence intervals and possibly older times of most recent rupture in less active regions of the world rather than restricting the model to include only Holocene faults (i.e., those with evidence of large-magnitude earthquakes in the past 11,500 years) as is the practice in tectonically active regions with high deformation rates. During the past 15 years, our institutions independently developed databases to characterize seismogenic sources based on geologic data at a national scale. Our goal here is to compare the content of these two publicly available seismogenic source models compiled for the primary purpose of supporting seismic hazard calculations by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); hereinafter we refer to the two seismogenic source models as INGV and USGS, respectively. This comparison is timely because new initiatives are emerging to characterize seismogenic sources at the continental scale (e.g., SHARE in the Euro-Mediterranean, http://www.share-eu.org/; EMME in the Middle East, http://www.emme-gem.org/) and global scale (e.g., GEM, http://www.globalquakemodel.org/; Anonymous 2008). To some extent, each of these efforts is still trying to resolve the level of optimal detail required for this type of compilation. The comparison we provide defines a common standard for consideration by the international community for future regional and global seismogenic source models by identifying the necessary parameters that capture the essence of geological fault data in order to characterize seismogenic sources. In addition, we inform potential users of differences in our usage of common geological/seismological terms to avoid inappropriate use of the data in our models and provide guidance to convert the data from one model to the other (for detailed instructions, see the electronic supplement to this article). Applying our recommendations will permit probabilistic seismic hazard assessment codes to run seamlessly using either seismogenic source input. The USGS and INGV database schema compare well at a first-level inspection. Both databases contain a set of fields representing generalized fault three-dimensional geometry and additional fields that capture the essence of past earthquake occurrences. Nevertheless, there are important differences. When we further analyze supposedly comparable fields, many are defined differently. These differences would cause anomalous results in hazard prediction if one assumes the values are similarly defined. The data, however, can be made fully compatible using simple transformations.

Efforts to monitor and characterize the recent increasing seismicity in central Oklahoma

USGS Publications Warehouse

McNamara, Daniel E.; Rubinstein, Justin L.; Myers, Emma; Smoczyk, Gregory M.; Benz, Harley M.; Williams, Robert; Hayes, Gavin; Wilson, David; Herrmann, Robert B.; McMahon, Nicole D; Aster, R.C.; Bergman, E.; Holland, Austin; Earle, Paul

2015-01-01

The sharp increase in seismicity over a broad region of central Oklahoma has raised concerns regarding the source of the activity and its potential hazard to local communities and energy-industry infrastructure. Efforts to monitor and characterize the earthquake sequences in central Oklahoma are reviewed. Since early 2010, numerous organizations have deployed temporary portable seismic stations in central Oklahoma to record the evolving seismicity. A multiple-event relocation method is applied to produce a catalog of central Oklahoma earthquakes from late 2009 into early 2015. Regional moment tensor (RMT) source parameters were determined for the largest and best-recorded earthquakes. Combining RMT results with relocated seismicity enabled determination of the length, depth, and style of faulting occurring on reactivated subsurface fault systems. It was found that the majority of earthquakes occur on near-vertical, optimally oriented (northeast-southwest and northwest-southeast) strike-slip faults in the shallow crystalline basement. In 2014, 17 earthquakes occurred with magnitudes of 4 or larger. It is suggested that these recently reactivated fault systems pose the greatest potential hazard to the region.

ANZA Seismic Network- From Monitoring to Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernon, F.; Eakin, J.; Martynov, V.; Newman, R.; Offield, G.; Hindley, A.; Astiz, L.

2007-05-01

The ANZA Seismic Network (http:eqinfo.ucsd.edu) utilizes broadband and strong motion sensors with 24-bit dataloggers combined with real-time telemetry to monitor local and regional seismicity in southernmost California. The ANZA network provides real-time data to the IRIS DMC, California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN), other regional networks, and the Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS), in addition to providing near real-time information and monitoring to the greater San Diego community. Twelve high dynamic range broadband and strong motion sensors adjacent to the San Jacinto Fault zone contribute data for earthquake source studies and continue the monitoring of the seismic activity of the San Jacinto fault initiated 24 years ago. Five additional stations are located in the San Diego region with one more station on San Clemente Island. The ANZA network uses the advance wireless networking capabilities of the NSF High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (http:hpwren.ucsd.edu) to provide the communication infrastructure for the real-time telemetry of Anza seismic stations. The ANZA network uses the Antelope data acquisition software. The combination of high quality hardware, communications, and software allow for an annual network uptime in excess of 99.5% with a median annual station real-time data return rate of 99.3%. Approximately 90,000 events, dominantly local sources but including regional and teleseismic events, comprise the ANZA network waveform database. All waveform data and event data are managed using the Datascope relational database. The ANZA network data has been used in a variety of scientific research including detailed structure of the San Jacinto Fault Zone, earthquake source physics, spatial and temporal studies of aftershocks, array studies of teleseismic body waves, and array studies on the source of microseisms. To augment the location, detection, and high frequency observations of the seismic source spectrum from local earthquakes, the ANZA network is receiving real-time data from borehole arrays located at the UCSD Thornton Hospital, and from UCSB's Borrego Valley and Garner Valley Downhole Arrays. Finally the ANZA network is acquiring data from seven PBO sites each with 300 meter deep MEMs accelerometers, passive seismometers, and a borehole strainmeter.

Active source monitoring at the Wenchuan fault zone: coseismic velocity change associated with aftershock event and its implication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Wei; Ge, Hongkui; Wang, Baoshan; Hu, Jiupeng; Yuan, Songyong; Qiao, Sen

2014-12-01

With the improvement of seismic observation system, more and more observations indicate that earthquakes may cause seismic velocity change. However, the amplitude and spatial distribution of the velocity variation remains a controversial issue. Recent active source monitoring carried out adjacent to Wenchuan Fault Scientific Drilling (WFSD) revealed unambiguous coseismic velocity change associated with a local M s5.5 earthquake. Here, we carry out forward modeling using two-dimensional spectral element method to further investigate the amplitude and spatial distribution of observed velocity change. The model is well constrained by results from seismic reflection and WFSD coring. Our model strongly suggests that the observed coseismic velocity change is localized within the fault zone with width of ~120 m rather than dynamic strong ground shaking. And a velocity decrease of ~2.0 % within the fault zone is required to fit the observed travel time delay distribution, which coincides with rock mechanical experiment and theoretical modeling.

Shallow degassing events as a trigger for very-long-period seismicity at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i

USGS Publications Warehouse

Patrick, Matthew; Wilson, David; Fee, David; Orr, Tim R.; Swanson, Donald A.

2011-01-01

The first eruptive activity at Kīlauea Volcano’s summit in 25 years began in March 2008 with the opening of a 35-m-wide vent in Halema‘uma‘u crater. The new activity has produced prominent very-long-period (VLP) signals corresponding with two new behaviors: episodic tremor bursts and small explosive events, both of which represent degassing events from the top of the lava column. Previous work has shown that VLP seismicity has long been present at Kīlauea’s summit, and is sourced approximately 1 km below Halema‘uma‘u. By integrating video observations, infrasound and seismic data, we show that the onset of the large VLP signals occurs within several seconds of the onset of the degassing events. This timing indicates that the VLP is caused by forces—sourced at or very near the lava free surface due to degassing—transmitted down the magma column and coupling to the surrounding rock at 1 km depth.

The Mohorovičić discontinuity beneath the continental crust: An overview of seismic constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carbonell, Ramon; Levander, Alan; Kind, Rainer

2013-12-01

The seismic signature of the Moho from which geologic and tectonic evolution hypotheses are derived is to a large degree a result of the seismic methodology which has been used to obtain the image. Seismic data of different types, passive source (earthquake) broad-band recordings, and controlled source seismic refraction, densely recorded wide-angle deep seismic reflection, and normal incidence reflection (using VibroseisTM, explosives, or airguns), have contributed to the description of the Moho as a relatively complex transition zone. Of critical importance for the quality and resolution of the seismic image are the acquisition parameters, used in the imaging experiments. A variety of signatures have been obtained for the Moho at different scales generally dependent upon bandwidth of the seismic source. This variety prevents the development of a single universally applicable interpretation. In this way source frequency content, and source and sensor spacing determine the vertical and lateral resolution of the images, respectively. In most cases the different seismic probes provide complementary data that gives a fuller picture of the physical structure of the Moho, and its relationship to a petrologic crust-mantle transition. In regional seismic studies carried out using passive source recordings the Moho is a relatively well defined structure with marked lateral continuity. The characteristics of this boundary change depending on the geology and tectonic evolution of the targeted area. Refraction and wide-angle studies suggest the Moho to be often a relatively sharp velocity contrast, whereas the Moho in coincident high quality seismic reflection images is often seen as the abrupt downward decrease in seismic reflectivity. The origin of the Moho and its relation to the crust-mantle boundary is probably better constrained by careful analysis of its internal details, which can be complex and geographically varied. Unlike the oceanic Moho which is formed in a relatively simple, well understood process, the continental Moho can be subject to an extensive variety of tectonic processes, making overarching conclusions about the continental Moho difficult. Speaking very broadly: 1) In orogenic belts still undergoing compression and active continental volcanic arcs, the Moho evolves with the mountain belt, 2) In collapsed Phanerozoic orogenic belts the Moho under the collapse structure was formed during the collapse, often by a combination of processes. 3) In regions having experienced widespread basaltic volcanism, the Moho can result from underplated basalt and basaltic residuum. In Precambrian terranes the Moho may be as ancient as the formation of the crust, in others Precambrian tectonic and magmatic processes have reset it. We note that seismic reflection data in Phanerosoic orogens as well as from Precambrian cratonic terranes often show thrust type structures extending as deep as the Moho, and suggest that even where crust and mantle xenoliths provide similar age of formation dates, the crust may be semi-allochothonous.

Learnings from the Monitoring of Induced Seismicity in Western Canada over the Past Three Years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yenier, E.; Moores, A. O.; Baturan, D.; Spriggs, N.

2017-12-01

In response to induced seismicity observed in western Canada, existing public networks have been densified and a number of private networks have been deployed to closely monitor the earthquakes induced by hydraulic fracturing operations in the region. These networks have produced an unprecedented volume of seismic data, which can be used to map pre-existing geological structures and understand their activation mechanisms. Here, we present insights gained over the past three years from induced seismicity monitoring (ISM) for some of the most active operators in Canada. First, we discuss the benefits of high-quality ISM data sets for making operational decisions and how their value largely depends on choice of instrumentation, seismic network design and data processing techniques. Using examples from recent research studies, we illustrate the key role of robust modeling of regional source, attenuation and site attributes on the accuracy of event magnitudes, ground motion estimates and induced seismicity hazard assessment. Finally, acknowledging that the ultimate goal of ISM networks is assisting operators to manage induced seismic risk, we share some examples of how ISM data products can be integrated into existing protocols for developing effective risk management strategies.

An automated multi-scale network-based scheme for detection and location of seismic sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poiata, N.; Aden-Antoniow, F.; Satriano, C.; Bernard, P.; Vilotte, J. P.; Obara, K.

2017-12-01

We present a recently developed method - BackTrackBB (Poiata et al. 2016) - allowing to image energy radiation from different seismic sources (e.g., earthquakes, LFEs, tremors) in different tectonic environments using continuous seismic records. The method exploits multi-scale frequency-selective coherence in the wave field, recorded by regional seismic networks or local arrays. The detection and location scheme is based on space-time reconstruction of the seismic sources through an imaging function built from the sum of station-pair time-delay likelihood functions, projected onto theoretical 3D time-delay grids. This imaging function is interpreted as the location likelihood of the seismic source. A signal pre-processing step constructs a multi-band statistical representation of the non stationary signal, i.e. time series, by means of higher-order statistics or energy envelope characteristic functions. Such signal-processing is designed to detect in time signal transients - of different scales and a priori unknown predominant frequency - potentially associated with a variety of sources (e.g., earthquakes, LFE, tremors), and to improve the performance and the robustness of the detection-and-location location step. The initial detection-location, based on a single phase analysis with the P- or S-phase only, can then be improved recursively in a station selection scheme. This scheme - exploiting the 3-component records - makes use of P- and S-phase characteristic functions, extracted after a polarization analysis of the event waveforms, and combines the single phase imaging functions with the S-P differential imaging functions. The performance of the method is demonstrated here in different tectonic environments: (1) analysis of the one year long precursory phase of 2014 Iquique earthquake in Chile; (2) detection and location of tectonic tremor sources and low-frequency earthquakes during the multiple episodes of tectonic tremor activity in southwestern Japan.

Seismo-volcano source localization with triaxial broad-band seismic array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inza, L. A.; Mars, J. I.; Métaxian, J. P.; O'Brien, G. S.; Macedo, O.

2011-10-01

Seismo-volcano source localization is essential to improve our understanding of eruptive dynamics and of magmatic systems. The lack of clear seismic wave phases prohibits the use of classical location methods. Seismic antennas composed of one-component (1C) seismometers provide a good estimate of the backazimuth of the wavefield. The depth estimation, on the other hand, is difficult or impossible to determine. As in classical seismology, the use of three-component (3C) seismometers is now common in volcano studies. To determine the source location parameters (backazimuth and depth), we extend the 1C seismic antenna approach to 3Cs. This paper discusses a high-resolution location method using a 3C array survey (3C-MUSIC algorithm) with data from two seismic antennas installed on an andesitic volcano in Peru (Ubinas volcano). One of the main scientific questions related to the eruptive process of Ubinas volcano is the relationship between the magmatic explosions and long-period (LP) swarms. After introducing the 3C array theory, we evaluate the robustness of the location method on a full wavefield 3-D synthetic data set generated using a digital elevation model of Ubinas volcano and an homogeneous velocity model. Results show that the backazimuth determined using the 3C array has a smaller error than a 1C array. Only the 3C method allows the recovery of the source depths. Finally, we applied the 3C approach to two seismic events recorded in 2009. Crossing the estimated backazimuth and incidence angles, we find sources located 1000 ± 660 m and 3000 ± 730 m below the bottom of the active crater for the explosion and the LP event, respectively. Therefore, extending 1C arrays to 3C arrays in volcano monitoring allows a more accurate determination of the source epicentre and now an estimate for the depth.

Resolving source mechanisms of microseismic swarms induced by solution mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinscher, J.; Cesca, S.; Bernard, P.; Contrucci, I.; Mangeney, A.; Piguet, J. P.; Bigarré, P.

2016-07-01

In order to improve our understanding of hazardous underground cavities, the development and collapse of a ˜200 m wide salt solution mining cavity was seismically monitored in the Lorraine basin in northeastern France. The microseismic events show a swarm-like behaviour, with clustering sequences lasting from seconds to days, and distinct spatiotemporal migration. Observed microseismic signals are interpreted as the result of detachment and block breakage processes occurring at the cavity roof. Body wave amplitude patterns indicated the presence of relatively stable source mechanisms, either associated with dip-slip and/or tensile faulting. Signal overlaps during swarm activity due to short interevent times, the high-frequency geophone recordings and the limited network station coverage often limit the application of classical source analysis techniques. To overcome these shortcomings, we investigated the source mechanisms through different procedures including modelling of observed and synthetic waveforms and amplitude spectra of some well-located events, as well as modelling of peak-to-peak amplitude ratios for the majority of the detected events. We extended the latter approach to infer the average source mechanism of many swarming events at once, using multiple events recorded at a single three component station. This methodology is applied here for the first time and represents a useful tool for source studies of seismic swarms and seismicity clusters. The results obtained with different methods are consistent and indicate that the source mechanisms for at least 50 per cent of the microseismic events are remarkably stable, with a predominant thrust faulting regime with faults similarly oriented, striking NW-SE and dipping around 35°-55°. This dominance of consistent source mechanisms might be related to the presence of a preferential direction of pre-existing crack or fault structures. As an interesting byproduct, we demonstrate, for the first time directly on seismic data, that the source radiation pattern significantly controls the detection capability of a seismic station and network.

New OBS network deployment offshore Ireland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Pape, Florian; Bean, Chris; Craig, David; Jousset, Philippe; Horan, Clare; Hogg, Colin; Donne, Sarah; McCann, Hannah; Möllhoff, Martin; Kirk, Henning; Ploetz, Aline

2016-04-01

With the presence of the stormy NE Atlantic, Ireland is ideally located to investigate further our understanding of ocean generated microseisms and use noise correlation methods to develop seismic imaging in marine environments as well as time-lapse monitoring. In order to study the microseismic activity offshore Ireland, 10 Broad Band Ocean Bottom Seismographs (OBSs) units including hydrophones have been deployed in January 2016 across the shelf offshore Donegal and out into the Rockall Trough. This survey represents the first Broadband passive study in this part of the NE Atlantic. The instruments will be recovered in August 2016 providing 8 months worth of data to study microseisms but also the offshore seismic activity in the area. One of the main goal of the survey is to investigate the spatial and temporal distributions of dominant microseism source regions, close to the microseism sources. Additionally we will study the coupling of seismic and acoustic signals at the sea bed and its evolution in both the deep water and continental shelf areas. Furthermore, the survey also aims to investigate further the relationship between sea state conditions (e.g. wave height, period), seafloor pressure variations and seismic data recorded on both land and seafloor. Finally, the deployed OBS network is also the first ever attempt to closely monitor local offshore earthquakes in Ireland. Ireland seismicity although relatively low can reduce slope stability and poses the possibility of triggering large offshore landslides and local tsunamis.

A comprehensive Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment for the city of Naples (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anita, G.; Tonini, R.; Selva, J.; Sandri, L.; Pierdominici, S.; Faenza, L.; Zaccarelli, L.

2012-12-01

A comprehensive Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Assessment (PTHA) should consider different tsunamigenic sources (seismic events, slide failures, volcanic eruptions) to calculate the hazard on given target sites. This implies a multi-disciplinary analysis of all natural tsunamigenic sources, in a multi-hazard/risk framework, which considers also the effects of interaction/cascade events. Our approach shows the ongoing effort to analyze the comprehensive PTHA for the city of Naples (Italy) including all types of sources located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, as developed within the Italian project ByMuR (Bayesian Multi-Risk Assessment). The project combines a multi-hazard/risk approach to treat the interactions among different hazards, and a Bayesian approach to handle the uncertainties. The natural potential tsunamigenic sources analyzed are: 1) submarine seismic sources located on active faults in the Tyrrhenian Sea and close to the Southern Italian shore line (also we consider the effects of the inshore seismic sources and the associated active faults which we provide their rapture properties), 2) mass failures and collapses around the target area (spatially identified on the basis of their propensity to failure), and 3) volcanic sources mainly identified by pyroclastic flows and collapses from the volcanoes in the Neapolitan area (Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Ischia). All these natural sources are here preliminary analyzed and combined, in order to provide a complete picture of a PTHA for the city of Naples. In addition, the treatment of interaction/cascade effects is formally discussed in the case of significant temporary variations in the short-term PTHA due to an earthquake.

Discrimination and Assessment of Induced Seismicity in Active Tectonic Zones: A Case Study from Southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bachmann, C. E.; Lindsey, N.; Foxall, W.; Robertson, M.

2014-12-01

Earthquakes induced by human activity have become a matter of heightened public concern during recent years. Of particular concern is seismicity associated with wastewater injection, which has included events having magnitudes greater than 5. The causes of the induced events are primarily changes in pore-pressure, fluid volume and perhaps temperature due to injection. Recent research in the US has focused on mid-continental regions having low rates of naturally-occurring seismicity, where induced events can be identified by relatively straightforward spatial and temporal correlation of seismicity with high-volume injection activities. Recent examples include events correlated with injection of wastewater in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Ohio, and long-term brine injection in the Paradox Valley in Colorado. Even in some of the cases where there appears at first sight to be a clear spatial correlation between seismicity and injection, it has been difficult to establish causality definitively. Here, we discuss methods to identify induced seismicity in active tectonic regions. We concentrate our study on Southern California, where large numbers of wastewater injection wells are located in oil-producing basins that experience moderate to high rates of naturally-occurring seismicity. Using the catalog of high-precision CISN relocations produced by Hauksson et al. (BSSA, 2012), we aim to discriminate induced from natural events based on spatio-temporal patterns of seismicity occurrence characteristics and their relationships to injection activities, known active faults and other faults favorably oriented for slip under the tectonic stress field. Since the vast majority of induced earthquakes are very small, it is crucial to include all events above the detection threshold of the CISN in each area studied. In addition to exploring the correlation of seismicity to injection activities in time and space, we analyze variations in frequency-magnitude distributions, which can be related to differences between the physical conditions at the sources of fluid-induced and natural earthquakes. While induced seismicity often does not show different mechanisms than tectonic earthquakes, an abundance of induced microseismicity causes the slope of the frequency-magnitude distribution to increase locally.

Microseismic monitoring of soft-rock landslide: contribution of a 3D velocity model for the location of seismic sources.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Floriane, Provost; Jean-Philippe, Malet; Cécile, Doubre; Julien, Gance; Alessia, Maggi; Agnès, Helmstetter

2015-04-01

Characterizing the micro-seismic activity of landslides is an important parameter for a better understanding of the physical processes controlling landslide behaviour. However, the location of the seismic sources on landslides is a challenging task mostly because of (a) the recording system geometry, (b) the lack of clear P-wave arrivals and clear wave differentiation, (c) the heterogeneous velocities of the ground. The objective of this work is therefore to test whether the integration of a 3D velocity model in probabilistic seismic source location codes improves the quality of the determination especially in depth. We studied the clay-rich landslide of Super-Sauze (French Alps). Most of the seismic events (rockfalls, slidequakes, tremors...) are generated in the upper part of the landslide near the main scarp. The seismic recording system is composed of two antennas with four vertical seismometers each located on the east and west sides of the seismically active part of the landslide. A refraction seismic campaign was conducted in August 2014 and a 3D P-wave model has been estimated using the Quasi-Newton tomography inversion algorithm. The shots of the seismic campaign are used as calibration shots to test the performance of the different location methods and to further update the 3D velocity model. Natural seismic events are detected with a semi-automatic technique using a frequency threshold. The first arrivals are picked using a kurtosis-based method and compared to the manual picking. Several location methods were finally tested. We compared a non-linear probabilistic method coupled with the 3D P-wave model and a beam-forming method inverted for an apparent velocity. We found that the Quasi-Newton tomography inversion algorithm provides results coherent with the original underlaying topography. The velocity ranges from 500 m.s-1 at the surface to 3000 m.s-1 in the bedrock. For the majority of the calibration shots, the use of a 3D velocity model significantly improve the results of the location procedure using P-wave arrivals. All the shots were made 50 centimeters below the surface and hence the vertical error could not be determined with the seismic campaign. We further discriminate the rockfalls and the slidequakes occurring on the landslide with the depth computed thanks to the 3D velocity model. This could be an additional criteria to automatically classify the events.

Investigation of cortical structures at Etna Volcano through the analysis of array and borehole data.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuccarello, Luciano; Paratore, Mario; La Rocca, Mario; Ferrari, Ferruccio; Messina, Alfio Alex; Galluzzo, Danilo; Contrafatto, Danilo; Rapisarda, Salvatore

2015-04-01

A continuous monitoring of seismic activity is a fundamental task to detect the most common signals possibly related with volcanic activity, such as volcano-tectonic earthquakes, long-period events, and volcanic tremor. A reliable prediction of the ray-path propagated back from the recording site to the source is strongly limited by the poor knowledge of the local shallow velocity structure. Usually in volcanic environments the shallowest few hundreds meters of rock are characterized by strongly variable mechanical properties. Therefore the propagation of seismic signals through these shallow layers is strongly affected by lateral heterogeneity, attenuation, scattering, and interaction with the free surface. Driven by these motivations, between May and October 2014 we deployed a seismic array in the area called "Pozzo Pitarrone", where two seismic stations of the local monitoring network are installed, one at surface and one borehole at a depth of about 130 meters. The Pitarrone borehole is located in the middle northeastern flank along one of the main intrusion zones of Etna volcano, the so called NE-rift. With the 3D array we recorded seismic signals coming from the summit craters, and also from the seismogenetic fault called Pernicana Fault, which is located nearby. We used array data to analyse the dispersion characteristics of ambient noise vibrations and we derived one-dimensional (1D) shallow shear-velocity profiles through the inversion of dispersion curves measured by autocorrelation methods (SPAC). We observed a one-dimensional variation of shear-velocity between 430 m/s and 700 m/s to a depth of investigation of about 130 m. An abrupt velocity variation was recorded at a depth of about 60 m, probably corresponding to the transition between two different layers. Our preliminary results suggest a good correlation between the velocity model deducted with the stratigraphic section on Etna. The analysis of the entire data set will improve our knowledge about the (i) structure of the top layer and its relationship with geology, (ii) analysis of the signal to noise ratio (SNR) of volcanic signals as a function of frequency, (iii) study of seismic ray-path deformation caused by the interaction of the seismic waves with the free surface, (iv) evaluation of the attenuation of the seismic signals correlated with the volcanic activity. Moreover the knowledge of a shallow velocity model could improve the study of the source mechanism of low frequency events (VLP, LP and volcanic tremor), and give a new contribution to the seismic monitoring of Etna volcano through the detection and location of seismic sources by using 3D array techniques.

Data for Quaternary faults, liquefaction features, and possible tectonic features in the Central and Eastern United States, east of the Rocky Mountain Front

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crone, Anthony J.; Wheeler, Russell L.

2000-01-01

The USGS is currently leading an effort to compile published geological information on Quaternary faults, folds, and earthquake-induced liquefaction in order to develop an internally consistent database on the locations, ages, and activity rates of major earthquake-related features throughout the United States. This report is the compilation for such features in the Central and Eastern United States (CEUS), which for the purposes of the compilation, is defined as the region extending from the Rocky Mountain Front eastward to the Atlantic seaboard. A key objective of this national compilation is to provide a comprehensive database of Quaternary features that might generate strong ground motion and therefore, should be considered in assessing the seismic hazard throughout the country. In addition to printed versions of regional and individual state compilations, the database will be available on the World-Wide Web, where it will be readily available to everyone. The primary purpose of these compilations and the derivative database is to provide a comprehensive, uniform source of geological information that can by used to complement the other types of data that are used in seismic-hazard assessments. Within our CEUS study area, which encompasses more than 60 percent of the continuous U.S., we summarize the geological information on 69 features that are categorized into four classes (Class A, B, C, and D) based on what is known about the feature's Quaternary activity. The CEUS contains only 13 features of tectonic origin for which there is convincing evidence of Quaternary activity (Class A features). Of the remaining 56 features, 11 require further study in order to confidently define their potential as possible sources of earthquake-induced ground motion (Class B), whereas the remaining features either lack convincing geologic evidence of Quaternary tectonic faulting or have been studied carefully enough to determine that they do not pose a significant seismic hazard (Classes C and D). The correlation between historical seismicity and Quaternary faults and liquefaction features in the CEUS is generally poor, which probably reflects the long return times between successive movements on individual structures. Some Quaternary faults and liquefaction features are located in aseismic areas or where historical seismicity is sparse. These relations indicate that the record of historical seismicity does not identify all potential seismic sources in the CEUS. Furthermore, geological studies of some currently aseismic faults have shown that the faults have generated strong earthquakes in the geologically recent past. Thus, the combination of geological information and seismological data can provide better insight into potential earthquake sources and thereby, contribute to better, more comprehensive seismic-hazard assessments.

Relationships among seismic velocity, metamorphism, and seismic and aseismic fault slip in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field region

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGuire, Jeffrey J.; Lohman, Rowena B.; Catchings, Rufus D.; Rymer, Michael J.; Goldman, Mark R.

2015-01-01

The Salton Sea Geothermal Field is one of the most geothermally and seismically active areas in California and presents an opportunity to study the effect of high-temperature metamorphism on the properties of seismogenic faults. The area includes numerous active tectonic faults that have recently been imaged with active source seismic reflection and refraction. We utilize the active source surveys, along with the abundant microseismicity data from a dense borehole seismic network, to image the 3-D variations in seismic velocity in the upper 5 km of the crust. There are strong velocity variations, up to ~30%, that correlate spatially with the distribution of shallow heat flow patterns. The combination of hydrothermal circulation and high-temperature contact metamorphism has significantly altered the shallow sandstone sedimentary layers within the geothermal field to denser, more feldspathic, rock with higher P wave velocity, as is seen in the numerous exploration wells within the field. This alteration appears to have a first-order effect on the frictional stability of shallow faults. In 2005, a large earthquake swarm and deformation event occurred. Analysis of interferometric synthetic aperture radar data and earthquake relocations indicates that the shallow aseismic fault creep that occurred in 2005 was localized on the Kalin fault system that lies just outside the region of high-temperature metamorphism. In contrast, the earthquake swarm, which includes all of the M > 4 earthquakes to have occurred within the Salton Sea Geothermal Field in the last 15 years, ruptured the Main Central Fault (MCF) system that is localized in the heart of the geothermal anomaly. The background microseismicity induced by the geothermal operations is also concentrated in the high-temperature regions in the vicinity of operational wells. However, while this microseismicity occurs over a few kilometer scale region, much of it is clustered in earthquake swarms that last from hours to a few days and are localized near the MCF system.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dreger, Douglas S.; Ford, Sean R.; Walter, William R.

Research was carried out investigating the feasibility of using a regional distance seismic waveform moment tensor inverse procedure to estimate source parameters of nuclear explosions and to use the source inversion results to develop a source-type discrimination capability. The results of the research indicate that it is possible to robustly determine the seismic moment tensor of nuclear explosions, and when compared to natural seismicity in the context of the a Hudson et al. (1989) source-type diagram they are found to separate from populations of earthquakes and underground cavity collapse seismic sources.

TOMO-ETNA Experiment -Etna volcano, Sicily, investigated with active and passive seismic methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luehr, Birger-G.; Ibanez, Jesus M.; Díaz-Moreno, Alejandro; Prudencio, Janire; Patane, Domenico; Zieger, Toni; Cocina, Ornella; Zuccarello, Luciano; Koulakov, Ivan; Roessler, Dirk; Dahm, Torsten

2017-04-01

The TOMO-ETNA experiment, as part of the European Union project "MEDiterranean SUpersite Volcanoes (MED-SUV)", was devised to image the crustal structure beneath Etna by using state of the art passive and active seismic methods. Activities on-land and offshore are aiming to obtain new high-resolution seismic images to improve the knowledge of crustal structures existing beneath the Etna volcano and northeast Sicily up to the Aeolian Islands. In a first phase (June 15 - July 24, 2014) at Etna volcano and surrounding areas two removable seismic networks were installed composed by 80 Short Period and 20 Broadband stations, additionally to the existing network belonging to the "Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia" (INGV). So in total air-gun shots could be recorded by 168 stations onshore plus 27 ocean bottom instruments offshore in the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas. Offshore activities were performed by Spanish and Italian research vessels. In a second phase the broadband seismic network remained operative until October 28, 2014, as well as offshore surveys during November 19 -27, 2014. Active seismic sources were generated by an array of air-guns mounted in the Spanish Oceanographic vessel "Sarmiento de Gamboa" with a power capacity of up to 5.200 cubic inches. In total more than 26.000 shots were fired and more than 450 local and regional earthquakes could be recorded and will be analyzed. For resolving a volcanic structure the investigation of attenuation and scattering of seismic waves is important. In contrast to existing studies that are almost exclusively based on S-wave signals emitted by local earthquakes, here air-gun signals were investigated by applying a new methodology based on the coda energy ratio defined as the ratio between the energy of the direct P-wave and the energy in a later coda window. It is based on the assumption that scattering caused by heterogeneities removes energy from direct P-waves that constitutes the earliest possible arrival to any part later in the seismic wave train. As an independent proxy of the scattering strength along the ray path, we measure the peak delay time of a direct P-wave, which is well correlated with the coda energy ratio. As a result the distribution of heterogeneities around Etna could be visualized as the projection of the observation in directions of incident rays at the stations. Increased seismic scattering could be detected in the volcano and east of it. The strong heterogeneous zone towards the east coast of Sicily supports earlier observations, and is interpreted as a potential signature of the eastward sliding volcano flank. Beside the investigation of P-wave scattering the new seismic tomography software PARTOS (Passive Active Ray Tomography Software) has been developed based on a joint inversion of active and passive seismic sources. With PARTOS real data inversion has been carried out using three different subsets: i) active data; ii) passive data; and iii) joint dataset, permitting to obtain a new tomographic approach of that region.

Strong Paleoearthquakes along the Aksuu Border Fault according to the Results of Dating the Offset Terrace Complex of the Chon-Aksuu River, Northern Tien Shan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korzhenkov, A. M.; Arrowsmith, J. R.; Crosby, C. J.; Guralnik, B.; Rogozhin, E. A.; Sorokin, A. A.; Abdieva, S. V.; Fortuna, A. B.; Yudakhin, A. S.; Agatova, A. R.; Deev, E. V.; Mazeika, J. V.; Rodkin, M. V.; Shen, J.

2018-03-01

The study and radiocarbon dating of the low alluvial terraces of the Chon-Aksuu River, in the Northern Issyk-Kul region, which were broken by the Kebin (Kemin) earthquake of 1911 (Ms = 8.2, Io = 10 to 11), are carried out. The obtained radiocarbon dated ages refer to the second half of the Holocene. Since that time, at least eight strong earthquakes took place along this (Chon-Aksuu) segment of the Aksuu border fault. Three seismic events, including the earthquake of 1911 occurred in the second millennium A.D. This outburst of seismic energy was preceded by two millennia of seismic quiescence, which set in after another pulse of seismic activation. The latter lasted for 1.5 millennia and included five strong earthquakes. The recurrence period of seismic events during the activations is 300-600 years. Hence, the seismic regime along the Chon-Aksuu segment of the Aksuu border fault in the second half of the Holocene was a succession of two seismic activations, each with a duration of 1.0-1.5 ka, which were separated by a 2-ka interval of seismic quiescence. Therefore, the absolute datings of the river terraces of different ages which have been broken by a seismogenic rupture can serve as a reliable source of information about the age of the strong earthquakes that occurred along the seismogenic fault.

Fault Specific Seismic Hazard Maps as Input to Loss Reserves Calculation for Attica Buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deligiannakis, Georgios; Papanikolaou, Ioannis; Zimbidis, Alexandros; Roberts, Gerald

2014-05-01

Greece is prone to various natural disasters, such as wildfires, floods, landslides and earthquakes, due to the special environmental and geological conditions dominating in tectonic plate boundaries. Seismic is the predominant risk, in terms of damages and casualties in the Greek territory. The historical record of earthquakes in Greece has been published from various researchers, providing useful data in seismic hazard assessment of Greece. However, the completeness of the historical record in Greece, despite being one of the longest worldwide, reaches only 500 years for M ≥ 7.3 and less than 200 years for M ≥ 6.5. Considering that active faults in the area have recurrence intervals of a few hundred to several thousands of years, it is clear that many active faults have not been activated during the completeness period covered by the historical records. New Seismic Hazard Assessment methodologies tend to follow fault specific approaches where seismic sources are geologically constrained active faults, in order to address problems related to the historical records incompleteness, obtain higher spatial resolution and calculate realistic source locality distances, since seismic sources are very accurately located. Fault specific approaches provide quantitative assessments as they measure fault slip rates from geological data, providing a more reliable estimate of seismic hazard. We used a fault specific seismic hazard assessment approach for the region of Attica. The method of seismic hazard mapping from geological fault throw-rate data combined three major factors: Empirical data which combine fault rupture lengths, earthquake magnitudes and coseismic slip relationships. The radiuses of VI, VII, VIII and IX isoseismals on the Modified Mercalli (MM) intensity scale. Attenuation - amplification functions for seismic shaking on bedrock compared to basin filling sediments. We explicitly modeled 22 active faults that could affect the region of Attica, including Athens, using detailed data derived from published papers, neotectonic maps and fieldwork observations. Moreover, we incorporated background seismicity models from the historic record and also the subduction zone earthquakes distribution, for the integration of strong deep earthquakes that could also affect Attica region. We created 4 high spatial resolution seismic hazard maps for the region of Attica, one for each of the intensities VII - X (MM). These maps offer a locality specific shaking recurrence record, which represents the long-term shaking record in a more complete way, since they incorporate several seismic cycles of the active faults that could affect Attica. Each one of these high resolution seismic hazard maps displays both the spatial distribution and the recurrence, over a specific time period, of the relevant intensity. Time - independent probabilities were extracted based on these average recurrence intervals, using the stationary Poisson model P = 1 -e-Λt. The 'Λ' value was provided by the intensities recurrence, as displayed in the seismic hazard maps. However, the insurance contracts usually lack of detailed spatial information and they refer to Postal Codes level, akin to CRESTA zones. To this end, a time-independent probability of shaking at intensities VII - X was calculated for every Postal Code, for a given time period, using the Poisson model. The reserves calculation on buildings portfolio combines the probability of events of specific intensities within the Postal Codes, with the buildings characteristics, such as the building construction type and the insured value. We propose a standard approach for the reserves calculation K(t) for a specific time period: K (t) = x2 ·[x1 ·y1 ·P1(t) + x1 ·y2 ·P2(t) + x1 ·y3 ·P3(t) + x1 ·y4 ·P4(t)] x1 which is a function of the probabilities of occurrence for the seismic intensities VII - X (P1(t) -P4(t)) for the same period, the value of the building x1, the insured value x2 and the characteristics of the building, such as the construction type, age, height and use of property (y1 - y4). Furthermore a stochastic approach is also adopted in order to obtain the relevant reserve value K(t) for the specific time period. This calculation considers a set of simulations from the Poisson random variable and then taking the respective expectations.

A GIS-based time-dependent seismic source modeling of Northern Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashemi, Mahdi; Alesheikh, Ali Asghar; Zolfaghari, Mohammad Reza

2017-01-01

The first step in any seismic hazard study is the definition of seismogenic sources and the estimation of magnitude-frequency relationships for each source. There is as yet no standard methodology for source modeling and many researchers have worked on this topic. This study is an effort to define linear and area seismic sources for Northern Iran. The linear or fault sources are developed based on tectonic features and characteristic earthquakes while the area sources are developed based on spatial distribution of small to moderate earthquakes. Time-dependent recurrence relationships are developed for fault sources using renewal approach while time-independent frequency-magnitude relationships are proposed for area sources based on Poisson process. GIS functionalities are used in this study to introduce and incorporate spatial-temporal and geostatistical indices in delineating area seismic sources. The proposed methodology is used to model seismic sources for an area of about 500 by 400 square kilometers around Tehran. Previous researches and reports are studied to compile an earthquake/fault catalog that is as complete as possible. All events are transformed to uniform magnitude scale; duplicate events and dependent shocks are removed. Completeness and time distribution of the compiled catalog is taken into account. The proposed area and linear seismic sources in conjunction with defined recurrence relationships can be used to develop time-dependent probabilistic seismic hazard analysis of Northern Iran.

Marine and land active-source seismic imaging of mid-Miocene to Holocene-aged faulting near geothermal prospects at Pyramid Lake, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eisses, A.; Kell, A.; Kent, G.

Amy Eisses, Annie Kell, Graham Kent, Neal Driscoll, Robert Karlin, Rob Baskin, John Louie, and Satish Pullammanappallil, 2011, Marine and land active-source seismic imaging of mid-Miocene to Holocene-aged faulting near geothermal prospects at Pyramid Lake, Nevada: Geothermal Resources Council Transactions, 35, 7 pp. Preprint at http://crack.seismo.unr.edu/geothermal/Eisses-GRCpaper-sm.pdf The Pyramid Lake fault zone lies within a vitally important area of the northern Walker Lane where not only can transtension can be studied through a complex arrangement of strike-slip and normal faults but also geothermal activity can be examined in the extensional regime for productivity. This study used advanced and economical seismic methodsmore » in attempt to develop the Paiute Tribe’s geothermal reservoir and to expand upon the tectonics and earthquake hazard knowledge of the area. 500 line-kilometers of marine CHIRP data were collected on Pyramid Lake combined with 27 kilometers of vibrator seismic on-land data from the northwest side of the basin were collected in 2010 that highlighted two distinct phases of faulting. Preliminary results suggest that the geothermal fluids in the area are controlled by the late Pleistoceneto Holocene-aged faults and not through the mid-Miocene-aged conduits as originally hypothesized.« less

Updating Hawaii Seismicity Catalogs with Systematic Relocations and Subspace Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okubo, P.; Benz, H.; Matoza, R. S.; Thelen, W. A.

2015-12-01

We continue the systematic relocation of seismicity recorded in Hawai`i by the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), with interests in adding to the products derived from the relocated seismicity catalogs published by Matoza et al., (2013, 2014). Another goal of this effort is updating the systematically relocated HVO catalog since 2009, when earthquake cataloging at HVO was migrated to the USGS Advanced National Seismic System Quake Management Software (AQMS) systems. To complement the relocation analyses of the catalogs generated from traditional STA/LTA event-triggered and analyst-reviewed approaches, we are also experimenting with subspace detection of events at Kilauea as a means to augment AQMS procedures for cataloging seismicity to lower magnitudes and during episodes of elevated volcanic activity. Our earlier catalog relocations have demonstrated the ability to define correlated or repeating families of earthquakes and provide more detailed definition of seismogenic structures, as well as the capability for improved automatic identification of diverse volcanic seismic sources. Subspace detectors have been successfully applied to cataloging seismicity in situations of low seismic signal-to-noise and have significantly increased catalog sensitivity to lower magnitude thresholds. We anticipate similar improvements using event subspace detections and cataloging of volcanic seismicity that include improved discrimination among not only evolving earthquake sequences but also diverse volcanic seismic source processes. Matoza et al., 2013, Systematic relocation of seismicity on Hawai`i Island from 1992 to 2009 using waveform cross correlation and cluster analysis, J. Geophys. Res., 118, 2275-2288, doi:10.1002/jgrb.580189 Matoza et al., 2014, High-precision relocation of long-period events beneath the summit region of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai`i, from 1986 to 2009, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 3413-3421, doi:10.1002/2014GL059819

Hydraulic Fracturing Induced Seismicity at Preese Hall, UK: Moment Tensors, Uncertainties and Implications for Microseismic Monitoring Strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'toole, T. B.; Woodhouse, J. H.; Verdon, J.; Kendall, J.

2012-12-01

Hydraulic fracturing operations carried out in April and May 2011 by Cuadrilla Resources Ltd. during the exploration of a shale gas reservoir at Preese Hall, near Blackpool, UK, induced a series of microseismic events. The largest of these, with magnitude ML = 2.3, was felt at the surface and recorded by the British Geological Survey regional seismic network. Subsequently, two local seismic stations were installed, which continued to detect seismicity with ML ≤ 1.5 until the hydraulic fracture treatment was suspended due to the anomalously large magnitudes of the induced earthquakes. Here, we present the results of moment tensor inversions of seismic waveforms recorded by these two near-field stations. We determine the best point source description of an event by minimising the least-squares difference between observed and synthetic waveforms. In contrast to source mechanisms obtained from body wave polarity and amplitude picks, which require a good sampling of the focal sphere and typically assume a pure double-couple mechanism, using the whole waveform allows us to place good constraints on the moment tensor even when only a few seismograms are available, and also enables the investigation of possible non-double-couple components and volume changes associated with a source. We discuss our results in the context of the studies commissioned by Cuadrilla after the suspension of hydraulic fracturing operations at Preese Hall. Using synthetic waveform data, we investigate how different monitoring geometries can be used to reduce uncertainties in source parameters of induced microseisms. While our focus is on the monitoring of hydraulic fracturing operations, the methods developed here are general and could equally be applied to determine moment tensors from surface and borehole observations of seismicity induced by other activities.

Earthquake hypocenters and focal mechanisms in central Oklahoma reveal a complex system of reactivated subsurface strike-slip faulting

USGS Publications Warehouse

McNamara, Daniel E.; Benz, Harley M.; Herrmann, Robert B.; Bergman, Eric A.; Earle, Paul S.; Holland, Austin F.; Baldwin, Randy W.; Gassner, A.

2015-01-01

The sharp increase in seismicity over a broad region of central Oklahoma has raised concern regarding the source of the activity and its potential hazard to local communities and energy industry infrastructure. Since early 2010, numerous organizations have deployed temporary portable seismic stations in central Oklahoma in order to record the evolving seismicity. In this study, we apply a multiple-event relocation method to produce a catalog of 3,639 central Oklahoma earthquakes from late 2009 through 2014. RMT source parameters were determined for 195 of the largest and best-recorded earthquakes. Combining RMT results with relocated seismicity enabled us to determine the length, depth and style-of-faulting occurring on reactivated subsurface fault systems. Results show that the majority of earthquakes occur on near vertical, optimally oriented (NE-SW and NW-SE), strike-slip faults in the shallow crystalline basement. These are necessary first order observations required to assess the potential hazards of individual faults in Oklahoma.

Comparison of Amplitudes and Frequencies of Explosive vs. Hammer Seismic Sources for a 1-km Seismic Line in West Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaip, G.; Harder, S. H.; Karplus, M. S.; Vennemann, A.

2016-12-01

In May 2016, the National Seismic Source Facility (NSSF) located at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Department of Geological Sciences collected seismic data at the Indio Ranch located 30 km southwest of Van Horn, Texas. Both hammer on an aluminum plate and explosive sources were used. The project objective was to image subsurface structures at the ranch, owned by UTEP. Selecting the appropriate seismic source is important to reach project objectives. We compare seismic sources between explosions and hammer on plate, focusing on amplitude and frequency. The seismic line was 1 km long, trending WSW to ENE, with 200 4.5 Hz geophones at 5m spacing and shot locations at 10m spacing. Clay slurry was used in shot holes to increase shot coupling around booster. Trojan Spartan cast boosters (150g) were used in explosive sources in each shot hole (1 hole per station). The end of line shots had 5 shot holes instead of 1 (750g total). The hammer source utilized a 5.5 kg hammer and an aluminum plate. Five hammer blows were stacked at each location to improve signal-to-noise ratio. Explosive sources yield higher amplitude, but lower frequency content. The explosions exhibit a higher signal-to-noise ratio, allowing us to recognize seismic energy deeper and farther from the source. Hammer sources yield higher frequencies, allowing better resolution at shallower depths but have a lower signal-to-noise ratio and lower amplitudes, even with source stacking. We analyze the details of the shot spectra from the different types of sources. A combination of source types can improve data resolution and amplitude, thereby improving imaging potential. However, cost, logistics, and complexities also have a large influence on source selection.

Volcano Observations Using an Unmanned Autonomous Helicopter : seismic and GPS observations near the active summit area of Sakurajima and Kirishima volcano, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohminato, T.; Kaneko, T.; Koyama, T.; Watanabe, A.; Takeo, M.; Iguchi, M.; Honda, Y.

2012-04-01

Observations in the vicinity of summit area of active volcanoes are very important from various viewpoints such as understanding physical processes in the volcanic conduit. It is, however, highly difficult to install observation sensors near active vents because of the risk of sudden eruptions. We have been developing a safe volcano observation system based on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). As an UAV, we adopted an unmanned autonomous helicopter manufactured by Yamaha-Motor Co., Ltd. We have also developed earthquake observation modules and GPS receiver modules that are exclusively designed for UAV installation at summit areas of active volcanoes. These modules are light weight, compact size, and solar powered. For data transmission, a commercial cellular-phone network is used. Our first application of the sensor installation by the UAV is Sakurajima, one of the most active volcanos in Japan. In November 2009, 2010, and 2011, we installed up to four seismic sensors within 2km from the active summit crater. In the 2010 and 2011 operations, we succeeded in pulling up and collecting the sensor modules by using the UAV. In the 2011 experiment, we installed two GPS receivers near the summit area of Sakurajima volcano. We also applied the UAV installation to another active volcano, Shinmoedake in Kirishima volcano group. Since the sub-plinian eruption in February 2011, entering the area 3km from the summit of Shinmoe-dake has been prohibited. In May and November 2011, we installed seismic sensors and GPS receivers in the off-limit zone. Although the ground coupling of the seismic modules is not perfect due to the way they are installed, the signal-to-noise ratio of the seismic signals recorded by these modules is fairly good. Despite the low antenna height of 50 cm from the ground surface, the location errors in horizontal and vertical GPS components are 1cm and 3cm, respectively. For seismic signals associated with eruptions at Sakurajima from November 2010 to November 2011, we measure temporal variation of the amplitude ratio among the summit stations. In order to correct the amplitude variation due to the source amplitude variation, the amplitude of the recorded signals are normalized by using the amplitude of a permanent station, located on the western flank of Sakurajima 5km from the summit. The daily average of the normalized amplitude ratios among the summit stations shows clear temporal variation. The amplitude ratio variation can be classified to three stages. In the first stage, the amplitude ratios among the summit stations are nearly constant. The 2nd stage is characterized by a gradual increase in the amplitude ratio. The third stage is slightly difficult to define but we can say that the amplitude ratios are almost constant with fluctuations larger than that in the first stage. These changes strongly suggest a change in the source depth, probably migration of the source to the shallower portion in the volcanic conduit. Small change in the source position would have been observed as a big change in the observed amplitude ratio due to the closeness of the sensors to the source.

Increasing seismicity in the U. S. midcontinent: Implications for earthquake hazard

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ellsworth, William L.; Llenos, Andrea L.; McGarr, Arthur F.; Michael, Andrew J.; Rubinstein, Justin L.; Mueller, Charles S.; Petersen, Mark D.; Calais, Eric

2015-01-01

Earthquake activity in parts of the central United States has increased dramatically in recent years. The space-time distribution of the increased seismicity, as well as numerous published case studies, indicates that the increase is of anthropogenic origin, principally driven by injection of wastewater coproduced with oil and gas from tight formations. Enhanced oil recovery and long-term production also contribute to seismicity at a few locations. Preliminary hazard models indicate that areas experiencing the highest rate of earthquakes in 2014 have a short-term (one-year) hazard comparable to or higher than the hazard in the source region of tectonic earthquakes in the New Madrid and Charleston seismic zones.

The Temblor mobile seismic risk app, v2: Rapid and seamless earthquake information to inspire individuals to recognize and reduce their risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stein, R. S.; Sevilgen, V.; Sevilgen, S.; Kim, A.; Jacobson, D. S.; Lotto, G. C.; Ely, G.; Bhattacharjee, G.; O'Sullivan, J.

2017-12-01

Temblor quantifies and personalizes earthquake risk and offers solutions by connecting users with qualified retrofit and insurance providers. Temblor's daily blog on current earthquakes, seismic swarms, eruptions, floods, and landslides makes the science accessible to the public. Temblor is available on iPhone, Android, and mobile web app platforms (http://temblor.net). The app presents both scenario (worst case) and probabilistic (most likely) financial losses for homes and commercial buildings, and estimates the impact of seismic retrofit and insurance on the losses and safety. Temblor's map interface has clickable earthquakes (with source parameters and links) and active faults (name, type, and slip rate) around the world, and layers for liquefaction, landslides, tsunami inundation, and flood zones in the U.S. The app draws from the 2014 USGS National Seismic Hazard Model and the 2014 USGS Building Seismic Safety Council ShakeMap scenari0 database. The Global Earthquake Activity Rate (GEAR) model is used worldwide, with active faults displayed in 75 countries. The Temblor real-time global catalog is merged from global and national catalogs, with aftershocks discriminated from mainshocks. Earthquake notifications are issued to Temblor users within 30 seconds of their occurrence, with approximate locations and magnitudes that are rapidly refined in the ensuing minutes. Launched in 2015, Temblor has 650,000 unique users, including 250,000 in the U.S. and 110,000 in Chile, as well as 52,000 Facebook followers. All data shown in Temblor is gathered from authoritative or published sources and is synthesized to be intuitive and actionable to the public. Principal data sources include USGS, FEMA, EMSC, GEM Foundation, NOAA, GNS Science (New Zealand), INGV (Italy), PHIVOLCS (Philippines), GSJ (Japan), Taiwan Earthquake Model, EOS Singapore (Southeast Asia), MTA (Turkey), PB2003 (plate boundaries), CICESE (Baja California), California Geological Survey, and 20 other state geological surveys and county agencies.

Regional Characteristics of Stress State of Main Seismic Active Faults in Mid-Northern Part of Sichuan-Yunnan Block

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiwei, W.; Yaling, W.

2017-12-01

We restore the seismic source spectrums of 1012 earthquakes(2.0 ≤ ML ≤ 5.0) in the mid-northern part of Sichuan-Yunnan seismic block(26 ° N-33 ° N, 99 ° E-104 ° E),then calculate the source parameters.Based on the regional seismic tectonic background, the distribution of active faults and seismicity, the study area is divided into four statistical units (Z1 Jinshajiang and Litang fault zone, Z2 Xianshuihe fault zone, Z3 Anninghe-Zemuhe fault zone, Z4 Lijiang-Xiaojinhe fault zone). Seismic source stress drop results show the following, (1)The stress at the end of the Jinshajiang fault is low, strong earthquake activity rare.Stress-strain loading deceases gradually from northwest to southeast along Litang fault, the northwest section which is relatively locked is more likely to accumulate strain than southeast section. (2)Stress drop of Z2 is divided by Kangding, the southern section is low and northern section is high. Southern section (Kangding-Shimian) is difficult to accumulate higher strain in the short term, but in northern section (Garzê-Kangding), moderate and strong earthquakes have not filled the gaps of seismic moment release, there is still a high stress accumulation in partial section. (3)High stress-drop events were concentrated on Z3, strain accumulation of this unit is strong, and stress level is the highest, earthquake risk is high. (4)On Z4, stress drop characteristics of different magnitude earthquakes are not the same, which is related to complex tectonic setting, the specific reasons still need to be discussed deeply.The study also show that, (1)Stress drops display a systematic change with different faults and locations, high stress-drop events occurs mostly on the fault intersection area. Faults without locking condition and mainly creep, are mainly characterized by low stress drop. (2)Contrasting to what is commonly thought that "strike-slip faults are not easy to accumulate stress ", Z2 and Z3 all exhibit high stress levels, which may be due to that the magnitude and intensity of medium-strong earthquakes are not enough to release the accumulated energy. On the other hand, when the tectonic unit blocking fault movement and its contribution to accumulation of stress play a key role, the earthquake of same magnitude will release higher stress drop.

Hydraulically Induced Seismicity in South-Eastern Brazil Linked to Water Wells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Convers, J.; Assumpcao, M.; Barbosa, J. R.

2017-12-01

While hydraulic stimulus on seismic activity is most commonly associated with hydraulic fracturing processes, we find in SE Brazil a rare case of seismicity influenced by hydraulic stimulation linked to seasonal rain and water wells in a farming area. These are thought to be the main factors influencing the seasonal seismicity activity in Jurupema, a farming town located in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo, southern Brazil. With temporary seismic station deployments during 2016 and 2017, we analyze the seismicity in this area, its temporal and spatial distribution, and its association with the drilling of ground water wells in this particular area. In a region where water wells are often drilled to provide irrigation for farming, these are often perforated down to about 100 m depth, penetrating below the uppermost sandstone rock layer ( 50 m) into a fractured basaltic rock layer, reaching the confined aquifer within it. While the wells are constantly pumped during the dry season, during the course of the rainy season (when these are not being used), a possible infiltration into the confined basaltic aquifer, from both the rainwater and the upper sandstone aquifer, adds changes to the pore pressure of the fractured rock, and modifies the tectonic pre-stress conditions, to facilitate stress release mechanisms in pre-existing faults and cracks. With our temporary seismic station deployments, we not only examine the seismicity in this region during both 2016 and 2017, but we additionally compare its characteristics to the nearby Bebedouro case in an apparent induced seismic case of analogous source, and seismic activity with magnitudes up to 2.9 occurring between 2005 and 2010.

Source mechanism inversion and ground motion modeling of induced earthquakes in Kuwait - A Bayesian approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, C.; Toksoz, M. N.; Marzouk, Y.; Al-Enezi, A.; Al-Jeri, F.; Buyukozturk, O.

2016-12-01

The increasing seismic activity in the regions of oil/gas fields due to fluid injection/extraction and hydraulic fracturing has drawn new attention in both academia and industry. Source mechanism and triggering stress of these induced earthquakes are of great importance for understanding the physics of the seismic processes in reservoirs, and predicting ground motion in the vicinity of oil/gas fields. The induced seismicity data in our study are from Kuwait National Seismic Network (KNSN). Historically, Kuwait has low local seismicity; however, in recent years the KNSN has monitored more and more local earthquakes. Since 1997, the KNSN has recorded more than 1000 earthquakes (Mw < 5). In 2015, two local earthquakes - Mw4.5 in 03/21/2015 and Mw4.1 in 08/18/2015 - have been recorded by both the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) and KNSN, and widely felt by people in Kuwait. These earthquakes happen repeatedly in the same locations close to the oil/gas fields in Kuwait (see the uploaded image). The earthquakes are generally small (Mw < 5) and are shallow with focal depths of about 2 to 4 km. Such events are very common in oil/gas reservoirs all over the world, including North America, Europe, and the Middle East. We determined the location and source mechanism of these local earthquakes, with the uncertainties, using a Bayesian inversion method. The triggering stress of these earthquakes was calculated based on the source mechanisms results. In addition, we modeled the ground motion in Kuwait due to these local earthquakes. Our results show that most likely these local earthquakes occurred on pre-existing faults and were triggered by oil field activities. These events are generally smaller than Mw 5; however, these events, occurring in the reservoirs, are very shallow with focal depths less than about 4 km. As a result, in Kuwait, where oil fields are close to populated areas, these induced earthquakes could produce ground accelerations high enough to cause damage to local structures without using seismic design criteria.

Effects of volcanic tremor on noise-based measurements of temporal velocity changes at Hawaiian volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballmer, S.; Wolfe, C. J.; Okubo, P.; Haney, M. M.; Thurber, C. H.

2011-12-01

Green's functions calculated with ambient seismic noise may aid in volcano research and monitoring. The continuous character of ambient seismic noise and hence of the reconstructed Green's functions has enabled measurements of short-term (~days) temporal perturbations in seismic velocities. Very small but clear velocity decreases prior to some volcanic eruptions have been documented and motivate our present study. We apply this method to Hawaiian volcanoes using data from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) seismic network. In order to obtain geologically relevant and reliable results, stable Green's functions need to be recovered from the ambient noise. Station timing problems, changes in noise source directivity, as well as changes in the source's spectral content are known biases that critically affect the Green's functions' stability and hence need to be considered. Here we show that volcanic tremor is a potential additional bias. During the time period of our study (2007-present), we find that volcanic tremor is a common feature in the HVO seismic data. Pu'u O'o tremor is continuously present before a dike intrusion into Kilauea's east rift zone in June 2007 and Halema'uma'u tremor occurs before and during resumed Kilauea summit activity from early 2008 and onward. For the frequency band considered (0.1-0.9 Hz), we find that these active tremor sources can drastically modify the recovered Green's functions for station pairs on the entire island at higher (> 0.5 Hz) frequencies, although the effect of tremor appears diminished at lower frequencies. In this presentation, we perform measurements of temporal velocity changes using ambient noise Green's functions and explore how volcanic tremor affects the results. Careful quality assessment of reconstructed Green's functions appears to be essential for the desired high precision measurements.

Seismic reflection imaging with conventional and unconventional sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quiros Ugalde, Diego Alonso

This manuscript reports the results of research using both conventional and unconventional energy sources as well as conventional and unconventional analysis to image crustal structure using reflected seismic waves. The work presented here includes the use of explosions to investigate the Taiwanese lithosphere, the use of 'noise' from railroads to investigate the shallow subsurface of the Rio Grande rift, and the use of microearthquakes to image subsurface structure near an active fault zone within the Appalachian mountains. Chapter 1 uses recordings from the land refraction and wide-angle reflection component of the Taiwan Integrated Geodynamic Research (TAIGER) project. The most prominent reflection feature imaged by these surveys is an anomalously strong reflector found in northeastern Taiwan. The goal of this chapter is to analyze the TAIGER recordings and to place the reflector into a geologic framework that fits with the modern tectonic kinematics of the region. Chapter 2 uses railroad traffic as a source for reflection profiling within the Rio Grande rift. Here the railroad recordings are treated in an analogous way to Vibroseis recordings. These results suggest that railroad noise in general can be a valuable new tool in imaging and characterizing the shallow subsurface in environmental and geotechnical studies. In chapters 3 and 4, earthquakes serve as the seismic imaging source. In these studies the methodology of Vertical Seismic Profiling (VSP) is borrowed from the oil and gas industry to develop reflection images. In chapter 3, a single earthquake is used to probe a small area beneath Waterboro, Maine. In chapter 4, the same method is applied to multiple earthquakes to take advantage of the increased redundancy that results from multiple events illuminating the same structure. The latter study demonstrates how dense arrays can be a powerful new tool for delineating, and monitoring temporal changes of deep structure in areas characterized by significant seismic activity.

Seismic activity monitoring in the Izvorul Muntelui dam region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borleanu, Felix; Otilia Placinta, Anca; Popa, Mihaela; Adelin Moldovan, Iren; Popescu, Emilia

2016-04-01

Earthquakes occurrences near the artificial water reservoirs are caused by stress variation due to the weight of water, weakness of fractures or faults and increasing of pore pressure in crustal rocks. In the present study we aim to investigate how Izvorul Muntelui dam, located in the Eastern Carpathians influences local seismicity. For this purpose we selected from the seismic bulletins computed within National Data Center of National Institute for Earth Physics, Romania, crustal events occurred between 984 and 2015 in a range of 0.3 deg around the artificial lake. Subsequently to improve the seismic monitoring of the region we applied a cross-correlation detector on the continuous recordings of Bicaz (BIZ) seismic stations. Besides the tectonic events we detected sources within this region that periodically generate artificial evens. We couldn't emphasize the existence of a direct correlation between the water level variations and natural seismicity of the investigated area.

Reactivity of seismicity rate to static Coulomb stress changes of two consecutive large earthquakes in the central Philippines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dianala, J. D. B.; Aurelio, M.; Rimando, J. M.; Taguibao, K.

2015-12-01

In a region with little understanding in terms of active faults and seismicity, two large-magnitude reverse-fault related earthquakes occurred within 100km of each other in separate islands of the Central Philippines—the Mw=6.7 February 2012 Negros earthquake and the Mw=7.2 October 2013 Bohol earthquake. Based on source faults that were defined using onshore, offshore seismic reflection, and seismicity data, stress transfer models for both earthquakes were calculated using the software Coulomb. Coulomb stress triggering between the two main shocks is unlikely as the stress change caused by Negros earthquake on the Bohol fault was -0.03 bars. Correlating the stress changes on optimally-oriented reverse faults with seismicity rate changes shows that areas that decreased both in static stress and seismicity rate after the first earthquake were then areas with increased static stress and increased seismicity rate caused by the second earthquake. These areas with now increased stress, especially those with seismicity showing reactivity to static stress changes caused by the two earthquakes, indicate the presence of active structures in the island of Cebu. Comparing the history of instrumentally recorded seismicity and the recent large earthquakes of Negros and Bohol, these structures in Cebu have the potential to generate large earthquakes. Given that the Philippines' second largest metropolitan area (Metro Cebu) is in close proximity, detailed analysis of the earthquake potential and seismic hazards in these areas should be undertaken.

Seismic Noise Characterization in the Northern Mississippi Embayment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiley, S.; Deshon, H. R.; Boyd, O. S.

2009-12-01

We present a study of seismic noise sources present within the northern Mississippi embayment near the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ). The northern embayment contains up to 1 km of unconsolidated coastal plain sediments overlying bedrock, making it an inherently noisy environment for seismic stations. The area is known to display high levels of cultural noise caused by agricultural activity, passing cars, trains, etc. We characterize continuous broadband seismic noise data recorded for the months of March through June 2009 at six stations operated by the Cooperative New Madrid Seismic Network. We looked at a single horizontal component of data during nighttime hours, defined as 6:15PM to 5:45AM Central Standard Time, which we determined to be the lowest amplitude period of noise for the region. Hourly median amplitudes were compared to daily average wind speeds downloaded from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We find a correlation between time periods of increased noise and days with high wind speeds, suggesting that wind is likely a prevalent source of seismic noise in the area. The effects of wind on seismic recordings may result from wind induced tree root movement which causes ground motion to be recorded at the vaults located ~3m below ground. Automated studies utilizing the local network or the EarthScope Transportable Array, scheduled to arrive in the area in 2010-11, should expect to encounter wind induced noise fluctuations and must account for this in their analysis.

Local seismicity preceding the March 14, 1979, Petatlan, Mexico Earthquake (Ms = 7.6)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Vindell; Gettrust, Joseph F.; Helsley, Charles E.; Berg, Eduard

1983-05-01

Local seismicity surrounding the epicenter of the March 14, 1979, Petatlan, Mexico earthquake was monitored by a network of portable seismographs of the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics from 6 weeks before to 4 weeks after the main shock. Prior to the main shock, the recorded local seismic activity was shallow and restricted within the continental plate above the Benioff zone. The relocated main shock hypocenter also lay above the Benioff zone, suggesting an initial failure within the continental lithosphere. Four zones can be recognized that showed relatively higher seismic activity than the background. Activity within these zones has followed a number of moderate earthquakes that occurred before or after the initial deployment of the network. Three of these moderate earthquakes were near the Mexican coastline and occurred sequentially from southeast to northwest during the three months before the Petatlan earthquake. The Petatlan event occurred along the northwestern extension of this trend. We infer a possible connection between this observed earthquake migration pattern and the subduction of a fracture zone because the 200-km segment that includes the aftershock zones of the Petatlan earthquake and the three preceding moderate earthquakes matches the intersection of the southeastern limb of the Orozco Fracture Zone and the Middle America Trench. The Petatlan earthquake source region includes the region of the last of the three near-coast seismic activities (zone A). Earthquakes of zone A migrated toward the Petatlan main shock epicenter and were separated from it by an aseismic zone about 10 km wide. We designate this group of earthquakes as the foreshocks of the Petatlan earthquake. These foreshocks occurred within the continental lithosphere and their observed characteristics are interpreted as due to the high-stress environment before the main shock. Pre-main shock seismicity of the Petatlan earthquake source region shows a good correlation with the aftershocks in their spatial distribution. This suggests that an asperity existing along the Benioff zone may have affected both the pre-main shock activity in the continental lithosphere and the aftershocks along the Benioff zone. Although major thrust earthquakes at trenches occur along Benioff zones, in the present study we find little activity on this interplate boundary before the Petatlan earthquake. The overlying continental block, on the contrary, is very active seismically. Our data suggest that the activity is probably governed by the stress transmitted from below due to coupling between two plates and the heterogeneity within the continental lithosphere. The continental material is probably the more likely place for precursors.

Seismic source models for very-long period seismic signals on White Island, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiwani-Brown, Elliot; Neuberg, Jurgen; Jolly, Art

2015-04-01

Very-long-period seismic signals (VLP) from White Island have a duration of only a few tens of seconds and a waveform that indicates an elastic (or viscoelastic) interaction of a source region with the surrounding medium; unlike VLP signals on some other volcanoes that indicate a step function recorded in the near field of the seismic source, White Island VLPs exhibit a Ricker waveform. We explore a set of isotropic, seismic source models based on the interaction between magma and water/brine in direct contact. Seismic amplitude measurements are taken into account to estimate the volume changes at depth that can produce the observed displacement at the surface. Furthermore, the influence of different fluid types are explored.

Re-evaluation and updating of the seismic hazard of Lebanon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huijer, Carla; Harajli, Mohamed; Sadek, Salah

2016-01-01

This paper presents the results of a study undertaken to evaluate the implications of the newly mapped offshore Mount Lebanon Thrust (MLT) fault system on the seismic hazard of Lebanon and the current seismic zoning and design parameters used by the local engineering community. This re-evaluation is critical, given that the MLT is located at close proximity to the major cities and economic centers of the country. The updated seismic hazard was assessed using probabilistic methods of analysis. The potential sources of seismic activities that affect Lebanon were integrated along with any/all newly established characteristics within an updated database which includes the newly mapped fault system. The earthquake recurrence relationships of these sources were developed from instrumental seismology data, historical records, and earlier studies undertaken to evaluate the seismic hazard of neighboring countries. Maps of peak ground acceleration contours, based on 10 % probability of exceedance in 50 years (as per Uniform Building Code (UBC) 1997), as well as 0.2 and 1 s peak spectral acceleration contours, based on 2 % probability of exceedance in 50 years (as per International Building Code (IBC) 2012), were also developed. Finally, spectral charts for the main coastal cities of Beirut, Tripoli, Jounieh, Byblos, Saida, and Tyre are provided for use by designers.

Detecting Seismic Activity with a Covariance Matrix Analysis of Data Recorded on Seismic Arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seydoux, L.; Shapiro, N.; de Rosny, J.; Brenguier, F.

2014-12-01

Modern seismic networks are recording the ground motion continuously all around the word, with very broadband and high-sensitivity sensors. The aim of our study is to apply statistical array-based approaches to processing of these records. We use the methods mainly brought from the random matrix theory in order to give a statistical description of seismic wavefields recorded at the Earth's surface. We estimate the array covariance matrix and explore the distribution of its eigenvalues that contains information about the coherency of the sources that generated the studied wavefields. With this approach, we can make distinctions between the signals generated by isolated deterministic sources and the "random" ambient noise. We design an algorithm that uses the distribution of the array covariance matrix eigenvalues to detect signals corresponding to coherent seismic events. We investigate the detection capacity of our methods at different scales and in different frequency ranges by applying it to the records of two networks: (1) the seismic monitoring network operating on the Piton de la Fournaise volcano at La Réunion island composed of 21 receivers and with an aperture of ~15 km, and (2) the transportable component of the USArray composed of ~400 receivers with ~70 km inter-station spacing.

Exploring hydrocarbon-bearing shale formations with multi-component seismic technology and evaluating direct shear modes produced by vertical-force sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alkan, Engin

It is essential to understand natural fracture systems embedded in shale-gas reservoirs and the stress fields that influence how induced fractures form in targeted shale units. Multicomponent seismic technology and elastic seismic stratigraphy allow geologic formations to be better images through analysis of different S-wave modes as well as the P-wave mode. Significant amounts of energy produced by P-wave sources radiate through the Earth as downgoing SV-wave energy. A vertical-force source is an effective source for direct SV radiation and provides a pure shear-wave mode (SV-SV) that should reveal crucial information about geologic surfaces located in anisotropic media. SV-SV shear wave modes should carry important information about petrophysical characteristics of hydrocarbon systems that cannot be obtained using other elastic-wave modes. Regardless of the difficulties of extracting good-quality SV-SV signal, direct shear waves as well as direct P and converted S energy should be accounted for in 3C seismic studies. Acquisition of full-azimuth seismic data and sampling data at small intervals over long offsets are required for detailed anisotropy analysis. If 3C3D data can be acquired with improved signal-to-noise ratio, more uniform illumination of targets, increased lateral resolution, more accurate amplitude attributes, and better multiple attenuation, such data will have strong interest by the industry. The objectives of this research are: (1) determine the feasibility of extracting direct SV-SV common-mid-point sections from 3-C seismic surveys, (2) improve the exploration for stratigraphic traps by developing systematic relationship between petrophysical properties and combinations of P and S wave modes, (3) create compelling examples illustrating how hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs in low-permeable rocks (particularly anisotropic shale formations) can be better characterized using different Swave modes (P-SV, SV-SV) in addition to the conventional P-P modes, and (4) analyze P and S radiation patterns produced by a variety of seismic sources. The research done in this study has contributed to understanding the physics involved in direct-S radiation from vertical-force source stations. A U.S. Patent issued to the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System now protects the intellectual property the Exploration Geophysics Laboratory has developed related to S-wave generation by vertical-force sources. The University's Office of Technology Commercialization is actively engaged in commercializing this new S-wave reflection seismic technology on behalf of the Board of Regents.

How much does geometry of seismic sources matter in tsunami modeling? A sensitivity analysis for the Calabrian subduction interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonini, R.; Maesano, F. E.; Tiberti, M. M.; Romano, F.; Scala, A.; Lorito, S.; Volpe, M.; Basili, R.

2017-12-01

The geometry of seismogenic sources could be one of the most important factors concurring to control the generation and the propagation of earthquake-generated tsunamis and their effects on the coasts. Since the majority of potentially tsunamigenic earthquakes occur offshore, the corresponding faults are generally poorly constrained and, consequently, their geometry is often oversimplified as a planar fault. The rupture area of mega-thrust earthquakes in subduction zones, where most of the greatest tsunamis have occurred, extends for tens to hundreds of kilometers both down dip and along strike, and generally deviates from the planar geometry. Therefore, the larger the earthquake size is, the weaker the planar fault assumption become. In this work, we present a sensitivity analysis aimed to explore the effects on modeled tsunamis generated by seismic sources with different degrees of geometric complexities. We focused on the Calabrian subduction zone, located in the Mediterranean Sea, which is characterized by the convergence between the African and European plates, with rates of up to 5 mm/yr. This subduction zone has been considered to have generated some past large earthquakes and tsunamis, despite it shows only in-slab significant seismic activity below 40 km depth and no relevant seismicity in the shallower portion of the interface. Our analysis is performed by defining and modeling an exhaustive set of tsunami scenarios located in the Calabrian subduction and using different models of the subduction interface with increasing geometrical complexity, from a planar surface to a highly detailed 3D surface. The latter was obtained from the interpretation of a dense network of seismic reflection profiles coupled with the analysis of the seismicity distribution. The more relevant effects due to the inclusion of 3D complexities in the seismic source geometry are finally highlighted in terms of the resulting tsunami impact.

Development of Towed Marine Seismic Vibrator as an Alternative Seismic Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozasa, H.; Mikada, H.; Murakami, F.; Jamali Hondori, E.; Takekawa, J.; Asakawa, E.; Sato, F.

2015-12-01

The principal issue with respect to marine impulsive sources to acquire seismic data is if the emission of acoustic energy inflicts harm on marine mammals or not, since the volume of the source signal being released into the marine environment could be so large compared to the sound range of the mammals. We propose a marine seismic vibrator as an alternative to the impulsive sources to mitigate a risk of the impact to the marine environment while satisfying the necessary conditions of seismic surveys. These conditions include the repeatability and the controllability of source signals both in amplitude and phase for high-quality measurements. We, therefore, designed a towed marine seismic vibrator (MSV) as a new type marine vibratory seismic source that employed the hydraulic servo system for the controllability condition in phase and in amplitude that assures the repeatability as well. After fabricating a downsized MSV that requires the power of 30 kVA at a depth of about 250 m in water, several sea trials were conducted to test the source characteristics of the downsized MSV in terms of amplitude, frequency, horizontal and vertical directivities of the generated field. The maximum sound level satisfied the designed specification in the frequencies ranging from 3 to 300 Hz almost omnidirectionally. After checking the source characteristics, we then conducted a trial seismic survey, using both the downsized MSV and an airgun of 480 cubic-inches for comparison, with a streamer cable of 2,000m long right above a cabled earthquake observatory in the Japan Sea. The result showed that the penetration of seismic signals generated by the downsized MSV was comparable to that by the airgun, although there was a slight difference in the signal-to-noise ratio. The MSV could become a versatile source that will not harm living marine mammals as an alternative to the existing impulsive seismic sources such as airgun.

Exploring seismicity using geomagnetic and gravity data - a case study for Bulgaria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trifonova, P.; Simeonova, S.; Solakov, D.; Metodiev, M.

2012-04-01

Seismicity exploration certainly requires comprehensive analysis of location, orientation and length distribution of fault and block systems with a variety of geophysical methods. In the present research capability of geomagnetic and gravity anomalous field data are used for revealing of buried structures inside the earth's upper layers. Interpretation of gravity and magnetic data is well known and often applied to delineate various geological structures such as faults, flexures, thrusts, borders of dislocated blocks etc. which create significant rock density contrast in horizontal planes. Study area of the present research covers the territory of Bulgaria which is part of the active continental margin of the Eurasian plate. This region is a typical example of high seismic risk area. The epicentral map shows that seismicity in the region is not uniformly distributed in space. Therefore the seismicity is described in distributed geographical zones (seismic source zones). Each source zone is characterized by its specific tectonic, seismic, and geological particulars. From the analysis of the depth distribution it was recognized that the earthquakes in the region occurred in the Earth's crust. Hypocenters are mainly located in the upper crust, and only a few events are related to the lower crust. The maximum depth reached is about 50 km in southwestern Bulgaria; outside, the foci affect only the surficial 30-35 km. Maximum density of seismicity involves the layer between 5 and 25 km. This fact determines the capability of potential fields data to reveal crustal structures and to examine their parameters as possible seismic sources. Results showed that a number of geophysically interpreted structures coincide with observed on the surface dislocations and epicenter clusters (well illustrated in northern Bulgaria) which confirms the reliability of the applied methodology. The complicated situation in southern Bulgaria is demonstrated by mosaics structure of geomagnetic field, complex configuration of gravity anomalies and spatial seismicity distribution. Well defined (confirmed by geophysical, geological and seismological data) are the known earthquake source zones (such as Sofia, Kresna, Maritsa, Yambol ) in this part of the territory of Bulgaria. Worth while are the results where no surface structures are present (e.g. Central Rhodope zone and East Rhodope zone, where the 2006 Kurdzhali earthquake sequence is realized). In those cases, gravity and magnetic interpretations proved to be a suitable enough technique which allows determining of position and parameters of the geological structures in depth.

Seismic Source Scaling and Discrimination in Diverse Tectonic Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-30

3349-3352. Imanishi, K., W. L. Ellsworth, and S. G. Prejean (2004). Earthquake source parameters determined by the SAFOD Pilot Hole seismic array ... seismic discrimination by performing a thorough investigation of* earthquake source scaling using diverse, high-quality datascts from varied tectonic...these corrections has a direct impact on our ability to identify clandestine explosions in the broad regional areas characterized by low seismicity

Characterization of the Vajont landslide (North-Eastern Italy) by means of reflection and surface wave seismics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petronio, Lorenzo; Boaga, Jacopo; Cassiani, Giorgio

2016-05-01

The mechanisms of the disastrous Vajont rockslide (North-Eastern Italy, October 9, 1963) have been studied in great detail over the past five decades. Nevertheless, the reconstruction of the rockslide dynamics still presents several uncertainties, including those related to the accurate estimation of the actual landslide mass. This work presents the results of a geophysical characterization of the Vajont landslide body in terms of material properties and buried geometry. Both aspects add new information to the existing dataset and will help a better understanding of the rockslide failure mechanisms and dynamics. In addition, some general considerations concerning the intricacies of landslide characterization can be drawn, with due attention to potential pitfalls. The employed techniques are: (i) high resolution P-wave reflection, (ii) high resolution SH-wave reflection, (iii) controlled source surface wave analysis. We adopted as a seismic source a vibrator both for P waves and SH waves, using vertical and horizontal geophones respectively. For the surface wave seismic survey we used a heavy drop-weight source and low frequency receivers. Despite the high noise level caused by the fractured conditions of the large rock body, a common situation in landslide studies, we managed to achieve a satisfying imaging quality of the landslide structure thanks to the large number of active channels, the short receiver interval and the test of appropriate seismic sources. The joint use of different seismic techniques help focus the investigation on the rock mass mechanical properties. Results are in good agreement with the available borehole data, the geological sections and the mechanical properties of the rockmass estimated by other studies. In general the proposed approach is likely to be applicable successfully to similar situations where scattering and other noise sources are a typical bottleneck to geophysical data acquisition on landslide bodies.

Back-arc rifting at a continental margin: A case study from the Okinawa trough

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arai, R.; Kaiho, Y.; Takahashi, T.; Nakanishi, A.; Fujie, G.; Kodaira, S.; Kaneda, Y.

2014-12-01

The Okinawa trough, a back-arc basin formed behind the Ryukyu arc-trench system, southwest Japan, represents an active rifting zone associated with extension of the continental lithosphere. The basin is located at the southeastern margin of the Eurasian plate and characterized by axial rift valleys with over 1.0 km depth and ~100 km width. Previous studies suggest that the early rifting phase started late Miocene and crustal extension is currently active at a full rate of 30 to 50 mm/yr. Within the basin, numerous active hydrothermal vents are observed, suggesting that the crustal rifting enhances melt/heat transfer from the deep mantle up to the seafloor. However, internal structure beneath the back-arc basin and its relation to the rifting system are little documented. Complex regional tectonic setting, such as active collision in Taiwan to the west, oblique subduction of the Philippine Sea slab, and changing spreading rate along the rift axis, may also have significant influences on the thermal structure and flow within the mantle wedge, but their relative roles in controlling the rifting mode and magmatic supply are still poorly understood. As a step toward filling this gap in knowledge, we started a new 7-year project that consists of four two-dimensional active-source seismic experiments and extensive passive-source seismic observations along the Ryukyu arc. In 2013, active-source seismic data were collected on the first line that crosses the southernmost part of the Ryukyu arc-trench and Okinawa trough at 124-125°E. For refraction/wide-angle reflection analyses, a total of 60 ocean bottom seismographs were deployed with approximately 6 km spacing on a ~390-km-long profile. On the same line, multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection profiling was also carried out. Seismic velocity models obtained by first arrival tomography show that beneath the volcanic arc a thick layer (~10 km) of the middle crust with Vp = 6.0-6.8 km/s is developed, a typical feature in the major volcanic arc in the circum-Pacific region, but such thick layers are not observed beneath the Okinawa trough. Correspondingly, crustal thickness significantly varies: Crust thins from over 20 km beneath the volcanic arc to ~15 km beneath the back-arc basin.

Retrieval of Body-Wave Reflections Using Ambient Noise Interferometry Using a Small-Scale Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dantas, Odmaksuel Anísio Bezerra; do Nascimento, Aderson Farias; Schimmel, Martin

2018-02-01

We report the retrieval of body-wave reflections from noise records using a small-scale experiment over a mature oil field. The reflections are obtained by cross-correlation and stacking of the data. We used the stacked correlograms to create virtual source-to-receiver common shot gathers and are able to obtain body-wave reflections. Surface waves that obliterate the body-waves in our noise correlations were attenuated following a standard procedure from active source seismics. Further different strategies were employed to cross-correlate and stack the data: classical geometrical normalized cross-correlation (CCGN), phase cross-correlation (PCC), linear stacking**** and phase weighted stacking (PWS). PCC and PWS are based on the instantaneous phase coherence of analytic signals. The four approaches are independent and reveal the reflections; nevertheless, the combination of PWS and CCGN provided the best results. Our analysis is based on 2145 cross-correlations of 600 s data segments. We also compare the resulted virtual shot gathers with an active 2D seismic line near the passive experiment. It is shown that our ambient noise analysis reproduces reflections which are present in the active seismic data.

Apollo 14 and 16 Active Seismic Experiments, and Apollo 17 Lunar Seismic Profiling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Seismic refraction experiments were conducted on the moon by Apollo astronauts during missions 14, 16, and 17. Seismic velocities of 104, 108, 92, 114 and 100 m/sec were inferred for the lunar regolith at the Apollo 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17 landing sites, respectively. These data indicate that fragmentation and comminution caused by meteoroid impacts has produced a layer of remarkably uniform seismic properties moonwide. Brecciation and high porosity are the probable causes of the very low velocities observed in the lunar regolith. Apollo 17 seismic data revealed that the seismic velocity increases very rapidly with depth to 4.7 km/sec at a depth of 1.4 km. Such a large velocity change is suggestive of compositional and textural changes and is compatible with a model of fractured basaltic flows overlying anorthositic breccias. 'Thermal' moonquakes were also detected at the Apollo 17 site, becoming increasingly frequent after sunrise and reaching a maximum at sunset. The source of these quakes could possibly be landsliding.

What can He II 304 Å tell us about transient seismic emission from solar flares?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsey, C.; Donea, A. C.

2017-10-01

After neary 20 years since their discovery by Kosovichev and Zharkova, the mechanics of the release of seismic transients into the solar interior from some flares remain a mystery. Seismically emissive flares invariably show the signatures of intense chromosphere heating consistent with pressure variations sufficient to drive seismic transients commensurate with helioseismic observations-under certain conditions. Magnetic observations show the signatures of apparent magnetic changes, suggesting Lorentz-force transients that could likewise drive seismic transients-similarly subject to certain conditions. But, the diagnostic signatures of both of these prospective drivers are apparent over vast regions from which no significant seismic emission emanates. What distinguishes the source regions of transient seismic emission from the much vaster regions that show the signatures of both transient heating and magnetic variations but are acoustically unproductive? Observations of acoustically active flares in He II 304 Å by the Atomospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) offer a promising new resource with which to address this question.

Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment for a NPP in the Upper Rhine Graben, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clément, Christophe; Chartier, Thomas; Jomard, Hervé; Baize, Stéphane; Scotti, Oona; Cushing, Edward

2015-04-01

The southern part of the Upper Rhine Graben (URG) straddling the border between eastern France and western Germany, presents a relatively important seismic activity for an intraplate area. A magnitude 5 or greater shakes the URG every 25 years and in 1356 a magnitude greater than 6.5 struck the city of Basel. Several potentially active faults have been identified in the area and documented in the French Active Fault Database (web site in construction). These faults are located along the Graben boundaries and also inside the Graben itself, beneath heavily populated areas and critical facilities (including the Fessenheim Nuclear Power Plant). These faults are prone to produce earthquakes with magnitude 6 and above. Published regional models and preliminary geomorphological investigations provided provisional assessment of slip rates for the individual faults (0.1-0.001 mm/a) resulting in recurrence time of 10 000 years or greater for magnitude 6+ earthquakes. Using a fault model, ground motion response spectra are calculated for annual frequencies of exceedance (AFE) ranging from 10-4 to 10-8 per year, typical for design basis and probabilistic safety analyses of NPPs. A logic tree is implemented to evaluate uncertainties in seismic hazard assessment. The choice of ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) and range of slip rate uncertainty are the main sources of seismic hazard variability at the NPP site. In fact, the hazard for AFE lower than 10-4 is mostly controlled by the potentially active nearby Rhine River fault. Compared with areal source zone models, a fault model localizes the hazard around the active faults and changes the shape of the Uniform Hazard Spectrum at the site. Seismic hazard deaggregations are performed to identify the earthquake scenarios (including magnitude, distance and the number of standard deviations from the median ground motion as predicted by GMPEs) that contribute to the exceedance of spectral acceleration for the different AFE levels. These scenarios are finally examined with respect to the seismicity data available in paleoseismic, historic and instrumental catalogues.

Seismic hazard assessment of the cultural heritage sites: A case study in Cappadocia (Turkey)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seyrek, Evren; Orhan, Ahmet; Dinçer, İsmail

2014-05-01

Turkey is one of the most seismically active regions in the world. Major earthquakes with the potential of threatening life and property occur frequently here. In the last decade, over 50,000 residents lost their lives, commonly as a result of building failures in seismic events. The Cappadocia region is one of the most important touristic sites in Turkey. At the same time, the region has been included to the Word Heritage List by UNESCO at 1985 due to its natural, historical and cultural values. The region is undesirably affected by several environmental conditions, which are subjected in many previous studies. But, there are limited studies about the seismic evaluation of the region. Some of the important historical and cultural heritage sites are: Goreme Open Air Museum, Uchisar Castle, Ortahisar Castle, Derinkuyu Underground City and Ihlara Valley. According to seismic hazard zonation map published by the Ministry of Reconstruction and Settlement these heritage sites fall in Zone III, Zone IV and Zone V. This map show peak ground acceleration or 10 percent probability of exceedance in 50 years for bedrock. In this connection, seismic hazard assessment of these heritage sites has to be evaluated. In this study, seismic hazard calculations are performed both deterministic and probabilistic approaches with local site conditions. A catalog of historical and instrumental earthquakes is prepared and used in this study. The seismic sources have been identified for seismic hazard assessment based on geological, seismological and geophysical information. Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) at bed rock level is calculated for different seismic sources using available attenuation relationship formula applicable to Turkey. The result of the present study reveals that the seismic hazard at these sites is closely matching with the Seismic Zonation map published by the Ministry of Reconstruction and Settlement. Keywords: Seismic Hazard Assessment, Probabilistic Approach, Deterministic Approach, Historical Heritage, Cappadocia.

Use of raster-based data layers to model spatial variation of seismotectonic data in probabilistic seismic hazard assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zolfaghari, Mohammad R.

2009-07-01

Recent achievements in computer and information technology have provided the necessary tools to extend the application of probabilistic seismic hazard mapping from its traditional engineering use to many other applications. Examples for such applications are risk mitigation, disaster management, post disaster recovery planning and catastrophe loss estimation and risk management. Due to the lack of proper knowledge with regard to factors controlling seismic hazards, there are always uncertainties associated with all steps involved in developing and using seismic hazard models. While some of these uncertainties can be controlled by more accurate and reliable input data, the majority of the data and assumptions used in seismic hazard studies remain with high uncertainties that contribute to the uncertainty of the final results. In this paper a new methodology for the assessment of seismic hazard is described. The proposed approach provides practical facility for better capture of spatial variations of seismological and tectonic characteristics, which allows better treatment of their uncertainties. In the proposed approach, GIS raster-based data models are used in order to model geographical features in a cell-based system. The cell-based source model proposed in this paper provides a framework for implementing many geographically referenced seismotectonic factors into seismic hazard modelling. Examples for such components are seismic source boundaries, rupture geometry, seismic activity rate, focal depth and the choice of attenuation functions. The proposed methodology provides improvements in several aspects of the standard analytical tools currently being used for assessment and mapping of regional seismic hazard. The proposed methodology makes the best use of the recent advancements in computer technology in both software and hardware. The proposed approach is well structured to be implemented using conventional GIS tools.

Anatomy of an Active Seismic Source: the Interplay between Present-Day Seismic Activity and Inherited Fault Zone Architecture (Central Apennines, Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fondriest, M.; Demurtas, M.; Bistacchi, A.; Fabrizio, B.; Storti, F.; Valoroso, L.; Di Toro, G.

2017-12-01

The mechanics and seismogenic behaviour of fault zones are strongly influenced by their internal structure, in terms of both fault geometry and fault rock constitutive properties. In recent years high-resolution seismological techniques yielded new constraints on the geometry and velocity structure of seismogenic faults down to 10s meters length scales. This reduced the gap between geophysical imaging of active seismic sources and field observations of exhumed fault zones. Nevertheless fundamental questions such as the origin of geometrical and kinematic complexities associated to seismic faulting remain open. We addressed these topics by characterizing the internal structure of the Vado di Corno Fault Zone, an active seismogenic normal fault cutting carbonates in the Central Apennines of Italy and comparing it with the present-day seismicity of the area. The fault footwall block, which was exhumed from < 2 km depth, was mapped with high detail (< 1 m spatial resolution) for 2 km of exposure along strike, combining field structural data and photogrammetric surveys in a three dimensional structural model. Three main structural units separated by principal fault strands were recognized: (i) cataclastic unit (20-100 m thick), (ii) damage zone (≤ 300 m thick), (iii) breccia unit ( 20 thick). The cataclastic unit lines the master fault and represents the core of the normal fault zone. In-situ shattering together with evidence of extreme (possibly coseismic) shear strain localization (e.g., mirror-like faults with truncated clasts, ultrafine-grained sheared veins) was recognized. The breccia unit is an inherited thrust zone affected by pervasive veining and secondary dolomitization. It strikes subparallel to the active normal fault and is characterized by a non-cylindrical geometry with 10-100 m long frontal and lateral ramps. The cataclastic unit cuts through thrust flats within the breccia unit, whereas normal to oblique inversion occur on frontal and lateral ramps. A comparable structural setting was imaged South-West of the study area, during the 2009 L'Aquila seismic sequence. Here at 2 km depth, the master normal fault cross-cuts a 10 km long flat structure and clear lateral ramps are illuminated, suggesting the superposition of normal seismic faulting on inherited compressional structures.

TEM PSHA2015 Reliability Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Y.; Wang, Y. J.; Chan, C. H.; Ma, K. F.

2016-12-01

The Taiwan Earthquake Model (TEM) developed a new probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) for determining the probability of exceedance (PoE) of ground motion over a specified period in Taiwan. To investigate the adequacy of the seismic source parameters adopted in the 2015 PSHA of the TEM (TEM PSHA2015), we conducted several tests of the seismic source models. The observed maximal peak ground acceleration (PGA) of the ML > 4.0 mainshocks in the 23-year data period of 1993-2015 were used to test the predicted PGA of PSHA from the areal and subduction zone sources with the time-independent Poisson assumption. This comparison excluded the observations from 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, as this was the only earthquake associated with the identified active fault in this past 23 years. We used tornado diagrams to analyze the sensitivities of these source parameters to the ground motion values of the PSHA. This study showed that the predicted PGA for a 63% PoE in the 23-year period corresponded to the empirical PGA and the predicted numbers of PGA exceedances to a threshold value 0.1g close to the observed numbers, confirming the parameter applicability for the areal and subduction zone sources. We adopted the disaggregation analysis from a hazard map to determine the contribution of the individual seismic sources to hazard for six metropolitan cities in Taiwan. The sensitivity tests of the seismogenic structure parameters indicated that the slip rate and maximum magnitude are dominant factors for the TEM PSHA2015. For densely populated faults in SW Taiwan, maximum magnitude is more sensitive than the slip rate, giving the concern on the possible multiple fault segments rupture with larger magnitude in this area, which was not yet considered in TEM PSHA2015. The source category disaggregation also suggested that special attention is necessary for subduction zone earthquakes for long-period shaking seismic hazards in Northern Taiwan.

Induced and triggered earthquakes at The Geysers geothermal reservoir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Lane R.; Majer, Ernest L.

2017-05-01

The Geysers geothermal reservoir in northern California is the site of numerous studies of both seismicity induced by injection of fluids and seismicity triggered by other earthquakes. Data from a controlled experiment in the northwest part of The Geysers in the time period 2011 to 2015 are used to study these induced and triggered earthquakes and possible differences between them. Causal solutions to the elastic equations for a porous medium show how fluid injection generates fast elastic and diffusion waves followed by a much slower diffusive wake. Calculations of fluid increment, fluid pressure and elastic stress are used to investigate both when and why seismic failure takes place. Taking into account stress concentrations caused by material heterogeneity leads to the conclusion that fluid injection by itself can cause seismic activity with no need for tectonic forces. Induced events that occur at early times are best explained by changes in stress rate, while those that occur at later times are best explained by changes in stress. While some of the seismic activity is clearly induced by injection of fluids, also present is triggered seismicity that includes aftershock sequences, swarms of seismicity triggered by other earthquakes at The Geysers and clusters of multiple earthquakes. No basic differences are found between the source mechanisms of these different types of earthquakes.

The 2006 Java Earthquake revealed by the broadband seismograph network in Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakano, M.; Kumagai, H.; Miyakawa, K.; Yamashina, T.; Inoue, H.; Ishida, M.; Aoi, S.; Morikawa, N.; Harjadi, P.

2006-12-01

On May 27, 2006, local time, a moderate-size earthquake (Mw=6.4) occurred in central Java. This earthquake caused severe damages near Yogyakarta City, and killed more than 5700 people. To estimate the source mechanism and location of this earthquake, we performed a waveform inversion of the broadband seismograms recorded by a nationwide seismic network in Indonesia (Realtime-JISNET). Realtime-JISNET is a part of the broadband seismograph network developed by an international cooperation among Indonesia, Germany, China, and Japan, aiming at improving the capabilities to monitor seismic activity and tsunami generation in Indonesia. 12 stations in Realitme-JISNET were in operation when the earthquake occurred. We used the three-component seismograms from the two closest stations, which were located about 100 and 300 km from the source. In our analysis, we assumed pure double couple as the source mechanism, thus reducing the number of free parameters in the waveform inversion. Therefore we could stably estimate the source mechanism using the signals observed by a small number of seismic stations. We carried out a grid search with respect to strike, dip, and rake angles to investigate fault orientation and slip direction. We determined source-time functions of the moment-tensor components in the frequency domain for each set of strike, dip, and rake angles. We also conducted a spatial grid search to find the best-fit source location. The best-fit source was approximately 12 km SSE of Yogyakarta at a depth of 10 km below sea level, immediately below the area of extensive damage. The focal mechanism indicates that this earthquake was caused by compressive stress in the NS direction and strike-slip motion was dominant. The moment magnitude (Mw) was 6.4. We estimated the seismic intensity in the areas of severe damage using the source paramters and an empirical attenuation relation for averaged peak ground velocity (PGV) of horizontal seismic motion. We then calculated the instrumental modified Mercalli intensity (Imm) from the estimated PGV values. Our result indicates that strong ground motion with Imm of 7 or more occurred within 10 km of the earthquake fault, although the actual seismic intensity can be affected by shallow structural heterogeneity. We therefore conclude that the severe damages of the Java earthquake are attributed to the strong ground motion, which was primarily caused by the source located immediately below the populated areas.

Pre-seismic anomalies from optical satellite observations: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, Zhong-Hu; Zhao, Jing; Shan, Xinjian

2018-04-01

Detecting various anomalies using optical satellite data prior to strong earthquakes is key to understanding and forecasting earthquake activities because of its recognition of thermal-radiation-related phenomena in seismic preparation phases. Data from satellite observations serve as a powerful tool in monitoring earthquake preparation areas at a global scale and in a nearly real-time manner. Over the past several decades, many new different data sources have been utilized in this field, and progressive anomaly detection approaches have been developed. This paper reviews the progress and development of pre-seismic anomaly detection technology in this decade. First, precursor parameters, including parameters from the top of the atmosphere, in the atmosphere, and on the Earth's surface, are stated and discussed. Second, different anomaly detection methods, which are used to extract anomalous signals that probably indicate future seismic events, are presented. Finally, certain critical problems with the current research are highlighted, and new developing trends and perspectives for future work are discussed. The development of Earth observation satellites and anomaly detection algorithms can enrich available information sources, provide advanced tools for multilevel earthquake monitoring, and improve short- and medium-term forecasting, which play a large and growing role in pre-seismic anomaly detection research.

Historical and Paleo Events as an input for Seismic And Associated Natural Hazard Assessment of Javakheti highland (South Georgia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elashvili, M.; Javakhishvili, Z.; Godoladze, T.; Karakhanyan, A.; Sukhishvili, L.; Nikolaeva, E.; Sokhadze, G.; Avanesyan, M.

2012-12-01

Current study concerns Javakheti area in the Lesser Caucasus. This area comprises a volcanic plateau with more than 20 volcanoes, several of them dated as having erupted during the Holocene. In the region the upper part of Lava complex is represented by Middle-Upper Quaternary formations. The region is an area of young deformations in the Alpine belt. Formation of relief began at the neotectonic stage (Sarmatian) and continues at present. Javakheti is one of the most seismically active regions in the Caucasus, earthquakes of 1899 and 1986 with magnitudes up to 6.0, causing severe damage and hundreds of casualties, occurred there. Historical data on earthquakes in 1088 and 1899 locate them in the same region, highlighting the importance on learning about the location and characteristics of their seismic sources. Javakheti highland seems to be actively populated at least from the Bronze Age period, forming a local culture to be strongly affected by Natural catastrophes and significant changes in Landscapes and climate. Study of potential seismic and associated natural hazards, such as landslide and rockfalls, possible volcanic activity in the region, including paleo and historical evidences, were addressed by number of International Projects (ISTC A-1418, NATO SFP # 983284 ) and multidisciplinary studies carried out by the Institute of Earth Sciences. Data gathered after the Installation of local GPS and Seismic networks have provided new look on seismicity pattern of the region and major seismic sources, while field studies (Geophysical survey, Paleo trenching, Archaeological studies, etc.) have provided new information on the dramatic Natural disasters which occurred in the region and probably played a vital role in its history. Remote sensing techniques became widely used in geological investigations during the decades. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), aerial and optical data analysis have contributed to the development of this work.. Case studies of historical earthquakes of 1899 and 1089, as well as Archaeo-Seismological site along the Javakheti seismic fault will be presented. History on Natural Disasters in the region can be complemented by Bertakana Paleo-Landslide, to be discussed separately as one of the mega events in the Area. The mentioned events are considered as an important input for Seismic Hazard Assessment of Javakheti Region.

Medium effect on the characteristics of the coupled seismic and electromagnetic signals.

PubMed

Huang, Qinghua; Ren, Hengxin; Zhang, Dan; Chen, Y John

2015-01-01

Recently developed numerical simulation technique can simulate the coupled seismic and electromagnetic signals for a double couple point source or a finite fault planar source. Besides the source effect, the simulation results showed that both medium structure and medium property could affect the coupled seismic and electromagnetic signals. The waveform of coupled signals for a layered structure is more complicated than that for a simple uniform structure. Different from the seismic signals, the electromagnetic signals are sensitive to the medium properties such as fluid salinity and fluid viscosity. Therefore, the co-seismic electromagnetic signals may be more informative than seismic signals.

Medium effect on the characteristics of the coupled seismic and electromagnetic signals

PubMed Central

HUANG, Qinghua; REN, Hengxin; ZHANG, Dan; CHEN, Y. John

2015-01-01

Recently developed numerical simulation technique can simulate the coupled seismic and electromagnetic signals for a double couple point source or a finite fault planar source. Besides the source effect, the simulation results showed that both medium structure and medium property could affect the coupled seismic and electromagnetic signals. The waveform of coupled signals for a layered structure is more complicated than that for a simple uniform structure. Different from the seismic signals, the electromagnetic signals are sensitive to the medium properties such as fluid salinity and fluid viscosity. Therefore, the co-seismic electromagnetic signals may be more informative than seismic signals. PMID:25743062

GDP: A new source for shallow high-resolution seismic exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashed, Mohamed A.

2009-06-01

Gas-Driven Piston (GDP) is a new source for shallow seismic exploration. This source works by igniting a small amount of gas inside a closed chamber connected to a vertical steel cylinder. The gas explosion drives a steel piston, mounted inside the cylinder, downward so that the piston's thick head hits a steel base at the end of the cylinder generating a strong shock wave into the ground. Experimental field tests conducted near Ismailia, Egypt, prove that the portable, inexpensive and environmentally benign GDP generates stronger seismic waves than the sledgehammer that is commonly used in shallow seismic exploration. Tests also show that GDP is a highly repeatable and controllable and that its seismic waves contain a good amount of high frequencies which makes the GDP an excellent source for shallow seismic exploration.

Hydraulic transients: a seismic source in volcanoes and glaciers.

PubMed

Lawrence, W S; Qamar, A

1979-02-16

A source for certain low-frequency seismic waves is postulated in terms of the water hammer effect. The time-dependent displacement of a water-filled sub-glacial conduit is analyzed to demonstrate the nature of the source. Preliminary energy calculations and the observation of hydraulically generated seismic radiation from a dam indicate the plausibility of the proposed source.

Micro-seismic imaging using a source function independent full waveform inversion method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hanchen; Alkhalifah, Tariq

2018-03-01

At the heart of micro-seismic event measurements is the task to estimate the location of the source micro-seismic events, as well as their ignition times. The accuracy of locating the sources is highly dependent on the velocity model. On the other hand, the conventional micro-seismic source locating methods require, in many cases manual picking of traveltime arrivals, which do not only lead to manual effort and human interaction, but also prone to errors. Using full waveform inversion (FWI) to locate and image micro-seismic events allows for an automatic process (free of picking) that utilizes the full wavefield. However, full waveform inversion of micro-seismic events faces incredible nonlinearity due to the unknown source locations (space) and functions (time). We developed a source function independent full waveform inversion of micro-seismic events to invert for the source image, source function and the velocity model. It is based on convolving reference traces with these observed and modeled to mitigate the effect of an unknown source ignition time. The adjoint-state method is used to derive the gradient for the source image, source function and velocity updates. The extended image for the source wavelet in Z axis is extracted to check the accuracy of the inverted source image and velocity model. Also, angle gathers is calculated to assess the quality of the long wavelength component of the velocity model. By inverting for the source image, source wavelet and the velocity model simultaneously, the proposed method produces good estimates of the source location, ignition time and the background velocity for synthetic examples used here, like those corresponding to the Marmousi model and the SEG/EAGE overthrust model.

Broadband seismic effects from train vibrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuchs, Florian; Bokelmann, Götz

2017-04-01

Seismologists rarely study train induced vibrations which are mainly regarded an unwanted source of noise for classical seismological applications such as earthquake monitoring. A few seismological studies try to utilize train vibrations however as active sources, e.g. for subsurface imaging, but they do not focus on the characteristics of the train signal itself. Most available studies on train induced vibrations take an engineering approach and aim at better understanding the generation and short-distance propagation of train induced vibrations, mainly for mitigation and construction purposes. They mostly rely on numerical simulations and/or short-period or accelerometer recordings obtained directly on the train track or up to few hundred meters away and almost no studies exist with seismic recordings further away from the track. In some of these previous studies sharp and equidistant peaks are present in the vibration spectrum of heavy freight trains, but they do not attempt to explain them. Here we show and analyze various train vibration signals obtained from a set of seismic broadband stations installed in the context of the temporary, large-scale regional seismic network AlpArray. The geometrical restrictions of this seismic network combined with budget and safety considerations resulted in a number of broad-band instruments deployed in the vicinity of busy railway lines. On these stations we observe very characteristic seismic signals associated with different types of trains, typically showing pronounced equidistant spectral lines over a wide frequency range. In this study we analyze the nature of such signals and discuss if they are generated by a source effect or by wave propagation effects in near-surface soil layers.

Using Seismic and Infrasonic Data to Identify Persistent Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nava, S.; Brogan, R.

2014-12-01

Data from seismic and infrasound sensors were combined to aid in the identification of persistent sources such as mining-related explosions. It is of interest to operators of seismic networks to identify these signals in their event catalogs. Acoustic signals below the threshold of human hearing, in the frequency range of ~0.01 to 20 Hz are classified as infrasound. Persistent signal sources are useful as ground truth data for the study of atmospheric infrasound signal propagation, identification of manmade versus naturally occurring seismic sources, and other studies. By using signals emanating from the same location, propagation studies, for example, can be conducted using a variety of atmospheric conditions, leading to improvements to the modeling process for eventual use where the source is not known. We present results from several studies to identify ground truth sources using both seismic and infrasound data.

Hanford Quarter Seismic Report - 98C Seismicity On and Near the Hanford Site, Pasco Basin, Washington: April 1, 1998 Through June 30, 1998

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DC Hartshorn, SP Reidel, AC Rohay

1998-10-23

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The staff also locates aud identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the hi~orical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are. compiled archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of zinmore » earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and Ihe Eastern Washington Regional Network (EN/RN) consist-of 42 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. The operational rate for the third quarter of FY 1998 for stations in the HSN was 99.99%. The operational rate for the third quarter of FY 1998 for stations of the EWRN was 99.95%. For the third quarter of FY 1998, the acquisition computer triggered 133 times. Of these triggers 11 were local earthquakes: 5 (45Yo) in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 2(1 8%) in the pre-basalt sediments, and 4 (36%) in the crystalline basement. The geologic and tectonic environments where these earthquakes occurred are discussed in this report.« less

Hanford Quarter Seismic Report - 98C Seismicity On and Near the Hanford Site, Pasco Basin, Washington: April 1, 1998 Through June 30, 1998

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DC Hartshorn, SP Reidel, AC Rohay.

1998-10-23

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The staff also locates aud identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the hi orical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are. compiled archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event ofmore » zin earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and Ihe Eastern Washington Regional Network (EN/RN) consist-of 42 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. The operational rate for the third quarter of FY 1998 for stations in the HSN was 99.99%. The operational rate for the third quarter of FY 1998 for stations of the EWRN was 99.95%. For the third quarter of FY 1998, the acquisition computer triggered 133 times. Of these triggers 11 were local earthquakes: 5 (45Yo) in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 2(1 8%) in the pre-basalt sediments, and 4 (36%) in the crystalline basement. The geologic and tectonic environments where these earthquakes occurred are discussed in this report.« less

Recent Impacts on Mars: Cluster Properties and Seismic Signal Predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Justine Daubar, Ingrid; Schmerr, Nicholas; Banks, Maria; Marusiak, Angela; Golombek, Matthew P.

2016-10-01

Impacts are a key source of seismic waves that are a primary constraint on the formation, evolution, and dynamics of planetary objects. Geophysical missions such as InSight (Banerdt et al., 2013) will monitor seismic signals from internal and external sources. New martian craters have been identified in orbital images (Malin et al., 2006; Daubar et al., 2013). Seismically detecting such impacts and subsequently imaging the resulting craters will provide extremely accurate epicenters and source crater sizes, enabling calibration of seismic velocities, the efficiency of impact-seismic coupling, and retrieval of detailed regional and local internal structure.To investigate recent impact-induced seismicity on Mars, we have assessed ~100 new, dated impact sites. In approximately half of new impacts, the bolide partially disintegrates in the atmosphere, forming multiple craters in a cluster. We incorporate the resulting, more complex, seismic effects in our model. To characterize the variation between sites, we focus on clustered impacts. We report statistics of craters within clusters: diameters, morphometry indicating subsurface layering, strewn-field azimuths indicating impact direction, and dispersion within clusters indicating combined effects of bolide strength and elevation of breakup.Measured parameters are converted to seismic predictions for impact sources using a scaling law relating crater diameter to the momentum and source duration, calibrated for impacts recorded by Apollo (Lognonne et al., 2009). We use plausible ranges for target properties, bolide densities, and impact velocities to bound the seismic moment. The expected seismic sources are modeled in the near field using a 3-D wave propagation code (Petersson et al., 2010) and in the far field using a 1-D wave propagation code (Friederich et al., 1995), for a martian seismic model. Thus we calculate the amplitudes of seismic phases at varying distances, which can be used to evaluate the detectability of body and surface wave phases created by different sizes and types of impacts all over Mars.

Probabilistic seismic hazard assessment for northern Southeast Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, C. H.; Wang, Y.; Kosuwan, S.; Nguyen, M. L.; Shi, X.; Sieh, K.

2016-12-01

We assess seismic hazard for northern Southeast Asia through constructing an earthquake and fault database, conducting a series of ground-shaking scenarios and proposing regional seismic hazard maps. Our earthquake database contains earthquake parameters from global and local seismic catalogues, including the ISC, ISC-GEM, the global ANSS Comprehensive Catalogues, Seismological Bureau, Thai Meteorological Department, Thailand, and Institute of Geophysics Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Vietnam. To harmonize the earthquake parameters from various catalogue sources, we remove duplicate events and unify magnitudes into the same scale. Our active fault database include active fault data from previous studies, e.g. the active fault parameters determined by Wang et al. (2014), Department of Mineral Resources, Thailand, and Institute of Geophysics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Vietnam. Based on the parameters from analysis of the databases (i.e., the Gutenberg-Richter relationship, slip rate, maximum magnitude and time elapsed of last events), we determined the earthquake recurrence models of seismogenic sources. To evaluate the ground shaking behaviours in different tectonic regimes, we conducted a series of tests by matching the felt intensities of historical earthquakes to the modelled ground motions using ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs). By incorporating the best-fitting GMPEs and site conditions, we utilized site effect and assessed probabilistic seismic hazard. The highest seismic hazard is in the region close to the Sagaing Fault, which cuts through some major cities in central Myanmar. The northern segment of Sunda megathrust, which could potentially cause M8-class earthquake, brings significant hazard along the Western Coast of Myanmar and eastern Bangladesh. Besides, we conclude a notable hazard level in northern Vietnam and the boundary between Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, due to a series of strike-slip faults, which could potentially cause moderate-large earthquakes. Note that although much of the region has a low probability of damaging shaking, low-probability events have resulted in much destruction recently in SE Asia (e.g. 2008 Wenchuan, 2015 Sabah earthquakes).

A smoothed stochastic earthquake rate model considering seismicity and fault moment release for Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiemer, S.; Woessner, J.; Basili, R.; Danciu, L.; Giardini, D.; Wiemer, S.

2014-08-01

We present a time-independent gridded earthquake rate forecast for the European region including Turkey. The spatial component of our model is based on kernel density estimation techniques, which we applied to both past earthquake locations and fault moment release on mapped crustal faults and subduction zone interfaces with assigned slip rates. Our forecast relies on the assumption that the locations of past seismicity is a good guide to future seismicity, and that future large-magnitude events occur more likely in the vicinity of known faults. We show that the optimal weighted sum of the corresponding two spatial densities depends on the magnitude range considered. The kernel bandwidths and density weighting function are optimized using retrospective likelihood-based forecast experiments. We computed earthquake activity rates (a- and b-value) of the truncated Gutenberg-Richter distribution separately for crustal and subduction seismicity based on a maximum likelihood approach that considers the spatial and temporal completeness history of the catalogue. The final annual rate of our forecast is purely driven by the maximum likelihood fit of activity rates to the catalogue data, whereas its spatial component incorporates contributions from both earthquake and fault moment-rate densities. Our model constitutes one branch of the earthquake source model logic tree of the 2013 European seismic hazard model released by the EU-FP7 project `Seismic HAzard haRmonization in Europe' (SHARE) and contributes to the assessment of epistemic uncertainties in earthquake activity rates. We performed retrospective and pseudo-prospective likelihood consistency tests to underline the reliability of our model and SHARE's area source model (ASM) using the testing algorithms applied in the collaboratory for the study of earthquake predictability (CSEP). We comparatively tested our model's forecasting skill against the ASM and find a statistically significant better performance for testing periods of 10-20 yr. The testing results suggest that our model is a viable candidate model to serve for long-term forecasting on timescales of years to decades for the European region.

Seismic monitoring at Cascade Volcanic Centers, 2004?status and recommendations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moran, Seth C.

2004-01-01

The purpose of this report is to assess the current (May, 2004) status of seismic monitoring networks at the 13 major Cascade volcanic centers. Included in this assessment are descriptions of each network, analyses of the ability of each network to detect and to locate seismic activity, identification of specific weaknesses in each network, and a prioritized list of those networks that are most in need of additional seismic stations. At the outset it should be recognized that no Cascade volcanic center currently has an adequate seismic network relative to modern-day networks at Usu Volcano (Japan) or Etna and Stromboli volcanoes (Italy). For a system the size of Three Sisters, for example, a modern-day, cutting-edge seismic network would ideally consist of a minimum of 10 to 12 short-period three-component seismometers (for determining particle motions, reliable S-wave picks, moment tensor inversions, fault-plane solutions, and other important seismic parameters) and 7 to 10 broadband sensors (which, amongst other considerations, enable detection and location of very long period (VLP) and other low-frequency events, moment tensor inversions, and, because of their wide dynamic range, on-scale recording of large-amplitude events). Such a dense, multi component seismic network would give the ability to, for example, detect in near-real-time earthquake migrations over a distance of ~0.5km or less, locate tremor sources, determine the nature of a seismic source (that is, pure shear, implosive, explosive), provide on-scale recordings of very small and very large-amplitude seismic signals, and detect localized changes in seismic stress tensor orientations caused by movement of magma bodies. However, given that programmatic resources are currently limited, installation of such networks at this time is unrealistic. Instead, this report focuses on identifying what additional stations are needed to guarantee that anomalous seismicity associated with volcanic unrest will be detected in a timely manner and, in the case of magnitude = 1 earthquakes, reliably located.

Method for enhancing low frequency output of impulsive type seismic energy sources and its application to a seismic energy source for use while drilling

DOEpatents

Radtke, Robert P; Stokes, Robert H; Glowka, David A

2014-12-02

A method for operating an impulsive type seismic energy source in a firing sequence having at least two actuations for each seismic impulse to be generated by the source. The actuations have a time delay between them related to a selected energy frequency peak of the source output. One example of the method is used for generating seismic signals in a wellbore and includes discharging electric current through a spark gap disposed in the wellbore in at least one firing sequence. The sequence includes at least two actuations of the spark gap separated by an amount of time selected to cause acoustic energy resulting from the actuations to have peak amplitude at a selected frequency.

Calibration of the R/V Marcus G. Langseth Seismic Array in shallow Cascadia waters using the Multi-Channel Streamer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crone, T. J.; Tolstoy, M.; Carton, H. D.

2013-12-01

In the summer of 2012, two multi-channel seismic (MCS) experiments, Cascadia Open-Access Seismic Transects (COAST) and Ridge2Trench, were conducted in the offshore Cascadia region. An area of growing environmental concern with active source seismic experiments is the potential impact of the received sound on marine mammals, but data relating to this issue is limited. For these surveys sound level 'mitigation radii' are established for the protection of marine mammals, based on direct arrival modeling and previous calibration experiments. Propagation of sound from seismic arrays can be accurately modeled in deep-water environments, but in shallow and sloped environments the complexity of local geology and bathymetry can make it difficult to predict sound levels as a function of distance from the source array. One potential solution to this problem is to measure the received levels in real-time using the ship's streamer (Diebold et al., 2010), which would allow the dynamic determination of suitable mitigation radii. We analyzed R/V Langseth streamer data collected on the shelf and slope off the Washington coast during the COAST experiment to measure received levels in situ up to 8 km away from the ship. Our analysis shows that water depth and bathymetric features can affect received levels in shallow water environments. The establishment of dynamic mitigation radii based on local conditions may help maximize the safety of marine mammals while also maximizing the ability of scientists to conduct seismic research. With increasing scientific and societal focus on subduction zone environments, a better understanding of shallow water sound propagation is essential for allowing seismic exploration of these hazardous environments to continue. Diebold, J. M., M. Tolstoy, L. Doermann, S. Nooner, S. Webb, and T. J. Crone (2010) R/V Marcus G. Langseth Seismic Source: Modeling and Calibration. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, 11, Q12012, doi:10.1029/2010GC003216.

Constraining the crustal root geometry beneath the Rif Cordillera (North Morocco)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diaz, Jordi; Gil, Alba; Carbonell, Ramon; Gallart, Josep; Harnafi, Mimoun

2016-04-01

The analyses of wide-angle reflections of controlled source experiments and receiver functions calculated from teleseismic events provide consistent constraints of an over-thickened crust beneath the Rif Cordillera (North Morocco). Regarding active source data, we investigate now offline arrivals of Moho-reflected phases recorded in RIFSIS project to get new estimations of 3D crustal thickness variations beneath North Morocco. Additional constrains on the onshore-offshore transition are derived from onland recording of marine airgun shots from the coeval Gassis-Topomed profiles. A regional crustal thickness map is computed from all these results. In parallel, we use natural seismicity data collected throughout TopoIberia and PICASSO experiments, and from a new RIFSIS deployment, to obtain teleseismic receiver functions and explore the crustal thickness variations with a H-κ grid-search approach. The use of a larger dataset including new stations covering the complex areas beneath the Rif Cordillera allow us to improve the resolution of previous contributions, revealing abrupt crustal changes beneath the region. A gridded surface is built up by interpolating the Moho depths inferred for each seismic station, then compared with the map from controlled source experiments. A remarkably consistent image is observed in both maps, derived from completely independent data and methods. Both approaches document a large modest root, exceeding 50 km depth in the central part of the Rif, in contrast with the rather small topographic elevations. This large crustal thickness, consistent with the available Bouguer anomaly data, favor models proposing that the high velocity slab imaged by seismic tomography beneath the Alboran Sea is still attached to the lithosphere beneath the Rif, hence pulling down the lithosphere and thickening the crust. The thickened area corresponds to a quiet seismic zone located between the western Morocco arcuate seismic zone, the deep seismicity area beneath western Alboran Sea and the superficial seismicity in Alhoceima area. Therefore, the presence of a crustal root seems to play also a major role in the seismicity distribution in northern Morocco.

Seismicity and source spectra analysis in Salton Sea Geothermal Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Y.; Chen, X.

2016-12-01

The surge of "man-made" earthquakes in recent years has led to considerable concerns about the associated hazards. Improved monitoring of small earthquakes would significantly help understand such phenomena and the underlying physical mechanisms. In the Salton Sea Geothermal field in southern California, open access of a local borehole network provides a unique opportunity to better understand the seismicity characteristics, the related earthquake hazards, and the relationship with the geothermal system, tectonic faulting and other physical conditions. We obtain high-resolution earthquake locations in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field, analyze characteristics of spatiotemporal isolated earthquake clusters, magnitude-frequency distributions and spatial variation of stress drops. The analysis reveals spatial coherent distributions of different types of clustering, b-value distributions, and stress drop distribution. The mixture type clusters (short-duration rapid bursts with high aftershock productivity) are predominately located within active geothermal field that correlate with high b-value, low stress drop microearthquake clouds, while regular aftershock sequences and swarms are distributed throughout the study area. The differences between earthquakes inside and outside of geothermal operation field suggest a possible way to distinguish directly induced seismicity due to energy operation versus typical seismic slip driven sequences. The spatial coherent b-value distribution enables in-situ estimation of probabilities for M≥3 earthquakes, and shows that the high large-magnitude-event (LME) probability zones with high stress drop are likely associated with tectonic faulting. The high stress drop in shallow (1-3 km) depth indicates the existence of active faults, while low stress drops near injection wells likely corresponds to the seismic response to fluid injection. I interpret the spatial variation of seismicity and source characteristics as the result of fluid circulation, the fracture network, and tectonic faulting.

Seismic hazard assessment for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mueller, Charles S.; Haller, Kathleen M.; Luco, Nicholas; Petersen, Mark D.; Frankel, Arthur D.

2012-01-01

We present the results of a new probabilistic seismic hazard assessment for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The Mariana island arc has formed in response to northwestward subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the Philippine Sea plate, and this process controls seismic activity in the region. Historical seismicity, the Mariana megathrust, and two crustal faults on Guam were modeled as seismic sources, and ground motions were estimated by using published relations for a firm-rock site condition. Maps of peak ground acceleration, 0.2-second spectral acceleration for 5 percent critical damping, and 1.0-second spectral acceleration for 5 percent critical damping were computed for exceedance probabilities of 2 percent and 10 percent in 50 years. For 2 percent probability of exceedance in 50 years, probabilistic peak ground acceleration is 0.94 gravitational acceleration at Guam and 0.57 gravitational acceleration at Saipan, 0.2-second spectral acceleration is 2.86 gravitational acceleration at Guam and 1.75 gravitational acceleration at Saipan, and 1.0-second spectral acceleration is 0.61 gravitational acceleration at Guam and 0.37 gravitational acceleration at Saipan. For 10 percent probability of exceedance in 50 years, probabilistic peak ground acceleration is 0.49 gravitational acceleration at Guam and 0.29 gravitational acceleration at Saipan, 0.2-second spectral acceleration is 1.43 gravitational acceleration at Guam and 0.83 gravitational acceleration at Saipan, and 1.0-second spectral acceleration is 0.30 gravitational acceleration at Guam and 0.18 gravitational acceleration at Saipan. The dominant hazard source at the islands is upper Benioff-zone seismicity (depth 40–160 kilometers). The large probabilistic ground motions reflect the strong concentrations of this activity below the arc, especially near Guam.

Bathymetry, Crustal Imaging and Tectonics in the South of Islas Marias (Nayarit, Mexico)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrillo de la Cruz, J. L.; Nunez, D.; Nuñez-Cornu, F. J.; Barba, D. C., Sr.; Gonzalez-Fernandez, A.; Escalona, F.; Danobeitia, J.

2016-12-01

The seismic activity of the Mexican Pacific margin is principally due to the subduction process of the Rivera plate beneath the North America plate and Jalisco Block. In 2014, the TSUJAL geophysical experiment provided new data to archive a better knowledge about the crustal structure and their implications in seismic and tsunamigenic potential hazards. In this study, we present the processed and analyzed bathymetric, WAS and MCS data along the TS11 seismic transect (115 km length) across the southern of Islas Marías. The seismic sources used in this work correspond to the airgun shots provided by RRS James Cook every 120 s and 50 m to recover WAS and MCS data, respectively. These sources were registered by a network of 4 OBS and 30 land seismic stations and the MCS data were acquired with a 5.85 km length streamer with a 468 active channels. Meanwhile, the bathymetric data were obtained with 2 multibeam echo sounders, EM120 and EM710, obtaining a 75 - 80 m of grid resolution. After data processing and interpretation, we have obtained information about two basins (De la Cruz Basin and Tres Marias basin) delimitated with geological lineaments alongside the Sierra de Cleofas from bathymetry, being Tres Marias basin the deepest zone in the area. Moreover, the main canyon founded in this study (De la Cruz Canyon) has been classified as type 3, according to Harris & Whiteway (2011). From seismic data, we have determined the shallow and deep crustal structure of the northern part of Rivera plate subduction with a dip angle between 6° and 8°. In this region, the oceanic crust is 10 km deep, increasing up to 20 km, while the deepest layers of the upper mantle have been determined at 45-50 km.

Seismogenic zones and attenuation laws for probabilistic seismic hazard assessment in low deformation area =

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Goff, Boris

Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA), rather than the subjective methodologies that are currently used. This study focuses particularly in the definition of the seismic sources, through the seismotectonic zoning, and the determination of historical earthquake location. An important step in the Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis consists in defining the seismic source model. Such a model expresses the association of the seismicity characteristics with the tectonically-active geological structures evidenced by seismotectonic studies. Given that most of the faults, in low seismic regions, are not characterized well enough, the source models are generally defined as areal zones, delimited with finite boundary polygons, within which the seismicity and the geological features are deemed homogeneous (e.g., focal depth, seismicity rate). Besides the lack of data (short period of instrumental seismicity), such a method generates different problems for regions with low seismic activity: 1) a large sensitivity of resulting hazard maps to the location of zone boundaries, while these boundaries are set by expert decisions; 2) the zoning cannot represent any variability or structural complexity in seismic parameters; 3) the seismicity rate is distributed throughout the zone and the location of the determinant information used for its calculation is lost. We investigate an alternative approach to model the seismotectonic zoning, with three main objectives: 1) obtaining a reproducible method that 2) preserves the information on the sources and extent of the uncertainties, so as to allow to propagate them (through Ground Motion Prediction Equations on to the hazard maps), and that 3) redefines the seismic source concept to debrief our knowledge on the seismogenic structures and the clustering. To do so, the Bayesian methods are favored. First, a generative model with two zones, differentiated by two different surface activity rates, was developed, creating synthetic catalogs drawn from a Poisson distribution as occurrence model, a truncated Gutenberg-Richter law as magnitudefrequency relationship and a uniform spatial distribution. The inference of this model permits to assess the minimum number of data, nmin, required in an earthquake catalog to recover the activity rates of both zones and the limit between them, with some level of accuracy. In this Bayesian model, the earthquake locations are essential. Consequently, these data have to be obtained with the best accuracy possible. The main difficulty is to reduce the location uncertainty of historical earthquakes. We propose to use the method of Bakun and Wentworth (1997) to reestimate the epicentral region of these events. This method uses directly the intensity data points rather than the isoseismal lines, set up by experts. The significant advantage in directly using individual intensity observations is that the procedures are explicit and hence the results are reproducible. The results of such a method provide an estimation of the epicentral region with levels of confidence appropriated for the number of intensity data points used. As example, we applied this methodology to the 1909 Benavente event, because of its controversial location and the particularly shape of its isoseismal lines. A new location of the 1909 Benavente event is presented in this study and the epicentral region of this event is expressed with confidence levels related to the number of intensity data points. This epicentral region is improved by the development of a new intensity-distance attenuation law, appropriate for the Portugal mainland. This law is the first one in Portugal mainland developed as a function of the magnitude (M) rather than the subjective epicentral intensity. From the logarithmic regression of each event, we define the equation form of the attenuation law. We obtained the following attenuation law: I= -1.9438 ln(D)+4.1Mw-9.5763 for 4.4 ≤ Mw ≤ 6.2 Using these attenuation laws, we reached to a magnitude estimation of the 1909 Benavente event that is in good agreement with the instrumental one. The epicentral region estimation was also improved with a tightening of the confidence level contours and a minimum of rms[MI] coming closer to the epicenter estimation of Karnik (1969). Finally, this two zone model will be a reference in the comparison with other models, which will incorporate other available data. Nevertheless, future improvements are needed to obtain a seismotectonic zoning. We emphasize that such an approach is reproducible once priors and data sets are chosen. Indeed, the objective is to incorporate expert opinions as priors, and avoid using expert decisions. Instead, the products will be directly the result of the inference, when only one model is considered, or the result of a combination of models in the Bayesian sense.

Analysis of volcano-related seismicity to constrain the magmatic plumbing system beneath Fogo, Cape Verde, by (multi-)array techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietrich, Carola; Wölbern, Ingo; Faria, Bruno; Rümpker, Georg

2017-04-01

Fogo is the only island of the Cape Verde archipelago with regular occurring volcanic eruptions since its discovery in the 15th century. The volcanism of the archipelago originates from a mantle plume beneath an almost stationary tectonic plate. With an eruption interval of approximately 20 years, Fogo belongs to the most active oceanic volcanoes. The latest eruption started in November 2014 and ceased in February 2015. This study aims to characterize and investigate the seismic activity and the magmatic plumbing system of Fogo, which is believed to be related to a magmatic source close to the neighboring island of Brava. According to previous studies, using conventional seismic network configurations, most of the seismic activity occurs offshore. Therefore, seismological array techniques represent powerful tools in investigating earthquakes and other volcano-related events located outside of the networks. Another advantage in the use of seismic arrays is their possibility to detect events of relatively small magnitude and to locate seismic signals without a clear onset of phases, such as volcanic tremors. Since October 2015 we have been operating a test array on Fogo as part of a pilot study. This array consists of 10 seismic stations, distributed in a circular shape with an aperture of 700 m. The stations are equipped with Omnirecs CUBE dataloggers, and either 4.5 Hz geophones (7 stations) or Trillium-Compact broad-band seismometers (3 stations). In January 2016 we installed three additional broad-band stations distributed across the island of Fogo to improve the capabilities for event localization. The data of the pilot study is dominated by seismic activity around Brava, but also exhibit tremors and hybrid events of unknown origin within the caldera of Fogo volcano. The preliminary analysis of these events includes the characterization and localization of the different event types using seismic array processing in combination with conventional localization methods. In the beginning of August 2016, a "seismic crisis" occurred on the island of Brava which led to the evacuation of a village. The seismic activity recorded by our instruments on Fogo exhibits more than 40 earthquakes during this time. Locations and magnitudes of these events will be presented. In January 2017 the pilot project discussed here will be complemented by three additional seismic arrays (two on Fogo, one on Brava) to improve seismic event localization and structural imaging based on scattered seismic phases by using multi-array techniques. Initial recordings from the new arrays are expected to be available by April 2017.

A one year long continuous record of seismic activity and surface motion at the tongue of Rhonegletscher (Valais, Switzerland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalban Canassy, Pierre; Röösli, Claudia; Walter, Fabian; Gabbi, Jeannette

2014-05-01

A critical gap in our current understanding of glaciers is how high sub-glacial water pressure controls the coupling of the glacier to its bed. Processes at the base of a glacier are inherently difficult to investigate due to their remoteness. Investigation of the sub-glacial environment with passive seismic methods is an innovative, rapidly growing interdisciplinary and promising endeavor. In combination with observations of surface motion and basal water pressure, this method is ideally suited to localize and quantify frictional and fracture processes which occur during periods of rapidly changing sub-glacial water pressure with consequent stress redistribution at the contact interface between ice and bed. Here we present the results of the first one-year-long glacier seismic monitoring performed on an Alpine glacier to our knowledge. Together with records of surface motion and hydrological measurements, we examine whether seasonal changes can be captured by seismic recording. Experiments were carried out from June 2012 to July 2013 on Rhonegletscher (Valais, Switzerland), by means of 3 three-components seismometers settled close to the tongue in 2 meters boreholes. An additional array of eleven sensors installed at the ice surface was also maintained during September 2012, in order to achieve more accurate icequakes locations. A high seismic emission is observed on Rhonegletscher, with icequakes located close to the surface or in the vicinity of the bedrock. The temporal distribution of seismic activity is shown to nicely reflect the seasonal evolution of the glacier hydrology, with a dramatic seismic release in early spring. During summer, released seismic activity is generally driven by diurnal ice/snow melting cycle. In winter, snow-cover conditions are associated with a reduced seismic release, with nevertheless some unexpected activity possibly related to snow-pack metamorphism. Based on icequake locations derived from data recorded in September, we discuss seasonal changes of the icequakes hypocenters distribution and possible source mechanisms are proposed.

Expected Seismicity and the Seismic Noise Environment of Europa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panning, Mark P.; Stähler, Simon C.; Huang, Hsin-Hua; Vance, Steven D.; Kedar, Sharon; Tsai, Victor C.; Pike, William T.; Lorenz, Ralph D.

2018-01-01

Seismic data will be a vital geophysical constraint on internal structure of Europa if we land instruments on the surface. Quantifying expected seismic activity on Europa both in terms of large, recognizable signals and ambient background noise is important for understanding dynamics of the moon, as well as interpretation of potential future data. Seismic energy sources will likely include cracking in the ice shell and turbulent motion in the oceans. We define a range of models of seismic activity in Europa's ice shell by assuming each model follows a Gutenberg-Richter relationship with varying parameters. A range of cumulative seismic moment release between 1016 and 1018 Nm/yr is defined by scaling tidal dissipation energy to tectonic events on the Earth's moon. Random catalogs are generated and used to create synthetic continuous noise records through numerical wave propagation in thermodynamically self-consistent models of the interior structure of Europa. Spectral characteristics of the noise are calculated by determining probabilistic power spectral densities of the synthetic records. While the range of seismicity models predicts noise levels that vary by 80 dB, we show that most noise estimates are below the self-noise floor of high-frequency geophones but may be recorded by more sensitive instruments. The largest expected signals exceed background noise by ˜50 dB. Noise records may allow for constraints on interior structure through autocorrelation. Models of seismic noise generated by pressure variations at the base of the ice shell due to turbulent motions in the subsurface ocean may also generate observable seismic noise.

Structure of the Suasselkä postglacial fault in northern Finland obtained by analysis of local events and ambient seismic noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afonin, Nikita; Kozlovskaya, Elena; Kukkonen, Ilmo; Dafne/Finland Working Group

2017-04-01

Understanding the inner structure of seismogenic faults and their ability to reactivate is particularly important in investigating the continental intraplate seismicity regime. In our study we address this problem using analysis of local seismic events and ambient seismic noise recorded by the temporary DAFNE array in the northern Fennoscandian Shield. The main purpose of the DAFNE/FINLAND passive seismic array experiment was to characterize the present-day seismicity of the Suasselkä postglacial fault (SPGF), which was proposed as one potential target for the DAFNE (Drilling Active Faults in Northern Europe) project. The DAFNE/FINLAND array comprised an area of about 20 to 100 km and consisted of eight short-period and four broadband three-component autonomous seismic stations installed in the close vicinity of the fault area. The array recorded continuous seismic data during September 2011-May 2013. Recordings of the array have being analysed in order to identify and locate natural earthquakes from the fault area and to discriminate them from the blasts in the Kittilä gold mine. As a result, we found a number of natural seismic events originating from the fault area, which proves that the fault is still seismically active. In order to study the inner structure of the SPGF we use cross-correlation of ambient seismic noise recorded by the array. Analysis of azimuthal distribution of noise sources demonstrated that during the time interval under consideration the distribution of noise sources is close to the uniform one. The continuous data were processed in several steps including single-station data analysis, instrument response removal and time-domain stacking. The data were used to estimate empirical Green's functions between pairs of stations in the frequency band of 0.1-1 Hz and to calculate corresponding surface wave dispersion curves. The S-wave velocity models were obtained as a result of dispersion curve inversion. The results suggest that the area of the SPGF corresponds to a narrow region of low S-wave velocities surrounded by rocks with high S-wave velocities. We interpret this low-velocity region as a non-healed mechanically weak fault damage zone (FDZ) formed due to the last major earthquake that occurred after the last glaciation.

Seismic structures beneath Popocatepetl (Mexico) and Gorely (Kamchatka) volcanoes derived from passive tomography studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuznetsov, Pavel; Koulakov, Ivan

2014-05-01

A number of active volcanoes are observed in different parts of the world, and they attract great interest of scientists. Comparing their characteristics helps in understanding the origin and mechanisms of their activity. One of the most effective methods for studying the deep structure beneath volcanoes is passive source seismic tomography. In this study we present results of tomographic inversions for two active volcanoes located in different parts of the world: Popocatepetl (Mexico) and Gorely (Kamchatka, Russia). In the past century both volcanoes were actively erupted that explains great interest to their detailed investigations. In both cases we made the full data analysis starting from picking the arrival times from local events. In the case of the Popocatepetl study, a temporary seismological network was deployed by GFZ for the period from December 1999 to July 2000. Note that during this period there were a very few events recorded inside the volcano. Most of recorded earthquakes occurred in surrounding areas and they probably have the tectonic nature. We performed a special analysis to ground the efficiency of using these data for studying seismic structure beneath the network installed on the volcano. The tomographic inversion was performed using the LOTOS code by Koulakov (2009). Beneath the Popocatepetl volcano we have found a zone of strong anti-correlation between P- and S-velocities that leaded to high values of Vp/Vs ratio. Similar features were found for some other volcanoes in previous studies. We interpret these anomalies as zones of high content of fluids and melts that are related to active magma sources. For the case of Gorely volcano we used the data of a temporary network just deployed in summer 2013 by our team from IPGG, Novosibirsk. Luckily, during the field works, the volcano started to manifest strong seismic activity. In this period, 100 - 200 volcanic events occurred daily. We collected the continuous seismic records from 20 stations for 5-7 days that gives us the possibility to locate several hundreds of events and to build a preliminary seismic model beneath the Gorely volcano. We found a zone of low S-velocity located beneath the SE flank of the volcano, just between the Gorely and Mutnovsky volcanoes. This may serve as an argument for feeding these volcanoes from a single source. Although Popocatepetl and Gorely volcanoes are considerably different in their size and eruption characteristics, we found some similar features in the seismic structures, such as anti-correlation of P- and S- anomalies and high Vp/Vs ratio patterns below summits. This provides common patterns that give us the keys for understanding the general mechanism of working the volcanic systems. This study was partly supported by the projects #7.3 of BES RAS, IP SB RAS #20 and IP SB-FEB RAS #42

geoPebble: Combined Seismic, Acoustic, and GPS Sensor with Wireless Communications for Glaciological Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anandakrishnan, S.; Burkett, P. G.; Long, B.

2009-12-01

Glaciologist and geophysicists study many dynamic processes in glaciated environments such as sliding, crevasse formation, and water flow. These processes generate signals that can be interpreted for fundamental parameters needed for numerical models of glacier and ice sheet flow. These signals include microearthquakes beneath glaciers and ice streams during stick-slip processes; seismically identifiable harmonic tremors associated with subglacial water flow; supraglacial lake drainage which can produce rapid uplift of the 1 m/hr. In addition, researchers use active seismic experiments to determine bed properties such as roughness and lubrication. Currently, each process requires different instrumentation and/or different field equipment to collect the data such as a GPS receiver for displacement, a passive seismic instrument for microearthquakes, and a multichannel seismic recorder for active seismic experiments. We report on the development of an instrument specifically designed for observing dynamic glaciated environments in a single platform, reducing the need for multiple field systems and reducing the cost considerably. The geoPebble wireless seismic acquisition system, designed and built at the Pennsylvania State University, comprises 4 channels of 24-bit seismic and acoustic digitizing, an L1 GPS engine, onboard data storage and an 802.15 ZigBee radio. Three of the four ADC channels are intended to be used with a 3 component seismic sensor. The fourth channel is a dedicated to an audio frequency microphone. The 1 Hz L1 GPS system is capable of horizontal position accuracy to better than 10 cm when post-processed against L1/L2 stations within 10 km. Onboard storage is achieved with a Secure Digital card where volumes now exceed 32 GB. The ZigBee radio is capable of forming a mesh network which reduces transmit and receive power requirements while maintaing communication throughout the array and provides state-of-health information as well as sufficient data to determine proper functionality of the unit. This single platform is flexible enough to be used for deployments where sample rates are low (~500 Hz) but continuous data is required such as basal seismicity or stick-slip experiments, as well as active source experiments where sampling rates are higher (>10 Khz) but recording is triggered rather than continuous. In addition to being a single platform capable of high sample rate acquisition, as needed in active source experiments, this system has the advantage of being wireless, which makes deployment and configuration of the array much simpler. In either mode, the L1 GPS data are collected so that surveying the station location is not necessary. We report on the field testing of the instrument in Greenland where the data were compared to commercial instruments.

Probing the internal structure of the asteriod Didymoon with a passive seismic investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murdoch, N.; Hempel, S.; Pou, L.; Cadu, A.; Garcia, R. F.; Mimoun, D.; Margerin, L.; Karatekin, O.

2017-09-01

Understanding the internal structure of an asteroid has important implications for interpreting its evolutionary history, for understanding its continuing geological evolution, and also for asteroid deflection and in-situ space resource utilisation. Given the strong evidence that asteroids are seismically active, an in-situ passive seismic experiment could provide information about the asteroid surface and interior properties. Here, we discuss the natural seismic activity that may be present on Didymoon, the secondary component of asteroid (65803) Didymos. Our analysis of the tidal stresses in Didymoon shows that tidal quakes are likely to occur if the secondary has an eccentric orbit. Failure occurs most easily at the asteroid poles and close to the surface for both homogeneous and layered internal structures. Simulations of seismic wave propagation in Didymoon show that the seismic moment of even small meteoroid impacts can generate clearly observable body and surface waves if the asteroid's internal structure is homogeneous. The presence of a regolith layer over a consolidated core can result in the seismic energy becoming trapped in the regolith due to the strong impedance contrast at the regolith-core boundary. The inclusion of macro-porosity (voids) further complexifies the wavefield due to increased scattering. The most prominent seismic waves are always found to be those traveling along the surface of the asteroid and those focusing in the antipodal point of the seismic source. We find also that the waveforms and ground acceleration spectra allow discrimination between the different internal structure models. Although the science return of a passive seismic experiment would be enhanced by having multiple seismic stations, one single seismic station can already vastly improve our knowledge about the seismic environment and sub-surface structure of an asteroid. We describe several seismic measurement techniques that could be applied in order to study the asteroid internal structure with one three-component seismic station.

4D imaging of the source of ground deformation at Campi Flegrei caldera (Italy) during recent unrest episodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Auria, L.; Giudicepietro, F.; Martini, M.; Lanari, R.

2011-12-01

Campi Flegrei caldera, has been affected in recent decades by three episodes of significant ground uplift. After the last crisis (1982-84), which was accompanied by strong seismicity, the ground has shown a general descending trend, occasionally interrupted by minor uplift episodes, together with low-magnitude volcano-tectonic and long-period seismicity. We assume that the source of minor ground deformations consists in a diffuse volumetric source, related to both thermoelastic and poroelastic strain. This is a reasonable assumption considering that Campi Flegrei are known to host a geothermal reservoir. We have inverted a DInSAR dataset spanning the interval 1995-2008. Results show that the geometry of the source is much more complex than previously recognized and, most important, it shows significant temporal variations, within few months. The deformation source, of the analyzed uplift episodes, starts with a volumetric expansion centered at a depth of about 5 km. The position of this volume is close to the caldera rims. Later the expansion migrates upward, reaching the surface along preferred paths, leading to the Solfatara area, located almost at the center of the caldera. This area is well known for its powerful geothermal emissions. During the upward migration, seismic long-period sources are activated. Their location is consistent with the path identified by the inversion of the DInSAR dataset. We infer, that this dynamics is linked to the injection of hot fluid batches, along the caldera rims and their upward migration, following preferential high permeability paths. Furthermore we have identified an injection episode which has not been previously recognized. The deformation source remains at depth slowly waning in few years. We show how this conceptual framework fits well with the observed geodetic, seismic and geochemical data.

Spatial distribution of soil radon as a tool to recognize active faulting on an active volcano: the example of Mt. Etna (Italy).

PubMed

Neri, Marco; Giammanco, Salvatore; Ferrera, Elisabetta; Patanè, Giuseppe; Zanon, Vittorio

2011-09-01

This study concerns measurements of radon and thoron emissions from soil carried out in 2004 on the eastern flank of Mt. Etna, in a zone characterized by the presence of numerous seismogenic and aseismic faults. The statistical treatment of the geochemical data allowed recognizing anomaly thresholds for both parameters and producing distribution maps that highlighted a significant spatial correlation between soil gas anomalies and tectonic lineaments. The seismic activity occurring in and around the study area during 2004 was analyzed, producing maps of hypocentral depth and released seismic energy. Both radon and thoron anomalies were located in areas affected by relatively deep (5-10 km depth) seismic activity, while less evident correlation was found between soil gas anomalies and the released seismic energy. This study confirms that mapping the distribution of radon and thoron in soil gas can reveal hidden faults buried by recent soil cover or faults that are not clearly visible at the surface. The correlation between soil gas data and earthquakes depth and intensity can give some hints on the source of gas and/or on fault dynamics. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Volcano seismology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chouet, B.

2003-01-01

A fundamental goal of volcano seismology is to understand active magmatic systems, to characterize the configuration of such systems, and to determine the extent and evolution of source regions of magmatic energy. Such understanding is critical to our assessment of eruptive behavior and its hazardous impacts. With the emergence of portable broadband seismic instrumentation, availability of digital networks with wide dynamic range, and development of new powerful analysis techniques, rapid progress is being made toward a synthesis of high-quality seismic data to develop a coherent model of eruption mechanics. Examples of recent advances are: (1) high-resolution tomography to image subsurface volcanic structures at scales of a few hundred meters; (2) use of small-aperture seismic antennas to map the spatio-temporal properties of long-period (LP) seismicity; (3) moment tensor inversions of very-long-period (VLP) data to derive the source geometry and mass-transport budget of magmatic fluids; (4) spectral analyses of LP events to determine the acoustic properties of magmatic and associated hydrothermal fluids; and (5) experimental modeling of the source dynamics of volcanic tremor. These promising advances provide new insights into the mechanical properties of volcanic fluids and subvolcanic mass-transport dynamics. As new seismic methods refine our understanding of seismic sources, and geochemical methods better constrain mass balance and magma behavior, we face new challenges in elucidating the physico-chemical processes that cause volcanic unrest and its seismic and gas-discharge manifestations. Much work remains to be done toward a synthesis of seismological, geochemical, and petrological observations into an integrated model of volcanic behavior. Future important goals must include: (1) interpreting the key types of magma movement, degassing and boiling events that produce characteristic seismic phenomena; (2) characterizing multiphase fluids in subvolcanic regimes and determining their physical and chemical properties; and (3) quantitatively understanding multiphase fluid flow behavior under dynamic volcanic conditions. To realize these goals, not only must we learn how to translate seismic observations into quantitative information about fluid dynamics, but we also must determine the underlying physics that governs vesiculation, fragmentation, and the collapse of bubble-rich suspensions to form separate melt and vapor. Refined understanding of such processes-essential for quantitative short-term eruption forecasts-will require multidisciplinary research involving detailed field measurements, laboratory experiments, and numerical modeling.

Neo-Deterministic Seismic Hazard Assessment at Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant Site, Tennessee, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandmayr, E.; Cameron, C.; Vaccari, F.; Fasan, M.; Romanelli, F.; Magrin, A.; Vlahovic, G.

2017-12-01

Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant (WBNPP) is located within the Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone (ETSZ), the second most naturally active seismic zone in the US east of the Rocky Mountains. The largest instrumental earthquakes in the ETSZ are M 4.6, although paleoseismic evidence supports events of M≥6.5. Events are mainly strike-slip and occur on steeply dipping planes at an average depth of 13 km. In this work, we apply the neo-deterministic seismic hazard assessment to estimate the potential seismic input at the plant site, which has been recently targeted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a seismic hazard reevaluation. First, we perform a parametric test on some seismic source characteristics (i.e. distance, depth, strike, dip and rake) using a one-dimensional regional bedrock model to define the most conservative scenario earthquakes. Then, for the selected scenario earthquakes, the estimate of the ground motion input at WBNPP is refined using a two-dimensional local structural model (based on the plant's operator documentation) with topography, thus looking for site amplification and different possible rupture processes at the source. WBNNP features a safe shutdown earthquake (SSE) design with PGA of 0.18 g and maximum spectral amplification (SA, 5% damped) of 0.46 g (at periods between 0.15 and 0.5 s). Our results suggest that, although for most of the considered scenarios the PGA is relatively low, SSE values can be reached and exceeded in the case of the most conservative scenario earthquakes.

Comparison of Earthquake Damage Patterns and Shallow-Depth Vs Structure Across the Napa Valley, Inferred From Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) and Multichannel Analysis of Love Waves (MALW) Modeling of Basin-Wide Seismic Profiles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, J. H.; Catchings, R.; Strayer, L. M.; Goldman, M.; Criley, C.; Sickler, R. R.; Boatwright, J.

2017-12-01

We conducted an active-source seismic investigation across the Napa Valley (Napa Valley Seismic Investigation-16) in September of 2016 consisting of two basin-wide seismic profiles; one profile was 20 km long and N-S-trending (338°), and the other 15 km long and E-W-trending (80°) (see Catchings et al., 2017). Data from the NVSI-16 seismic investigation were recorded using a total of 666 vertical- and horizontal-component seismographs, spaced 100 m apart on both seismic profiles. Seismic sources were generated by a total of 36 buried explosions spaced 1 km apart. The two seismic profiles intersected in downtown Napa, where a large number of buildings were red-tagged by the City following the 24 August 2014 Mw 6.0 South Napa earthquake. From the recorded Rayleigh and Love waves, we developed 2-Dimensional S-wave velocity models to depths of about 0.5 km using the multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) method. Our MASW (Rayleigh) and MALW (Love) models show two prominent low-velocity (Vs = 350 to 1300 m/s) sub-basins that were also previously identified from gravity studies (Langenheim et al., 2010). These basins trend N-W and also coincide with the locations of more than 1500 red- and yellow-tagged buildings within the City of Napa that were tagged after the 2014 South Napa earthquake. The observed correlation between low-Vs, deep basins, and the red-and yellow-tagged buildings in Napa suggests similar large-scale seismic investigations can be performed. These correlations provide insights into the likely locations of significant structural damage resulting from future earthquakes that occur adjacent to or within sedimentary basins.

Borehole seismic monitoring of seismic stimulation at OccidentalPermian Ltd's -- South Wason Clear Fork Unit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Daley, Tom; Majer, Ernie

2007-04-30

Seismic stimulation is a proposed enhanced oil recovery(EOR) technique which uses seismic energy to increase oil production. Aspart of an integrated research effort (theory, lab and field studies),LBNL has been measuring the seismic amplitude of various stimulationsources in various oil fields (Majer, et al., 2006, Roberts,et al.,2001, Daley et al., 1999). The amplitude of the seismic waves generatedby a stimulation source is an important parameter for increased oilmobility in both theoretical models and laboratory core studies. Theseismic amplitude, typically in units of seismic strain, can be measuredin-situ by use of a borehole seismometer (geophone). Measuring thedistribution of amplitudes within amore » reservoir could allow improved designof stimulation source deployment. In March, 2007, we provided in-fieldmonitoring of two stimulation sources operating in Occidental (Oxy)Permian Ltd's South Wasson Clear Fork (SWCU) unit, located near DenverCity, Tx. The stimulation source is a downhole fluid pulsation devicedeveloped by Applied Seismic Research Corp. (ASR). Our monitoring used aborehole wall-locking 3-component geophone operating in two nearbywells.« less

Analysis and Simulation of Far-Field Seismic Data from the Source Physics Experiment

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

ANALYSIS AND SIMULATION OF FAR-FIELD SEISMIC DATA FROM THE SOURCE PHYSICS EXPERIMENT Arben Pitarka, Robert J. Mellors, Arthur J. Rodgers, Sean...Security Site (NNSS) provides new data for investigating the excitation and propagation of seismic waves generated by buried explosions. A particular... seismic model. The 3D seismic model includes surface topography. It is based on regional geological data, with material properties constrained by shallow

Seismic noise study for a new seismic station at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaka, S. I.

2012-04-01

We have carried out a seismic noise study in order to understand the noise level at three selected locations at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The main purpose is to select a suitable site with low seismic noise and good signal-to-noise ratio for our new broadband seismic station. There are several factors involved in the selection of a site location for a new station. Most importantly, we need to strike a balance between a logistically convenient site versus a technically suitable site. As a starting point, we selected six potential sites due to accessibility and proximity to the seismic processing center laboratory in the Department of Earth Sciences (ESD) at KFUPM. We then eliminated two sites that are relatively close to possible low-frequency noise sources. We have considered many possible noise sources which include: vehicle traffic / heavy machinery, the direct path of air flowing from air conditioning vent, tall trees / power poles and metal doorways. One more site was eliminated because the site was located in the open where it experiences maximum wind speed which is considered a major source of noise. All three potential sites are situated within the Dammam Dome where both lower middle and upper Rus Formations are exposed. The upper Rus is mainly made up of fine grained chalky limestone and the lower Rus is made up of alternation of marls and thin dolomitic limestone. The area is not known for any major faults and considered very low seismicity and hence the identification of seismoteconic features is not required. Before conducting the noise study, we calibrated and tested the seismic recording system, which was recently acquired by the ESD at KFUPM. The system includes a seismic recorder and a sensor with a GPS device. We deployed the system in order to measure the low-frequency background noise. Knowing the low frequency noise will help in predicting the high-frequency noise. The recording systems were deployed for twenty eight days (based on the memory available with the recorder) continuously collecting data at all three potential sites. This continuous data collection was done as part of a larger study where microtremor measurements were made to better understand and characterize the origin of various near-surface noises over a non-producing reservoir in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (Papoola and Kaka, 2011). The new station at KFUPM will be equipped with a 3-component 120s to 50Hz Trillium120 broad band seismometer, Taurus 24-bit data acquisition system along with a large LCD to display the waveform data in real-time. The KFUPM community will have an opportunity to observe daily seismic activity in real-time and to monitor/record both regional and teleseismic events. Moreover, students will gain the opportunity to identify P, S, Love, and Rayleigh waves and learn how to locate an earthquake. The station will also play an important role in providing a source of information about seismic activity for the general public. The new station is expected to be operational in a few months time.

Stress modulation of earthquakes: A study of long and short period stress perturbations and the crustal response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Christopher W.

Decomposing fault mechanical processes advances our understanding of active fault systems and properties of the lithosphere, thereby increasing the effectiveness of seismic hazard assessment and preventative measures implemented in urban centers. Along plate boundaries earthquakes are inevitable as tectonic forces reshape the Earth's surface. Earthquakes, faulting, and surface displacements are related systems that require multidisciplinary approaches to characterize deformation in the lithosphere. Modern geodetic instrumentation can resolve displacements to millimeter precision and provide valuable insight into secular deformation in near real-time. The expansion of permanent seismic networks as well as temporary deployments allow unprecedented detection of microseismic events that image fault interfaces and fracture networks in the crust. The research presented in this dissertation is at the intersection of seismology and geodesy to study the Earth's response to transient deformation and explores research questions focusing on earthquake triggering, induced seismicity, and seasonal loading while utilizing seismic data, geodetic data, and modeling tools. The focus is to quantify stress changes in the crust, explore seismicity rate variations and migration patterns, and model crustal deformation in order to characterize the evolving state of stress on faults and the migration of fluids in the crust. The collection of problems investigated all investigate the question: Why do earthquakes nucleate following a low magnitude stress perturbation? Answers to this question are fundamental to understanding the time dependent failure processes of the lithosphere. Dynamic triggering is the interaction of faults and triggering of earthquakes represents stress transferring from one system to another, at both local and remote distances [Freed, 2005]. The passage of teleseismic surface waves from the largest earthquakes produce dynamic stress fields and provides a natural laboratory to explore the causal relationship between low-amplitude stress changes and dynamically triggered events. Interestingly, observations of dynamically triggered M≥5.5 earthquakes are absent in the seismic records [Johnson et al., 2015; Parsons and Velasco, 2011], which invokes questions regarding whether or not large magnitude events can be dynamically triggered. Emerging results in the literature indicate undocumented M≥5.5 events at near to intermediate distances are dynamically triggered during the passage of surface waves but are undetected by automated networks [Fan and Shearer, 2016]. This raises new questions about the amplitude and duration of dynamic stressing for large magnitude events. I used 35-years of global seismicity and find that large event rate increases only occur following a delay from the transient load, suggesting aseismic processes are associated with large magnitude triggered events. To extend this finding I investigated three cases of large magnitude delayed dynamic triggering following the M8.6 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake [Pollitz et al., 2012] by producing microseismicity catalogs and modeling the transient stresses. The results indicate immediate triggering of microseismic events that hours later culminate into a large magnitude event and support the notion that large magnitude events are triggerable by transient loading, but seismic and aseismic processes (e.g. induced creep or fluid mobilization) are contributing to the nucleation process. Open questions remain concerning the source of a nucleation delay period following a stress perturbation that require both geodetic and seismic observations to constrain the source of delayed dynamic triggering and possibly provide insight into a precursory nucleation phase. Induced seismicity has gained much attention in the past 5 years as earthquake rates in regions of low tectonic strain accumulation accelerate to unprecedented levels [Ellsworth, 2013]. The source of the seismicity is attributed to shallow fluid injection associated with energy production. As hydrocarbon extraction continues to increase in the U.S. the deformation and induced seismicity from wastewater injection is providing new avenues to explore crustal properties. The large magnitude events associated with regions of high rate injection support the notion that the crust is critically stressed. Seismic data in these areas provides the opportunity to delineate fault structures in the crust using precise earthquake locations. To augment the studies of transient loading cycles I investigated induced seismicity at The Geysers geothermal field in northern California. Using high-resolution hypocenter data I implement an epidemic type aftershock sequence (ETAS) model to develop seismicity rate time series in the active geothermal field and characterize the migration of fluids from high volume water injection. Subtle stress changes induced by thermo- and poroelastic strains trigger seismicity for 5 months after peak injection at depths 3 km below the main injection interval. This suggests vertical migration paths are maintained in the geothermal field that allows fluid propagation on annual time scales. Fully describing the migration pattern of fluids in the crust and the associated stresses are applicable to tectonic related faulting and triggered seismic activity. Seasonal hydrological loading is a source of annual periodic transient deformation that is ideal for investigating the modulation of seismicity. The initial step in exploring the modulation of seismicity is to validate that a significant annual period does exist in California earthquake records. The periodicity results [Dutilleul et al., 2015] motivate continued investigation of seismically active regions that experience significant seasonal mass loading, i.e. high precipitation and snowfall rates, to quantify the magnitude of seasonal stress changes and possible correlation with seismicity modulation. The implication of this research addresses questions concerning the strength and state of stress on faults. High-resolution water storage time series throughout California are developed using continuous GPS records. The results allow an estimation of the stress changes induced by hydrological loading, which is combined with a detailed focal mechanism analysis to characterize the modulation of seismicity. The hydrologic loading is augmented with the contribution of additional deformation sources (e.g. tidal, atmosphere, and temperature) and find that annual stress changes of 5 kPa are modulating seismicity, most notably on dip-slip structures. These observations suggest that mechanical differences exist between the vertically dipping strike-slip faults and the shallowly dipping oblique structures in California. When comparing all the annual loading cycles it is evident that future studies incorporate all the sources of solid Earth deformation to fully describe the stresses realized on fault systems that respond to seasonal loads.

Deterministic Seismic Hazard Assessment of Center-East IRAN (55.5-58.5˚ E, 29-31˚ N)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Askari, M.; Ney, Beh

2009-04-01

Deterministic Seismic Hazard Assessment of Center-East IRAN (55.5-58.5˚E, 29-31˚N) Mina Askari, Behnoosh Neyestani Students of Science and Research University,Iran. Deterministic seismic hazard assessment has been performed in Center-East IRAN, including Kerman and adjacent regions of 100km is selected. A catalogue of earthquakes in the region, including historical earthquakes and instrumental earthquakes is provided. A total of 25 potential seismic source zones in the region delineated as area sources for seismic hazard assessment based on geological, seismological and geophysical information, then minimum distance for every seismic sources until site (Kerman) and maximum magnitude for each source have been determined, eventually using the N. A. ABRAHAMSON and J. J. LITEHISER '1989 attenuation relationship, maximum acceleration is estimated to be 0.38g, that is related to the movement of blind fault with maximum magnitude of this source is Ms=5.5.

Anatomy of Old Faithful From Subsurface Seismic Imaging of the Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Sin-Mei; Ward, Kevin M.; Farrell, Jamie; Lin, Fan-Chi; Karplus, Marianne; Smith, Robert B.

2017-10-01

The Upper Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park contains one of the highest concentrations of hydrothermal features on Earth including the iconic Old Faithful geyser. Although this system has been the focus of many geological, geochemical, and geophysical studies for decades, the shallow (<200 m) subsurface structure remains poorly characterized. To investigate the detailed subsurface geologic structure including the hydrothermal plumbing of the Upper Geyser Basin, we deployed an array of densely spaced three-component nodal seismographs in November of 2015. In this study, we extract Rayleigh wave seismic signals between 1 and 10 Hz utilizing nondiffusive seismic waves excited by nearby active hydrothermal features with the following results: (1) imaging the shallow subsurface structure by utilizing stationary hydrothermal activity as a seismic source, (2) characterizing how local geologic conditions control the formation and location of the Old Faithful hydrothermal system, and (3) resolving a relatively shallow (10-60 m) and large reservoir located 100 m southwest of Old Faithful geyser.

The excitation of long period seismic waves by a source spanning a structural discontinuity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woodhouse, J. H.

Simple theoretical results are obtained for the excitation of seismic waves by an indigenous seismic source in the case that the source volume is intersected by a structural discontinuity. In the long wavelength approximation the seismic radiation is identical to that of a point source placed on one side of the discontinuity or of a different point source placed on the other side. The moment tensors of these two equivalent sources are related by a specific linear transformation and may differ appreciably both in magnitude and geometry. Either of these sources could be obtained by linear inversion of seismic data but the physical interpretation is more complicated than in the usual case. A source which involved no volume change would, for example, yield an isotropic component if, during inversion, it were assumed to lie on the wrong side of the discontinuity. The problem of determining the true moment tensor of the source is indeterminate unless further assumptions are made about the stress glut distribution; one way to resolve this indeterminancy is to assume proportionality between the integrated stress glut on each side of the discontinuity.

Automated classification of seismic sources in a large database: a comparison of Random Forests and Deep Neural Networks.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hibert, Clement; Stumpf, André; Provost, Floriane; Malet, Jean-Philippe

2017-04-01

In the past decades, the increasing quality of seismic sensors and capability to transfer remotely large quantity of data led to a fast densification of local, regional and global seismic networks for near real-time monitoring of crustal and surface processes. This technological advance permits the use of seismology to document geological and natural/anthropogenic processes (volcanoes, ice-calving, landslides, snow and rock avalanches, geothermal fields), but also led to an ever-growing quantity of seismic data. This wealth of seismic data makes the construction of complete seismicity catalogs, which include earthquakes but also other sources of seismic waves, more challenging and very time-consuming as this critical pre-processing stage is classically done by human operators and because hundreds of thousands of seismic signals have to be processed. To overcome this issue, the development of automatic methods for the processing of continuous seismic data appears to be a necessity. The classification algorithm should satisfy the need of a method that is robust, precise and versatile enough to be deployed to monitor the seismicity in very different contexts. In this study, we evaluate the ability of machine learning algorithms for the analysis of seismic sources at the Piton de la Fournaise volcano being Random Forest and Deep Neural Network classifiers. We gather a catalog of more than 20,000 events, belonging to 8 classes of seismic sources. We define 60 attributes, based on the waveform, the frequency content and the polarization of the seismic waves, to parameterize the seismic signals recorded. We show that both algorithms provide similar positive classification rates, with values exceeding 90% of the events. When trained with a sufficient number of events, the rate of positive identification can reach 99%. These very high rates of positive identification open the perspective of an operational implementation of these algorithms for near-real time monitoring of mass movements and other environmental sources at the local, regional and even global scale.

Learning from soil gas change and isotopic signatures during 2012 Emilia seismic sequence.

PubMed

Sciarra, Alessandra; Cantucci, Barbara; Coltorti, Massimo

2017-10-27

Soil surveys were performed in Medolla (Italy), a peculiar area characterized by spotty high soil temperature, gas vent, and lack of vegetation, to determine the migration mechanisms and spatial behavior of gas species. Hereby we present soil gas measurements and their isotopic ratios measured between 2008 and 2015, including the 2012 Emilia-Romagna seismic sequence. We found that soil gas concentrations markedly changed during the main shocks of May 20 and 29, 2012 (Mw 6.1 and 6.0, respectively), highlighting the presence of a buried fault intersecting the gas vents. We suggest that crustal dilation associated with seismic activity favored the uprising of geogas towards the surface. Changes in the isotopic signature highlight the contribution of two distinct sources, one deeper, thermogenic and another superficial related to organic-rich layer, whose relative contribution varied before, during and after the earthquake. We suppose an increase of microbial component likely due to the ground shaking of shallower layers linked to seismic sequence, which masks the thermogenic contribution. Although the changes we detect are specific for an alluvial plain, we deduce that analogous processes may be active elsewhere, and that soil gas geochemistry represents an useful tool to discriminate the gas migration related to seismic activity.

Low-frequency seismic events in a wider volcanological context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neuberg, J. W.; Collombet, M.

2006-12-01

Low-frequency seismic events have been in the centre of attention for several years, particularly on volcanoes with highly viscous magmas. The ultimate aim is to detect changes in volcanic activity by identifying changes in the seismic behaviour in order to forecast an eruption, or in case of an ongoing eruption, forecast the short and longterm behaviour of the volcanic system. A major boost in recent years arose through several attempts of multi-parameter volcanic monitoring and modelling programs, which allowed multi-disciplinary groups of volcanologists to interpret seismic signals together with, e.g. ground deformation, stress field analysis and petrological information. This talk will give several examples of such multi-disciplinary projects, focussing on the joint modelling of seismic source processes for low-frequency events together with advanced magma flow models, and the signs of magma movement in the deformation and stress field at the surface.

From Magma Fracture to a Seismic Magma Flow Meter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neuberg, J. W.

2007-12-01

Seismic swarms of low-frequency events occur during periods of enhanced volcanic activity and have been related to the flow of magma at depth. Often they precede a dome collapse on volcanoes like Soufriere Hills, Montserrat, or Mt St Helens. This contribution is based on the conceptual model of magma rupture as a trigger mechanism. Several source mechanisms and radiation patterns at the focus of a single event are discussed. We investigate the accelerating event rate and seismic amplitudes during one swarm, as well as over a time period of several swarms. The seismic slip vector will be linked to magma flow parameters resulting in estimates of magma flux for a variety of flow models such as plug flow, parabolic- or friction controlled flow. In this way we try to relate conceptual models to quantitative estimations which could lead to estimations of magma flux at depth from seismic low-frequency signals.

Coulomb stress transfer and accumulation on the Sagaing Fault, Myanmar, over the past 110 years and its implications for seismic hazard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, X.; Shan, B.; Zhou, Y. M.; Wei, S. J.; Li, Y. D.; Wang, R. J.; Zheng, Y.

2017-05-01

Myanmar is drawing rapidly increasing attention from the world for its seismic hazard. The Sagaing Fault (SF), an active right-lateral strike-slip fault passing through Myanmar, has been being the source of serious seismic damage of the country. Thus, awareness of seismic hazard assessment of this region is of pivotal significance by taking into account the interaction and migration of earthquakes with respect to time and space. We investigated a seismic series comprising10 earthquakes with M > 6.5 that occurred along the SF since 1906. The Coulomb failure stress modeling exhibits significant interactions among the earthquakes. After the 1906 earthquake, eight out of nine earthquakes occurred in the positively stress-enhanced zone of the preceding earthquakes, verifying that the hypothesis of earthquake triggering is applicable on the SF. Moreover, we identified three visible positively stressed earthquake gaps on the central and southern SF, on which seismic hazard is increased.

Seismicity and magmatic processes in the Rwenzori region of the Albertine Rift.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindenfeld, Michael; Rümpker, Georg; Kasereka, Celestin M.; Batte, Arthur; Schumann, Andreas

2013-04-01

In this presentation we summarize results from two extensive seismic field studies with temporary station networks in the Rwenzori region of the Albertine rift, located at the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The first network was running from February 2006 to September 2007. It consisted of 27 seismic stations which were deployed in the Ugandan part of the area. A second network of 33 stations was operated between October 2009 and October 2011. It traversed the whole rift segment from the eastern rift shoulder in Uganda to the western shoulder in the D.R. Congo, covering the whole Rwenzori region. The data analysis revealed a pronounced local earthquake activity in this area with an average rate of more than 800 events per month and proves that this segment of the Albertine Rift belongs to the seismically most active regions of the whole East African Rift System. The earthquake distribution is highly heterogeneous. The highest activity is observed in the northeastern part of the Rwenzori area. Here, the mountains are connected to the eastern rift shoulder whereas they are surrounded by rift segments elsewhere. We were able to locate seismicity bursts with more than 300 events per day. The depth extent of seismicity ranges from 20 to 39 km and correlates well with Moho depths that were derived from teleseismic receiver functions. The majority of the derived fault plane solutions exhibit normal faulting with WNW-ESE oriented T-axes, which is perpendicular to the rift axis and in good agreement with kinematic rift models. The area of highest seismic activity is also characterized by the existence of several vertical elongated earthquake clusters in the crust. From petrological considerations we presume that these events are triggered by fluids and gases which originate from a magmatic source below the crust. The existence of a magmatic source within the lithosphere is supported by the detection of mantle earthquakes at about 40 - 60 km depth below the cluster area. We interpret these observations as an indication of deep magmatic infiltration processes that play a significant role in rift formation and that may eventually lead to the complete detachment of the Rwenzori block from the surrounding rift flanks.

Towards monitoring the englacial fracture state using virtual-reflector seismology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindner, F.; Weemstra, C.; Walter, F.; Hadziioannou, C.

2018-04-01

In seismology, coda wave interferometry (CWI) is an effective tool to monitor time-lapse changes using later arriving, multiply scattered coda waves. Typically, CWI relies on an estimate of the medium's impulse response. The latter is retrieved through simple time-averaging of receiver-receiver cross-correlations of the ambient field, i.e. seismic interferometry (SI). In general, the coda are induced by heterogeneities in the Earth. Being comparatively homogeneous, however, ice bodies such as glaciers and ice sheets exhibit little scattering. In addition, the temporal stability of the time-averaged cross-correlations suffers from temporal variations in the distribution and amplitude of the passive seismic sources. Consequently, application of CWI to ice bodies is currently limited. Nevertheless, fracturing and changes in the englacial macroscopic water content alter the bulk elastic properties of ice bodies, which can be monitored with cryoseismological measurements. To overcome the current limited applicability of CWI to ice bodies, we therefore introduce virtual-reflector seismology (VRS). VRS relies on a so-called multidimensional deconvolution (MDD) process of the time-averaged crosscorrelations. The technique results in the retrieval of a medium response that includes virtual reflections from a contour of receivers enclosing the region of interest (i.e., the region to be monitored). The virtual reflections can be interpreted as artificial coda replacing the (lacking) natural scattered coda. Hence, this artificial coda might be exploited for the purpose of CWI. From an implementation point of view, VRS is similar to SI by MDD, which, as its name suggests, also relies on a multidimensional deconvolution process. SI by MDD, however, does not generate additional virtual reflections. Advantageously, both techniques mitigate spurious coda changes associated with temporal variations in the distribution and amplitude of the passive seismic sources. In this work, we apply SI by MDD and VRS to synthetic and active seismic surface-wave data. The active seismic data were acquired on Glacier de la Plaine Morte, Switzerland. We successfully retrieve virtual reflections through the application of VRS to this active seismic data. In application to both synthetic and active seismic data, we show the potential of VRS to monitor time-lapse changes. In addition, we find that SI by MDD allows for a more accurate determination of phase velocity.

Reflection Response of the Parnaíba Basin (NE Brazil) from Seismic Ambient Noise Autocorrelation Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Julià, Jordi; Schimmel, Martin; Cedraz, Victória

2017-04-01

Reflected-wave interferometry relies on the recording of transient seismic signals from random wavefields located beneath recording stations. Under vertical incidence, the recordings contain the full transmission response, which includes the direct wave as well as multiple reverberations from seismic discontinuities located between the wavefields and the receiver. It has been shown that, under those assumptions, the reflection response of the medium can be recovered from the autocorrelation function (ACF) of the transmission response at a given receiver, as if the wavefields had originated themselves at the free surface. This passive approach to seismic reflection profiling has the obvious advantage of being low-cost and non-invasive when compared to its active-source counterpart, and it has been successfully utilized in other sedimentary basins worldwide. In this paper we evaluate the ability of the autocorrelation of ambient seismic noise recorded in the Parnaíba basin - a large Paleozoic basin in NE Brazil - to recover the reflection response of the basin. The dataset was acquired by the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte during 2015 and 2016 under the Parnaíba Basin Analysis Project (PBAP), a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional effort funded by BP Energy do Brasil aimed at improving our current understanding of the architecture of this cratonic basin. The dataset consists of about 1 year of continuous ground motion data from 10 short-period, 3-component stations located in the central portion of the basin. The stations were co-located with an existing (active-source) seismic reflection profile that was shot in 2012, making a linear array of about 100 km in aperture and about 10 km inter-station spacing. To develop the autocorrelation at a given station we considered the vertical component of ground motion only, which should result in the P-wave response. The vertical recordings were first split into 10 min-long windows, demeaned, de-trended, re-sampled, and band-pass filtered between 8 and 16 Hz before autocorrelation, and then stacked with phase-weighting to enhance coherency of the retrieved signal. The ACFs show coherent signal is recovered at lag times between 0.5 and 2 s, which we interpret as P- and S-wave energy reflected on top of an intra-sedimentary discontinuity. Our results are consistent, to first-order, with a previously developed active-source reflection response of the basin.

The source of infrasound associated with long-period events at mount St. Helens

USGS Publications Warehouse

Matoza, R.S.; Garces, M.A.; Chouet, B.A.; D'Auria, L.; Hedlin, M.A.H.; De Groot-Hedlin, C.; Waite, G.P.

2009-01-01

During the early stages of the 2004-2008 Mount St. Helens eruption, the source process that produced a sustained sequence of repetitive long-period (LP) seismic events also produced impulsive broadband infrasonic signals in the atmosphere. To assess whether the signals could be generated simply by seismic-acoustic coupling from the shallow LP events, we perform finite difference simulation of the seismo-acoustic wavefield using a single numerical scheme for the elastic ground and atmosphere. The effects of topography, velocity structure, wind, and source configuration are considered. The simulations show that a shallow source buried in a homogeneous elastic solid produces a complex wave train in the atmosphere consisting of P/SV and Rayleigh wave energy converted locally along the propagation path, and acoustic energy originating from , the source epicenter. Although the horizontal acoustic velocity of the latter is consistent with our data, the modeled amplitude ratios of pressure to vertical seismic velocity are too low in comparison with observations, and the characteristic differences in seismic and acoustic waveforms and spectra cannot be reproduced from a common point source. The observations therefore require a more complex source process in which the infrasonic signals are a record of only the broadband pressure excitation mechanism of the seismic LP events. The observations and numerical results can be explained by a model involving the repeated rapid pressure loss from a hydrothermal crack by venting into a shallow layer of loosely consolidated, highly permeable material. Heating by magmatic activity causes pressure to rise, periodically reaching the pressure threshold for rupture of the "valve" sealing the crack. Sudden opening of the valve generates the broadband infrasonic signal and simultaneously triggers the collapse of the crack, initiating resonance of the remaining fluid. Subtle waveform and amplitude variability of the infrasonic signals as recorded at an array 13.4 km to the NW of the volcano are attributed primarily to atmospheric boundary layer propagation effects, superimposed upon amplitude changes at the source. Copyright 2009 by the American Geophysical Union.

Long-period seismic events with strikingly regular temporal patterns on Katla volcano's south flank (Iceland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sgattoni, Giulia; Jeddi, Zeinab; Gudmundsson, Ólafur; Einarsson, Páll; Tryggvason, Ari; Lund, Björn; Lucchi, Federico

2016-09-01

Katla is a threatening volcano in Iceland, partly covered by the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap. The volcano has a large caldera with several active geothermal areas. A peculiar cluster of long-period seismic events started on Katla's south flank in July 2011, during an unrest episode in the caldera that culminated in a glacier outburst. The seismic events were tightly clustered at shallow depth in the Gvendarfell area, 4 km south of the caldera, under a small glacier stream at the southern margin of Mýrdalsjökull. No seismic events were known to have occurred in this area before. The most striking feature of this seismic cluster is its temporal pattern, characterized by regular intervals between repeating seismic events, modulated by a seasonal variation. Remarkable is also the stability of both the time and waveform features over a long time period, around 3.5 years. We have not found any comparable examples in the literature. Both volcanic and glacial processes can produce similar waveforms and therefore have to be considered as potential seismic sources. Discerning between these two causes is critical for monitoring glacier-clad volcanoes and has been controversial at Katla. For this new seismic cluster on the south flank, we regard volcano-related processes as more likely than glacial ones for the following reasons: 1) the seismic activity started during an unrest episode involving sudden melting of the glacier and a jökulhlaup; 2) the glacier stream is small and stagnant; 3) the seismicity remains regular and stable for years; 4) there is no apparent correlation with short-term weather changes, such as rainstorms. We suggest that a small, shallow hydrothermal system was activated on Katla's south flank in 2011, either by a minor magmatic injection or by changes of permeability in a local crack system.

Toward Building a New Seismic Hazard Model for Mainland China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rong, Y.; Xu, X.; Chen, G.; Cheng, J.; Magistrale, H.; Shen, Z.

2015-12-01

At present, the only publicly available seismic hazard model for mainland China was generated by Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program in 1999. We are building a new seismic hazard model by integrating historical earthquake catalogs, geological faults, geodetic GPS data, and geology maps. To build the model, we construct an Mw-based homogeneous historical earthquake catalog spanning from 780 B.C. to present, create fault models from active fault data using the methodology recommended by Global Earthquake Model (GEM), and derive a strain rate map based on the most complete GPS measurements and a new strain derivation algorithm. We divide China and the surrounding regions into about 20 large seismic source zones based on seismotectonics. For each zone, we use the tapered Gutenberg-Richter (TGR) relationship to model the seismicity rates. We estimate the TGR a- and b-values from the historical earthquake data, and constrain corner magnitude using the seismic moment rate derived from the strain rate. From the TGR distributions, 10,000 to 100,000 years of synthetic earthquakes are simulated. Then, we distribute small and medium earthquakes according to locations and magnitudes of historical earthquakes. Some large earthquakes are distributed on active faults based on characteristics of the faults, including slip rate, fault length and width, and paleoseismic data, and the rest to the background based on the distributions of historical earthquakes and strain rate. We evaluate available ground motion prediction equations (GMPE) by comparison to observed ground motions. To apply appropriate GMPEs, we divide the region into active and stable tectonics. The seismic hazard will be calculated using the OpenQuake software developed by GEM. To account for site amplifications, we construct a site condition map based on geology maps. The resulting new seismic hazard map can be used for seismic risk analysis and management, and business and land-use planning.

Seismic evidence for a cold serpentinized mantle wedge beneath Mount St Helens

PubMed Central

Hansen, S. M.; Schmandt, B.; Levander, A.; Kiser, E.; Vidale, J. E.; Abers, G. A.; Creager, K. C.

2016-01-01

Mount St Helens is the most active volcano within the Cascade arc; however, its location is unusual because it lies 50 km west of the main axis of arc volcanism. Subduction zone thermal models indicate that the down-going slab is decoupled from the overriding mantle wedge beneath the forearc, resulting in a cold mantle wedge that is unlikely to generate melt. Consequently, the forearc location of Mount St Helens raises questions regarding the extent of the cold mantle wedge and the source region of melts that are responsible for volcanism. Here using, high-resolution active-source seismic data, we show that Mount St Helens sits atop a sharp lateral boundary in Moho reflectivity. Weak-to-absent PmP reflections to the west are attributed to serpentinite in the mantle-wedge, which requires a cold hydrated mantle wedge beneath Mount St Helens (<∼700 °C). These results suggest that the melt source region lies east towards Mount Adams. PMID:27802263

The nature of noise wavefield and its applications for site effects studies: A literature review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonnefoy-Claudet, Sylvette; Cotton, Fabrice; Bard, Pierre-Yves

2006-12-01

The aim of this paper is to discuss the existing scientific literature in order to gather all the available information dealing with the origin and the nature of the ambient seismic noise wavefield. This issue is essential as the use of seismic noise is more and more popular for seismic hazard purposes with a growing number of processing techniques based on the assumption that the noise wavefield is predominantly consisting of fundamental mode Rayleigh waves. This survey reveals an overall agreement about the origin of seismic noise and its frequency dependence. At frequencies higher than 1 Hz, seismic noise systematically exhibits daily and weekly variations linked to human activities, whereas at lower frequencies (between 0.005 and 0.3 Hz) the variation of seismic noise is correlated to natural activities (oceanic, meteorological…). Such a surface origin clearly supports the interpretation of seismic noise wavefield consisting primarily of surface waves. However, the further, very common (though hidden) assumption according which almost all the noise energy would be carried by fundamental mode Rayleigh waves is not supported by the few available data: no "average" number can though be given concerning the actual proportion between surface and body waves, Love and Rayleigh waves (horizontal components), fundamental and higher modes (vertical components), since the few available investigations report a significant variability, which might be related with site conditions and noise source properties.

Difference of the seismic structure between the Hyuga-nada and the Nankai seismogenic segments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Y.; Obana, K.; Takahashi, T.; Nakanishi, A.; Kodaira, S.; Kaneda, Y.

2010-12-01

In the Nankai Trough, three major seismogenic zones of megathrust earthquake exist (Tokai, Tonankai and Nankai earthquake regions). The Hyuga-nada region was distinguished from these seismogenic zones because of the lack of megathrust earthquake. In the Hyuga-nada region, interplate earthquakes of M~7 occur repeatedly at intervals of about 20 years whereas no megathrust (M > 8) earthquakes had been recognized up to now. However, recent studies show the possibility of simultaneous rupture of the Tokai, Tonankai, Nankai and Hyuga-nada segments was also pointed out [e.g., Hori et al., 2009 AOGS]. To understand the possibility of seismic linkage of Nankai and Hyuga-nada segments, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology has been carried out a wide-angle active source survey and local seismic observation in the western end of the Nankai seismogenic zone, as a part of Research concerning Interaction Between the Tokai, Tonankai and Nankai Earthquakes' funded by Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. Nakanishi et al [2009, AGU] showed that subducting Philippine Sea Plate can be divided into three zones and there is the zone of the thin oceanic crust of the subducting Philippine Sea Plate between Nankai segment and Kyushu-Palau Ridge segment by analyzing of the active source survey. Deep structure of the subducting slab is also important to consider the possibility of the seismic linkage and the location of the boundary among three zones described above. To obtain the deep seismic image, we performed a three-dimensional seismic tomography using the local seismic data recorded on 158 ocean bottom seismographs and 105 land seismic stations. From these data, we could detect 1141 earthquakes in the Hyuga-nada region. From the result of hypocenter relocation, microseismicity near the trough axis is active on the western part of the ‘thin oceanic crust’, whereas inactive on the eastern part. Besides, velocity structure of the uppermost part of the subducting slab mantle shows spatial heterogeneities. In the thin oceanic crust zone, high velocity slab mantle is imaged from near the trough to coastline. On the other hands, there is low velocity zone in the slab mantle near the trough axis in the Kyusyu-Palau Ridge segment. This low velocity zone may be related to the location of the eastern end of subducted Kyusyu-Palau Ridge.

Upward migration of the explosion sources at Sakurajima volcano, Japan, revield by a seismic network in the close vocinity of the summit crater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohminato, T.; Kaneko, T.; Koyama, T.; Watanabe, A.; Takeo, M.; Iguchi, M.

2011-12-01

Observations in the vicinity of summit area of active volcanoes are important not only for understanding physical processes in the volcanic conduit but also for eruption prediction and volcanic hazards mitigation. It is, however, challenging to install observation sensors near active vents because of the danger of sudden eruptions. We have been developing a volcano observation system based on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for safe observations near active volcanic vents. We deployed an unmanned autonomous helicopter which can aviate autonomously along a previously programmed path within a meter accuracy using real-time kinematics differential GPS equipment. The maximum flight time, flight distance, and payload are 90 minutes, 5km, and 10kg, respectively. By using the UAV, we installed seismic stations at the summit area of Sakurajima volcano, Japan. Since 2006, explosive eruptions have been continuing at the reopened Showa crater at the eastern flank near the summit of Sakurajima. Entering the area within 2 km from the active craters is prohibited, and thus there were no observation station in the summit area. From November 2nd to 12th, 2009, and from November 2nd to 12th, 2010, we conducted seismic station installation in Sakurajima summit area using UAV and successfully installed four seismic stations within 2km from the active craters. Since the installation of the seismic stations, we have succeeded in acquiring waveform data accompanying more than 500 moderate eruptions at Showa-crater. Except for the mechanical resonance contamination at 35Hz, the recorded waveforms are as good as that recorded at permanent stations in Sakurajima. Since the beginning of the observation in the vicinity of the summit crater, the normalized amplitudes of the signals accompanying eruptions at Showa crater had been almost steady. However, after early April 2011, gradual increase of the normalized amplitude started, and this increasing trend is continuing at the time of the abstract submission. This increasing trend of the normalized amplitude strongly suggests upward migration of the source of the explosive eruptions at Showa-crater. The upward migration may suggest further intensification of the activity of Sakurajima in the near future.

Can repeating glacial seismic events be used to monitor stress changes within the underlying volcano? -Case study from the glacier overlain Katla volcano, Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonsdottir, K.; Vogfjord, K. S.; Bean, C. J.; Martini, F.

2013-12-01

The glacier overlain Katla volcano in South Iceland, is one of the most active and hazardous volcano in Europe. Katla eruptions result in hazardous glacial floods and intense tephra fall. On average there are eruptions every 50 years but the volcano is long overdue and we are now witnessing the longest quiescence period in 1000 years or since the settlement. Because of the hazard the volcano poses, it is under constant surveillance and gets a good share of the seismic stations from the national seismic network. Every year the seismic network records thousands of seismic events at Katla with magnitudes seldom exceeding M3. The bulk of the seismicity is however not due to volcano tectonics but seems to be caused mainly by shallow processes involving glacial deformation. Katla's ice filled caldera forms a glacier plateau of several hundred meters thick ice. The 9x14 km oval caldera is surrounded by higher rims where the glacier in some places gently and in others abruptly falls off tens and up to hundred meters to the surrounding lowland. The glacier surface is marked with dozen depressions or cauldrons which manifest geothermal activity below, probably coinciding with circular faults around the caldera. Our current understanding is that there are several glacial processes which cause seismicity; these include dry calving, where steep valley glaciers fall off cliffs and movements of glacier ice as the cauldrons deform due to hydraulic changes and geothermal activity at the glacier/bedrock boundary. These glacial events share a common feature of containing low frequency (2-4 hz) and long coda. Because of their shallow origin, surface waves are prominent. In our analysis we use waveforms from all of Katla's seismic events between years 2003-2013, with the criteria M>1 and minimum 4 p-wave picks. We correlate the waveforms of these events with each other and group them into families of highly similar events. Looking at the occurrence of these families we find that individual families are usually clustered in time over several months, and sometimes families may reappear even up to several years later. Using families including many events and covering long periods (10-20 months) we compare the coda (the tail) of individual events within a family. This is repeated for all the surrounding stations. The analysis, coda wave interferometry (cwi) is a correlation method that builds on the fact that changes in stress in the edifice lead to changes in seismic velocities. The coda waves are highly sensitive to small stress changes. By using a repeating source, implying we have the same source mechanism and the same path, we can track temporal stress changes in the medium between the source and the receiver. Preliminary results from Katla suggest that by using the repeating glacial events and the coda wave interferometry technique we observe annual seismic velocity changes around the volcano of ca. 0.7%. We find that seismic velocities increase from January through July and decrease in August to December. These changes can be explained by pore-water pressure changes and/or loading and de-loading of the overlain glacier. We do not find immediate precursors for an impending eruption at Katla; however we now have a better understanding of its background seismicity.

Scaling Relations of Earthquakes on Inland Active Mega-Fault Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murotani, S.; Matsushima, S.; Azuma, T.; Irikura, K.; Kitagawa, S.

2010-12-01

Since 2005, The Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion (HERP) has been publishing 'National Seismic Hazard Maps for Japan' to provide useful information for disaster prevention countermeasures for the country and local public agencies, as well as promote public awareness of disaster prevention of earthquakes. In the course of making the year 2009 version of the map, which is the commemorate of the tenth anniversary of the settlement of the Comprehensive Basic Policy, the methods to evaluate magnitude of earthquakes, to predict strong ground motion, and to construct underground structure were investigated in the Earthquake Research Committee and its subcommittees. In order to predict the magnitude of earthquakes occurring on mega-fault systems, we examined the scaling relations for mega-fault systems using 11 earthquakes of which source processes were analyzed by waveform inversion and of which surface information was investigated. As a result, we found that the data fit in between the scaling relations of seismic moment and rupture area by Somerville et al. (1999) and Irikura and Miyake (2001). We also found that maximum displacement of surface rupture is two to three times larger than the average slip on the seismic fault and surface fault length is equal to length of the source fault. Furthermore, compiled data of the source fault shows that displacement saturates at 10m when fault length(L) is beyond 100km, L>100km. By assuming the fault width (W) to be 18km in average of inland earthquakes in Japan, and the displacement saturate at 10m for length of more than 100 km, we derived a new scaling relation between source area and seismic moment, S[km^2] = 1.0 x 10^-17 M0 [Nm] for mega-fault systems that seismic moment (M0) exceeds 1.8×10^20 Nm.

Reconstructing the Seismic Wavefield using Curvelets and Distributed Acoustic Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muir, J. B.; Zhan, Z.

2017-12-01

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) offers an opportunity to produce cost effective and uniquely dense images of the surface seismic wavefield - DAS also produces extremely large data volumes that require innovative methods of data reduction and seismic parameter inversion to handle efficiently. We leverage DAS and the super-Nyquist sampling enabled by compressed sensing of the wavefield in the curvelet domain to produce accurate images of the horizontal velocity within a target region, using only short ( 1-10 minutes) records of either active seismic sources or ambient seismic signals. Once the wavefield has been fully described, modern "tomographic" techniques, such as Helmholtz tomography or Wavefield Gradiometry, can be employed to determine seismic parameters of interest such as phase velocity. An additional practical benefit of employing a wavefield reconstruction step is that multiple heterogeneous forms of instrumentation can be naturally combined - therefore in this study we also explore the addition of three component nodal seismic data into the reconstructed wavefield. We illustrate these techniques using both synthetic examples and data taken from the Brady Geothermal Field in Nevada during the PoroTomo (U. Wisconsin Madison) experiment of 2016.

Mechanical coupling between earthquakes and volcanoes inferred from stress transfer models: evidence from Vesuvio, Etna and Alban Hills (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cocco, M.; Feuillet, N.; Nostro, C.; Musumeci, C.

2003-04-01

We investigate the mechanical interactions between tectonic faults and volcanic sources through elastic stress transfer and discuss the results of several applications to Italian active volcanoes. We first present the stress modeling results that point out a two-way coupling between Vesuvius eruptions and historical earthquakes in Southern Apennines, which allow us to provide a physical interpretation of their statistical correlation. Therefore, we explore the elastic stress interaction between historical eruptions at the Etna volcano and the largest earthquakes in Eastern Sicily and Calabria. We show that the large 1693 seismic event caused an increase of compressive stress along the rift zone, which can be associated to the lack of flank eruptions of the Etna volcano for about 70 years after the earthquake. Moreover, the largest Etna eruptions preceded by few decades the large 1693 seismic event. Our modeling results clearly suggest that all these catastrophic events are tectonically coupled. We also investigate the effect of elastic stress perturbations on the instrumental seismicity caused by magma inflation at depth both at the Etna and at the Alban Hills volcanoes. In particular, we model the seismicity pattern at the Alban Hills volcano (central Italy) during a seismic swarm occurred in 1989-90 and we interpret it in terms of Coulomb stress changes caused by magmatic processes in an extensional tectonic stress field. We verify that the earthquakes occur in areas of Coulomb stress increase and that their faulting mechanisms are consistent with the stress perturbation induced by the volcanic source. Our results suggest a link between faults and volcanic sources, which we interpret as a tectonic coupling explaining the seismicity in a large area surrounding the volcanoes.

A seismic hazard uncertainty analysis for the New Madrid seismic zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cramer, C.H.

2001-01-01

A review of the scientific issues relevant to characterizing earthquake sources in the New Madrid seismic zone has led to the development of a logic tree of possible alternative parameters. A variability analysis, using Monte Carlo sampling of this consensus logic tree, is presented and discussed. The analysis shows that for 2%-exceedence-in-50-year hazard, the best-estimate seismic hazard map is similar to previously published seismic hazard maps for the area. For peak ground acceleration (PGA) and spectral acceleration at 0.2 and 1.0 s (0.2 and 1.0 s Sa), the coefficient of variation (COV) representing the knowledge-based uncertainty in seismic hazard can exceed 0.6 over the New Madrid seismic zone and diminishes to about 0.1 away from areas of seismic activity. Sensitivity analyses show that the largest contributor to PGA, 0.2 and 1.0 s Sa seismic hazard variability is the uncertainty in the location of future 1811-1812 New Madrid sized earthquakes. This is followed by the variability due to the choice of ground motion attenuation relation, the magnitude for the 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes, and the recurrence interval for M>6.5 events. Seismic hazard is not very sensitive to the variability in seismogenic width and length. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

Seismic observations of Redoubt Volcano, Alaska - 1989-2010 and a conceptual model of the Redoubt magmatic system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Power, John A.; Stihler, Scott D.; Chouet, Bernard A.; Haney, Matthew M.; Ketner, D.M.

2013-01-01

Seismic activity at Redoubt Volcano, Alaska, has been closely monitored since 1989 by a network of five to ten seismometers within 22 km of the volcano's summit. Major eruptions occurred in 1989-1990 and 2009 and were characterized by large volcanic explosions, episodes of lava dome growth and failure, pyroclastic flows, and lahars. Seismic features of the 1989-1990 eruption were 1) weak precursory tremor and a short, 23-hour-long, intense swarm of repetitive shallow long-period (LP) events centered 1.4 km below the crater floor, 2) shallow volcano-tectonic (VT) and hybrid earthquakes that separated early episodes of dome growth, 3) 13 additional swarms of LP events at shallow depths precursory to many of the 25 explosions that occurred over the more than 128 day duration of eruptive activity, and 4) a persistent cluster of VT earthquakes at 6 to 9 km depth. In contrast the 2009 eruption was preceded by a pronounced increase in deep-LP (DLP) events at lower crustal depths (25 to 38 km) that began in mid-December 2008, two months of discontinuous shallow volcanic tremor that started on January 23, 2009, a strong phreatic explosion on March 15, and a 58-hour-long swarm of repetitive shallow LP events. The 2009 eruption consisted of at least 23 major explosions between March 23 and April 5, again accompanied by shallow VT earthquakes, several episodes of shallow repetitive LP events and dome growth continuing until mid July. Increased VT earthquakes at 4 to 9 km depth began slowly in early April, possibly defining a mid-crustal magma source zone. Magmatic processes associated with the 2009 eruption seismically activated the same portions of the Redoubt magmatic system as the 1989-1990 eruption, although the time scales and intensity vary considerably among the two eruptions. The occurrence of precursory DLP events suggests that the 2009 eruption may have involved the rise of magma from lower crustal depths. Based on the evolution of seismicity during the 1989-1990 and 2009 eruptions the Redoubt magmatic system is envisioned to consist of a shallow system of cracks extending 1 to 2 km below the crater floor, a magma storage or source region at roughly 3 to 9 km depth, and a diffuse magma source region at 25 to 38 km depth. Close tracking of seismic activity allowed the Alaska Volcano Observatory to successfully issue warnings prior to many of the hazardous explosive events that occurred in 2009.

Seismic footprints of shallow dyke propagation at Etna, Italy.

PubMed

Falsaperla, Susanna; Neri, Marco

2015-07-15

One of the key issues in forecasting volcanic eruptions is to detect signals that can track the propagation of dykes towards the surface. Continuous monitoring of active volcanoes helps significantly in achieving this goal. The seismic data presented here are unique, as they document surface faulting processes close (tens to a few hundred meters) to their source, namely the dyke tip. They originated nearby - and under - a seismic station that was subsequently destroyed by lava flows during eruptive activity at Etna volcano, Italy, in 2013. On February 20, a ~600 m-long and ~120 m wide NW-SE fracture field opened at an altitude between 2750 and 2900 m. The consequent rock dislocation caused the station to tilt and offset the seismic signal temporarily. Data acquisition continued until the arrival of the lava flow that led to the breakdown of the transmission system. Shallow ground fracturing and repeated low-frequency oscillations occurred during two stages in which the seismic signal underwent a maximum offset ~2.57 × 10(4) nm/s. Bridging instrumental recordings, fieldwork and conceptual modelling, these data are interpreted as the seismic footprints of a magmatic dyke intrusion that moved at speed ~0.02 m/s (first stage) and 0.46 m/s (second stage).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mellors, R J

The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) includes provisions for an on-site inspection (OSI), which allows the use of specific techniques to detect underground anomalies including cavities and rubble zones. One permitted technique is active seismic surveys such as seismic refraction or reflection. The purpose of this report is to conduct some simple modeling to evaluate the potential use of seismic reflection in detecting cavities and to test the use of open-source software in modeling possible scenarios. It should be noted that OSI inspections are conducted under specific constraints regarding duration and logistics. These constraints are likely to significantly impactmore » active seismic surveying, as a seismic survey typically requires considerable equipment, effort, and expertise. For the purposes of this study, which is a first-order feasibility study, these issues will not be considered. This report provides a brief description of the seismic reflection method along with some commonly used software packages. This is followed by an outline of a simple processing stream based on a synthetic model, along with results from a set of models representing underground cavities. A set of scripts used to generate the models are presented in an appendix. We do not consider detection of underground facilities in this work and the geologic setting used in these tests is an extremely simple one.« less

Combined seismic and radar investigation to define ice properties and structure of a cold alpine site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eisen, O.; Bohleber, P.; Drews, R.; Heilig, A.; Hofstede, C.

2009-04-01

The cold alpine saddle Colle Gnifetti, Monte Rosa, Swiss-Italian Alps resembles very much polar and subpolar ice masses in terms of glaciological conditions. It has been the site for several ice-core drilling campaigns over more than 20 years to determine paleoclimatological and glaciological conditions. To investigate the feasibility of geophysical methods for improved characterization of ice masses surrounding borehole and ice-core sites, a combined active reflection seismic and ground-penetrating radar pilot study has been carried out in summer 2008. Aims are the characterization of density, internal layering, seismic and radar wave speed and attenuation, identification of anisotropic features (like crystal orientation or bubble content and shape). Here we present the overall setup and first results. Seismic and GPR profiles were centered on an existing borehole location covering the full ice thickness of 62 m. Active seismics was carried out with 24-channel 3-m spacing recording, using a Seismic Impulse Source System (SISSY) along two profiles parallel and perpendicular to the ice-flow direction. The same profiles were complemented with GPR measurements utilizing 250, 500 MHz frequencies. Additionally, circular profiles with 250, 500 and 800 MHz were carried out circumferencing the borehole to detect anisotropic features.

Seismic footprints of shallow dyke propagation at Etna, Italy

PubMed Central

Falsaperla, Susanna; Neri, Marco

2015-01-01

One of the key issues in forecasting volcanic eruptions is to detect signals that can track the propagation of dykes towards the surface. Continuous monitoring of active volcanoes helps significantly in achieving this goal. The seismic data presented here are unique, as they document surface faulting processes close (tens to a few hundred meters) to their source, namely the dyke tip. They originated nearby - and under - a seismic station that was subsequently destroyed by lava flows during eruptive activity at Etna volcano, Italy, in 2013. On February 20, a ~600 m-long and ~120 m wide NW-SE fracture field opened at an altitude between 2750 and 2900 m. The consequent rock dislocation caused the station to tilt and offset the seismic signal temporarily. Data acquisition continued until the arrival of the lava flow that led to the breakdown of the transmission system. Shallow ground fracturing and repeated low-frequency oscillations occurred during two stages in which the seismic signal underwent a maximum offset ~2.57 × 104 nm/s. Bridging instrumental recordings, fieldwork and conceptual modelling, these data are interpreted as the seismic footprints of a magmatic dyke intrusion that moved at speed ~0.02 m/s (first stage) and 0.46 m/s (second stage). PMID:26173557

Locating scatterers while drilling using seismic noise due to tunnel boring machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harmankaya, U.; Kaslilar, A.; Wapenaar, K.; Draganov, D.

2018-05-01

Unexpected geological structures can cause safety and economic risks during underground excavation. Therefore, predicting possible geological threats while drilling a tunnel is important for operational safety and for preventing expensive standstills. Subsurface information for tunneling is provided by exploratory wells and by surface geological and geophysical investigations, which are limited by location and resolution, respectively. For detailed information about the structures ahead of the tunnel face, geophysical methods are applied during the tunnel-drilling activity. We present a method inspired by seismic interferometry and ambient-noise correlation that can be used for detecting scatterers, such as boulders and cavities, ahead of a tunnel while drilling. A similar method has been proposed for active-source seismic data and validated using laboratory and field data. Here, we propose to utilize the seismic noise generated by a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), and recorded at the surface. We explain our method at the hand of data from finite-difference modelling of noise-source wave propagation in a medium where scatterers are present. Using the modelled noise records, we apply cross-correlation to obtain correlation gathers. After isolating the scattered arrivals in these gathers, we cross-correlate again and invert for the correlated traveltime to locate scatterers. We show the potential of the method for locating the scatterers while drilling using noise records due to TBM.

Active faulting in low- to moderate-seismicity regions: the SAFE project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sebrier, M.; Safe Consortium

2003-04-01

SAFE (Slow Active Faults in Europe) is an EC-FP5 funded multidisciplinary effort which proposes an integrated European approach in identifying and characterizing active faults as input for evaluating seismic hazard in low- to moderate-seismicity regions. Seismically active western European regions are generally characterized by low hazard but high risk, due to the concentration of human and material properties with high vulnerability. Detecting, and then analysing, tectonic deformations that may lead to destructive earthquakes in such areas has to take into account three major limitations: - the typical climate of western Europe (heavy vegetation cover and/or erosion) ; - the subdued geomorphic signature of slowly deforming faults ; - the heavy modification of landscape by human activity. The main objective of SAFE, i.e., improving the assessment of seismic hazard through understanding of the mechanics and recurrence of active faults in slowly deforming regions, is achieved through four major steps : (1) extending geologic and geomorphic investigations of fault activity beyond the Holocene to take into account various time-windows; (2) developing an expert system that combines diverse lines of geologic, seismologic, geomorphic, and geophysical evidence to diagnose the existence and seismogenic potential of slow active faults; (3) delineating and characterising high seismic risk areas of western Europe, either from historical or geological/geomorphic evidence; (4) demonstrating and discussing the impact of the project results on risk assessment through a seismic scenario in the Basel-Mulhouse pilot area. To take properly into account known differences in source behavior, these goals are pursued both in extensional (Lower and Upper Rhine Graben, Catalan Coast) and compressional tectonic settings (southern Upper Rhine Graben, Po Plain, and Provence). Two arid compressional regions (SE Spain and Moroccan High Atlas) have also been selected to address the limitations imposed by vegetation and human modified landscapes. The first results demonstrate that the strong added value provided by SAFE consists in its integrated multidisciplinary and multiscalar approach that allows robust diagnostic conclusions on fault activity and on the associated earthquake potential. This approach will be illustrated through selected methodological results.

Source parameters and tectonic interpretation of recent earthquakes (1995 1997) in the Pannonian basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badawy, Ahmed; Horváth, Frank; Tóth, László

2001-01-01

From January 1995 to December 1997, about 74 earthquakes were located in the Pannonian basin and digitally recorded by a recently established network of seismological stations in Hungary. On reviewing the notable events, about 12 earthquakes were reported as felt with maximum intensity varying between 4 and 6 MSK. The dynamic source parameters of these earthquakes have been derived from P-wave displacement spectra. The displacement source spectra obtained are characterised by relatively small values of corner frequency ( f0) ranging between 2.5 and 10 Hz. The seismic moments change from 1.48×10 20 to 1.3×10 23 dyne cm, stress drops from 0.25 to 76.75 bar, fault length from 0.42 to 1.7 km and relative displacement from 0.05 to 15.35 cm. The estimated source parameters suggest a good agreement with the scaling law for small earthquakes. The small values of stress drops in the studied earthquakes can be attributed to the low strength of crustal materials in the Pannonian basin. However, the values of stress drops are not different for earthquake with thrust or normal faulting focal mechanism solutions. It can be speculated that an increase of the seismic activity in the Pannonian basin can be predicted in the long run because extensional development ceased and structural inversion is in progress. Seismic hazard assessment is a delicate job due to the inadequate knowledge of the seismo-active faults, particularly in the interior part of the Pannonian basin.

Preliminary Earthquake Hazard Map of Afghanistan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boyd, Oliver S.; Mueller, Charles S.; Rukstales, Kenneth S.

2007-01-01

Introduction Earthquakes represent a serious threat to the people and institutions of Afghanistan. As part of a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) effort to assess the resource potential and seismic hazards of Afghanistan, the Seismic Hazard Mapping group of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) has prepared a series of probabilistic seismic hazard maps that help quantify the expected frequency and strength of ground shaking nationwide. To construct the maps, we do a complete hazard analysis for each of ~35,000 sites in the study area. We use a probabilistic methodology that accounts for all potential seismic sources and their rates of earthquake activity, and we incorporate modeling uncertainty by using logic trees for source and ground-motion parameters. See the Appendix for an explanation of probabilistic seismic hazard analysis and discussion of seismic risk. Afghanistan occupies a southward-projecting, relatively stable promontory of the Eurasian tectonic plate (Ambraseys and Bilham, 2003; Wheeler and others, 2005). Active plate boundaries, however, surround Afghanistan on the west, south, and east. To the west, the Arabian plate moves northward relative to Eurasia at about 3 cm/yr. The active plate boundary trends northwestward through the Zagros region of southwestern Iran. Deformation is accommodated throughout the territory of Iran; major structures include several north-south-trending, right-lateral strike-slip fault systems in the east and, farther to the north, a series of east-west-trending reverse- and strike-slip faults. This deformation apparently does not cross the border into relatively stable western Afghanistan. In the east, the Indian plate moves northward relative to Eurasia at a rate of about 4 cm/yr. A broad, transpressional plate-boundary zone extends into eastern Afghanistan, trending southwestward from the Hindu Kush in northeast Afghanistan, through Kabul, and along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Deformation here is expressed as a belt of major, north-northeast-trending, left-lateral strike-slip faults and abundant seismicity. The seismicity intensifies farther to the northeast and includes a prominent zone of deep earthquakes associated with northward subduction of the Indian plate beneath Eurasia that extends beneath the Hindu Kush and Pamirs Mountains. Production of the seismic hazard maps is challenging because the geological and seismological data required to produce a seismic hazard model are limited. The data that are available for this project include historical seismicity and poorly constrained slip rates on only a few of the many active faults in the country. Much of the hazard is derived from a new catalog of historical earthquakes: from 1964 to the present, with magnitude equal to or greater than about 4.5, and with depth between 0 and 250 kilometers. We also include four specific faults in the model: the Chaman fault with an assigned slip rate of 10 mm/yr, the Central Badakhshan fault with an assigned slip rate of 12 mm/yr, the Darvaz fault with an assigned slip rate of 7 mm/yr, and the Hari Rud fault with an assigned slip rate of 2 mm/yr. For these faults and for shallow seismicity less than 50 km deep, we incorporate published ground-motion estimates from tectonically active regions of western North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Ground-motion estimates for deeper seismicity are derived from data in subduction environments. We apply estimates derived for tectonic regions where subduction is the main tectonic process for intermediate-depth seismicity between 50- and 250-km depth. Within the framework of these limitations, we have developed a preliminary probabilistic seismic-hazard assessment of Afghanistan, the type of analysis that underpins the seismic components of modern building codes in the United States. The assessment includes maps of estimated peak ground-acceleration (PGA), 0.2-second spectral acceleration (SA), and 1.0-secon

Effects of volcano topography on seismic broad-band waveforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neuberg, Jürgen; Pointer, Tim

2000-10-01

Volcano seismology often deals with rather shallow seismic sources and seismic stations deployed in their near field. The complex stratigraphy on volcanoes and near-field source effects have a strong impact on the seismic wavefield, complicating the interpretation techniques that are usually employed in earthquake seismology. In addition, as most volcanoes have a pronounced topography, the interference of the seismic wavefield with the stress-free surface results in severe waveform perturbations that affect seismic interpretation methods. In this study we deal predominantly with the surface effects, but take into account the impact of a typical volcano stratigraphy as well as near-field source effects. We derive a correction term for plane seismic waves and a plane-free surface such that for smooth topographies the effect of the free surface can be totally removed. Seismo-volcanic sources radiate energy in a broad frequency range with a correspondingly wide range of different Fresnel zones. A 2-D boundary element method is employed to study how the size of the Fresnel zone is dependent on source depth, dominant wavelength and topography in order to estimate the limits of the plane wave approximation. This approximation remains valid if the dominant wavelength does not exceed twice the source depth. Further aspects of this study concern particle motion analysis to locate point sources and the influence of the stratigraphy on particle motions. Furthermore, the deployment strategy of seismic instruments on volcanoes, as well as the direct interpretation of the broad-band waveforms in terms of pressure fluctuations in the volcanic plumbing system, are discussed.

Seismic source parameters of the induced seismicity at The Geysers geothermal area, California, by a generalized inversion approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Picozzi, Matteo; Oth, Adrien; Parolai, Stefano; Bindi, Dino; De Landro, Grazia; Amoroso, Ortensia

2017-04-01

The accurate determination of stress drop, seismic efficiency and how source parameters scale with earthquake size is an important for seismic hazard assessment of induced seismicity. We propose an improved non-parametric, data-driven strategy suitable for monitoring induced seismicity, which combines the generalized inversion technique together with genetic algorithms. In the first step of the analysis the generalized inversion technique allows for an effective correction of waveforms for the attenuation and site contributions. Then, the retrieved source spectra are inverted by a non-linear sensitivity-driven inversion scheme that allows accurate estimation of source parameters. We therefore investigate the earthquake source characteristics of 633 induced earthquakes (ML 2-4.5) recorded at The Geysers geothermal field (California) by a dense seismic network (i.e., 32 stations of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Geysers/Calpine surface seismic network, more than 17.000 velocity records). We find for most of the events a non-selfsimilar behavior, empirical source spectra that requires ωγ source model with γ > 2 to be well fitted and small radiation efficiency ηSW. All these findings suggest different dynamic rupture processes for smaller and larger earthquakes, and that the proportion of high frequency energy radiation and the amount of energy required to overcome the friction or for the creation of new fractures surface changes with the earthquake size. Furthermore, we observe also two distinct families of events with peculiar source parameters that, in one case suggests the reactivation of deep structures linked to the regional tectonics, while in the other supports the idea of an important role of steeply dipping fault in the fluid pressure diffusion.

An updated stress map of the continental United States reveals heterogeneous intraplate stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levandowski, Will; Herrmann, Robert B.; Briggs, Rich; Boyd, Oliver; Gold, Ryan

2018-06-01

Knowledge of the state of stress in Earth's crust is key to understanding the forces and processes responsible for earthquakes. Historically, low rates of natural seismicity in the central and eastern United States have complicated efforts to understand intraplate stress, but recent improvements in seismic networks and the spread of human-induced seismicity have greatly improved data coverage. Here, we compile a nationwide stress map based on formal inversions of focal mechanisms that challenges the idea that deformation in continental interiors is driven primarily by broad, uniform stress fields derived from distant plate boundaries. Despite plate-boundary compression, extension dominates roughly half of the continent, and second-order forces related to lithospheric structure appear to control extension directions. We also show that the states of stress in several active eastern United States seismic zones differ significantly from those of surrounding areas and that these anomalies cannot be explained by transient processes, suggesting that earthquakes are focused by persistent, locally derived sources of stress. Such spatially variable intraplate stress appears to justify the current, spatially variable estimates of seismic hazard. Future work to quantify sources of stress, stressing-rate magnitudes and their relationship with strain and earthquake rates could allow prospective mapping of intraplate hazard.

The shallow structure of Solfatara Volcano, Italy, revealed by dense, wide-aperture seismic profiling.

PubMed

Bruno, Pier Paolo G; Maraio, Stefano; Festa, Gaetano

2017-12-12

Two active-source, high-resolution seismic profiles were acquired in the Solfatara tuff cone in May and November 2014, with dense, wide-aperture arrays. Common Receiver Surface processing was crucial in improving signal-to-noise ratio and reflector continuity. These surveys provide, for the first time, high-resolution seismic images of the Solfatara crater, depicting a ~400 m deep asymmetrical crater filled by volcanoclastic sediments and rocks and carved within an overall non-reflective pre-eruptive basement showing features consistent with the emplacement of shallow intrusive bodies. Seismic reflection data were interpreted using the trace complex attributes and clearly display several steep and segmented collapse faults, generally having normal kinematics and dipping toward the crater centre. Fault/fracture planes are imaged as sudden amplitude drops that generate narrow low-similarity and high-dip attributes. Uprising fluids degassed by a magmatic source are the most probable cause of the small-scale amplitude reduction. Seismic data also support the interpretation of the shallow structure of the Solfatara crater as a maar. Our results provides a solid framework to constrain the near-surface geological interpretation of such a complex area, which improves our understanding of the temporal changes of the structure in relation with other geophysical and geochemical measurements.

Near-Fault Broadband Ground Motion Simulations Using Empirical Green's Functions: Application to the Upper Rhine Graben (France-Germany) Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Gaudio, Sergio; Hok, Sebastien; Festa, Gaetano; Causse, Mathieu; Lancieri, Maria

2017-09-01

Seismic hazard estimation relies classically on data-based ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) giving the expected motion level as a function of several parameters characterizing the source and the sites of interest. However, records of moderate to large earthquakes at short distances from the faults are still rare. For this reason, it is difficult to obtain a reliable ground motion prediction for such a class of events and distances where also the largest amount of damage is usually observed. A possible strategy to fill this lack of information is to generate synthetic accelerograms based on an accurate modeling of both extended fault rupture and wave propagation process. The development of such modeling strategies is essential for estimating seismic hazard close to faults in moderate seismic activity zones, where data are even scarcer. For that reason, we selected a target site in Upper Rhine Graben (URG), at the French-German border. URG is a region where faults producing micro-seismic activity are very close to the sites of interest (e.g., critical infrastructures like supply lines, nuclear power plants, etc.) needing a careful investigation of seismic hazard. In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of performing near-fault broadband ground motion numerical simulations in a moderate seismic activity region such as URG and discuss some of the challenges related to such an application. The modeling strategy is to couple the multi-empirical Green's function technique (multi-EGFt) with a k -2 kinematic source model. One of the advantages of the multi-EGFt is that it does not require a detailed knowledge of the propagation medium since the records of small events are used as the medium transfer function, if, at the target site, records of small earthquakes located on the target fault are available. The selection of suitable events to be used as multi-EGF is detailed and discussed in our specific situation where less number of events are available. We then showed the impact that each source parameter characterizing the k-2 model has on ground motion amplitude. Finally we performed ground motion simulations showing results for different probable earthquake scenarios in the URG. Dependency of ground motions and of their variability are analyzed at different frequencies in respect of rupture velocity, roughness degree of slip distribution (stress drop), and hypocenter location. In near-source conditions, ground motion variability is shown to be mostly governed by the uncertainty on source parameters. In our specific configuration (magnitude, distance), the directivity effect is only observed in a limited frequency range. Rather, broadband ground motions are shown to be sensitive to both average rupture velocity and its possible variability, and to slip roughness. Ending up with a comparison of simulation results and GMPEs, we conclude that source parameters and their variability should be set up carefully to obtain reliable broadband ground motion estimations. In particular, our study shows that slip roughness should be set up in respect of the target stress drop. This entails the need for a better understanding of the physics of earthquake source and its incorporation in the ground motion modeling.

Structural variation of the oceanic Moho in the Pacific plate revealed by active-source seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohira, Akane; Kodaira, Shuichi; Nakamura, Yasuyuki; Fujie, Gou; Arai, Ryuta; Miura, Seiichi

2017-10-01

The characteristics of the oceanic Moho are known to depend on various factors, such as seafloor spreading rate, crustal age, and accretionary processes at a ridge. However, the effect of local magmatic activities on the seismic signature of the Moho is poorly understood. Here an active-source reflection and refraction survey is used to investigate crustal structure and Moho characteristics along a >1000-km-long profile southeast of the Shatsky Rise in a Pacific Ocean basin formed from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous and spanning the onset of Shatsky Rise volcanism. Although the seismic velocity structure estimated from the refraction data showed typical characteristics of the oceanic crust of the old Pacific plate, the appearance of the Moho reflections was spatially variable. We observed clear Moho reflections such as those to be expected where the spreading rate is fast to intermediate only at the southwestern end of the profile, whereas Moho reflections were diffuse, weak, or absent along other parts of the profile. The poor Moho reflections can be explained by the presence of a thick crust-mantle transition layer, which is temporally coincident with the formation of the Shatsky Rise. We inferred that the crust-mantle transition layer was formed by changes in on-axis accretion process or modification of the primary Moho by off-axis magmatism, induced by magmatic activity of the Shatsky Rise.

Inverse and Forward Modeling of The 2014 Iquique Earthquake with Run-up Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fuentes, M.

2015-12-01

The April 1, 2014 Mw 8.2 Iquique earthquake excited a moderate tsunami which turned on the national alert of tsunami threat. This earthquake was located in the well-known seismic gap in northern Chile which had a high seismic potential (~ Mw 9.0) after the two main large historic events of 1868 and 1877. Nonetheless, studies of the seismic source performed with seismic data inversions suggest that the event exhibited a main patch located around 19.8° S at 40 km of depth with a seismic moment equivalent to Mw = 8.2. Thus, a large seismic deficit remains in the gap being capable to release an event of Mw = 8.8-8.9. To understand the importance of the tsunami threat in this zone, a seismic source modeling of the Iquique Earthquake is performed. A new approach based on stochastic k2 seismic sources is presented. A set of those sources is generated and for each one, a full numerical tsunami model is performed in order to obtain the run-up heights along the coastline. The results are compared with the available field run-up measurements and with the tide gauges that registered the signal. The comparison is not uniform; it penalizes more when the discrepancies are larger close to the peak run-up location. This criterion allows to identify the best seismic source from the set of scenarios that explains better the observations from a statistical point of view. By the other hand, a L2 norm minimization is used to invert the seismic source by comparing the peak nearshore tsunami amplitude (PNTA) with the run-up observations. This method searches in a space of solutions the best seismic configuration by retrieving the Green's function coefficients in order to explain the field measurements. The results obtained confirm that a concentrated down-dip patch slip adequately models the run-up data.

Integrated analysis of seismological, gravimetric and structural data for identification of active faults geometries in Abruzzo and Molise areas (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaudiosi, Germana; Nappi, Rosa; Alessio, Giuliana; Porfido, Sabina; Cella, Federico; Fedi, Maurizio; Florio, Giovanni

2015-04-01

This paper deals with an interdisciplinary research that has been carried out for more constraining the active faults and their geometry of Abruzzo - Molise areas (Central-Southern Apennines), two of the most active areas from a geodynamic point of view of the Italian Apennines, characterized by the occurrence of intense and widely spread seismic activity. An integrated analysis of structural, seismic and gravimetric (Gaudiosi et al., 2012) data of the area has been carried out through the Geographic Information System (GIS) which has provided the capability for storing and managing large amount of spatial data from different sources. In particular, the analysis has consisted of these main steps: (a) collection and acquisition of aerial photos, numeric cartography, Digital Terrain Model (DTM) data, geophysical data; (b) generation of the vector cartographic database and alpha-numerical data; c) image processing and features classification; d) cartographic restitution and multi-layers representation. In detail three thematic data sets have been generated "fault", "earthquake" and "gravimetric" data sets. The fault Dataset has been compiled by examining and merging the available structural maps, and many recent geological and geophysical papers of literature. The earthquake Dataset has been implemented collecting seismic data by the available historical and instrumental Catalogues and new precise earthquake locations for better constraining existence and activity of some outcropping and buried tectonic structures. Seismic data have been standardized in the same format into the GIS and merged in a final catalogue. For the gravimetric Dataset, the Multiscale Derivative Analysis (MDA) of the gravity field of the area has been performed, relying on the good resolution properties of the Enhanced Horizontal Derivative (EHD) (Fedi et al., 2005). MDA of gravity data has allowed localization of several trends identifying anomaly sources whose presence was not previously detected. The main results of our integrated analysis show a strong correlation among faults, hypocentral location of earthquakes and MDA lineaments from gravity data. Furthermore 2D seismic hypocentral locations together with high-resolution analysis of gravity anomalies have been correlated to estimate the fault systems parameters (strike, dip direction and dip angle) of some structures of the areas, through the application of the DEXP method (Fedi M. and M. Pilkington, 2012). References Fedi M., Cella F., Florio G., Rapolla A.; 2005: Multiscale Derivative Analysis of the gravity and magnetic fields of the Southern Apennines (Italy). In: Finetti I.R. (ed), CROP PROJECT: Deep Seismic Exploration of the Central Mediterranean and Italy, pp. 281-318. Fedi M., Pilkington M.; 2012: Understanding imaging methods for potential field data. Geophysics, 77: G13-G24. Gaudiosi G., Alessio G., Cella F., Fedi M., Florio G., Nappi, R.; 2012: Multiparametric data analysis for seismic sources identification in the Campanian area: merging of seismological, structural and gravimetric data. BGTA,. Vol. 53, n. 3, pp. 283-298.

Regularized wave equation migration for imaging and data reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaplan, Sam T.

The reflection seismic experiment results in a measurement (reflection seismic data) of the seismic wavefield. The linear Born approximation to the seismic wavefield leads to a forward modelling operator that we use to approximate reflection seismic data in terms of a scattering potential. We consider approximations to the scattering potential using two methods: the adjoint of the forward modelling operator (migration), and regularized numerical inversion using the forward and adjoint operators. We implement two parameterizations of the forward modelling and migration operators: source-receiver and shot-profile. For both parameterizations, we find requisite Green's function using the split-step approximation. We first develop the forward modelling operator, and then find the adjoint (migration) operator by recognizing a Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. The resulting numerical system is generally under-determined, requiring prior information to find a solution. In source-receiver migration, the parameterization of the scattering potential is understood using the migration imaging condition, and this encourages us to apply sparse prior models to the scattering potential. To that end, we use both a Cauchy prior and a mixed Cauchy-Gaussian prior, finding better resolved estimates of the scattering potential than are given by the adjoint. In shot-profile migration, the parameterization of the scattering potential has its redundancy in multiple active energy sources (i.e. shots). We find that a smallest model regularized inverse representation of the scattering potential gives a more resolved picture of the earth, as compared to the simpler adjoint representation. The shot-profile parameterization allows us to introduce a joint inversion to further improve the estimate of the scattering potential. Moreover, it allows us to introduce a novel data reconstruction algorithm so that limited data can be interpolated/extrapolated. The linearized operators are expensive, encouraging their parallel implementation. For the source-receiver parameterization of the scattering potential this parallelization is non-trivial. Seismic data is typically corrupted by various types of noise. Sparse coding can be used to suppress noise prior to migration. It is a method that stems from information theory and that we apply to noise suppression in seismic data.

Assessing the Uncertainties on Seismic Source Parameters: Towards Realistic Estimates of Moment Tensor Determinations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magnoni, F.; Scognamiglio, L.; Tinti, E.; Casarotti, E.

2014-12-01

Seismic moment tensor is one of the most important source parameters defining the earthquake dimension and style of the activated fault. Moment tensor catalogues are ordinarily used by geoscientists, however, few attempts have been done to assess possible impacts of moment magnitude uncertainties upon their own analysis. The 2012 May 20 Emilia mainshock is a representative event since it is defined in literature with a moment magnitude value (Mw) spanning between 5.63 and 6.12. An uncertainty of ~0.5 units in magnitude leads to a controversial knowledge of the real size of the event. The possible uncertainty associated to this estimate could be critical for the inference of other seismological parameters, suggesting caution for seismic hazard assessment, coulomb stress transfer determination and other analyses where self-consistency is important. In this work, we focus on the variability of the moment tensor solution, highlighting the effect of four different velocity models, different types and ranges of filtering, and two different methodologies. Using a larger dataset, to better quantify the source parameter uncertainty, we also analyze the variability of the moment tensor solutions depending on the number, the epicentral distance and the azimuth of used stations. We endorse that the estimate of seismic moment from moment tensor solutions, as well as the estimate of the other kinematic source parameters, cannot be considered an absolute value and requires to come out with the related uncertainties and in a reproducible framework characterized by disclosed assumptions and explicit processing workflows.

Imaging of 3-D seismic velocity structure of Southern Sumatra region using double difference tomographic method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lestari, Titik; Nugraha, Andri Dian

2015-04-01

Southern Sumatra region has a high level of seismicity due to the influence of the subduction system, Sumatra fault, Mentawai fault and stretching zone activities. The seismic activities of Southern Sumatra region are recorded by Meteorological Climatological and Geophysical Agency (MCGA's) Seismograph network. In this study, we used earthquake data catalog compiled by MCGA for 3013 events from 10 seismic stations around Southern Sumatra region for time periods of April 2009 - April 2014 in order to invert for the 3-D seismic velocities structure (Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs ratio). We applied double-difference seismic tomography method (tomoDD) to determine Vp, Vs and Vp/Vs ratio with hypocenter adjustment. For the inversion procedure, we started from the initial 1-D seismic velocity model of AK135 and constant Vp/Vs of 1.73. The synthetic travel time from source to receiver was calculated using ray pseudo-bending technique, while the main tomographic inversion was applied using LSQR method. The resolution model was evaluated using checkerboard test and Derivative Weigh Sum (DWS). Our preliminary results show low Vp and Vs anomalies region along Bukit Barisan which is may be associated with weak zone of Sumatran fault and migration of partial melted material. Low velocity anomalies at 30-50 km depth in the fore arc region may indicated the hydrous material circulation because the slab dehydration. We detected low seismic seismicity in the fore arc region that may be indicated as seismic gap. It is coincides contact zone of high and low velocity anomalies. And two large earthquakes (Jambi and Mentawai) also occurred at the contact of contrast velocity.

Imaging of 3-D seismic velocity structure of Southern Sumatra region using double difference tomographic method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lestari, Titik, E-mail: t2klestari@gmail.com; Faculty of Earth Science and Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology, Jalan Ganesa No.10, Bandung 40132; Nugraha, Andri Dian, E-mail: nugraha@gf.itb.ac.id

2015-04-24

Southern Sumatra region has a high level of seismicity due to the influence of the subduction system, Sumatra fault, Mentawai fault and stretching zone activities. The seismic activities of Southern Sumatra region are recorded by Meteorological Climatological and Geophysical Agency (MCGA’s) Seismograph network. In this study, we used earthquake data catalog compiled by MCGA for 3013 events from 10 seismic stations around Southern Sumatra region for time periods of April 2009 – April 2014 in order to invert for the 3-D seismic velocities structure (Vp, Vs, and Vp/Vs ratio). We applied double-difference seismic tomography method (tomoDD) to determine Vp, Vsmore » and Vp/Vs ratio with hypocenter adjustment. For the inversion procedure, we started from the initial 1-D seismic velocity model of AK135 and constant Vp/Vs of 1.73. The synthetic travel time from source to receiver was calculated using ray pseudo-bending technique, while the main tomographic inversion was applied using LSQR method. The resolution model was evaluated using checkerboard test and Derivative Weigh Sum (DWS). Our preliminary results show low Vp and Vs anomalies region along Bukit Barisan which is may be associated with weak zone of Sumatran fault and migration of partial melted material. Low velocity anomalies at 30-50 km depth in the fore arc region may indicated the hydrous material circulation because the slab dehydration. We detected low seismic seismicity in the fore arc region that may be indicated as seismic gap. It is coincides contact zone of high and low velocity anomalies. And two large earthquakes (Jambi and Mentawai) also occurred at the contact of contrast velocity.« less

The PROTEUS Experiment: Active Source Seismic Imaging of the Crustal Magma Plumbing Structure of the Santorini Arc Volcano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hooft, E. E. E.; Morgan, J. V.; Nomikou, P.; Toomey, D. R.; Papazachos, C. V.; Warner, M.; Heath, B.; Christopoulou, M. E.; Lampridou, D.; Kementzetzidou, D.

2016-12-01

The goal of the PROTEUS seismic experiment (Plumbing Reservoirs Of The Earth Under Santorini) is to examine the entire crustal magma plumbing system beneath a continental arc volcano and determine the magma geometry and connections throughout the crust. These physical parameters control magma migration, storage, and eruption and inform the question of how physical and chemical processing of magma at arc volcanoes forms the andesitic rock compositions that dominate the lower continental crust. These physical parameters are also important to understand volcanic-tectonic interactions and geohazards. Santorini is ideal for these goals because the continental crust has been thinned by extension and so the deep magmatic system is more accessible, also it is geologically well studied. Since the volcano is a semi-submerged, it was possible to collect a unique 3D marine-land active source seismic dataset. During the PROTEUS experiment in November-December of 2015, we recorded 14,300 marine sound sources from the US R/V Langseth on 89 OBSIP short period ocean bottom seismometers and 60 German and 5 Greek land seismometers. The experiment was designed for high-density spatial sampling of the seismic wavefield to allow us to apply two state-of-the-art 3D inversion methods: travel time tomography and full waveform inversion. A preliminary travel time tomography model of the upper crustal seismic velocity structure of the volcano and surrounding region is presented in an accompanying poster. We also made marine geophysical maps of the seafloor using multi-beam bathymetry and of the gravity and magnetic fields. The new seafloor map reveals the detailed structure of the major fault system between Santorini and Amorgos, of associated landslides, and of newly discovered volcanic features. The PROTEUS project will provide new insights into the structure of the whole crustal magmatic system of a continental arc volcano and its evolution within the surrounding tectonic setting.

High Temporal Resolution Mapping of Seismic Noise Sources Using Heterogeneous Supercomputers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paitz, P.; Gokhberg, A.; Ermert, L. A.; Fichtner, A.

2017-12-01

The time- and space-dependent distribution of seismic noise sources is becoming a key ingredient of modern real-time monitoring of various geo-systems like earthquake fault zones, volcanoes, geothermal and hydrocarbon reservoirs. We present results of an ongoing research project conducted in collaboration with the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS). The project aims at building a service providing seismic noise source maps for Central Europe with high temporal resolution. We use source imaging methods based on the cross-correlation of seismic noise records from all seismic stations available in the region of interest. The service is hosted on the CSCS computing infrastructure; all computationally intensive processing is performed on the massively parallel heterogeneous supercomputer "Piz Daint". The solution architecture is based on the Application-as-a-Service concept to provide the interested researchers worldwide with regular access to the noise source maps. The solution architecture includes the following sub-systems: (1) data acquisition responsible for collecting, on a periodic basis, raw seismic records from the European seismic networks, (2) high-performance noise source mapping application responsible for the generation of source maps using cross-correlation of seismic records, (3) back-end infrastructure for the coordination of various tasks and computations, (4) front-end Web interface providing the service to the end-users and (5) data repository. The noise source mapping itself rests on the measurement of logarithmic amplitude ratios in suitably pre-processed noise correlations, and the use of simplified sensitivity kernels. During the implementation we addressed various challenges, in particular, selection of data sources and transfer protocols, automation and monitoring of daily data downloads, ensuring the required data processing performance, design of a general service-oriented architecture for coordination of various sub-systems, and engineering an appropriate data storage solution. The present pilot version of the service implements noise source maps for Switzerland. Extension of the solution to Central Europe is planned for the next project phase.

A Hammer-Impact, Aluminum, Shear-Wave Seismic Source

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haines, Seth

2007-01-01

Near-surface seismic surveys often employ hammer impacts to create seismic energy. Shear-wave surveys using horizontally polarized waves require horizontal hammer impacts against a rigid object (the source) that is coupled to the ground surface. I have designed, built, and tested a source made out of aluminum and equipped with spikes to improve coupling. The source is effective in a variety of settings, and it is relatively simple and inexpensive to build.

Joint the active source and passive source seismic to research the fine crustal structure of the Lushan area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Q.; Yu, C.

2017-12-01

On April 20, 2013, Ms7.0 strong earthquake (Lushan earthquake) occurred in Lanshan County Ya'an City, Sichuan Province. It is another earthquake that occurred in the Longmenshan fault zone after the Wenchuan earthquake. However, there is still no conclusive conclusion in relationship between the fine structure of the Lushan area and triggering seismic fault . In this study, the crustal structure, the shallow structure and the hidden faults and the focal mechanism of the Lushan earthquake were analyzed by using the deep seismic reflection profile and the broadband seismic array data. Combined with the surface geological information, the structure and fracture cause of the Lishan earthquake were discussed.We have synthetic analyzed the seismic precursors, fine locating, focal mechanism analysis and time-tomographic imaging of the broadband seismic data before and after the earthquake in Lushan earthquake, and obtained the seismic distribution, the focal mechanism and the crustal fine structure in the Lushan area. And we use these results to detailed interpreted the deep reflection seismic section of the Lushan earthquake zone.The results show that the crust of the Lushan area is characterized by a distinct structure of upper crust with thickness about 14.75km. The nature of the faults is inferred to be thrusting in the region due to the pushing of the crustal material of the Tibetan plateau into the southeast part of the rigid Sichuan basin. The shuangshi-Dachuan fault stretches from the surface to the deep crust at a low angle, and is dominated by thrusting in a form of imbricate structure with small-scale faults nearby. Whereas the Guangyuan-Dayi fault is a positive flower structure with a listric shape, consisting of six branches. Its movement is dominated by thrusting with gentle horizontal slip.

Elastic-Waveform Inversion with Compressive Sensing for Sparse Seismic Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lin, Youzuo; Huang, Lianjie

2015-01-28

Accurate velocity models of compressional- and shear-waves are essential for geothermal reservoir characterization and microseismic imaging. Elastic-waveform inversion of multi-component seismic data can provide high-resolution inversion results of subsurface geophysical properties. However, the method requires seismic data acquired using dense source and receiver arrays. In practice, seismic sources and/or geophones are often sparsely distributed on the surface and/or in a borehole, such as 3D vertical seismic profiling (VSP) surveys. We develop a novel elastic-waveform inversion method with compressive sensing for inversion of sparse seismic data. We employ an alternating-minimization algorithm to solve the optimization problem of our new waveform inversionmore » method. We validate our new method using synthetic VSP data for a geophysical model built using geologic features found at the Raft River enhanced-geothermal-system (EGS) field. We apply our method to synthetic VSP data with a sparse source array and compare the results with those obtained with a dense source array. Our numerical results demonstrate that the velocity models produced with our new method using a sparse source array are almost as accurate as those obtained using a dense source array.« less

The plumbing of Old Faithful Geyser revealed by hydrothermal tremor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vandemeulebrouck, J.; Roux, P.; Cros, E.

2013-05-01

Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park (USA) has attracted numerous scientific investigations for over two centuries to better understand its geological structure, the physics of its eruptions, and the controls of its intermittency. Using data acquired with a seismic array in 1992, we track the sources of hydrothermal tremor produced by boiling and cavitation inside the geyser. The location of seismic sources identifies a previously unknown lateral cavity at 15 m below the surface, on the SW side of the vent, and connected to the conduit. This reservoir is activated at the beginning of each geyser eruption cycle and plays a major role in the oscillatory behavior of the water level in the conduit before each eruption.

Preliminary crustal deformation model deduced from GPS and earthquakes’ data at Abu-Dabbab area, Eastern Desert, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Abdel-Monem S.; Hosny, A.; Abou-Aly, N.; Saleh, M.; Rayan, A.

2013-06-01

A local geodetic network consisting of eleven benchmarks has been established to study the recent crustal deformation in the Abu-Dabbab area. Seven campaigns of GPS measurements have been collected started from October 2008 and ended in March 2012. The collected data were processed using Bernese version 5.0, and the result values were adjusted to get the more accurate positions of the GPS stations. The magnitudes of horizontal displacements are variable from one epoch to another and in the range of 1-3 (±0.2) mm/yr. Due to the differences in rates of the horizontal displacement; the area is divided into two main blocks. The first one, moves to the east direction of about 3 mm/yr, while the second block, moves to the SW direction of about 6 mm/yr. According to the strain fields that were calculated for the different epochs of measurement, the main force is compression force and is taken the NW-SE to NWW-SEE direction. This force could be because of local and regional tectonic processes affecting on the study area. The maximum values of compression stress are found in the southern central and western part of study area. Estimated accumulation of this strain energy may be considered as an indicator of the possibility of earthquake occurrence. From the seismic tomography study, the 3D Vp and Vp/Vs crustal models indicate high Vp/Vs values forms an elongated anomaly, in the central part of the study area, that extends from a depth of 12 km to about 1-2 km of depth is obtained. By using this crustal model in relocations all seismicity informed that most of the seismicity strongly tend to occur in a cluster manner exactly above the southern part of the study area. Based on the conducted source mechanism study, it is noticed that shallow earthquakes are associated by a high CLVD ratio (up to 40%). Furthermore, initiation of a high level seismic activity, without a large seismic main shock is observed in the Abu-Dabbab area. The distribution of micro-earthquakes tends to align in an ENE-WSW direction marking a zone of activity verse the Red Sea. The nucleation of the seismic activity beneath the southern part of the Abu-Dabbab crust is more consistent with the obtained crustal deformation result by increasing the crustal movement in the south part than the northern part. Then, based on the obtained results of the above mentioned studies; seismic tomography; source mechanisms, and crustal deformation we conclude that these seismic activities that are associated by crustal deformation are owing to some magma activity beneath the crust of the Abu-Dabbab area.

Near-Surface and High Resolution Seismic Imaging of the Bennett Thrust Fault in the Indio Mountains of West Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vennemann, Alan

My research investigates the structure of the Indio Mountains in southwest Texas, 34 kilometers southwest of Van Horn, at the UTEP (University of Texas at El Paso) Field Station using newly acquired active-source seismic data. The area is underlain by deformed Cretaceous sedimentary rocks that represent a transgressive sequence nearly 2 km in total stratigraphic thickness. The rocks were deposited in mid Cretaceous extensional basins and later contracted into fold-thrust structures during Laramide orogenesis. The stratigraphic sequence is an analog for similar areas that are ideal for pre-salt petroleum reservoirs, such as reservoirs off the coasts of Brazil and Angola (Li, 2014; Fox, 2016; Kattah, 2017). The 1-km-long 2-D shallow seismic reflection survey that I planned and led during May 2016 was the first at the UTEP Field Station, providing critical subsurface information that was previously lacking. The data were processed with Landmark ProMAX seismic processing software to create a seismic reflection image of the Bennett Thrust Fault and additional imbricate faulting not expressed at the surface. Along the 1-km line, reflection data were recorded with 200 4.5 Hz geophones, using 100 150-gram explosive charges and 490 sledge-hammer blows for sources. A seismic reflection profile was produced using the lower frequency explosive dataset, which was used in the identification of the Bennett Thrust Fault and additional faulting and folding in the subsurface. This dataset provides three possible interpretations for the subsurface geometries of the faulting and folding present. However, producing a seismic reflection image with the higher frequency sledge-hammer sourced dataset for interpretation proved more challenging. While there are no petroleum plays in the Indio Mountains region, imaging and understanding subsurface structural and lithological geometries and how that geometry directs potential fluid flow has implications for other regions with petroleum plays.

Alternative Energy Sources in Seismic Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tün, Muammer; Pekkan, Emrah; Mutlu, Sunay; Ecevitoğlu, Berkan

2015-04-01

When the suitability of a settlement area is investigated, soil-amplification, liquefaction and fault-related hazards should be defined, and the associated risks should be clarified. For this reason, soil engineering parameters and subsurface geological structure of a new settlement area should be investigated. Especially, faults covered with quaternary alluvium; thicknesses, shear-wave velocities and geometry of subsurface sediments could lead to a soil amplification during an earthquake. Likewise, changes in shear-wave velocities along the basin are also very important. Geophysical methods can be used to determine the local soil properties. In this study, use of alternative seismic energy sources when implementing seismic reflection, seismic refraction and MASW methods in the residential areas of Eskisehir/Turkey, were discussed. Our home developed seismic energy source, EAPSG (Electrically-Fired-PS-Gun), capable to shoot 2x24 magnum shotgun cartridges at once to generate P and S waves; and our home developed WD-500 (500 kg Weight Drop) seismic energy source, mounted on a truck, were developed under a scientific research project of Anadolu University. We were able to reach up to penetration depths of 1200 m for EAPSG, and 800 m for WD-500 in our seismic reflection surveys. WD-500 seismic energy source was also used to perform MASW surveys, using 24-channel, 10 m apart, 4.5 Hz vertical geophone configuration. We were able to reach 100 m of penetration depth in MASW surveys.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems in Urban Areas - Lessons Learned from the 2006 Basel ML3.4 Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kraft, T.; Mai, P. M.; Wiemer, S.; Deichmann, N.; Ripperger, J.; Kästli, P.; Bachmann, C. E.; Fäh, D.; Woessner, J.; Giardini, D.

2009-12-01

We report on a recent deep-heat mining experiment carried out in 2006/2007 in the city of Basel (Switzerland). This pilot project was designed to produce renewable geothermal energy using the Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) methodology. For developing the geothermal reservoir, a deep borehole was brought down to 5 km depth. Then, in December 2006, the deep-heat-mining project entered the first critical phase when the water injections started for generating micro-fracturing of the rock. These fractures increase the permeability of the host rock, needed for efficient heat exchange between the rock and the cold water; however, these fracture are also source of micro-seismicity - small earthquakes that are continuously recorded and monitored by dedicated local seismic networks. In this stimulation phase, the seismic activity increased rapidly above the usual background seismicity, and culminated in a widely felt ML 3.4 earthquake, which caused some damage in the city of Basel. Due to the higher-than-expected seismic activity, and the reaction of the population, the media, and the politicians, the experiment was stalled only 6 days after the stimulations began. Although the injected water was allowed to escape immediately after the mainshock and pressure at the wellhead dropped rapidly, the seismic activity declined only slowly, with three ML > 3 events occurring one to two months later. Although the EGS technology has been applied and studied at various sites since the 1970s, the physical processes and parameters that control injection-induced seismicity - in terms of earthquake rate, size distribution and maximum magnitude - are still poorly understood. Consequently, the seismic hazard and risk associated with the creation and operation of EGS are difficult to estimate. The very well monitored Basel seismic sequence provides an excellent opportunity to advance the understanding of the physics of EGS. The Swiss Seismological Service (SED) is investigating the Basel dataset in the framework of the multidisciplinary research project GEOTHERM (www.geotherm.ethz.ch) Left) Seismic network in Basel, Switzerland. An epicenter map of the fluid injection-induced seismicity recorded by the seismic network, indicating high event densities in hot colors, is shown in the inset. Right) Fluid injection-induced seismicity recorded by the seismic network.

Seismicity in the source areas of the 1896 and 1933 Sanriku earthquakes and implications for large near-trench earthquake faults

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obana, Koichiro; Nakamura, Yasuyuki; Fujie, Gou; Kodaira, Shuichi; Kaiho, Yuka; Yamamoto, Yojiro; Miura, Seiichi

2018-03-01

In the northern part of the Japan Trench, the 1933 Showa-Sanriku earthquake (Mw 8.4), an outer-trench, normal-faulting earthquake, occurred 37 yr after the 1896 Meiji-Sanriku tsunami earthquake (Mw 8.0), a shallow, near-trench, plate-interface rupture. Tsunamis generated by both earthquakes caused severe damage along the Sanriku coast. Precise locations of earthquakes in the source areas of the 1896 and 1933 earthquakes have not previously been obtained because they occurred at considerable distances from the coast in deep water beyond the maximum operational depth of conventional ocean bottom seismographs (OBSs). In 2015, we incorporated OBSs designed for operation in deep water (ultradeep OBSs) in an OBS array during two months of seismic observations in the source areas of the 1896 and 1933 Sanriku earthquakes to investigate the relationship of seismicity there to outer-rise normal-faulting earthquakes and near-trench tsunami earthquakes. Our analysis showed that seismicity during our observation period occurred along three roughly linear trench-parallel trends in the outer-trench region. Seismic activity along these trends likely corresponds to aftershocks of the 1933 Showa-Sanriku earthquake and the Mw 7.4 normal-faulting earthquake that occurred 40 min after the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. Furthermore, changes of the clarity of reflections from the oceanic Moho on seismic reflection profiles and low-velocity anomalies within the oceanic mantle were observed near the linear trends of the seismicity. The focal mechanisms we determined indicate that an extensional stress regime extends to about 40 km depth, below which the stress regime is compressional. These observations suggest that rupture during the 1933 Showa-Sanriku earthquake did not extend to the base of the oceanic lithosphere and that compound rupture of multiple or segmented faults is a more plausible explanation for that earthquake. The source area of the 1896 Meiji-Sanriku tsunami earthquake is characterized by an aseismic region landward of the trench axis. Spatial heterogeneity of seismicity and crustal structure might indicate the near-trench faults that could lead to future hazardous events such as the 1896 and 1933 Sanriku earthquakes, and should be taken into account in assessment of tsunami hazards related to large near-trench earthquakes.

Test to Extract Soil Properties Using the Seismic HammerTM Active Seismic Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Rebekah F.; Abbott, Robert E.

Geologic material properties are necessary parameters for ground motion modeling and are difficult and expensive to obtain via traditional methods. Alternative methods to estimate soil properties require a measurement of the ground's response to a force. A possible method of obtaining these measurements is active-source seismic surveys, but measurements of the ground response at the source must also be available. The potential of seismic sources to obtain soil properties is limited, however, by the repeatability of the source. Explosives, and hammer surveys are not repeatable because of variable ground coupling or swing strength. On the other hand, the Seismic Hammermore » TM (SH) is consistent in the amount of energy it inputs into the ground. In addition, it leaves large physical depressions as a result of ground compaction. The volume of ground compaction varies by location. Here, we hypothesize that physical depressions left in the earth by the SH correlate to energy recorded by nearby geophones, and therefore are a measurement of soil physical properties. Using measurements of the volume of shot holes, we compare the spatial distribution of the volume of ground compacted between the different shot locations. We then examine energy recorded by the nearest 50 geophones and compare the change in amplitude across hits at the same location. Finally, we use the percent difference between the energy recorded by the first and later hits at a location to test for a correlation to the volume of the shot depressions. We find that: * Ground compaction at the shot-depression does cluster geographically, but does not correlate to known surface features. * Energy recorded by nearby geophones reflects ground refusal after several hits. * There is no correlation to shot volume and changes in energy at particular shot locations. Deeper material properties (i.e. below the depth of surface compaction) may be contributing to the changes in energy propagation. * Without further processing of the data, shot-depression volumes are insufficient to understanding ground response to the SH. Without an accurate understanding of the ground response, we cannot extract material properties in conjunction with the SH survey. Additional processing including picking direct arrivals and static corrections may yield positive results.« less

Updating the USGS seismic hazard maps for Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mueller, Charles; Briggs, Richard; Wesson, Robert L.; Petersen, Mark D.

2015-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey makes probabilistic seismic hazard maps and engineering design maps for building codes, emergency planning, risk management, and many other applications. The methodology considers all known earthquake sources with their associated magnitude and rate distributions. Specific faults can be modeled if slip-rate or recurrence information is available. Otherwise, areal sources are developed from earthquake catalogs or GPS data. Sources are combined with ground-motion estimates to compute the hazard. The current maps for Alaska were developed in 2007, and included modeled sources for the Alaska-Aleutian megathrust, a few crustal faults, and areal seismicity sources. The megathrust was modeled as a segmented dipping plane with segmentation largely derived from the slip patches of past earthquakes. Some megathrust deformation is aseismic, so recurrence was estimated from seismic history rather than plate rates. Crustal faults included the Fairweather-Queen Charlotte system, the Denali–Totschunda system, the Castle Mountain fault, two faults on Kodiak Island, and the Transition fault, with recurrence estimated from geologic data. Areal seismicity sources were developed for Benioff-zone earthquakes and for crustal earthquakes not associated with modeled faults. We review the current state of knowledge in Alaska from a seismic-hazard perspective, in anticipation of future updates of the maps. Updated source models will consider revised seismicity catalogs, new information on crustal faults, new GPS data, and new thinking on megathrust recurrence, segmentation, and geometry. Revised ground-motion models will provide up-to-date shaking estimates for crustal earthquakes and subduction earthquakes in Alaska.

Accurate estimation of seismic source parameters of induced seismicity by a combined approach of generalized inversion and genetic algorithm: Application to The Geysers geothermal area, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Picozzi, M.; Oth, A.; Parolai, S.; Bindi, D.; De Landro, G.; Amoroso, O.

2017-05-01

The accurate determination of stress drop, seismic efficiency, and how source parameters scale with earthquake size is an important issue for seismic hazard assessment of induced seismicity. We propose an improved nonparametric, data-driven strategy suitable for monitoring induced seismicity, which combines the generalized inversion technique together with genetic algorithms. In the first step of the analysis the generalized inversion technique allows for an effective correction of waveforms for attenuation and site contributions. Then, the retrieved source spectra are inverted by a nonlinear sensitivity-driven inversion scheme that allows accurate estimation of source parameters. We therefore investigate the earthquake source characteristics of 633 induced earthquakes (Mw 2-3.8) recorded at The Geysers geothermal field (California) by a dense seismic network (i.e., 32 stations, more than 17.000 velocity records). We find a nonself-similar behavior, empirical source spectra that require an ωγ source model with γ > 2 to be well fit and small radiation efficiency ηSW. All these findings suggest different dynamic rupture processes for smaller and larger earthquakes and that the proportion of high-frequency energy radiation and the amount of energy required to overcome the friction or for the creation of new fractures surface changes with earthquake size. Furthermore, we observe also two distinct families of events with peculiar source parameters that in one case suggests the reactivation of deep structures linked to the regional tectonics, while in the other supports the idea of an important role of steeply dipping faults in the fluid pressure diffusion.

77 FR 27189 - Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Low-Energy Marine Geophysical Survey...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-09

... issue an IHA. The notice initiated a 30 day public comment period. SIO plans to use one source vessel..., depending on logistics and weather. The survey will involve one source vessel, the Melville. For the seismic... will be acquired using two GI airguns shot simultaneously. Simultaneous shots from both airguns will...

Preseismic Velocity Changes Observed from Active Source Monitoringat the Parkfield SAFOD Drill Site

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Daley, Thomas; Niu, Fenglin; Silver, Paul G.

2008-06-10

Measuring stress changes within seismically active fault zones has been a long-sought goal of seismology. Here we show that such stress changes are measurable by exploiting the stress dependence of seismic wave speed from an active source cross-well experiment conducted at the SAFOD drill site. Over a two-month period we observed an excellent anti-correlation between changes in the time required for an S wave to travel through the rock along a fixed pathway--a few microseconds--and variations in barometric pressure. We also observed two large excursions in the traveltime data that are coincident with two earthquakes that are among those predictedmore » to produce the largest coseismic stress changes at SAFOD. Interestingly, the two excursions started approximately 10 and 2 hours before the events, respectively, suggesting that they may be related to pre-rupture stress induced changes in crack properties, as observed in early laboratory studies.« less

Structural and Tectonic Map Along the Pacific-North America Plate Boundary in Northern Gulf of California, Sonora Desert and Valle de Mexicali, Mexico, from Seismic Reflection Evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez-Escobar, M.; Suarez-Vidal, F.; Mendoza-Borunda, R.; Martin Barajas, A.; Pacheco-Romero, M.; Arregui-Estrada, S.; Gallardo-Mata, C.; Sanchez-Garcia, C.; Chanes-Martinez, J.

2012-12-01

Between 1978 and 1983, Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) carried on an intense exploration program in the northern Gulf of California, the Sonora Desert and the southern part of the Mexicali Valley. This program was supported by a seismic reflection field operation. The collected seismic data was 2D, with travel time of 6 s recording, in 48 channels, and the source energy was: dynamite, vibroseis and air guns. Since 2007 to present time, the existing seismic data has been re-processing and ire-interpreting as part of a collaboration project between the PEMEX's Subdirección de Exploración (PEMEX) and CICESE. The study area is located along a large portion of the Pacific-North America plate boundary in the northern Gulf of California and the Southern part of the Salton Trough tectonic province (Mexicali Valley). We present the result of the processes reflection seismic lines. Many of the previous reported known faults were identify along with the first time described located within the study region. We identified regions with different degree of tectonic activity. In structural map it can see the location of many of these known active faults and their associated seismic activity, as well as other structures with no associated seismicity. Where some faults are mist placed they were deleted or relocated based on new information. We included historical seismicity for the region. We present six reflection lines that cross the aftershocks zone of the El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake of April 4, 2010 (Mw7.2). The epicenter of this earthquake and most of the aftershocks are located in a region where pervious to this earthquake no major earthquakes are been reported. A major result of this study is to demonstrate that there are many buried faults that increase the seismic hazard.

Polish Geophysical Solid Earth Infrastructure Contributing to EPOS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Debski, W.; Mutke, G.; Suchcicki, J.; Jozwiak, W.; Wiejacz, P.; Trojanowski, J.

2012-04-01

In this poster we present the current state of the main polish solid-earth-orientated infrastructures and shortly described history of their development, current state, and some plans for their future development. The presen- tation concentrates only on the classical infrastructure leaving aside for the while the the geodetic-orientated infrastructure, like GPS network and the GPS processing data centers, gravimetric infrastructure and others of this type. Polish broadband seismic infrastructure consists of 7 permanent broadband stations incorporated into the VEBSN initiative running at the polish territory and one operated in collaboration with NORSAR is settled at the Hornsund (Svalbard) polish polar station. All stations are equipped with STS-2 seismometers and polish MK-6 seismic stations providing 120 dB dynamics 100Hz sampling and data transmission in a real time to processing center. Besides this permanent broadband seismic network (PLSN) the Central Institute of Mining is running the permanent regional, short period network at the Upper Silesia area dedicated to the detailed monitoring of seismicity induced by the black coal mining activity in this area. The network consists of As the mining activity is the main source of seismicity in Poland also all mines are running underground short period networks, like for example Rudna-Polkowice copper mine seismic network consisting of 64 underground located short period seimometers. In that area, especially around the Zelazny Most: the huge post-floating artificial lake the, IGF PAS is running the local seismic array consisting of 4 short period seismometers. Besides these permanent network IGF PAN is running the portable seismic network for detailed mapping a possible natural seismic activity in selected regions of Poland. Important contribution to classical geophysical observation in the electro-magnetic field are provided by three permanent geomagnetic observatories (one at Hornsund) and supporting set of 10 portable, high-accuracy magnetoteluric stations.

The Gibraltar Arc seismogenic zone and the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gutscher, M.-A.; Malod, J. A.; Rehault, J.-P.; Thiebot, E.; Contrucci, I.; Baptista, M. A.; Miranda, J. M.

2003-04-01

New geophysical data provide compelling evidence for an active east dipping subduction zone beneath the Gibraltar Arc. SISMAR marine seismic data in the Gulf of Cadiz image an actively deforming accretionary wedge, with east dipping thrust faults disrupting the seafloor and soleing out to an east dipping decollement. Tomographic cross-sections as well as hypocenter distribution support a continuous east dipping slab of oceanic lithosphere from the Atlantic domain to beneath the Western Alboran Sea. The great Lisbon earthquake of 1755 (felt as far away as Hamburg, the Azores and Cape Verde Islands) has the largest documented felt area of any shallow earthquake and an estimated magnitude of 8.5 - 9.0. The associated tsunami ravaged the coast of SW Portugal and the Gulf of Cadiz, with run-up heights reported to have reached 5 - 15 m. While several source regions offshore SW Portugal have been proposed (e.g. - Gorringe Bank, Marques de Pombal fault), no single source appears to be able to account for the great seismic moment and the tsunami amplitude and travel-time observations. We propose the Gibraltar arc seismogenic zone to be the source of the 1755 earthquake. This hypothesis may be tested in several ways. We perform tsunami wave form modeling for a shallow east dipping fault plane with dimensions of 180 km (N-S) x 210 km (E-W) and a co-seismic slip of 20 m. For convergence rates of 1 - 2 cm/yr an event of this magnitude could recur every 1000 - 2000 years. Furthermore, the DELILA geophysical cruise is proposed for 2004 to conduct a bathymetric and seismic survey of the accretionary wedge and to sample the turbidites in the adjacent abyssal plains which record the history of great earthquakes.

Active, capable, and potentially active faults - a paleoseismic perspective

USGS Publications Warehouse

Machette, M.N.

2000-01-01

Maps of faults (geologically defined source zones) may portray seismic hazards in a wide range of completeness depending on which types of faults are shown. Three fault terms - active, capable, and potential - are used in a variety of ways for different reasons or applications. Nevertheless, to be useful for seismic-hazards analysis, fault maps should encompass a time interval that includes several earthquake cycles. For example, if the common recurrence in an area is 20,000-50,000 years, then maps should include faults that are 50,000-100,000 years old (two to five typical earthquake cycles), thus allowing for temporal variability in slip rate and recurrence intervals. Conversely, in more active areas such as plate boundaries, maps showing faults that are <10,000 years old should include those with at least 2 to as many as 20 paleoearthquakes. For the International Lithosphere Programs' Task Group II-2 Project on Major Active Faults of the World our maps and database will show five age categories and four slip rate categories that allow one to select differing time spans and activity rates for seismic-hazard analysis depending on tectonic regime. The maps are accompanied by a database that describes evidence for Quaternary faulting, geomorphic expression, and paleoseismic parameters (slip rate, recurrence interval and time of most recent surface faulting). These maps and databases provide an inventory of faults that would be defined as active, capable, and potentially active for seismic-hazard assessments.

Ambient Seismic Noise Interferometry on the Island of Hawai`i

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballmer, Silke

Ambient seismic noise interferometry has been successfully applied in a variety of tectonic settings to gain information about the subsurface. As a passive seismic technique, it extracts the coherent part of ambient seismic noise in-between pairs of seismic receivers. Measurements of subtle temporal changes in seismic velocities, and high-resolution tomographic imaging are then possible - two applications of particular interest for volcano monitoring. Promising results from other volcanic settings motivate its application in Hawai'i, with this work being the first to explore its potential. The dataset used for this purpose was recorded by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's permanent seismic network on the Island of Hawai'i. It spans 2.5 years from 5/2007 to 12/2009 and covers two distinct sources of volcanic tremor. After applying standard processing for ambient seismic noise interferometry, we find that volcanic tremor strongly affects the extracted noise information not only close to the tremor source, but unexpectedly, throughout the island-wide network. Besides demonstrating how this long-range observability of volcanic tremor can be used to monitor volcanic activity in the absence of a dense seismic array, our results suggest that care must be taken when applying ambient seismic noise interferometry in volcanic settings. In a second step, we thus exclude days that show signs of volcanic tremor, reducing the dataset to three months, and perform ambient seismic noise tomography. The resulting two-dimensional Rayleigh wave group velocity maps for 0.1 - 0.9 Hz compare very well with images from previous travel time tomography, both, for the main volcanic structures at low frequencies as well as for smaller features at mid-to-high frequencies - a remarkable observation for the temporally truncated dataset. These robust results suggest that ambient seismic noise tomography in Hawai'i is suitable 1) to provide a three-dimensional S-wave model for the volcanoes and 2) to be used for repeated time-sensitive tomography, even though volcanic tremor frequently obscures ambient noise analyses. However, the noise characteristics and the wavefield in Hawai'i in general remain to be investigated in more detail in order to measure unbiased temporal velocity changes.

The New Italian Seismic Hazard Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marzocchi, W.; Meletti, C.; Albarello, D.; D'Amico, V.; Luzi, L.; Martinelli, F.; Pace, B.; Pignone, M.; Rovida, A.; Visini, F.

2017-12-01

In 2015 the Seismic Hazard Center (Centro Pericolosità Sismica - CPS) of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology was commissioned of coordinating the national scientific community with the aim to elaborate a new reference seismic hazard model, mainly finalized to the update of seismic code. The CPS designed a roadmap for releasing within three years a significantly renewed PSHA model, with regard both to the updated input elements and to the strategies to be followed. The main requirements of the model were discussed in meetings with the experts on earthquake engineering that then will participate to the revision of the building code. The activities were organized in 6 tasks: program coordination, input data, seismicity models, ground motion predictive equations (GMPEs), computation and rendering, testing. The input data task has been selecting the most updated information about seismicity (historical and instrumental), seismogenic faults, and deformation (both from seismicity and geodetic data). The seismicity models have been elaborating in terms of classic source areas, fault sources and gridded seismicity based on different approaches. The GMPEs task has selected the most recent models accounting for their tectonic suitability and forecasting performance. The testing phase has been planned to design statistical procedures to test with the available data the whole seismic hazard models, and single components such as the seismicity models and the GMPEs. In this talk we show some preliminary results, summarize the overall strategy for building the new Italian PSHA model, and discuss in detail important novelties that we put forward. Specifically, we adopt a new formal probabilistic framework to interpret the outcomes of the model and to test it meaningfully; this requires a proper definition and characterization of both aleatory variability and epistemic uncertainty that we accomplish through an ensemble modeling strategy. We use a weighting scheme of the different components of the PSHA model that has been built through three different independent steps: a formal experts' elicitation, the outcomes of the testing phase, and the correlation between the outcomes. Finally, we explore through different techniques the influence on seismic hazard of the declustering procedure.

Structure of Suasselkä Postglacial Fault in northern Finland obtained by analysis of ambient seismic noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afonin, Nikita; Kozlovskaya, Elena

2016-04-01

Understanding inner structure of seismogenic faults and their ability to reactivate is particularly important in investigating the continental intraplate seismicity regime. In our study we address this problem using analysis of ambient seismic noise recorded by the temporary DAFNE array in northern Fennoscandian Shield. The main purpose of the DAFNE/FINLAND passive seismic array experiment was to characterize the present-day seismicity of the Suasselkä post-glacial fault (SPGF) that was proposed as one potential target for the DAFNE (Drilling Active Faults in Northern Europe) project. The DAFNE/FINLAND array comprised the area of about 20 to 100 km and consisted of 8 short-period and 4 broad-band 3-component autonomous seismic stations installed in the close vicinity of the fault area. The array recorded continuous seismic data during September, 2011-May, 2013. Recordings of the array have being analyzed in order to identify and locate natural earthquakes from the fault area and to discriminate them from the blasts in the Kittilä Gold Mine. As a result, we found several dozens of natural seismic events originating from the fault area, which proves that the fault is still seismically active. In order to study the inner structure of the SPGF we use cross-correlation of ambient seismic noise recorded by the array. Analysis of azimuthal distribution of noise sources demonstrated that that during the time interval under consideration the distribution of noise sources is close to the uniform one. The continuous data were processed in several steps including single station data analysis, instrument response removal and time-domain stacking. The data were used to estimate empirical Green's functions between pairs of stations in the frequency band of 0.1-1 Hz and to calculate correspondent surface wave dispersion curves. After that S-wave velocity models were obtained as a result of dispersion curves inversion using Geopsy software. The results suggest that the area of the SPGF corresponds to a narrow region of low S-wave velocities surrounded by rocks with high S-wave velocities. We interpret this low velocity region as a non-healed mechanically weak fault damage zone (FDZ) remained after the last major earthquake that occurred after the last glaciation. Seismic instruments for the DAFNE/FINLAND experiment were provided by the institute of Seismology of the University of Helsinki and by the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory. The study was partly funded by Posiva Oy and Geological Survey of Finland. DAFNE/FINLAND Working Group: Ilmo Kukkonen Pekka Heikkinen Kari Komminaho Elena Kozlovskaya Riitta Hurskainen Tero Raita Hanna Silvennoinen

Variation in harbour porpoise activity in response to seismic survey noise

PubMed Central

Pirotta, Enrico; Brookes, Kate L.; Graham, Isla M.; Thompson, Paul M.

2014-01-01

Animals exposed to anthropogenic disturbance make trade-offs between perceived risk and the cost of leaving disturbed areas. Impact assessments tend to focus on overt behavioural responses leading to displacement, but trade-offs may also impact individual energy budgets through reduced foraging performance. Previous studies found no evidence for broad-scale displacement of harbour porpoises exposed to impulse noise from a 10 day two-dimensional seismic survey. Here, we used an array of passive acoustic loggers coupled with calibrated noise measurements to test whether the seismic survey influenced the activity patterns of porpoises remaining in the area. We showed that the probability of recording a buzz declined by 15% in the ensonified area and was positively related to distance from the source vessel. We also estimated received levels at the hydrophones and characterized the noise response curve. Our results demonstrate how environmental impact assessments can be developed to assess more subtle effects of noise disturbance on activity patterns and foraging efficiency. PMID:24850891

3-component beamforming analysis of ambient seismic noise field for Love and Rayleigh wave source directions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juretzek, Carina; Hadziioannou, Céline

2014-05-01

Our knowledge about common and different origins of Love and Rayleigh waves observed in the microseism band of the ambient seismic noise field is still limited, including the understanding of source locations and source mechanisms. Multi-component array methods are suitable to address this issue. In this work we use a 3-component beamforming algorithm to obtain source directions and polarization states of the ambient seismic noise field within the primary and secondary microseism bands recorded at the Gräfenberg array in southern Germany. The method allows to distinguish between different polarized waves present in the seismic noise field and estimates Love and Rayleigh wave source directions and their seasonal variations using one year of array data. We find mainly coinciding directions for the strongest acting sources of both wave types at the primary microseism and different source directions at the secondary microseism.

Seismic reflection constraints on the glacial dynamics of Johnsons Glacier, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benjumea, Beatriz; Teixidó, Teresa

2001-01-01

During two Antarctic summers (1996-1997 and 1997-1998), five seismic refraction and two reflection profiles were acquired on the Johnsons Glacier (Livingston Island, Antarctica) in order to obtain information about the structure of the ice, characteristics of the ice-bed contact and basement topography. An innovative technique has been used for the acquisition of reflection data to optimise the field survey schedule. Different shallow seismic sources were used during each field season: Seismic Impulse Source System (SISSY) for the first field survey and low-energy explosives (pyrotechnic noisemakers) during the second one. A comparison between these two shallow seismic sources has been performed, showing that the use of the explosives is a better seismic source in this ice environment. This is one of the first studies where this type of source has been used. The analysis of seismic data corresponding to one of the reflection profiles (L3) allows us to delineate sectors with different glacier structure (accumulation and ablation zones) without using glaciological data. Moreover, vertical discontinuities were detected by the presence of back-scattered energy and the abrupt change in frequency content of first arrivals shown in shot records. After the raw data analysis, standard processing led us to a clear seismic image of the underlying bed topography, which can be correlated with the ice flow velocity anomalies. The information obtained from seismic data on the internal structure of the glacier, location of fracture zones and the topography of the ice-bed interface constrains the glacial dynamics of Johnsons Glacier.

New seismic sources parameterization in El Salvador. Implications to seismic hazard.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alonso-Henar, Jorge; Staller, Alejandra; Jesús Martínez-Díaz, José; Benito, Belén; Álvarez-Gómez, José Antonio; Canora, Carolina

2014-05-01

El Salvador is located at the pacific active margin of Central America, here, the subduction of the Cocos Plate under the Caribbean Plate at a rate of ~80 mm/yr is the main seismic source. Although the seismic sources located in the Central American Volcanic Arc have been responsible for some of the most damaging earthquakes in El Salvador. The El Salvador Fault Zone is the main geological structure in El Salvador and accommodates 14 mm/yr of horizontal displacement between the Caribbean Plate and the forearc sliver. The ESFZ is a right lateral strike-slip fault zone c. 150 km long and 20 km wide .This shear band distributes the deformation among strike-slip faults trending N90º-100ºE and secondary normal faults trending N120º- N170º. The ESFZ is relieved westward by the Jalpatagua Fault and becomes less clear eastward disappearing at Golfo de Fonseca. Five sections have been proposed for the whole fault zone. These fault sections are (from west to east): ESFZ Western Section, San Vicente Section, Lempa Section, Berlin Section and San Miguel Section. Paleoseismic studies carried out in the Berlin and San Vicente Segments reveal an important amount of quaternary deformation and paleoearthquakes up to Mw 7.6. In this study we present 45 capable seismic sources in El Salvador and their preliminary slip-rate from geological and GPS data. The GPS data detailled results are presented by Staller et al., 2014 in a complimentary communication. The calculated preliminary slip-rates range from 0.5 to 8 mm/yr for individualized faults within the ESFZ. We calculated maximum magnitudes from the mapped lengths and paleoseismic observations.We propose different earthquakes scenario including the potential combined rupture of different fault sections of the ESFZ, resulting in maximum earthquake magnitudes of Mw 7.6. We used deterministic models to calculate acceleration distribution related with maximum earthquakes of the different proposed scenario. The spatial distribution of seismic accelerations are compared and calibrated using the February 13, 2001 earthquake, as control earthquake. To explore the sources of historical earthquakes we compare synthetic acceleration maps with the historical earthquakes of March 6, 1719 and June 8, 1917. control earthquake. To explore the sources of historical earthquakes we compare synthetic acceleration maps with the historical earthquakes of March 6, 1719 and June 8, 1917.

Combined Application of Shallow Seismic Reflection and High-resolution Refraction Exploration Approach to Active Fault Survey, Central Orogenic Belt, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, S.; Luo, D.; Yanlin, F.; Li, Y.

2016-12-01

Shallow Seismic Reflection (SSR) is a major geophysical exploration method with its exploration depth range, high-resolution in urban active fault exploration. In this paper, we carried out (SSR) and High-resolution refraction (HRR) test in the Liangyun Basin to explore a buried fault. We used NZ distributed 64 channel seismic instrument, 60HZ high sensitivity detector, Geode multi-channel portable acquisition system and hammer source. We selected single side hammer hit multiple overlay, 48 channels received and 12 times of coverage. As there are some coincidence measuring lines of SSR and HRR, we chose multi chase and encounter observation system. Based on the satellite positioning, we arranged 11 survey lines in our study area with total length for 8132 meters. GEOGIGA seismic reflection data processing software was used to deal with the SSR data. After repeated tests from the aspects of single shot record compilation, interference wave pressing, static correction, velocity parameter extraction, dynamic correction, eventually got the shallow seismic reflection profile images. Meanwhile, we used Canadian technology company good refraction and tomographic imaging software to deal with HRR seismic data, which is based on nonlinear first arrival wave travel time tomography. Combined with drilling geological profiles, we explained 11 measured seismic profiles. Results show 18 obvious fault feature breakpoints, including 4 normal faults of south-west, 7 reverse faults of south-west, one normal fault of north-east and 6 reverse faults of north-east. Breakpoints buried depth is 15-18 meters, and the inferred fault distance is 3-12 meters. Comprehensive analysis shows that the fault property is reverse fault with northeast incline section, and fewer branch normal faults presenting southwest incline section. Since good corresponding relationship between the seismic interpretation results, drilling data and SEM results on the property, occurrence, broken length of the fault, we considered the Liangyun fault to be an active fault which has strong activity during the Neogene Pliocene and early Pleistocene, Middle Pleistocene period. The combined application of SSR and HRR can provide more parameters to explain the seismic results, and improve the accuracy of the interpretation.

Seismic Hazard analysis of Adjaria Region in Georgia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jorjiashvili, Nato; Elashvili, Mikheil

2014-05-01

The most commonly used approach to determining seismic-design loads for engineering projects is probabilistic seismic-hazard analysis (PSHA). The primary output from a PSHA is a hazard curve showing the variation of a selected ground-motion parameter, such as peak ground acceleration (PGA) or spectral acceleration (SA), against the annual frequency of exceedance (or its reciprocal, return period). The design value is the ground-motion level that corresponds to a preselected design return period. For many engineering projects, such as standard buildings and typical bridges, the seismic loading is taken from the appropriate seismic-design code, the basis of which is usually a PSHA. For more important engineering projects— where the consequences of failure are more serious, such as dams and chemical plants—it is more usual to obtain the seismic-design loads from a site-specific PSHA, in general, using much longer return periods than those governing code based design. Calculation of Probabilistic Seismic Hazard was performed using Software CRISIS2007 by Ordaz, M., Aguilar, A., and Arboleda, J., Instituto de Ingeniería, UNAM, Mexico. CRISIS implements a classical probabilistic seismic hazard methodology where seismic sources can be modelled as points, lines and areas. In the case of area sources, the software offers an integration procedure that takes advantage of a triangulation algorithm used for seismic source discretization. This solution improves calculation efficiency while maintaining a reliable description of source geometry and seismicity. Additionally, supplementary filters (e.g. fix a sitesource distance that excludes from calculation sources at great distance) allow the program to balance precision and efficiency during hazard calculation. Earthquake temporal occurrence is assumed to follow a Poisson process, and the code facilitates two types of MFDs: a truncated exponential Gutenberg-Richter [1944] magnitude distribution and a characteristic magnitude distribution [Youngs and Coppersmith, 1985]. Notably, the software can deal with uncertainty in the seismicity input parameters such as maximum magnitude value. CRISIS offers a set of built-in GMPEs, as well as the possibility of defining new ones by providing information in a tabular format. Our study shows that in case of Ajaristkali HPP study area, significant contribution to Seismic Hazard comes from local sources with quite low Mmax values, thus these two attenuation lows give us quite different PGA and SA values.

Anomalies of rupture velocity in deep earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, M.; Yagi, Y.

2010-12-01

Explaining deep seismicity is a long-standing challenge in earth science. Deeper than 300 km, the occurrence rate of earthquakes with depth remains at a low level until ~530 km depth, then rises until ~600 km, finally terminate near 700 km. Given the difficulty of estimating fracture properties and observing the stress field in the mantle transition zone (410-660 km), the seismic source processes of deep earthquakes are the most important information for understanding the distribution of deep seismicity. However, in a compilation of seismic source models of deep earthquakes, the source parameters for individual deep earthquakes are quite varied [Frohlich, 2006]. Rupture velocities for deep earthquakes estimated using seismic waveforms range from 0.3 to 0.9Vs, where Vs is the shear wave velocity, a considerably wider range than the velocities for shallow earthquakes. The uncertainty of seismic source models prevents us from determining the main characteristics of the rupture process and understanding the physical mechanisms of deep earthquakes. Recently, the back projection method has been used to derive a detailed and stable seismic source image from dense seismic network observations [e.g., Ishii et al., 2005; Walker et al., 2005]. Using this method, we can obtain an image of the seismic source process from the observed data without a priori constraints or discarding parameters. We applied the back projection method to teleseismic P-waveforms of 24 large, deep earthquakes (moment magnitude Mw ≥ 7.0, depth ≥ 300 km) recorded since 1994 by the Data Management Center of the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS-DMC) and reported in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) catalog, and constructed seismic source models of deep earthquakes. By imaging the seismic rupture process for a set of recent deep earthquakes, we found that the rupture velocities are less than about 0.6Vs except in the depth range of 530 to 600 km. This is consistent with the depth variation of deep seismicity: it peaks between about 530 and 600 km, where the fast rupture earthquakes (greater than 0.7Vs) are observed. Similarly, aftershock productivity is particularly low from 300 to 550 km depth and increases markedly at depth greater than 550 km [e.g., Persh and Houston, 2004]. We propose that large fracture surface energy (Gc) value for deep earthquakes generally prevent the acceleration of dynamic rupture propagation and generation of earthquakes between 300 and 700 km depth, whereas small Gc value in the exceptional depth range promote dynamic rupture propagation and explain the seismicity peak near 600 km.

Fault-based PSHA of an active tectonic region characterized by low deformation rates: the case of the Lower Rhine Graben

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanneste, Kris; Vleminckx, Bart; Camelbeeck, Thierry

2016-04-01

The Lower Rhine Graben (LRG) is one of the few regions in intraplate NW Europe where seismic activity can be linked to active faults, yet probabilistic seismic hazard assessments of this region have hitherto been based on area-source models, in which the LRG is modeled as a single or a small number of seismotectonic zones with uniform seismicity. While fault-based PSHA has become common practice in more active regions of the world (e.g., California, Japan, New Zealand, Italy), knowledge of active faults has been lagging behind in other regions, due to incomplete tectonic inventory, low level of seismicity, lack of systematic fault parameterization, or a combination thereof. The past few years, efforts are increasingly being directed to the inclusion of fault sources in PSHA in these regions as well, in order to predict hazard on a more physically sound basis. In Europe, the EC project SHARE ("Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe", http://www.share-eu.org/) represented an important step forward in this regard. In the frame of this project, we previously compiled the first parameterized fault model for the LRG that can be applied in PSHA. We defined 15 fault sources based on major stepovers, bifurcations, gaps, and important changes in strike, dip direction or slip rate. Based on the available data, we were able to place reasonable bounds on the parameters required for time-independent PSHA: length, width, strike, dip, rake, slip rate, and maximum magnitude. With long-term slip rates remaining below 0.1 mm/yr, the LRG can be classified as a low-deformation-rate structure. Information on recurrence interval and elapsed time since the last major earthquake is lacking for most faults, impeding time-dependent PSHA. We consider different models to construct the magnitude-frequency distribution (MFD) of each fault: a slip-rate constrained form of the classical truncated Gutenberg-Richter MFD (Anderson & Luco, 1983) versus a characteristic MFD following Youngs & Coppersmith (1985). The summed Anderson & Luco fault MFDs show a remarkably good agreement with the MFD obtained from the historical and instrumental catalog for the entire LRG, whereas the summed Youngs & Coppersmith MFD clearly underpredicts low to moderate magnitudes, but yields higher occurrence rates for M > 6.3 than would be obtained by simple extrapolation of the catalog MFD. The moment rate implied by the Youngs & Coppersmith MFDs is about three times higher, but is still within the range allowed by current GPS uncertainties. Using the open-source hazard engine OpenQuake (http://openquake.org/), we compute hazard maps for return periods of 475, 2475, and 10,000 yr, and for spectral periods of 0 s (PGA) and 1 s. We explore the impact of various parameter choices, such as MFD model, GMPE distance metric, and inclusion of a background zone to account for lower magnitudes, and we also compare the results with hazard maps based on area-source models. References: Anderson, J. G., and J. E. Luco (1983), Consequences of slip rate constraints on earthquake occurrence relations, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 73(2), 471-496. Youngs, R. R., and K. J. Coppersmith (1985), Implications of fault slip rates and earthquake recurrence models to probabilistic seismic hazard estimates, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 75(4), 939-964.

Network-Based Detection and Classification of Seismovolcanic Tremors: Example From the Klyuchevskoy Volcanic Group in Kamchatka

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soubestre, Jean; Shapiro, Nikolai M.; Seydoux, Léonard; de Rosny, Julien; Droznin, Dmitry V.; Droznina, Svetlana Ya.; Senyukov, Sergey L.; Gordeev, Evgeniy I.

2018-01-01

We develop a network-based method for detecting and classifying seismovolcanic tremors. The proposed approach exploits the coherence of tremor signals across the network that is estimated from the array covariance matrix. The method is applied to four and a half years of continuous seismic data recorded by 19 permanent seismic stations in the vicinity of the Klyuchevskoy volcanic group in Kamchatka (Russia), where five volcanoes were erupting during the considered time period. We compute and analyze daily covariance matrices together with their eigenvalues and eigenvectors. As a first step, most coherent signals corresponding to dominating tremor sources are detected based on the width of the covariance matrix eigenvalues distribution. Thus, volcanic tremors of the two volcanoes known as most active during the considered period, Klyuchevskoy and Tolbachik, are efficiently detected. As a next step, we consider the daily array covariance matrix's first eigenvector. Our main hypothesis is that these eigenvectors represent the principal components of the daily seismic wavefield and, for days with tremor activity, characterize dominant tremor sources. Those daily first eigenvectors, which can be used as network-based fingerprints of tremor sources, are then grouped into clusters using correlation coefficient as a measure of the vector similarity. As a result, we identify seven clusters associated with different periods of activity of four volcanoes: Tolbachik, Klyuchevskoy, Shiveluch, and Kizimen. The developed method does not require a priori knowledge and is fully automatic; and the database of the network-based tremor fingerprints can be continuously enriched with newly available data.

Separation of simultaneous sources using a structural-oriented median filter in the flattened dimension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gan, Shuwei; Wang, Shoudong; Chen, Yangkang; Chen, Xiaohong; Xiang, Kui

2016-01-01

Simultaneous-source shooting can help tremendously shorten the acquisition period and improve the quality of seismic data for better subsalt seismic imaging, but at the expense of introducing strong interference (blending noise) to the acquired seismic data. We propose to use a structural-oriented median filter to attenuate the blending noise along the structural direction of seismic profiles. The principle of the proposed approach is to first flatten the seismic record in local spatial windows and then to apply a traditional median filter (MF) to the third flattened dimension. The key component of the proposed approach is the estimation of the local slope, which can be calculated by first scanning the NMO velocity and then transferring the velocity to the local slope. Both synthetic and field data examples show that the proposed approach can successfully separate the simultaneous-source data into individual sources. We provide an open-source toy example to better demonstratethe proposed methodology.

Shallow seismicity patterns in the northwestern section of the Mexico Subduction Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbott, Elizabeth R.; Brudzinski, Michael R.

2015-11-01

This study characterizes subduction related seismicity with local deployments along the northwestern section of the Mexico Subduction Zone where 4 portions of the plate interface have ruptured in 1973, 1985, 1995, and 2003. It has been proposed that the subducted boundary between the Cocos and Rivera plates occurs beneath this region, as indicated by inland volcanic activity, a gap in tectonic tremor, and the Manzanillo Trough and Colima Graben, which are depressions thought to be associated with the splitting of the two plates after subduction. Data from 50 broadband stations that comprised the MARS seismic array, deployed from January 2006 to June 2007, were processed with the software program Antelope and its generalized source location algorithm, genloc, to detect and locate earthquakes within the network. Slab surface depth contours from the resulting catalog indicate a change in subduction trajectory between the Rivera and Cocos plates. The earthquake locations are spatially anti-correlated with tectonic tremor, supporting the idea that they represent different types of fault slip. Hypocentral patterns also reveal areas of more intense seismic activity (clusters) that appear to be associated with the 2003 and 1973 megathrust rupture regions. Seismicity concentrated inland of the 2003 rupture is consistent with slip on a shallowly dipping trajectory for the Rivera plate interface as opposed to crustal faulting in the overriding North American plate. A prominent cluster of seismicity within the suspected 1973 rupture zone appears to be a commonly active portion of the megathrust as it has been active during three previous deployments. We support these interpretations by determining focal mechanisms and detailed relocations of the largest events within the 1973 and inland 2003 clusters, which indicate primarily thrust mechanisms near the plate interface.

In situ measurement of velocity-stress sensitivity using crosswell continuous active-source seismic monitoring

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marchesini, P; Ajo-Franklin, JB; Daley, TM

2017-09-01

© 2017 Society of Exploration Geophysicists. The ability to characterize time-varying reservoir properties, such as the state of stress, has fundamental implications in subsurface engineering, relevant to geologic sequestration of CO2. Stress variation, here in the form of changes in pore fluid pressure, is one factor known to affect seismic velocity. Induced variations in velocity have been used in seismic studies to determine and monitor changes in the stress state. Previous studies conducted to determine velocity-stress sensitivity at reservoir conditions rely primarily on laboratory measurements of core samples or theoretical relationships. We have developed a novel field-scale experiment designed tomore » study the in situ relationship between pore-fluid pressure and seismic velocity using a crosswell continuous active-source seismic monitoring (CASSM) system. At the Cranfield, Mississippi, CO2 sequestration field site, we actively monitored seismic response for five days with a temporal resolution of 5 min; the target was a 26 m thick injection zone at approximately 3.2 km depth in a fluvial sandstone formation (lower Tuscaloosa Formation). The variation of pore fluid pressure was obtained during discrete events of fluid withdrawal from one of the two wells and monitored with downhole pressure sensors. The results indicate a correlation between decreasing CASSM time delay (i.e., velocity change for a raypath in the reservoir) and periods of reduced fluid pore pressure. The correlation is interpreted as the velocity-stress sensitivity measured in the reservoir. This observation is consistent with published laboratory studies documenting a velocity (V) increase with an effective stress increase. A traveltime change (dt) of 0.036 ms is measured as the consequence of a change in pressure of approximately 2.55 MPa (dPe). For T 1/4 13 ms total traveltime, the velocity-stress sensitivity is dV/V/dPe 1/4 dt/T/dPe 1/4 10.9 × 10-4/MPa. The overall results suggest that CASSM measurements represent a valid technique for in situ determination of velocity-stress sensitivity in field-scale monitoring studies.« less

Drilling into a present-day migration pathway for hydrocarbons within a fault zone conduit in the Eugene Island 330 field, offshore Louisiana

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anderson, R.N.

1995-11-01

Within the Global Basins Research Network, we have developed 4-D seismic analysis techniques that, when integrated with pressure and temperature mapping, production history, geochemical monitoring, and finite element modeling, allow for the imaging of active fluid migration in the subsurface. We have imaged fluid flow pathways that are actively recharging shallower hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Eugene Island 330 field, offshore Louisiana. The hydrocarbons appear to be sourcing from turbidite stacks within the salt-withdrawal mini-basin buried deep within geopressure. Fault zone conduits provide transient migration pathways out of geopressure. To accomplish this 4-D imaging, we use multiple 3-D seismic surveys donemore » several years apart over the same blocks. 3-D volume processing and attribute analysis algorithms are used to identify significant seismic amplitude interconnectivity and changes over time that result from active fluid migration. Pressures and temperatures are then mapped and modeled to pro- vide rate and timing constraints for the fluid movement. Geochemical variability observed in the shallow reservoirs is attributed to the mixing of new with old oils. The Department of Energy has funded an industry cost-sharing project to drill into one of these active conduits in Eugene Island Block 330. Active fluid flow was encountered within the fault zone in the field demonstration experiment, and hydrocarbons were recovered. The active migration events connecting shallow reservoirs to deep sourcing regions imply that large, heretofore undiscovered hydrocarbon reserves exist deep within geopressures along the deep continental shelf of the northern Gulf of Mexico.« less

Analysis of the 2003-2004 microseismic sequence in the western part of the Corinth Rift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godano, Maxime; Bernard, Pascal; Dublanchet, Pierre; Canitano, Alexandre; Marsan, David

2013-04-01

The Corinth rift is one of the most seismically active zones in Europe. The seismic activity follows a swarm organization with alternation of intensive crisis and more quiescent periods. The seismicity mainly occurs under the Gulf of Corinth in a 3-4 km north-dipping layer between 5 and 12 km. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this seismic layer. Nevertheless, the relationships between seismicity, deep structures and faults mapped at the surface remain unclear. Moreover, fluids seem to play a key role in the occurrence of the seismic activity (Bourouis and Cornet 2009, Pacchiani and Lyon-Caen 2009). Recently, a detailed analysis of the microseismicity (multiplets identification, precise relocation, focal mechanisms determination) between 2000 and 2007 in the western part of the Corinth rift have highlighted north-dipping (and some south-dipping) planar active microstructures in the seismic layer with normal fault mechanisms (Lambotte et al., in preparation; Godano et al., in preparation). A multiplet (group of earthquakes with similar waveform) can be interpreted as repeated ruptures on the same asperity due to transient forcing as silent creep on fault segment or fluid circulation. The detailed analysis of the multiplets in the Corinth rift is an opportunity to better understand coupling between seismic and aseismic processes. In the present study we focus on the seismic crisis that occurred from October 2003 to July 2004 in the western part of the Corinth Gulf. This crisis consists in 2431 relocated events with magnitude ranging from 0.5 to 3.1 (b-value = 1.4). The joint analysis of (1) the position of the multiplets with respect to the faults mapped at the surface, (2) the geometry of the main multiplets and (3) the fault plane solutions shows that the seismic crisis is probably related to the activation in depth of the Fassouleika and Aigion faults. The spatio-temporal analysis of the microseismicity highlights an overall migration from south-east to north-west characterized by the successive activation of the multiplets. We next perform a spectral analysis to determine source parameters for each multiplet in order to estimate size of the asperities and cumulative coseismic slip. From the preceding observations and results we finally try to reproduce the 2003-2004 microseismic sequence using rate-and-state 3D asperity model (Dublanchet et al., submitted). The deformation measured during the crisis by the strainmeter installed in the Trizonia island is used in the modeling to constrain the maximum slip amplitude.

Catalog of Historical Seismicity in the Central United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakun, W. H.; Hopper, M. G.

2004-05-01

Modified Mercalli intensity assignments were used to estimate source locations and moment magnitude M for eighteen 19th-century and twenty early- 20th-century earthquakes in the central United States (CUS). These solutions, comparable solutions for historical M > 6.0 CUS events (Bakun, Johnston, and Hopper, BSSA, 2003; Bakun and Hopper, BSSA, 2004), and instrumental solutions for late-20th-century events provide a uniform catalog of historical M > 5.0 CUS earthquakes. The 1811-1812 New Madrid, Missouri, (NM) earthquakes apparently dominated CUS seismicity in the first two decades of the 19th century. M5-6 NM earthquakes occurred in 1843 and 1878, but none have occurred since 1878. There has been persistent seismic activity that can be associated with faults in the Illinois Basin in Illinois and Indiana, with M > 5.0 earthquakes in 1895, 1909, 1917, 1968, and 1987. Four other M > 5.0 CUS historical earthquakes have occurred: in Kansas in 1867, in Nebraska in 1877, in Oklahoma in 1882, and in Kentucky in 1980. Ohio has also been seismically active with several 4.5 < M < 5.0 events.

Recognizing and dating prehistoric liquefaction features: Lessons learned in the New Madrid seismic zone, central United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tuttle, M.P.; Schweig, E.S.

1996-01-01

The New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ), which experienced severe liquefaction during the great New Madrid, Missouri, earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 as well as during several prehistoric earthquakes, is a superb laboratory for the study of world-class, arthquake-induced liquefaction features and their use in paleoseismology. In seismically active regions like the NMSZ, frequent large earthquakes can produce a complex record of liquefaction events that is difficult to interpret. Lessons learned studying liquefaction features in the NMSZ may help to unravel the paleoseismic record in other seismically active regions. Soil characteristics of liquefaction features, as well as their structural and sratigraphic relations to Native American occupation horizons and other cultural features, an help to distinguish prehistoric liquefaction features from historic features. In addition, analyses of artifact assemblages and botanical content of cultural horizons can help to narrow the age ranges of liquefaction features. Future research should focus on methods for defining source areas and estimating magnitudes of prehistoric earthquakes from liquefaction features. Also, new methods for dating liquefaction features are needed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roy, D.W.; Schmitt, L.; Woussen, G.

Airborne SAR images provided essential clues to the tectonic setting of (1) the MbLg 6.5 Saguenay earthquake of 25 November 1988, (2) the Charlevoix-Kamouraska seismic source zone, and (3) some of the low *eve* seismic activity in the Eastern seismic background zone of Canada. The event occurred in the southeastern part of the Canadian Shield in an area where the boundary between the Saguenay graben and the Jacques Cartier horst is not well defined. These two tectonic blocks are both associated with the Iapetan St-Lawrence rift. These blocks exhibit several important structural breaks and distinct domains defined by the lineamentmore » orientations, densities, and habits. Outcrop observations confirm that several lineament sets correspond to Precambrian ductile shear zones reactivated as brittle faults during the Phanerozoic. In addition, the northeast and southwest limits of recent seismic activity in the Charlevoix-Kamouraska zone correspond to major elements of the fracture pattern identified on the SAR images. These fractures appear to be related to the interaction of the Charlevoix astrobleme with the tectonic features of the area. 20 refs.« less

The Role of Oceanic Transform Faults in Seafloor Spreading: A Global Perspective From Seismic Anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eakin, Caroline M.; Rychert, Catherine A.; Harmon, Nicholas

2018-02-01

Mantle anisotropy beneath mid-ocean ridges and oceanic transforms is key to our understanding of seafloor spreading and underlying dynamics of divergent plate boundaries. Observations are sparse, however, given the remoteness of the oceans and the difficulties of seismic instrumentation. To overcome this, we utilize the global distribution of seismicity along transform faults to measure shear wave splitting of over 550 direct S phases recorded at 56 carefully selected seismic stations worldwide. Applying this source-side splitting technique allows for characterization of the upper mantle seismic anisotropy, and therefore the pattern of mantle flow, directly beneath seismically active transform faults. The majority of the results (60%) return nulls (no splitting), while the non-null measurements display clear azimuthal dependency. This is best simply explained by anisotropy with a near vertical symmetry axis, consistent with mantle upwelling beneath oceanic transforms as suggested by numerical models. It appears therefore that the long-term stability of seafloor spreading may be associated with widespread mantle upwelling beneath the transforms creating warm and weak faults that localize strain to the plate boundary.

Large Torque Variations in Two Soft Gamma Repeaters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woods, Peter M.; Kouveliotou, Chryssa; Gogus, Ersin; Finger, Mark H.; Swank, Jean; Markwardt, Craig B.; Hurley, Kevin; vanderKlis, Michiel; Six, N. Frank (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

We have monitored the pulse frequencies of the two soft gamma repeaters SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 through the beginning of year 2001 using primarily Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer Proportional Counter Array observations. In both sources, we observe large changes in the spin-down torque up to a factor of approximately 4, which persist for several months. Using long baseline phase-connected timing solutions as well as the overall frequency histories, we construct torque noise power spectra for each SGR. The power spectrum of each source is very red (power-law slope approximately -3.5). These power spectra are consistent in normalization with some accreting systems, yet much steeper in slope than any known accreting source. To the best of our knowledge, torque noise power spectra with a comparably steep frequency dependence have only been seen in young, glitching radio pulsars (e.g. Vela). The observed changes in spin-down rate do not correlate with burst activity, therefore, the physical mechanisms behind each phenomenon are also likely unrelated. Within the context of the magnetar model, seismic activity cannot account for both the bursts and the long-term torque changes unless the seismically active regions are decoupled from one another.

Dehydration of subducting slow-spread oceanic lithosphere in the Lesser Antilles.

PubMed

Paulatto, Michele; Laigle, Mireille; Galve, Audrey; Charvis, Philippe; Sapin, Martine; Bayrakci, Gaye; Evain, Mikael; Kopp, Heidrun

2017-07-10

Subducting slabs carry water into the mantle and are a major gateway in the global geochemical water cycle. Fluid transport and release can be constrained with seismological data. Here we use joint active-source/local-earthquake seismic tomography to derive unprecedented constraints on multi-stage fluid release from subducting slow-spread oceanic lithosphere. We image the low P-wave velocity crustal layer on the slab top and show that it disappears beneath 60-100 km depth, marking the depth of dehydration metamorphism and eclogitization. Clustering of seismicity at 120-160 km depth suggests that the slab's mantle dehydrates beneath the volcanic arc, and may be the main source of fluids triggering arc magma generation. Lateral variations in seismic properties on the slab surface suggest that serpentinized peridotite exhumed in tectonized slow-spread crust near fracture zones may increase water transport to sub-arc depths. This results in heterogeneous water release and directly impacts earthquakes generation and mantle wedge dynamics.

Estimation of Source and Attenuation Parameters from Ground Motion Observations for Induced Seismicity in Alberta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novakovic, M.; Atkinson, G. M.

2015-12-01

We use a generalized inversion to solve for site response, regional source and attenuation parameters, in order to define a region-specific ground-motion prediction equation (GMPE) from ground motion observations in Alberta, following the method of Atkinson et al. (2015 BSSA). The database is compiled from over 200 small to moderate seismic events (M 1 to 4.2) recorded at ~50 regional stations (distances from 30 to 500 km), over the last few years; almost all of the events have been identified as being induced by oil and gas activity. We remove magnitude scaling and geometric spreading functions from observed ground motions and invert for stress parameter, regional attenuation and site amplification. Resolving these parameters allows for the derivation of a regionally-calibrated GMPE that can be used to accurately predict amplitudes across the region in real time, which is useful for ground-motion-based alerting systems and traffic light protocols. The derived GMPE has further applications for the evaluation of hazards from induced seismicity.

Dehydration of subducting slow-spread oceanic lithosphere in the Lesser Antilles

PubMed Central

Paulatto, Michele; Laigle, Mireille; Galve, Audrey; Charvis, Philippe; Sapin, Martine; Bayrakci, Gaye; Evain, Mikael; Kopp, Heidrun

2017-01-01

Subducting slabs carry water into the mantle and are a major gateway in the global geochemical water cycle. Fluid transport and release can be constrained with seismological data. Here we use joint active-source/local-earthquake seismic tomography to derive unprecedented constraints on multi-stage fluid release from subducting slow-spread oceanic lithosphere. We image the low P-wave velocity crustal layer on the slab top and show that it disappears beneath 60–100 km depth, marking the depth of dehydration metamorphism and eclogitization. Clustering of seismicity at 120–160 km depth suggests that the slab’s mantle dehydrates beneath the volcanic arc, and may be the main source of fluids triggering arc magma generation. Lateral variations in seismic properties on the slab surface suggest that serpentinized peridotite exhumed in tectonized slow-spread crust near fracture zones may increase water transport to sub-arc depths. This results in heterogeneous water release and directly impacts earthquakes generation and mantle wedge dynamics. PMID:28691714

Seismic equivalents of volcanic jet scaling laws and multipoles in acoustics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haney, Matthew M.; Matoza, Robin S.; Fee, David; Aldridge, David F.

2018-04-01

We establish analogies between equivalent source theory in seismology (moment-tensor and single-force sources) and acoustics (monopoles, dipoles and quadrupoles) in the context of volcanic eruption signals. Although infrasound (acoustic waves < 20 Hz) from volcanic eruptions may be more complex than a simple monopole, dipole or quadrupole assumption, these elementary acoustic sources are a logical place to begin exploring relations with seismic sources. By considering the radiated power of a harmonic force source at the surface of an elastic half-space, we show that a volcanic jet or plume modelled as a seismic force has similar scaling with respect to eruption parameters (e.g. exit velocity and vent area) as an acoustic dipole. We support this by demonstrating, from first principles, a fundamental relationship that ties together explosion, torque and force sources in seismology and highlights the underlying dipole nature of seismic forces. This forges a connection between the multipole expansion of equivalent sources in acoustics and the use of forces and moments as equivalent sources in seismology. We further show that volcanic infrasound monopole and quadrupole sources exhibit scalings similar to seismicity radiated by volume injection and moment sources, respectively. We describe a scaling theory for seismic tremor during volcanic eruptions that agrees with observations showing a linear relation between radiated power of tremor and eruption rate. Volcanic tremor over the first 17 hr of the 2016 eruption at Pavlof Volcano, Alaska, obeyed the linear relation. Subsequent tremor during the main phase of the eruption did not obey the linear relation and demonstrates that volcanic eruption tremor can exhibit other scalings even during the same eruption.

Detection and interpretation of seismoacoustic events at German infrasound stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilger, Christoph; Koch, Karl; Ceranna, Lars

2016-04-01

Three infrasound arrays with collocated or nearby installed seismometers are operated by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) as the German National Data Center (NDC) for the verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Infrasound generated by seismoacoustic events is routinely detected at these infrasound arrays, but air-to-ground coupled acoustic waves occasionally show up in seismometer recordings as well. Different natural and artificial sources like meteoroids as well as industrial and mining activity generate infrasonic signatures that are simultaneously detected at microbarometers and seismometers. Furthermore, many near-surface sources like earthquakes and explosions generate both seismic and infrasonic waves that can be detected successively with both technologies. The combined interpretation of seismic and acoustic signatures provides additional information about the origin time and location of remote infrasound events or about the characterization of seismic events distinguishing man-made and natural origins. Furthermore, seismoacoustic studies help to improve the modelling of infrasound propagation and ducting in the atmosphere and allow quantifying the portion of energy coupled into ground and into air by seismoacoustic sources. An overview of different seismoacoustic sources and their detection by German infrasound stations as well as some conclusions on the benefit of a combined seismoacoustic analysis are presented within this study.

Source parameters and moment tensor of the ML 4.6 earthquake of November 19, 2011, southwest Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Gad-Elkareem Abdrabou; Omar, Khaled

2014-06-01

The southern part of the Gulf of Suez is one of the most seismically active areas in Egypt. On Saturday November 19, 2011 at 07:12:15 (GMT) an earthquake of ML 4.6 occurred in southwest Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. The quake has been felt at Sharm El-Sheikh city while no casualties were reported. The instrumental epicenter is located at 27.69°N and 34.06°E. Seismic moment is 1.47 E+22 dyne cm, corresponding to a moment magnitude Mw 4.1. Following a Brune model, the source radius is 101.36 m with an average dislocation of 0.015 cm and a 0.06 MPa stress drop. The source mechanism from a fault plane solution shows a normal fault, the actual fault plane is strike 358, dip 34 and rake -60, the computer code ISOLA is used. Twenty seven small and micro earthquakes (1.5 ⩽ ML ⩽ 4.2) were also recorded by the Egyptian National Seismological Network (ENSN) from the same region. We estimate the source parameters for these earthquakes using displacement spectra. The obtained source parameters include seismic moments of 2.77E+16-1.47E+22 dyne cm, stress drops of 0.0005-0.0617 MPa and relative displacement of 0.0001-0.0152 cm.

Effects of long-term fluid injection on induced seismicity parameters and maximum magnitude in northwestern part of The Geysers geothermal field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwiatek, Grzegorz; Martínez-Garzón, Patricia; Dresen, Georg; Bohnhoff, Marco; Sone, Hiroki; Hartline, Craig

2015-10-01

The long-term temporal and spatial changes in statistical, source, and stress characteristics of one cluster of induced seismicity recorded at The Geysers geothermal field (U.S.) are analyzed in relation to the field operations, fluid migration, and constraints on the maximum likely magnitude. Two injection wells, Prati-9 and Prati-29, located in the northwestern part of the field and their associated seismicity composed of 1776 events recorded throughout a 7 year period were analyzed. The seismicity catalog was relocated, and the source characteristics including focal mechanisms and static source parameters were refined using first-motion polarity, spectral fitting, and mesh spectral ratio analysis techniques. The source characteristics together with statistical parameters (b value) and cluster dynamics were used to investigate and understand the details of fluid migration scheme in the vicinity of injection wells. The observed temporal, spatial, and source characteristics were clearly attributed to fluid injection and fluid migration toward greater depths, involving increasing pore pressure in the reservoir. The seasonal changes of injection rates were found to directly impact the shape and spatial extent of the seismic cloud. A tendency of larger seismic events to occur closer to injection wells and a correlation between the spatial extent of the seismic cloud and source sizes of the largest events was observed suggesting geometrical constraints on the maximum likely magnitude and its correlation to the average injection rate and volume of fluids present in the reservoir.

Geochronology and geochemistry of lavas from the 1996 North Gorda Ridge eruption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubin, K. H.; Smith, M. C.; Perfit, M. R.; Christie, D. M.; Sacks, L. F.

1998-12-01

Radiometric dating of three North Gorda Ridge lavas by the 210Po- 210Pb method confirms that an eruption occurred during a period of increased seismic activity along the ridge during late February/early March 1996. These lavas were collected following detection of enhanced T-phase seismicity and subsequent ocean bottom photographs documented the existence of a large pillow mound of fresh-appearing lavas. 210Po- 210Pb dating of these lavas indicates that an eruption coinciding with this seismicity did occur (within analytical error) and that followup efforts to sample the recent lava flows were successful. Compositions of the three confirmed young lavas and eleven other samples of this contiguous "new flow" sequence are distinct from older lavas from this area but are variable at a level outside analytical uncertainty. These intraflow variations can not easily be related to a single, common parent magma. Compositional variability within the new flow is compared to that of other recently documented individual flow sequences, and this comparison reveals a strong positive correlation of compositional variance with flow volumes spanning a range of >2 orders of magnitude. The geochemical heterogeneity in the North Gorda new flow probably reflects incomplete mixing of magmas generated from a heterogeneous mantle source or from slightly different melting conditions of a single source. The compositional variability, range in sample ages (up to 6 weeks) and range in active seismicity (4 weeks) imply that this relatively large flow was erupted over an interval of several weeks.

Performance of 3-Component Nodes in the IRIS Community Wavefield Demonstration Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sweet, J. R.; Anderson, K. R.; Woodward, R.

2017-12-01

In June 2016, a field crew of 50 students, faculty, industry personnel, and IRIS staff deployed a total of 390 stations as part of a community seismic experiment above an active seismic lineament in north-central Oklahoma. The goals of the experiment were to test new instrumentation and deployment strategies that record the full seismic wavefield, and to advance understanding of earthquake source processes and regional lithospheric structure. The crew deployed 363 3-component, 5Hz Generation 2 Fairfield Z-Land nodes along three seismic lines and in a seven-layer nested gradiometer array. The seismic lines spanned a region 13 km long by 5 km wide. A broadband, 18 station "Golay 3x6" array with an aperture of approximately 5 km was deployed around the gradiometer and seismic lines to collect waveform data from local and regional events. In addition, 9 infrasound stations were deployed in order to capture and identify acoustic events that might be recorded by the seismic array. The variety and geometry of instrumentation deployed was intended to capture the full seismic wavefield generated by the local and regional seismicity beneath the array and the surrounding region. Additional details on the instrumentation and how it was deployed can be found by visiting our website www.iris.edu/wavefields. We present a detailed analysis of noise across the array—including station performance, as well as noise from nearby sources (wind turbines, automobiles, etc.). We report a clear reduction in noise for buried 3-component nodes compared to co-located surface nodes (see Figure). Using the IRIS DMC's ISPAQ client, we present a variety of metrics to evaluate the network's performance. We also present highlights from student projects at the recently-held IRIS advanced data processing short course, which focused on analyzing the wavefield dataset using array processing techniques.

A Seismic Source Model for Central Europe and Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nyst, M.; Williams, C.; Onur, T.

2006-12-01

We present a seismic source model for Central Europe (Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria) and Italy, as part of an overall seismic risk and loss modeling project for this region. A separate presentation at this conference discusses the probabilistic seismic hazard and risk assessment (Williams et al., 2006). Where available we adopt regional consensus models and adjusts these to fit our format, otherwise we develop our own model. Our seismic source model covers the whole region under consideration and consists of the following components: 1. A subduction zone environment in Calabria, SE Italy, with interface events between the Eurasian and African plates and intraslab events within the subducting slab. The subduction zone interface is parameterized as a set of dipping area sources that follow the geometry of the surface of the subducting plate, whereas intraslab events are modeled as plane sources at depth; 2. The main normal faults in the upper crust along the Apennines mountain range, in Calabria and Central Italy. Dipping faults and (sub-) vertical faults are parameterized as dipping plane and line sources, respectively; 3. The Upper and Lower Rhine Graben regime that runs from northern Italy into eastern Belgium, parameterized as a combination of dipping plane and line sources, and finally 4. Background seismicity, parameterized as area sources. The fault model is based on slip rates using characteristic recurrence. The modeling of background and subduction zone seismicity is based on a compilation of several national and regional historic seismic catalogs using a Gutenberg-Richter recurrence model. Merging the catalogs encompasses the deletion of double, fake and very old events and the application of a declustering algorithm (Reasenberg, 2000). The resulting catalog contains a little over 6000 events, has an average b-value of -0.9, is complete for moment magnitudes 4.5 and larger, and is used to compute a gridded a-value model (smoothed historical seismicity) for the region. The logic tree weighs various completeness intervals and minimum magnitudes. Using a weighted scheme of European and global ground motion models together with a detailed site classification map for Europe based on Eurocode 8, we generate hazard maps for recurrence periods of 200, 475, 1000 and 2500 yrs.

3D Modelling of Seismically Active Parts of Underground Faults via Seismic Data Mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frantzeskakis, Theofanis; Konstantaras, Anthony

2015-04-01

During the last few years rapid steps have been taken towards drilling for oil in the western Mediterranean sea. Since most of the countries in the region benefit mainly from tourism and considering that the Mediterranean is a closed sea only replenishing its water once every ninety years careful measures are being taken to ensure safe drilling. In that concept this research work attempts to derive a three dimensional model of the seismically active parts of the underlying underground faults in areas of petroleum interest. For that purpose seismic spatio-temporal clustering has been applied to seismic data to identify potential distinct seismic regions in the area of interest. Results have been coalesced with two dimensional maps of underground faults from past surveys and seismic epicentres, having followed careful reallocation processing, have been used to provide information regarding the vertical extent of multiple underground faults in the region of interest. The end product is a three dimensional map of the possible underground location and extent of the seismically active parts of underground faults. Indexing terms: underground faults modelling, seismic data mining, 3D visualisation, active seismic source mapping, seismic hazard evaluation, dangerous phenomena modelling Acknowledgment This research work is supported by the ESPA Operational Programme, Education and Life Long Learning, Students Practical Placement Initiative. References [1] Alves, T.M., Kokinou, E. and Zodiatis, G.: 'A three-step model to assess shoreline and offshore susceptibility to oil spills: The South Aegean (Crete) as an analogue for confined marine basins', Marine Pollution Bulletin, In Press, 2014 [2] Ciappa, A., Costabile, S.: 'Oil spill hazard assessment using a reverse trajectory method for the Egadi marine protected area (Central Mediterranean Sea)', Marine Pollution Bulletin, vol. 84 (1-2), pp. 44-55, 2014 [3] Ganas, A., Karastathis, V., Moshou, A., Valkaniotis, S., Mouzakiotis, E. and Papathanassiou, G.: 'Aftershock relocation and frequency-size distribution, stress inversion and seismotectonic setting of the 7 August 2013 M=5.4 earthquake in Kallidromon Mountain, central Greece', Tectonophysics, vol. 617, pp. 101-113, 2014 [4] Maravelakis, E., Bilalis, N., Mantzorou, I., Konstantaras, A. and Antoniadis, A.: '3D modelling of the oldest olive tree of the world', International Journal Of Computational Engineering Research, vol. 2 (2), pp. 340-347, 2012 [5] Konstantaras, A., Katsifarakis, E, Maravelakis, E, Skounakis, E, Kokkinos, E. and Karapidakis, E.: 'Intelligent spatial-clustering of seismicity in the vicinity of the Hellenic seismic arc', Earth Science Research, vol. 1 (2), pp. 1- 10, 2012 [6] Georgoulas, G., Konstantaras, A., Katsifarakis, E., Stylios, C., Maravelakis, E and Vachtsevanos, G.: 'Seismic-mass" density-based algorithm for spatio-temporal clustering', Expert Systems with Applications, vol. 40 (10), pp. 4183-4189, 2013 [7] Konstantaras, A.: 'Classification of Distinct Seismic Regions and Regional Temporal Modelling of Seismicity in the Vicinity of the Hellenic Seismic Arc', Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, IEEE Journal of', vol. 99, pp. 1-7, 2013

Numerical modeling of the 2017 active seismic infrasound balloon experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brissaud, Q.; Komjathy, A.; Garcia, R.; Cutts, J. A.; Pauken, M.; Krishnamoorthy, S.; Mimoun, D.; Jackson, J. M.; Lai, V. H.; Kedar, S.; Levillain, E.

2017-12-01

We have developed a numerical tool to propagate acoustic and gravity waves in a coupled solid-fluid medium with topography. It is a hybrid method between a continuous Galerkin and a discontinuous Galerkin method that accounts for non-linear atmospheric waves, visco-elastic waves and topography. We apply this method to a recent experiment that took place in the Nevada desert to study acoustic waves from seismic events. This experiment, developed by JPL and its partners, wants to demonstrate the viability of a new approach to probe seismic-induced acoustic waves from a balloon platform. To the best of our knowledge, this could be the only way, for planetary missions, to perform tomography when one faces challenging surface conditions, with high pressure and temperature (e.g. Venus), and thus when it is impossible to use conventional electronics routinely employed on Earth. To fully demonstrate the effectiveness of such a technique one should also be able to reconstruct the observed signals from numerical modeling. To model the seismic hammer experiment and the subsequent acoustic wave propagation, we rely on a subsurface seismic model constructed from the seismometers measurements during the 2017 Nevada experiment and an atmospheric model built from meteorological data. The source is considered as a Gaussian point source located at the surface. Comparison between the numerical modeling and the experimental data could help future mission designs and provide great insights into the planet's interior structure.

77 FR 6065 - Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Marine Geophysical Survey in the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-07

... day public comment period. L-DEO plans to use one source vessel, the R/V Marcus G. Langseth (Langseth... (km) 1,511.9 nautical miles [nmi]) of transect lines (including turns) in the study area. The seismic... involve one source vessel, the Langseth. The Langseth will deploy an array of 36 airguns as an energy...

San Miguel Volcanic Seismic and Structure in Central America: Insight into the Physical Processes of Volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patlan, E.; Velasco, A.; Konter, J. G.

2010-12-01

The San Miguel volcano lies near the city of San Miguel, El Salvador (13.43N and - 88.26W). San Miguel volcano, an active stratovolcano, presents a significant natural hazard for the city of San Miguel. In general, the internal state and activity of volcanoes remains an important component to understanding volcanic hazard. The main technology for addressing volcanic hazards and processes is through the analysis of data collected from the deployment of seismic sensors that record ground motion. Six UTEP seismic stations were deployed around San Miguel volcano from 2007-2008 to define the magma chamber and assess the seismic and volcanic hazard. We utilize these data to develop images of the earth structure beneath the volcano, studying the volcanic processes by identifying different sources, and investigating the role of earthquakes and faults in controlling the volcanic processes. We initially locate events using automated routines and focus on analyzing local events. We then relocate each seismic event by hand-picking P-wave arrivals, and later refine these picks using waveform cross correlation. Using a double difference earthquake location algorithm (HypoDD), we identify a set of earthquakes that vertically align beneath the edifice of the volcano, suggesting that we have identified a magma conduit feeding the volcano. We also apply a double-difference earthquake tomography approach (tomoDD) to investigate the volcano’s plumbing system. Our preliminary results show the extent of the magma chamber that also aligns with some horizontal seismicity. Overall, this volcano is very active and presents a significant hazard to the region.

Crustal seismicity in central Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrientos, S.; Vera, E.; Alvarado, P.; Monfret, T.

2004-06-01

Both the genesis and rates of activity of shallow intraplate seismic activity in central Chile are poorly understood, mainly because of the lack of association of seismicity with recognizable fault features at the surface and a poor record of seismic activity. The goal of this work is to detail the characteristics of seismicity that takes place in the western flank of the Andes in central Chile. This region, located less than 100 km from Santiago, has been the site of earthquakes with magnitudes up to 6.9, including several 5+ magnitude shocks in recent years. Because most of the events lie outside the Central Chile Seismic Network, at distances up to 60 km to the east, it is essential to have adequate knowledge of the velocity structure in the Andean region to produce the highest possible quality of epicentral locations. For this, a N-S refraction line, using mining blasts of the Disputada de Las Condes open pit mine, has been acquired. These blasts were detected and recorded as far as 180 km south of the mine. Interpretation of the travel times indicates an upper crustal model consisting of three layers: 2.2-, 6.7-, and 6.1-km thick, overlying a half space; their associated P wave velocities are 4.75-5.0 (gradient), 5.8-6.0 (gradient), 6.2, and 6.6 km/s, respectively. Hypocentral relocation of earthquakes in 1986-2001, using the newly developed velocity model, reveals several regions of concentrated seismicity. One clearly delineates the fault zone and extensions of the strike-slip earthquake that took place in September 1987 at the source of the Cachapoal River. Other regions of activity are near the San José volcano, the source of the Maipo River, and two previously recognized lineaments that correspond to the southern extension of the Pocuro fault and Olivares River. A temporary array of seismographs, installed in the high Maipo River (1996) and San José volcano (1997) regions, established the hypocentral location of events with errors of less than 1 km. These events are clustered along no particular lineament approximately 25 km away from the San José and Maipo volcanoes. Recurrence intervals, based on a frequency magnitude relationship for lower magnitude events, indicate that earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.7 and 7 have a repeat time of 1 and 1200 years, respectively. Focal mechanisms of the two largest events indicate horizontal maximum and minimum compressive stresses with σ1 varying from a NW-SE orientation in the north to E-W at the southern extreme.

Complete Moment Tensor Determination of Induced Seismicity in Unconventional and Conventional Oil/Gas Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, C.; Li, J.; Toksoz, M. N.

2013-12-01

Induced seismicity occurs both in conventional oil/gas fields due to production and water injection and in unconventional oil/gas fields due to hydraulic fracturing. Source mechanisms of these induced earthquakes are of great importance for understanding their causes and the physics of the seismic processes in reservoirs. Previous research on the analysis of induced seismic events in conventional oil/gas fields assumed a double couple (DC) source mechanism. However, recent studies have shown a non-negligible percentage of a non-double-couple (non-DC) component of source moment tensor in hydraulic fracturing events (Šílený et al., 2009; Warpinski and Du, 2010; Song and Toksöz, 2011). In this study, we determine the full moment tensor of the induced seismicity data in a conventional oil/gas field and for hydrofrac events in an unconventional oil/gas field. Song and Toksöz (2011) developed a full waveform based complete moment tensor inversion method to investigate a non-DC source mechanism. We apply this approach to the induced seismicity data from a conventional gas field in Oman. In addition, this approach is also applied to hydrofrac microseismicity data monitored by downhole geophones in four wells in US. We compare the source mechanisms of induced seismicity in the two different types of gas fields and explain the differences in terms of physical processes.

Fluid driven torsional dipole seismic source

DOEpatents

Hardee, Harry C.

1991-01-01

A compressible fluid powered oscillating downhole seismic source device capable of periodically generating uncontaminated horizontally-propagated, shear waves is provided. A compressible fluid generated oscillation is created within the device which imparts an oscillation to a housing when the device is installed in a housing such as the cylinder off an existing downhole tool, thereby a torsional seismic source is established. Horizontal waves are transferred to the surrounding bore hole medium through downhole clamping.

A new approach to geographic partitioning of probabilistic seismic hazard using seismic source distance with earthquake extreme and perceptibility statistics: an application to the southern Balkan region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayliss, T. J.

2016-02-01

The southeastern European cities of Sofia and Thessaloniki are explored as example site-specific scenarios by geographically zoning their individual localized seismic sources based on the highest probabilities of magnitude exceedance. This is with the aim of determining the major components contributing to each city's seismic hazard. Discrete contributions from the selected input earthquake catalogue are investigated to determine those areas that dominate each city's prevailing seismic hazard with respect to magnitude and source-to-site distance. This work is based on an earthquake catalogue developed and described in a previously published paper by the author and components of a magnitude probability density function. Binned magnitude and distance classes are defined using a joint magnitude-distance distribution. The prevailing seismicity to each city-as defined by a child data set extracted from the parent earthquake catalogue for each city considered-is divided into distinct constrained data bins of small discrete magnitude and source-to-site distance intervals. These are then used to describe seismic hazard in terms of uni-variate modal values; that is, M* and D* which are the modal magnitude and modal source-to-site distance in each city's local historical seismicity. This work highlights that Sofia's dominating seismic hazard-that is, the modal magnitudes possessing the highest probabilities of occurrence-is located in zones confined to two regions at 60-80 km and 170-180 km from this city, for magnitude intervals of 5.75-6.00 Mw and 6.00-6.25 Mw respectively. Similarly, Thessaloniki appears prone to highest levels of hazard over a wider epicentral distance interval, from 80 to 200 km in the moment magnitude range 6.00-6.25 Mw.

Broadband spectra of seismic survey air-gun emissions, with reference to dolphin auditory thresholds.

PubMed

Goold, J C; Fish, P J

1998-04-01

Acoustic emissions from a 2120 cubic in air-gun array were recorded through a towed hydrophone assembly during an oil industry 2-D seismic survey off the West Wales Coast of the British Isles. Recorded seismic pulses were sampled, calibrated, and analyzed post-survey to investigate power levels of the pulses in the band 200 Hz-22 kHz at 750-m, 1-km, 2.2-km, and 8-km range from source. At 750-m range from source, seismic pulse power at the 200-Hz end of the spectrum was 140 dB re: 1 microPa2/Hz, and at the 20-kHz end of the spectrum seismic pulse power was 90 dB re: 1 microPa2/Hz. Although the background noise levels of the seismic recordings were far in excess of ambient, due to the proximity of engine, propeller, and flow sources of the ship towing the hydrophone, seismic power dominated the entire recorded bandwidth of 200 Hz-22 kHz at ranges of up to 2 km from the air-gun source. Even at 8-km range seismic power was still clearly in excess of the high background noise levels up to 8 kHz. Acoustic observations of common dolphins during preceding seismic surveys suggest that these animals avoided the immediate vicinity of the air-gun array while firing was in progress, i.e., localized disturbance occurred during seismic surveying. Although a general pattern of localized disturbance is suggested, one specific observation revealed that common dolphins were able to tolerate the seismic pulses at 1-km range from the air-gun array. Given the high broadband seismic pulse power levels across the entire recorded bandwidth, and known auditory thresholds for several dolphin species, we consider such seismic emissions to be clearly audible to dolphins across a bandwidth of tens on kilohertz, and at least out to 8-km range.

Probing the critical zone using passive- and active-source estimates of subsurface shear-wave velocities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Callahan, R. P.; Taylor, N. J.; Pasquet, S.; Dueker, K. G.; Riebe, C. S.; Holbrook, W. S.

2016-12-01

Geophysical imaging is rapidly becoming popular for quantifying subsurface critical zone (CZ) architecture. However, a diverse array of measurements and measurement techniques are available, raising the question of which are appropriate for specific study goals. Here we compare two techniques for measuring S-wave velocities (Vs) in the near surface. The first approach quantifies Vs in three dimensions using a passive source and an iterative residual least-squares tomographic inversion. The second approach uses a more traditional active-source seismic survey to quantify Vs in two dimensions via a Monte Carlo surface-wave dispersion inversion. Our analysis focuses on three 0.01 km2 study plots on weathered granitic bedrock in the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory. Preliminary results indicate that depth-averaged velocities from the two methods agree over the scales of resolution of the techniques. While the passive- and active-source techniques both quantify Vs, each method has distinct advantages and disadvantages during data acquisition and analysis. The passive-source method has the advantage of generating a three dimensional distribution of subsurface Vs structure across a broad area. Because this method relies on the ambient seismic field as a source, which varies unpredictably across space and time, data quality and depth of investigation are outside the control of the user. Meanwhile, traditional active-source surveys can be designed around a desired depth of investigation. However, they only generate a two dimensional image of Vs structure. Whereas traditional active-source surveys can be inverted quickly on a personal computer in the field, passive source surveys require significantly more computations, and are best conducted in a high-performance computing environment. We use data from our study sites to compare these methods across different scales and to explore how these methods can be used to better understand subsurface CZ architecture.

Seismic Hazard Analysis for Armenia and its Surrounding Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, E.; Shen-Tu, B.; Mahdyiar, M.; Karakhanyan, A.; Pagani, M.; Weatherill, G.; Gee, R. C.

2017-12-01

The Republic of Armenia is located within the central part of a large, 800 km wide, intracontinental collision zone between the Arabian and Eurasian plates. Active deformation occurs along numerous structures in the form of faulting, folding, and volcanism distributed throughout the entire zone from the Bitlis-Zargos suture belt to the Greater Caucasus Mountains and between the relatively rigid Back Sea and Caspian Sea blocks without any single structure that can be claimed as predominant. In recent years, significant work has been done on mapping active faults, compiling and reviewing historic and paleoseismological studies in the region, especially in Armenia; these recent research contributions have greatly improved our understanding of the seismogenic sources and their characteristics. In this study we performed a seismic hazard analysis for Armenia and its surrounding areas using the latest detailed geological and paleoseismological information on active faults, strain rates estimated from kinematic modeling of GPS data and all available historic earthquake data. The seismic source model uses a combination of characteristic earthquake and gridded seismicity models to take advantage of the detailed knowledge of the known faults while acknowledging the distributed deformation and regional tectonic environment of the collision zone. In addition, the fault model considers earthquake ruptures that include single and multi-segment or fault rupture scenarios with earthquakes that can rupture any part of a multiple segment fault zone. The ground motion model uses a set of ground motion prediction equations (GMPE) selected from a pool of GMPEs based on the assessment of each GMPE against the available strong motion data in the region. The hazard is computed in the GEM's OpenQuake engine. We will present final hazard results and discuss the uncertainties associated with various input data and their impact on the hazard at various locations.

A deep towed explosive source for seismic experiments on the ocean floor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koelsch, Donald E.; Witzell, Warren E.; Broda, James E.; Wooding, Frank B.; Purdy, G. M.

1986-12-01

A new seismic source for carrying out high resolution measurements of deep ocean crustal structure has been constructed and successfully used in a number of ocean bottom refraction experiments on the Mid Atlantic Ridge near 23° N. The source is towed within 100 m of the ocean floor on a conventional 0.68″ coaxial cable and is capable of firing, upon command from the research vessel, up to 48 individual 2.3 kg explosive charges. The explosive used was commercially available Penta-Erythritol-Tetra Nitrate (PETN) that was activated by 14.9 gm m-1 Primacord and DuPont E-97 electrical detonators. For safety reasons each detonator was fitted with a pressure switch that maintained a short until the source was at depth in excess of approximately 300 m. In addition, a mechanical protector isolated the detonator from the main charge and was only removed by the physical release of the explosive from the source package. These and other safety precautions resulted in several misfires but three experiments were successfully completed during the summer of 1985 at source depths of 3000 4000 m.

Large-N Nodal Seismic Deployment at Mount St Helens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, S. M.; Schmandt, B.; Vidale, J. E.; Creager, K. C.; Levander, A.; Kiser, E.; Barklage, M.; Hollis, D.

2014-12-01

In late July of 2014 over 900 autonomous short period seismometers were deployed within 12 km of the summit crater at Mount St Helens. In concert with the larger iMUSH experiment, these data constitute the largest seismic interrogation of an active volcano ever conducted. The array was deployed along the road and trail system of the national volcanic monument and adjacent regions with an average station spacing of 250 meters and included several station clusters with increased sampling density. The 10 Hz phones recorded the vertical component wavefield continuously at 250 Hz sampling rate over a period of approximately two weeks. During the recording time, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network detected ~65 earthquakes within the array footprint ranging in magnitude from -0.9 to 1.1, the majority of which were located beneath the crater at less than 10 km depth. In addition to the natural seismicity, 23 explosion sources from the iMUSH active source experiment were recorded, several of which exceeded magnitude 2. Preliminary results for this project will include an expanded event catalog as the array should significantly reduce the detection threshold. The sheer number of instruments allows for stacking of station clusters producing high signal-to-noise beam traces which can be used for event triggering and for creating waveform templates to measure relative travel-times across the array via cross-correlation. The ability of the array to estimate focal mechanisms from event radiation patterns and delineate complex path effects will also be investigated. The density and azimuthal coverage provide by this array offers an excellent opportunity to investigate short-wavelength variations of the seismic wavefield in a complex geologic environment. Previous seismic tomography results suggest the presence of a shallow magma chamber at 1-3 km depth near the region of shallow seismicity as evidenced by a P wave low-velocity anomaly of at least -5.5% [Waite and Moran, 2009]. The proximity of the array as well as the event distribution make it possible to investigate wavefield distortion and scattering due to the potential magma chamber, including s-wave blockage as has been observed in other systems.

Low Stress Drop Swarm Events in the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, T. I.; Cummins, P. R.; Leonard, M.; Collins, C. D.

2004-12-01

Since September 2001, the small rural community of Burakin, southwest Western Australia, has been at the focus of seismic activity in Australia. In the six month period following commencement of seismicity, some 18,000 events had occurred, the largest of which having a moment magnitude of M 4.6. At the onset of activity, Geoscience Australia made a concerted effort to deploy a temporary seismic network in the region. The primary objective of this network was to collect high-quality strong-motion data for use in attenuation studies. Levels of seismicity near Burakin have decreased significantly since the 2001-02 swarm, however the region continues to experience a few small earthquakes per month. Earthquake source and path parameters are evaluated for a subset of 67 earthquakes. The dataset comprises some 375 seismograph and accelerograph records for events of magnitude M 2.3-4.6, including strong-motion data for seven earthquakes of M 4.0 and greater recorded at hypocentral distances less than 10 km. Source parameters are evaluated from far-field displacement spectra. Average corner frequencies are typically quite low, chiefly ranging between 2-3 Hz for events M 3.0 and above. Given the small variability in corner frequency, stress drop is observed to increase with magnitude, from very low values of 0.04 MPa to 18 MPa for the largest events in the catalogue. The stress drops for lower magnitude events (M < 4.0) are typically lower than those obtained for southeastern Australian earthquakes of similar seismic moment. Since corner frequency is not observed to vary significantly with seismic moment, it is thought that the spectral content of shallow, small swarm events and consequently, the stress drop, is characteristically different to that of isolated intraplate earthquakes. We suggest that the larger events may be faulting previously unfractured rock or healed fault asperities, while the smaller events are adjustment events or aftershocks and occur on recently faulted surfaces. The work described has provided a useful framework for the development of regional ground-motion relations for Western Australia and will enable a better understanding of the mechanisms driving intraplate seismicity.

Base isolation: Fresh insight

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shustov, V.

1993-07-15

The objective of the research is a further development of the engineering concept of seismic isolation. Neglecting the transient stage of seismic loading results in a widespread misjudgement: The force of resistance associated with velocity is mostly conceived as a source of damping vibrations, though it is an active force at the same time, during an earthquake type excitation. For very pliant systems such as base isolated structures with relatively low bearing stiffness and with artificially added heavy damping mechanism, the so called `damping`` force may occur even the main pushing force at an earthquake. Thus, one of the twomore » basic pillars of the common seismic isolation philosophy, namely, the doctrine of usefulness and necessity of a strong damping mechanism, is turning out to be a self-deception, sometimes even jeopardizing the safety of structures and discrediting the very idea of seismic isolation. There is a way out: breaking with damping dependancy.« less

Seismicity at Fuego, Pacaya, Izalco, and San Cristobal Volcanoes, Central America, 1973-1974

USGS Publications Warehouse

McNutt, S.R.; Harlow, D.H.

1983-01-01

Seismic data collected at four volcanoes in Central America during 1973 and 1974 indicate three sources of seismicity: regional earthquakes with hypocentral distances greater than 80 km, earthquakes within 40 km of each volcano, and seismic activity originating at the volcanoes due to eruptive processes. Regional earthquakes generated by the underthrusting and subduction of the Cocos Plate beneath the Caribbean Plate are the most prominent seismic feature in Central America. Earthquakes in the vicinity of the volcanoes occur on faults that appear to be related to volcano formation. Faulting near Fuego and Pacaya volcanoes in Guatemala is more complex due to motion on a major E-W striking transform plate boundary 40 km north of the volcanoes. Volcanic activity produces different kinds of seismic signatures. Shallow tectonic or A-type events originate on nearby faults and occur both singly and in swarms. There are typically from 0 to 6 A-type events per day with b value of about 1.3. At very shallow depths beneath Pacaya, Izalco, and San Cristobal large numbers of low-frequency or B-type events are recorded with predominant frequencies between 2.5 and 4.5 Hz and with b values of 1.7 to 2.9. The relative number of B-type events appears to be related to the eruptive states of the volcanoes; the more active volcanoes have higher levels of seismicity. At Fuego Volcano, however, low-frequency events have unusually long codas and appear to be similar to tremor. High-amplitude volcanic tremor is recorded at Fuego, Pacaya, and San Cristobal during eruptive periods. Large explosion earthquakes at Fuego are well recorded at five stations and yield information on near-surface seismic wave velocities (??=3.0??0.2 km/sec.). ?? 1983 Intern. Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior.

Seismic Imaging and Characterization of Bright Spots in the West Bohemia Seismic Zone (Germany and Czech Republic)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexandrakis, C.; Schreiter, L.; Hlousek, F.; Jusri, T.; Buske, S.

2017-12-01

In crystalline environments, imaging faults, layer boundaries and small scale structures is challenging due to the complex geometry of the structures themselves and the influence of the hardrock environment on the seismic wavefield. Optimally designed active seismic surveys and careful processing can produce a clear image of the subsurface structures. However, if little is known about the local geology and tectonic state of the area, the imaged reflections can be difficult to interpret. This is the case in the West Bohemia Seismic Zone, located along the border of Germany and Czech Republic. This geodynamically active area is spotted with springs and gas vents, and frequently experiences low magnitude seismic swarms. The most active region is located in the Cheb basin and coincides with the junction of a northwest trending fault with a north-south trending shear zone, making for a structurally complex hardrock setting. In the early 1990s, two long-offset reflection seismic profiles were collected along the boundary of the Cheb basin: MVE-90 along the northern edge, and 9HR-91 in the east. These profiles were recently reprocessed using Kirchhoff PreStack Depth Migration, revealing high amplitude reflections, or bright spots, that correlate to nearby seismicity. Several studies have hypothesized that the 9HR-91 bright spots image a fluid trap, where mantle-sourced fluids accumulate, thereby facilitating slip on the faults and triggering the swarms. However, the exact nature of the bright spots remains an open question. They may be a change in lithology and/or porosity, an infilled vein or an impermeable fault. We aim to answer this question by first using Coherency-Based PreStack Depth Migration to produce detailed images of the bright spots. We then forward model the waveforms guided by the reflection coefficients in order to derive rock-physical parameters. Finally, the best-fitting models are interpreted in terms of their possible relationship to the West Bohemia swarms.

Determining the seismic source mechanism and location for an explosive eruption with limited observational data: Augustine Volcano, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, Phillip B.; Chouet, Bernard A.; Power, John

2011-02-01

Waveform inversions of the very-long-period components of the seismic wavefield produced by an explosive eruption that occurred on 11 January, 2006 at Augustine Volcano, Alaska constrain the seismic source location to near sea level beneath the summit of the volcano. The calculated moment tensors indicate the presence of a volumetric source mechanism. Systematic reconstruction of the source mechanism shows the source consists of a sill intersected by either a sub-vertical east-west trending dike or a sub-vertical pipe and a weak single force. The trend of the dike may be controlled by the east-west trending Augustine-Seldovia arch. The data from the network of broadband sensors is limited to fourteen seismic traces, and synthetic modeling confirms the ability of the network to recover the source mechanism. The synthetic modeling also provides a guide to the expected capability of a broadband network to resolve very-long-period source mechanisms, particularly when confronted with limited observational data.

Mini-Sosie high-resolution seismic method aids hazards studies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stephenson, W.J.; Odum, J.; Shedlock, K.M.; Pratt, T.L.; Williams, R.A.

1992-01-01

The Mini-Sosie high-resolution seismic method has been effective in imaging shallow-structure and stratigraphic features that aid in seismic-hazard and neotectonic studies. The method is not an alternative to Vibroseis acquisition for large-scale studies. However, it has two major advantages over Vibroseis as it is being used by the USGS in its seismic-hazards program. First, the sources are extremely portable and can be used in both rural and urban environments. Second, the shifting-and-summation process during acquisition improves the signal-to-noise ratio and cancels out seismic noise sources such as cars and pedestrians. -from Authors

A robust calibration technique for acoustic emission systems based on momentum transfer from a ball drop

USGS Publications Warehouse

McLaskey, Gregory C.; Lockner, David A.; Kilgore, Brian D.; Beeler, Nicholas M.

2015-01-01

We describe a technique to estimate the seismic moment of acoustic emissions and other extremely small seismic events. Unlike previous calibration techniques, it does not require modeling of the wave propagation, sensor response, or signal conditioning. Rather, this technique calibrates the recording system as a whole and uses a ball impact as a reference source or empirical Green’s function. To correctly apply this technique, we develop mathematical expressions that link the seismic moment $M_{0}$ of internal seismic sources (i.e., earthquakes and acoustic emissions) to the impulse, or change in momentum $\\Delta p $, of externally applied seismic sources (i.e., meteor impacts or, in this case, ball impact). We find that, at low frequencies, moment and impulse are linked by a constant, which we call the force‐moment‐rate scale factor $C_{F\\dot{M}} = M_{0}/\\Delta p$. This constant is equal to twice the speed of sound in the material from which the seismic sources were generated. Next, we demonstrate the calibration technique on two different experimental rock mechanics facilities. The first example is a saw‐cut cylindrical granite sample that is loaded in a triaxial apparatus at 40 MPa confining pressure. The second example is a 2 m long fault cut in a granite sample and deformed in a large biaxial apparatus at lower stress levels. Using the empirical calibration technique, we are able to determine absolute source parameters including the seismic moment, corner frequency, stress drop, and radiated energy of these magnitude −2.5 to −7 seismic events.

Overview of seismic potential in the central and eastern United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schweig, E.S.

1995-12-31

The seismic potential of any region can be framed in terms the locations of source zones, the frequency of earthquake occurrence for each source, and the maximum size earthquake that can be expect from each source. As delineated by modern and historical seismicity, the most important seismic source zones affecting the eastern United States include the New Madrid and Wabash Valley seismic zones of the central U.S., the southern Appalachians and Charleston, South Carolina, areas in the southeast, and the northern Appalachians and Adirondacks in the northeast. The most prominant of these in terms of current seismicity and historical seismicmore » moment release in the New Madrid seismic zone, which produced three earthquakes of moment magnitude {ge} 8 in 1811 and 1812. The frequency of earthquake recurrence can be examined using the instrumental record, the historical record, and the geological record. Each record covers a unique time period and has a different scale of temporal resolution and completeness of the data set. The Wabash Valley is an example where the long-term geological record indicates a greater potential than the instrumental and historical records. This points to the need to examine all of the evidence in any region in order to obtain a credible estimates of earthquake hazards. Although earthquake hazards may be dominated by mid-magnitude 6 earthquakes within the mapped seismic source zones, the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake is just the most recent example of the danger of assuming future events will occur on faults known to have had past events and how destructive such an earthquake can be.« less

Toward seismic source imaging using seismo-ionospheric data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rolland, L.; Larmat, C. S.; Mikesell, D.; Sladen, A.; Khelfi, K.; Astafyeva, E.; Lognonne, P. H.

2014-12-01

The worldwide coverage offered by global navigation space systems (GNSS) such as GPS, GLONASS or Galileo allows seismological measurements of a new kind. GNSS-derived total electron content (TEC) measurements can be especially useful to image seismically active zones that are not covered by conventional instruments. For instance, it has been shown that the Japanese dense GPS network GEONET was able to record images of the ionosphere response to the initial coseismic sea-surface motion induced by the great Mw 9.0 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake less than 10 minutes after the rupture initiation (Astafyeva et al., 2013). But earthquakes of lower magnitude, down to about 6.5 would also induce measurable ionospheric perturbations, when GNSS stations are located less than 250 km away from the epicenter. In order to make use of these new data, ionospheric seismology needs to develop accurate forward models so that we can invert for quantitative seismic sources parameters. We will present our current understanding of the coupling mechanisms between the solid Earth, the ocean, the atmosphere and the ionosphere. We will also present the state-of-the-art in the modeling of coseismic ionospheric disturbances using acoustic ray theory and a new 3D modeling method based on the Spectral Element Method (SEM). This latter numerical tool will allow us to incorporate lateral variations in the solid Earth properties, the bathymetry and the atmosphere as well as realistic seismic source parameters. Furthermore, seismo-acoustic waves propagate in the atmosphere at a much slower speed (from 0.3 to ~1 km/s) than seismic waves propagate in the solid Earth. We are exploring the application of back-projection and time-reversal methods to TEC observations in order to retrieve the time and space characteristics of the acoustic emission in the seismic source area. We will first show modeling and inversion results with synthetic data. Finally, we will illustrate the imaging capability of our approach with, among other possible examples, the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake, Japan, the 2012 Mw 7.8 Haida Gwaii earthquake, Canada and the 2011 Mw 7.1 Van earthquake, Eastern Turkey.

Sweetwater, Texas Large N Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumy, D. F.; Woodward, R.; Barklage, M.; Hollis, D.; Spriggs, N.; Gridley, J. M.; Parker, T.

2015-12-01

From 7 March to 30 April 2014, NodalSeismic, Nanometrics, and IRIS PASSCAL conducted a collaborative, spatially-dense seismic survey with several thousand nodal short-period geophones complemented by a backbone array of broadband sensors near Sweetwater, Texas. This pilot project demonstrates the efficacy of industry and academic partnerships, and leveraged a larger, commercial 3D survey to collect passive source seismic recordings to image the subsurface. This innovative deployment of a large-N mixed-mode array allows industry to explore array geometries and investigate the value of broadband recordings, while affording academics a dense wavefield imaging capability and an operational model for high volume instrument deployment. The broadband array consists of 25 continuously-recording stations from IRIS PASSCAL and Nanometrics, with an array design that maximized recording of horizontal-traveling seismic energy for surface wave analysis over the primary target area with sufficient offset for imaging objectives at depth. In addition, 2639 FairfieldNodal Zland nodes from NodalSeismic were deployed in three sub-arrays: the outlier, backbone, and active source arrays. The backbone array consisted of 292 nodes that covered the entire survey area, while the outlier array consisted of 25 continuously-recording nodes distributed at a ~3 km distance away from the survey perimeter. Both the backbone and outlier array provide valuable constraints for the passive source portion of the analysis. This project serves as a learning platform to develop best practices in the support of large-N arrays with joint industry and academic expertise. Here we investigate lessons learned from a facility perspective, and present examples of data from the various sensors and array geometries. We will explore first-order results from local and teleseismic earthquakes, and show visualizations of the data across the array. Data are archived at the IRIS DMC under stations codes XB and 1B.

Broadband records of earthquakes in deep gold mines and a comparison with results from SAFOD, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGarr, Arthur F.; Boettcher, M.; Fletcher, Jon Peter B.; Sell, Russell; Johnston, Malcolm J.; Durrheim, R.; Spottiswoode, S.; Milev, A.

2009-01-01

For one week during September 2007, we deployed a temporary network of field recorders and accelerometers at four sites within two deep, seismically active mines. The ground-motion data, recorded at 200 samples/sec, are well suited to determining source and ground-motion parameters for the mining-induced earthquakes within and adjacent to our network. Four earthquakes with magnitudes close to 2 were recorded with high signal/noise at all four sites. Analysis of seismic moments and peak velocities, in conjunction with the results of laboratory stick-slip friction experiments, were used to estimate source processes that are key to understanding source physics and to assessing underground seismic hazard. The maximum displacements on the rupture surfaces can be estimated from the parameter , where  is the peak ground velocity at a given recording site, and R is the hypocentral distance. For each earthquake, the maximum slip and seismic moment can be combined with results from laboratory friction experiments to estimate the maximum slip rate within the rupture zone. Analysis of the four M 2 earthquakes recorded during our deployment and one of special interest recorded by the in-mine seismic network in 2004 revealed maximum slips ranging from 4 to 27 mm and maximum slip rates from 1.1 to 6.3 m/sec. Applying the same analyses to an M 2.1 earthquake within a cluster of repeating earthquakes near the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth site, California, yielded similar results for maximum slip and slip rate, 14 mm and 4.0 m/sec.

Incorporation of Multiple Datasets in Earthquake Source Inversions: Case Study for the 2015 Illapel Earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williamson, A.; Cummins, P. R.; Newman, A. V.; Benavente, R. F.

2016-12-01

The 2015 Illapel, Chile earthquake was recorded over a wide range of seismic, geodetic and oceanographic instruments. The USGS assigned magnitude 8.3 earthquake produced a tsunami that was recorded trans-oceanically at both tide gauges and deep-water tsunami pressure sensors. The event also generated surface deformation along the Chilean coast that was recovered through ascending and descending paths of the Sentinel-1A satellite. Additionally, seismic waves were recorded across various global seismic networks. While the determination of the rupture source through seismic and geodetic means is now commonplace and has been studied extensively in this fashion for the Illapel event, the use of tsunami datasets in the inversion process, rather than purely as a forward validation of models, is less common. In this study, we evaluate the use of both near and far field tsunami pressure gauges in the source inversion process, examining their contribution to seismic and geodetic joint inversions- as well as examine the contribution of dispersive and elastic loading parameters on the numerical tsunami propagation. We determine that the inclusion of near field tsunami pressure gauges assists in resolving the degree of slip in the near-trench environment, where purely geodetic inversions lose most resolvability. The inclusion of a far-field dataset has the potential to add further confidence to tsunami inversions, however at a high computational cost. When applied to the Illapel earthquake, this added near-trench resolvability leads to a better estimation of tsunami arrival times at near field gauges and contributes understanding to the wide variation in tsunamigenic slip present along the highly active Peru-Chile trench.

Deformation of the western Indian Plate boundary: insights from differential and multi-aperture InSAR data inversion for the 2008 Baluchistan (Western Pakistan) seismic sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pezzo, Giuseppe; Merryman Boncori, John Peter; Atzori, Simone; Antonioli, Andrea; Salvi, Stefano

2014-07-01

In this study, we use Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (DInSAR) and multi-aperture interferometry (MAI) to constrain the sources of the three largest events of the 2008 Baluchistan (western Pakistan) seismic sequence, namely two Mw 6.4 events only 12 hr apart and an Mw 5.7 event that occurred 40 d later. The sequence took place in the Quetta Syntaxis, the most seismically active region of Baluchistan, tectonically located between the colliding Indian Plate and the Afghan Block of the Eurasian Plate. Surface displacements estimated from ascending and descending ENVISAT ASAR acquisitions were used to derive elastic dislocation models for the sources of the two main events. The estimated slip distributions have peak values of 120 and 130 cm on a pair of almost parallel and near-vertical faults striking NW-SE, and of 50 cm and 60 cm on two high-angle faults striking NE-SW. Values up to 50 cm were found for the largest aftershock on an NE-SW fault located between the sources of the main shocks. The MAI measurements, with their high sensitivity to the north-south motion component, are crucial in this area to accurately describe the coseismic displacement field. Our results provide insight into the deformation style of the Quetta Syntaxis, suggesting that right-lateral slip released at shallow depths on large NW fault planes is compatible with left-lateral activation on smaller NE-SW faults.

Ste. Genevieve, Missouri Feasibility Report (Flood Control Study for Historic Ste. Genevieve - 80061). Volume 2. Appendices.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-06-01

A greater seismic risk may be posed by two other zones: the *-."Southern Illinois - Wabash Zone and the New Madrid Zone. Earthquake ground motions...A-3 S 0I The study area is located in the Ozark Random Source Zone. This *seismotectonic zone is a region of moderate seismicity ( earthquake activity...40 inches, so that the tops of the casings are now 57 inches above the 1973 flood height. The new well casings’ elevations are approximately 395 feet

Characterising large scenario earthquakes and their influence on NDSHA maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magrin, Andrea; Peresan, Antonella; Panza, Giuliano F.

2016-04-01

The neo-deterministic approach to seismic zoning, NDSHA, relies on physically sound modelling of ground shaking from a large set of credible scenario earthquakes, which can be defined based on seismic history and seismotectonics, as well as incorporating information from a wide set of geological and geophysical data (e.g. morphostructural features and present day deformation processes identified by Earth observations). NDSHA is based on the calculation of complete synthetic seismograms; hence it does not make use of empirical attenuation models (i.e. ground motion prediction equations). From the set of synthetic seismograms, maps of seismic hazard that describe the maximum of different ground shaking parameters at the bedrock can be produced. As a rule, the NDSHA, defines the hazard as the envelope ground shaking at the site, computed from all of the defined seismic sources; accordingly, the simplest outcome of this method is a map where the maximum of a given seismic parameter is associated to each site. In this way, the standard NDSHA maps permit to account for the largest observed or credible earthquake sources identified in the region in a quite straightforward manner. This study aims to assess the influence of unavoidable uncertainties in the characterisation of large scenario earthquakes on the NDSHA estimates. The treatment of uncertainties is performed by sensitivity analyses for key modelling parameters and accounts for the uncertainty in the prediction of fault radiation and in the use of Green's function for a given medium. Results from sensitivity analyses with respect to the definition of possible seismic sources are discussed. A key parameter is the magnitude of seismic sources used in the simulation, which is based on information from earthquake catalogue, seismogenic zones and seismogenic nodes. The largest part of the existing Italian catalogues is based on macroseismic intensities, a rough estimate of the error in peak values of ground motion can therefore be the factor of two, intrinsic in MCS and other discrete scales. A simple test supports this hypothesis: an increase of 0.5 in the magnitude, i.e. one degrees in epicentral MCS, of all sources used in the national scale seismic zoning produces a doubling of the maximum ground motion. The analysis of uncertainty in ground motion maps, due to the catalogue random errors in magnitude and localization, shows a not uniform distribution of ground shaking uncertainty. The available information from catalogues of past events, that is not complete and may well not be representative of future earthquakes, can be substantially completed using independent indicators of the seismogenic potential of a given area, such as active faulting data and the seismogenic nodes.

Evaluation Seismicity west of block-lut for Deterministic Seismic Hazard Assessment of Shahdad ,Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ney, B.; Askari, M.

2009-04-01

Evaluation Seismicity west of block-lut for Deterministic Seismic Hazard Assessment of Shahdad ,Iran Behnoosh Neyestani , Mina Askari Students of Science and Research University,Iran. Seismic Hazard Assessment has been done for Shahdad city in this study , and four maps (Kerman-Bam-Nakhil Ab-Allah Abad) has been prepared to indicate the Deterministic estimate of Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) in this area. Deterministic Seismic Hazard Assessment has been preformed for a region in eastern Iran (Shahdad) based on the available geological, seismological and geophysical information and seismic zoning map of region has been constructed. For this assessment first Seimotectonic map of study region in a radius of 100km is prepared using geological maps, distribution of historical and instrumental earthquake data and focal mechanism solutions it is used as the base map for delineation of potential seismic sources. After that minimum distance, for every seismic sources until site (Shahdad) and maximum magnitude for each source have been determined. In Shahdad ,according to results, peak ground acceleration using the Yoshimitsu Fukushima &Teiji Tanaka'1990 attenuation relationship is estimated to be 0.58 g, that is related to the movement of nayband fault with distance 2.4km of the site and maximum magnitude Ms=7.5.

Classifying elephant behaviour through seismic vibrations.

PubMed

Mortimer, Beth; Rees, William Lake; Koelemeijer, Paula; Nissen-Meyer, Tarje

2018-05-07

Seismic waves - vibrations within and along the Earth's surface - are ubiquitous sources of information. During propagation, physical factors can obscure information transfer via vibrations and influence propagation range [1]. Here, we explore how terrain type and background seismic noise influence the propagation of seismic vibrations generated by African elephants. In Kenya, we recorded the ground-based vibrations of different wild elephant behaviours, such as locomotion and infrasonic vocalisations [2], as well as natural and anthropogenic seismic noise. We employed techniques from seismology to transform the geophone recordings into source functions - the time-varying seismic signature generated at the source. We used computer modelling to constrain the propagation ranges of elephant seismic vibrations for different terrains and noise levels. Behaviours that generate a high force on a sandy terrain with low noise propagate the furthest, over the kilometre scale. Our modelling also predicts that specific elephant behaviours can be distinguished and monitored over a range of propagation distances and noise levels. We conclude that seismic cues have considerable potential for both behavioural classification and remote monitoring of wildlife. In particular, classifying the seismic signatures of specific behaviours of large mammals remotely in real time, such as elephant running, could inform on poaching threats. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

On the use of a laser ablation as a laboratory seismic source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Chengyi; Brito, Daniel; Diaz, Julien; Zhang, Deyuan; Poydenot, Valier; Bordes, Clarisse; Garambois, Stéphane

2017-04-01

Mimic near-surface seismic imaging conducted in well-controlled laboratory conditions is potentially a powerful tool to study large scale wave propagations in geological media by means of upscaling. Laboratory measurements are indeed particularly suited for tests of theoretical modellings and comparisons with numerical approaches. We have developed an automated Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV) platform, which is able to detect and register broadband nano-scale displacements on the surface of various materials. This laboratory equipment has already been validated in experiments where piezoelectric transducers were used as seismic sources. We are currently exploring a new seismic source in our experiments, a laser ablation, in order to compensate some drawbacks encountered with piezoelectric sources. The laser ablation source is considered to be an interesting ultrasound wave generator since the 1960s. It was believed to have numerous potential applications such as the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and the measurements of velocities and attenuations in solid samples. We aim at adapting and developing this technique into geophysical experimental investigations in order to produce and explore complete micro-seismic data sets in the laboratory. We will first present the laser characteristics including its mechanism, stability, reproducibility, and will evaluate in particular the directivity patterns of such a seismic source. We have started by applying the laser ablation source on the surfaces of multi-scale homogeneous aluminum samples and are now testing it on heterogeneous and fractured limestone cores. Some other results of data processing will also be shown, especially the 2D-slice V P and V S tomographic images obtained in limestone samples. Apart from the experimental records, numerical simulations will be carried out for both the laser source modelling and the wave propagation in different media. First attempts will be done to compare quantitatively the experimental data with simulations. Meanwhile, CT-scan X-ray images of these limestone cores will be used to check the relative pertinences of velocity tomography images produced by this newly developed laser ablation seismic source.

Seismicity around the source areas of the 1946 Nankai and the 1944 Tonankai earthquakes detected from data recorded at DONET stations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, K.; Kamiya, S.; Takahashi, N.

2016-12-01

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) installed DONET (Dense Oceanfloor Network System for Earthquakes and Tsunamis) off the Kii Peninsula, southwest of Japan, to monitor earthquakes and tsunamis. Stations of DONET1, which are distributed in Kumano-nada, and DONET2, which are distributed off Muroto, were installed by August 2011 and April 2016, respectively. After the installation of all of the 51 stations, DONET was transferred to National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED). NIED and JAMSTEC have now corroborated in the operation of DONET since April 2016. To investigate the seismicity around the source areas of the 1946 Nankai and the 1944 Tonankai earthquakes, we detected earthquakes from the records of the broadband seismometers installed to DONET. Because DONET stations are apart from land stations, we can detect smaller earthquakes than by using only land stations. It is important for understanding the stress state and seismogenic mechanism to monitoring the spatial-temporal seismicity change. In this study we purpose to evaluate to the seismicity around the source areas of the Nankai and the Tonankai earthquakes by using our earthquake catalogue. The frequency-magnitude relationships of earthquakes in the areas of DONET1&2 had an almost constant slope of about -1 for earthquakes of ML larger than 1.5 and 2.5, satisfying the Gutenberg-Richter law, and the slope of smaller earthquakes approached 0, reflecting the detection limits. While the most of the earthquakes occurred in the aftershock area of the 2004 off the Kii Peninsula earthquakes, very limited activity was detected in the source region of the Nankai and Tonankai earthquake except for the large earthquake (MJMA = 6.5) on 1st April 2016 and its aftershocks. We will evaluate the detection limit of the earthquake in more detail and investigate the spatial-temporal seismicity change with waiting the data store.

The trigger mechanism of low-frequency earthquakes on Montserrat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neuberg, J. W.; Tuffen, H.; Collier, L.; Green, D.; Powell, T.; Dingwell, D.

2006-05-01

A careful analysis of low-frequency seismic events on Soufrièere Hills volcano, Montserrat, points to a source mechanism that is non-destructive, repetitive, and has a stationary source location. By combining these seismological clues with new field evidence and numerical magma flow modelling, we propose a seismic trigger model which is based on brittle failure of magma in the glass transition. Loss of heat and gas from the magma results in a strong viscosity gradient across a dyke or conduit. This leads to a build-up of shear stress near the conduit wall where magma can rupture in a brittle manner, as field evidence from a rhyolitic dyke demonstrates. This brittle failure provides seismic energy, the majority of which is trapped in the conduit or dyke forming the low-frequency coda of the observed seismic signal. The trigger source location marks the transition from ductile conduit flow to friction-controlled magma ascent. As the trigger mechanism is governed by the depth-dependent magma parameters, the source location remains fixed at a depth where the conditions allow brittle failure. This is reflected in the fixed seismic source locations.

Gradual unlocking of a plate boundary controlled the April 2014 M8.1 Iquique, Northern Chile megathrust earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schurr, B.; Hainzl, S.; Bedford, J. R.; Hoechner, A.; Wang, R.; Zhang, Y.; Oncken, O.; Palo, M.; Bartsch, M.; Moreno, M.; Tilmann, F. J.; Dahm, T.; Victor, P.; Barrientos, S. E.; Vilotte, J. P.

2014-12-01

On April 1st, 2014, Northern Chile, was struck by a magnitude 8.1 earthquake near the city of Iquique following a protracted series of foreshocks. The earthquake occurred within a seismic gap left behind by two great earthquakes devastating the northern Chilean and southern Peruvian coast about 140 years ago in 1868 and 1877. This segment, about 500 km long, was the only one along the Chilean subduction zone that has not ruptured within the last century. The Integrated Plate boundary Observatory Chile (IPOC) monitored the entire sequence of events, providing unprecedented resolution of the build-up to the main event and its rupture evolution. We analyzed the entire seismicity in this section of the subduction zone since 2007. The offshore rupture region of the Iquique event has been more or less continuously seismically active within our observation period. This is in contrast to the segments to the north and south, which are still unruptured and seismically quiet. Starting in July 2013, three foreshock clusters with increasingly larger magnitudes occurred within the future rupture area. The largest Mw 6.7 foreshock, two weeks before the mainshock, had a source mechanism distinctively different from the mainshock and with a centroid depth of only 9 km probably occurred in the upper plate. The Iquique mainshock initiated then at the northern end of the foreshock zone, inside a region of intermediate interseismic locking. Comparing the foreshock distribution to the long term deformation history of the margin, we find that the area exhibits a high gradient of locking from weakly locked updip to fully locked downdip. Mapping the b-value of the foreshocks indicates significantly lower b-values in the source area compared to all other regions where the b-value can be resolved. Importantly, a gradual drop of the b-value from about 0.75 to below 0.6 is observed in the source region within the three years before the Iquique earthquake. This has only been reversed within the last days of the foreshock sequence. We conclude that gradual weakening of the central part of the seismic gap accentuated by the foreshock activity in a zone of intermediate seismic coupling was instrumental in causing final failure.

A spatio-temporal model for probabilistic seismic hazard zonation of Tehran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashemi, Mahdi; Alesheikh, Ali Asghar; Zolfaghari, Mohammad Reza

2013-08-01

A precondition for all disaster management steps, building damage prediction, and construction code developments is a hazard assessment that shows the exceedance probabilities of different ground motion levels at a site considering different near- and far-field earthquake sources. The seismic sources are usually categorized as time-independent area sources and time-dependent fault sources. While the earlier incorporates the small and medium events, the later takes into account only the large characteristic earthquakes. In this article, a probabilistic approach is proposed to aggregate the effects of time-dependent and time-independent sources on seismic hazard. The methodology is then applied to generate three probabilistic seismic hazard maps of Tehran for 10%, 5%, and 2% exceedance probabilities in 50 years. The results indicate an increase in peak ground acceleration (PGA) values toward the southeastern part of the study area and the PGA variations are mostly controlled by the shear wave velocities across the city. In addition, the implementation of the methodology takes advantage of GIS capabilities especially raster-based analyses and representations. During the estimation of the PGA exceedance rates, the emphasis has been placed on incorporating the effects of different attenuation relationships and seismic source models by using a logic tree.

Volcanic Centers in the East Africa Rift: Volcanic Processes with Seismic Stresses to Identify Potential Hydrothermal Vents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patlan, E.; Wamalwa, A. M.; Kaip, G.; Velasco, A. A.

2015-12-01

The Geothermal Development Company (GDC) in Kenya actively seeks to produce geothermal energy, which lies within the East African Rift System (EARS). The EARS, an active continental rift zone, appears to be a developing tectonic plate boundary and thus, has a number of active as well as dormant volcanoes throughout its extent. These volcanic centers can be used as potential sources for geothermal energy. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the GDC deployed seismic sensors to monitor several volcanic centers: Menengai, Silali, and Paka, and Korosi. We identify microseismic, local events, and tilt like events using automatic detection algorithms and manual review to identify potential local earthquakes within our seismic network. We then perform the double-difference location method of local magnitude less than two to image the boundary of the magma chamber and the conduit feeding the volcanoes. In the process of locating local seismicity, we also identify long-period, explosion, and tremor signals that we interpret as magma passing through conduits of the magma chamber and/or fluid being transported as a function of magma movement or hydrothermal activity. We used waveform inversion and S-wave shear wave splitting to approximate the orientation of the local stresses from the vent or fissure-like conduit of the volcano. The microseismic events and long period events will help us interpret the activity of the volcanoes. Our goal is to investigate basement structures beneath the volcanoes and identify the extent of magmatic modifications of the crust. Overall, these seismic techniques will help us understand magma movement and volcanic processes in the region.

Localization of short-range acoustic and seismic wideband sources: Algorithms and experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stafsudd, J. Z.; Asgari, S.; Hudson, R.; Yao, K.; Taciroglu, E.

2008-04-01

We consider the determination of the location (source localization) of a disturbance source which emits acoustic and/or seismic signals. We devise an enhanced approximate maximum-likelihood (AML) algorithm to process data collected at acoustic sensors (microphones) belonging to an array of, non-collocated but otherwise identical, sensors. The approximate maximum-likelihood algorithm exploits the time-delay-of-arrival of acoustic signals at different sensors, and yields the source location. For processing the seismic signals, we investigate two distinct algorithms, both of which process data collected at a single measurement station comprising a triaxial accelerometer, to determine direction-of-arrival. The direction-of-arrivals determined at each sensor station are then combined using a weighted least-squares approach for source localization. The first of the direction-of-arrival estimation algorithms is based on the spectral decomposition of the covariance matrix, while the second is based on surface wave analysis. Both of the seismic source localization algorithms have their roots in seismology; and covariance matrix analysis had been successfully employed in applications where the source and the sensors (array) are typically separated by planetary distances (i.e., hundreds to thousands of kilometers). Here, we focus on very-short distances (e.g., less than one hundred meters) instead, with an outlook to applications in multi-modal surveillance, including target detection, tracking, and zone intrusion. We demonstrate the utility of the aforementioned algorithms through a series of open-field tests wherein we successfully localize wideband acoustic and/or seismic sources. We also investigate a basic strategy for fusion of results yielded by acoustic and seismic arrays.

Source and dynamics of a volcanic caldera unrest: Campi Flegrei, 1983-84.

PubMed

De Siena, Luca; Chiodini, Giovanni; Vilardo, Giuseppe; Del Pezzo, Edoardo; Castellano, Mario; Colombelli, Simona; Tisato, Nicola; Ventura, Guido

2017-08-14

Despite their importance for eruption forecasting the causes of seismic rupture processes during caldera unrest are still poorly reconstructed from seismic images. Seismic source locations and waveform attenuation analyses of earthquakes in the Campi Flegrei area (Southern Italy) during the 1983-1984 unrest have revealed a 4-4.5 km deep NW-SE striking aseismic zone of high attenuation offshore Pozzuoli. The lateral features and the principal axis of the attenuation anomaly correspond to the main source of ground uplift during the unrest. Seismic swarms correlate in space and time with fluid injections from a deep hot source, inferred to represent geochemical and temperature variations at Solfatara. These swarms struck a high-attenuation 3-4 km deep reservoir of supercritical fluids under Pozzuoli and migrated towards a shallower aseismic deformation source under Solfatara. The reservoir became aseismic for two months just after the main seismic swarm (April 1, 1984) due to a SE-to-NW directed input from the high-attenuation domain, possibly a dyke emplacement. The unrest ended after fluids migrated from Pozzuoli to the location of the last caldera eruption (Mt. Nuovo, 1538 AD). The results show that the high attenuation domain controls the largest monitored seismic, deformation, and geochemical unrest at the caldera.

Integration of high-resolution seismic and aeromagnetic data for earthquake hazards evaluations: An example from the Willamette Valley, Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Liberty, L.M.; Trehu, A.M.; Blakely, R.J.; Dougherty, M.E.

1999-01-01

Aeromagnetic and high-resolution seismic reflection data were integrated to place constraints on the history of seismic activity and to determine the continuity of the possibly active, yet largely concealed Mount Angel fault in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Recent seismic activity possibly related to the 20-km-long fault includes a swarm of small earthquakes near Woodburn in 1990 and the magnitude 5.6 Scotts Mills earthquake in 1993. Newly acquired aeromagnetic data show several large northwest-trending anomalies, including one associated with the Mount Angel fault. The magnetic signature indicates that the fault may actually extend 70 km across the Willamette Valley to join the Newberg and Gales Creek faults in the Oregon Coast Range. We collected 24-fold high-resolution seismic reflection data along two transects near Woodburn, Oregon, to image the offset of the Miocene-age Columbia River Basalts (CRB) and overlying sediments at and northwest of the known mapped extent of the Mount Angel fault. The seismic data show a 100-200-m offset in the CRB reflector at depths from 300 to 700 m. Folded or offset sediments appear above the CRB with decreasing amplitude to depths as shallow as were imaged (approximately 40 m). Modeling experiments based on the magnetic data indicate, however, that the anomaly associated with the Mount Angel fault is not caused solely by an offset of the CRB and overlying sediments. Underlying magnetic sources, which we presume to be volcanic rocks of the Siletz terrane, must have vertical offsets of at least 500 m to fit the observed data. We conclude that the Mount Angel fault appears to have been active since Eocene age and that the Gales Creek, Newberg, and Mount Angel faults should be considered a single potentially active fault system. This fault, as well as other parallel northwest-trending faults in the Willamette Valley, should be considered as risks for future potentially damaging earthquakes.

Stress-strain state of the lithosphere in the southern Baikal region and northern Mongolia from data on seismic moments of earthquakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klyuchevskii, A. V.; Dem'yanovich, V. M.

2006-05-01

Investigation and understanding of the present-day geodynamic situation are of key importance for the elucidation of the laws and evolution of the seismic process in a seismically active region. In this work, seismic moments of nearly 26000 earthquakes with K p ≥ 7 ( M LH ≥ 2) that occurred in the southern Baikal region and northern Mongolia (SBNM) (48° 54°N, 96° 108°E) from 1968 through 1994 are determined from amplitudes and periods of maximum displacements in transverse body waves. The resulting set of seismic moments is used for spatial-temporal analysis of the stress-strain state of the SBNM lithosphere. The stress fields of the Baikal rift and the India-Asia collision zone are supposed to interact in the region studied. Since the seismic moment of a tectonic earthquake depends on the type of motion in the source, seismic moments and focal mechanisms of earthquakes belonging to four long-term aftershock and swarm clusters of shocks in the Baikal region were used to “calibrate” average seismic moments in accordance with the source faulting type. The study showed that the stress-strain state of the SBNM lithosphere is spatially inhomogeneous and nonstationary. A space-time discrepancy is observed in the formation of faulting types in sources of weak ( K p = 7 and 8) and stronger ( K p ≥ 9) earthquakes. This discrepancy is interpreted in terms of rock fracture at various hierarchical levels of ruptures on differently oriented general, regional, and local faults. A gradual increase and an abrupt, nearly pulsed, decrease in the vertical component of the stress field S v is a characteristic feature of time variations. The zones where the stress S v prevails are localized at “singular points” of the lithosphere. Shocks of various energy classes in these zones are dominated by the normal-fault slip mechanism. For earthquakes with K p = 9, the source faulting changes with depth from the strike-slip type to the normal-strike-slip and normal types, suggesting an increase in S v . On the whole, the results of this study are well consistent with the synergism of open unstable dissipative systems and are usable for interpreting the main observable variations in the stress-strain state of the lithosphere in terms of spatiotemporal variations in the vertical component of the stress field S v . This suggests the influence of rifting on the present-day geodynamic processes in the SBNM lithosphere.

Source-independent full waveform inversion of seismic data

DOEpatents

Lee, Ki Ha

2006-02-14

A set of seismic trace data is collected in an input data set that is first Fourier transformed in its entirety into the frequency domain. A normalized wavefield is obtained for each trace of the input data set in the frequency domain. Normalization is done with respect to the frequency response of a reference trace selected from the set of seismic trace data. The normalized wavefield is source independent, complex, and dimensionless. The normalized wavefield is shown to be uniquely defined as the normalized impulse response, provided that a certain condition is met for the source. This property allows construction of the inversion algorithm disclosed herein, without any source or source coupling information. The algorithm minimizes the error between data normalized wavefield and the model normalized wavefield. The methodology is applicable to any 3-D seismic problem, and damping may be easily included in the process.

Seismic Moment, Seismic Energy, and Source Duration of Slow Earthquakes: Application of Brownian slow earthquake model to three major subduction zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ide, Satoshi; Maury, Julie

2018-04-01

Tectonic tremors, low-frequency earthquakes, very low-frequency earthquakes, and slow slip events are all regarded as components of broadband slow earthquakes, which can be modeled as a stochastic process using Brownian motion. Here we show that the Brownian slow earthquake model provides theoretical relationships among the seismic moment, seismic energy, and source duration of slow earthquakes and that this model explains various estimates of these quantities in three major subduction zones: Japan, Cascadia, and Mexico. While the estimates for these three regions are similar at the seismological frequencies, the seismic moment rates are significantly different in the geodetic observation. This difference is ascribed to the difference in the characteristic times of the Brownian slow earthquake model, which is controlled by the width of the source area. We also show that the model can include non-Gaussian fluctuations, which better explains recent findings of a near-constant source duration for low-frequency earthquake families.

Relationship between eruption plume heights and seismic source amplitudes of eruption tremors and explosion events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mori, A.; Kumagai, H.

2016-12-01

It is crucial to analyze and interpret eruption tremors and explosion events for estimating eruption size and understanding eruption phenomena. Kumagai et al. (EPS, 2015) estimated the seismic source amplitudes (As) and cumulative source amplitudes (Is) for eruption tremors and explosion events at Tungurahua, Ecuador, by the amplitude source location (ASL) method based on the assumption of isotropic S-wave radiation in a high-frequency band (5-10 Hz). They found scaling relations between As and Is for eruption tremors and explosion events. However, the universality of these relations is yet to be verified, and the physical meanings of As and Is are not clear. In this study, we analyzed the relations between As and Is for eruption tremors and explosion events at active volcanoes in Japan, and estimated As and Is by the ASL method. We obtained power-law relations between As and Is, in which the powers were different between eruption tremors and explosion events. These relations were consistent with the scaling relations at Tungurahua volcano. Then, we compared As with maximum eruption plume heights (H) during eruption tremors analyzed in this study, and found that H was proportional to 0.21 power of As. This relation is similar to the plume height model based on the physical process of plume rise, which indicates that H is proportional to 0.25 power of volumetric flow rate for plinian eruptions. This suggests that As may correspond to volumetric flow rate. If we assume a seismic source with volume changes and far-field S-wave, As is proportional to the source volume rate. This proportional relation and the plume height model give rise to the relation that H is proportional to 0.25 power of As. These results suggest that we may be able to estimate plume heights in realtime by estimating As during eruptions from seismic observations.

Tectonic state: its significance and characterization in the assessment of seismic effects associated with reservoir impounding

USGS Publications Warehouse

Castle, R.O.; Clark, M.M.; Grantz, A.; Savage, J.C.

1980-01-01

Any analysis of seismicity associated with the filling of large reservoirs requires an evaluation of the natural tectonic state in order to determine whether impoundment is the basic source, a mechanically unrelated companion feature, or a triggering stimulus of the observed seismicity. Several arguments indicate that the associated seismicity is usually a triggered effect. Among the elements of tectonic state considered here (existing fractures, accumulated elastic strain, and deformational style), deformational style is especially critical in forecasting the occurrence of impoundment-induced seismicity. The observational evidence indicates that seismicity associated with impounding generally occurs in areas that combine steeply dipping faults, relatively high strain rates, and either extensional or horizontal-shear strain. Simple physical arguments suggest: (1) that increased fluid pressures resulting from increased reservoir head should enhance the likelihood of seismic activity, whatever the tectonic environment; (2) that stress changes resulting from surface loading may increase the likelihood of crustal failure in areas of normal and transcurrent faulting, whereas they generally inhibit failure in areas of thrust faulting. Comparisons with other earthquake-producing artificial and natural processes (underground explosions, fluid injection, underground mining, fluid extraction, volcanic emissions) indicate that reservoir loading may similarly modify the natural tectonic state. Subsurface loading resulting from fluid extraction may be a particularly close analogue of reservoir loading; "seismotectonic" events associated with fluid extraction have been recognized in both seismically active and otherwise aseismic regions. Because the historic record of seismicity and surface faulting commonly is short in comparison with recurrence intervals of earthquake and fault-slip events, tectonic state is most reliably appraised through combined studies of historic seismicity and faulting, instrumentally measured strain, and the geological record, especially that of the Quaternary. Experience in California and elsewhere demonstrates that the character and activity of recognized faults can be assessed by means of: instrumental earthquake investigations, repeated geodetic measurements, written history, archeological studies, fault topography, and local stratigraphic relations. Where faults are less easily distinguished, appraisals of tectonic state may be based on both the regional seismicity and the regional history of vertical movement as shown by: repeated levelling and sea-level measurements, written history, archeologic investigations, terrace and shoreline deformation, and denudation and sedimentation studies. ?? 1980.

Cavity Detection and Delineation Research. Report 2. Seismic Methodology: Medford Cave Site, Florida.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-01

energy. A distance of 50 ft was maintained between source and detector for one test and 25 ft for the other tests. Since the seismic unit was capable...during the tests. After a recording was made, the seismic source and geophone were each moved 5 ft, thus maintaining the 50- or 25-ft source-to- detector ...produced by cavities; therefore, detection using this technique was not achieved. The sensitivity of the uphole refraction method to the presence of

Volcanic Tremor at Mt. Etna, Italy, Preceding and Accompanying the Eruption of July August, 2001

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falsaperla, S.; Alparone, S.; D'Amico, S.; Grazia, G.; Ferrari, F.; Langer, H.; Sgroi, T.; Spampinato, S.

2005-11-01

The July 17 August 9, 2001 flank eruption of Mt. Etna was preceded and accompanied by remarkable changes in volcanic tremor. Based on the records of stations belonging to the permanent seismic network deployed on the volcano, we analyze amplitude and frequency content of the seismic signal. We find considerable changes in the volcanic tremor which mark the transition to different styles of eruptive activity, e.g., lava fountains, phreatomagmatic activity, Strombolian explosions. In particular, the frequency content of the signal decreases from 5 Hz to 3 Hz at our reference station ETF during episodes of lava fountains, and further decreases at about 2 Hz throughout phases of intense lava emission. The frequency content and the ratios of the signal amplitude allow us to distinguish three seismic sources, i.e., the peripheral dike which fed the eruption, the reservoir which fed the lava fountains, and the central conduit. Based on the analysis of the amplitude decay of the signal, we highlight the migration of the dike from a depth of ca. 5 km to about 1 km between July 10 and 12. After the onset of the effusive phase, the distribution of the amplitude decay at our stations can be interpreted as the overall result of sources located within the first half kilometer from the surface. Although on a qualitative basis, our findings shed some light on the complex feeding system of Mt. Etna, and integrate other volcanological and geophysical studies which tackle the problem of magma replenishment for the July August, 2001 flank eruption. We conclude that volcanic tremor is fundamental in monitoring Mt. Etna, not only as a marker of the different sources which act within the volcano edifice, but also of the diverse styles of eruptive activity.

Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment for Northeast India Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Ranjit; Sharma, M. L.; Wason, H. R.

2016-08-01

Northeast India bounded by latitudes 20°-30°N and longitudes 87°-98°E is one of the most seismically active areas in the world. This region has experienced several moderate-to-large-sized earthquakes, including the 12 June, 1897 Shillong earthquake ( M w 8.1) and the 15 August, 1950 Assam earthquake ( M w 8.7) which caused loss of human lives and significant damages to buildings highlighting the importance of seismic hazard assessment for the region. Probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of the region has been carried out using a unified moment magnitude catalog prepared by an improved General Orthogonal Regression methodology (Geophys J Int, 190:1091-1096, 2012; Probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of Northeast India region, Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Earthquake Engineering, IIT Roorkee, Roorkee, 2013) with events compiled from various databases (ISC, NEIC,GCMT, IMD) and other available catalogs. The study area has been subdivided into nine seismogenic source zones to account for local variation in tectonics and seismicity characteristics. The seismicity parameters are estimated for each of these source zones, which are input variables into seismic hazard estimation of a region. The seismic hazard analysis of the study region has been performed by dividing the area into grids of size 0.1° × 0.1°. Peak ground acceleration (PGA) and spectral acceleration ( S a) values (for periods of 0.2 and 1 s) have been evaluated at bedrock level corresponding to probability of exceedance (PE) of 50, 20, 10, 2 and 0.5 % in 50 years. These exceedance values correspond to return periods of 100, 225, 475, 2475, and 10,000 years, respectively. The seismic hazard maps have been prepared at the bedrock level, and it is observed that the seismic hazard estimates show a significant local variation in contrast to the uniform hazard value suggested by the Indian standard seismic code [Indian standard, criteria for earthquake-resistant design of structures, fifth edition, Part-I. Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi, 2002]. Not only holistic treatment of earthquake catalog and seismogenic zones has been performed, but also higher resolution in spatial distribution could be achieved. The COV maps have been provided with the strong ground-motion maps under various conditions to show the confidence in the results obtained. Results obtained in the present study would be helpful for risk assessment and other disaster mitigation-related studies.

Development of a time synchronization methodology for a wireless seismic array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moure-García, David; Torres-González, Pedro; del Río, Joaquín; Mihai, Daniel; Domínguez Cerdeña, Itahiza

2017-04-01

Seismic arrays have multiple applications. In the past, the main use was nuclear tests monitoring that began in mid-twentieth century. The major difference with a seismic network is the hypocenter location procedure. With a seismic network the hypocenter's 3D coordinates are calculated while using an array, the source direction of the seismic signal is determined. Seismic arrays are used in volcanology to obtain the source azimuth of volcanic signals related to fluids movement, magma and/or gases, that do not show a clear seismic phases' onset. A key condition in the seismic array operativity is the temporal synchronization of all the sensors, better than 1 microsecond. Because of that, usually all sensors are connected to the acquisition system by cable to ensure an identical sampling time. In this work we present the design of a wireless low-cost and low-power consumption volcanic monitoring seismic array where all nodes (sensors) acquire data synchronously and transmit them to the center node where a coherent signal is pursued in near real time.

Seismic Evidence And Complex Trace Attributes Of Shallow Gas Structures In The Sea Of Marmara

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aydemir, Seval; Okay, Seda; Cifci, Gunay; Dondurur, Derman; Sorlien, Christopher; Cormier, Marie-Helene

2015-04-01

Analysis of multi-channel seismic reflection, sparker and chirp data from Marmara Sea observed various shallow gas indicators including seismic chimneys, bright spots, mud diapirs, pockmarks, and acoustic blanking related to gas accumulations along North Anatolian Fault (NAF) system which branches out towards the west into the in Marmara Sea. Middle branch of the (NAF) is the place where distinct amount of seismic activity has occurred and gas deposits have been observed. This study is also devoted to evaluate the gas related structures with seismic attributes of multichannel seismic reflection data which have been collected at South Marmara shelf. The dataset was collected in September 2013 and July 2014 including nearly 1000 km high Resolution Multichannel Seismic and Chirp data and 967 km Sparker data in the frame of a bilateral TÜBİTAK Project onboard R/V K. Piri Reis. The streamer has 168 or 144 channel and group interval was 6.25 m. The source was 45+45 inch GI gun fired every 12.5 or 25 m producing high-resolution seismic signal between 10-250 Hz frequency bands. The Chirp data was collected with a transducer, which produced acoustic signal between 2.75-6.75 kHz. The source of sparker system was used to 1000 J. The data have been processed using a conventional data processing flow. In addition attributes were applied to final migration sections and than was tried to find gas accumulations with Reflection strength section, instantaneous frequency section and apparent polarity. Reflection strength section has strong reflections (bright spot). Also instantaneous frequency section has low-frequency zone depending on absorption where gas accumulations are expected. Apparent polarity section has negative polarity anamoly due to low acoustic impedance where gas accumulations are expected in sediments. In addition, attributes were coincided with sparker and chirp data where expected shallow gas accumulations.

Monitoring of environmental influences on seismic velocity at the geological storage site for CO2 in Ketzin (Germany) with ambient seismic noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gassenmeier, M.; Sens-Schönfelder, C.; Delatre, M.; Korn, M.

2015-01-01

Regarding the exploitation of natural resources, storage of waste or subsurface construction, there is an increasing need to obtain comprehensive knowledge about the subsurface and its temporal changes. We investigate the possibility of a passive monitoring using ambient seismic noise, which is cheap and continuous compared to active seismics. We work with data acquired with a seismic network in Ketzin (Germany) where 67 271 tons of CO2 were injected from 2008 June until 2013 August into a saline aquifer at a depth of about 650 m. Monitoring the expansion of the CO2 plume is essential for the characterization of the reservoir as well as the detection of potential leakage. By cross-correlating about 4 yr of passive seismic data in a frequency range of 0.05-4.5 Hz we found periodic velocity variations with a period of approximately 1 yr that cannot be caused by the CO2 injection. The prominent direction of the noise wavefield indicates a wind farm as the dominant source providing the temporally stable noise field. This spacial stability excludes variations of the noise source distribution as a cause of spurious velocity variations. Based on an amplitude decrease associated with time windows towards later parts of the coda, we show that the variations must be generated in the shallow subsurface. A comparison to groundwater level data reveals a direct correlation between depth of the groundwater level and the seismic velocity. The influence of ground frost on the seismic velocities is documented by a sharp increase of velocity when the maximum daily temperature stays below 0 °C. Although the observed periodic changes and the changes due to ground frost affect only the shallow subsurface, they mask potential signals of material changes from the reservoir depths.

Studying temporal velocity changes with ambient seismic noise at Hawaiian volcanoes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballmer, S.; Wolfe, C. J.; Okubo, P. G.; Haney, M. M.; Thurber, C. H.

2012-04-01

In order to understand the dynamics of volcanoes and to assess the associated hazards, the analysis of ambient seismic noise - a continuous passive source - has been used for both imaging and monitoring temporal changes in seismic velocity. Between pairs of seismic stations, surface wave Green's functions can be retrieved from the background ocean-generated noise being sensitive to the shallow subsurface. Such Green's functions allow the measurement of very small temporal perturbations in seismic velocity with a variety of applications. In particular, velocity decreases prior to some volcanic eruptions have been documented and motivate our present study. Here we perform ambient seismic noise interferometry to study temporal changes in seismic velocities within the shallow (<5km) subsurface of the Hawaiian volcanoes. Our study is the first to assess the potential for using ambient noise analyses as a tool for Hawaiian volcano monitoring. Five volcanoes comprise the island of Hawaii, of which two are active: Mauna Loa volcano, which last erupted in 1984, and Kilauea volcano, where the Pu'u'O'o-Kupaianaha eruption along the east rift zone has been ongoing since 1983. For our analysis, we use data from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) seismic network from 05/2007 to 12/2009. Our study period includes the Father's Day dike intrusion into Kilauea's east rift zone in mid-June 2007 as well as increased summit activity commencing in late 2007 and leading to several minor explosions in early 2008. These volcanic events are of interest for the study of potential associated seismic velocity changes. However, we find that volcanic tremor complicates the measurement of velocity changes. Volcanic tremor is continuously present during most of our study period, and contaminates the recovered Green's functions for station pairs across the entire island. Initial results suggest that a careful quality assessment (i.e. visually inspecting the Green's functions and filtering to remove tremor) diminishes the effects of tremor and allows for resolution of relative velocity changes on the order of less than 1%. The observed velocity changes will be compared with known volcanic activity in space and time, and interpreted in view of underlying processes.

Modeling the Excitation of Seismic Waves by the Joplin Tornado

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valovcin, Anne; Tanimoto, Toshiro

2017-10-01

Tornadoes generate seismic signals when they contact the ground. Here we examine the signals excited by the Joplin tornado, which passed within 2 km of a station in the Earthscope Transportable Array. We model the tornado-generated vertical seismic signal at low frequencies (0.01-0.03 Hz) and solve for the strength of the seismic source. The resulting source amplitude is largest when the tornado was reported to be strongest (EF 4-5), and the amplitude is smallest when the tornado was weak (EF 0-2). A further understanding of the relationship between source amplitude and tornado intensity could open up new ways to study tornadoes from the ground.

Large-N Seismic Deployment at the Source Physics Experiment (SPE) Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, T.; Snelson, C. M.; Mellors, R. J.; Pitarka, A.

2015-12-01

The Source Physics Experiment (SPE) is multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary project that consists of a series of chemical explosion experiments at the Nevada National Security Site. The goal of SPE is to understand the complicated effect of earth structures on source energy partitioning and seismic wave propagation, develop and validate physics-based monitoring, and ultimately better discriminate low-yield nuclear explosions from background seismicity. Deployment of a large number of seismic sensors is planned for SPE to image the full 3-D wavefield with about 500 three-component sensors and 500 vertical component sensors. This large-N seismic deployment will operate near the site of SPE-5 shot for about one month, recording the SPE-5 shot, ambient noise, and additional controlled-sources. This presentation focuses on the design of the large-N seismic deployment. We show how we optimized the sensor layout based on the geological structure and experiment goals with a limited number of sensors. In addition, we will also show some preliminary record sections from deployment. This work was conducted under Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25946 with the U.S. Department of Energy.

Passive monitoring for near surface void detection using traffic as a seismic source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Y.; Kuzma, H. A.; Rector, J.; Nazari, S.

2009-12-01

In this poster we present preliminary results based on our several field experiments in which we study seismic detection of voids using a passive array of surface geophones. The source of seismic excitation is vehicle traffic on nearby roads, which we model as a continuous line source of seismic energy. Our passive seismic technique is based on cross-correlation of surface wave fields and studying the resulting power spectra, looking for "shadows" caused by the scattering effect of a void. High frequency noise masks this effect in the time domain, so it is difficult to see on conventional traces. Our technique does not rely on phase distortions caused by small voids because they are generally too tiny to measure. Unlike traditional impulsive seismic sources which generate highly coherent broadband signals, perfect for resolving phase but too weak for resolving amplitude, vehicle traffic affords a high power signal a frequency range which is optimal for finding shallow structures. Our technique results in clear detections of an abandoned railroad tunnel and a septic tank. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a technology for the simultaneous imaging of shallow underground structures and traffic monitoring near these structures.

Wireless acquisition of multi-channel seismic data using the Seismobile system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isakow, Zbigniew

2017-11-01

This paper describes the wireless acquisition of multi-channel seismic data using a specialized mobile system, Seismobile, designed for subsoil diagnostics for transportation routes. The paper presents examples of multi-channel seismic records obtained during system tests in a configuration with 96 channels (4 landstreamers of 24-channel) and various seismic sources. Seismic waves were generated at the same point using different sources: a 5-kg hammer, a Gisco's source with a 90-kg pile-driver, and two other the pile-drivers of 45 and 70 kg. Particular attention is paid to the synchronization of source timing, the measurement of geometry by autonomous GPS systems, and the repeatability of triggering measurements constrained by an accelerometer identifying the seismic waveform. The tests were designed to the registration, reliability, and range of the wireless transmission of survey signals. The effectiveness of the automatic numbering of measuring modules was tested as the system components were arranged and fixed to the streamers. After measurements were completed, the accuracy and speed of data downloading from the internal memory (SDHC 32GB WiFi) was determined. Additionally, the functionality of automatic battery recharging, the maximum survey duration, and the reliability of battery discharge signalling were assessed.

Monitoring glacier surface seismicity in time and space using Rayleigh waves

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mikesell, T. D.; Van Wijk, K.; Haney, Matthew M.; Bradford, J.H.; Marshall, Hans P.; Harper, J. T.

2012-01-01

Sliding glaciers and brittle ice failure generate seismic body and surface wave energy characteristic to the source mechanism. Here we analyze continuous seismic recordings from an array of nine short-period passive seismometers located on Bench Glacier, Alaska (USA) (61.033°N, 145.687°W). We focus on the arrival-time and amplitude information of the dominant Rayleigh wave phase. Over a 46-hour period we detect thousands of events using a cross-correlation based event identification method. Travel-time inversion of a subset of events (7% of the total) defines an active crevasse, propagating more than 200 meters in three hours. From the Rayleigh wave amplitudes, we estimate the amount of volumetric opening along the crevasse as well as an average bulk attenuation (  = 42) for the ice in this part of the glacier. With the remaining icequake signals we establish a diurnal periodicity in seismicity, indicating that surface run-off and subglacial water pressure changes likely control the triggering of these surface events. Furthermore, we find that these events are too weak (i.e., too noisy) to locate individually. However, stacking individual events increases the signal-to-noise ratio of the waveforms, implying that these periodic sources are effectively stationary during the recording period.

SIG-VISA: Signal-based Vertically Integrated Seismic Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, D.; Mayeda, K. M.; Myers, S. C.; Russell, S.

2013-12-01

Traditional seismic monitoring systems rely on discrete detections produced by station processing software; however, while such detections may constitute a useful summary of station activity, they discard large amounts of information present in the original recorded signal. We present SIG-VISA (Signal-based Vertically Integrated Seismic Analysis), a system for seismic monitoring through Bayesian inference on seismic signals. By directly modeling the recorded signal, our approach incorporates additional information unavailable to detection-based methods, enabling higher sensitivity and more accurate localization using techniques such as waveform matching. SIG-VISA's Bayesian forward model of seismic signal envelopes includes physically-derived models of travel times and source characteristics as well as Gaussian process (kriging) statistical models of signal properties that combine interpolation of historical data with extrapolation of learned physical trends. Applying Bayesian inference, we evaluate the model on earthquakes as well as the 2009 DPRK test event, demonstrating a waveform matching effect as part of the probabilistic inference, along with results on event localization and sensitivity. In particular, we demonstrate increased sensitivity from signal-based modeling, in which the SIGVISA signal model finds statistical evidence for arrivals even at stations for which the IMS station processing failed to register any detection.

A transparent and data-driven global tectonic regionalization model for seismic hazard assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yen-Shin; Weatherill, Graeme; Pagani, Marco; Cotton, Fabrice

2018-05-01

A key concept that is common to many assumptions inherent within seismic hazard assessment is that of tectonic similarity. This recognizes that certain regions of the globe may display similar geophysical characteristics, such as in the attenuation of seismic waves, the magnitude scaling properties of seismogenic sources or the seismic coupling of the lithosphere. Previous attempts at tectonic regionalization, particularly within a seismic hazard assessment context, have often been based on expert judgements; in most of these cases, the process for delineating tectonic regions is neither reproducible nor consistent from location to location. In this work, the regionalization process is implemented in a scheme that is reproducible, comprehensible from a geophysical rationale, and revisable when new relevant data are published. A spatial classification-scheme is developed based on fuzzy logic, enabling the quantification of concepts that are approximate rather than precise. Using the proposed methodology, we obtain a transparent and data-driven global tectonic regionalization model for seismic hazard applications as well as the subjective probabilities (e.g. degree of being active/degree of being cratonic) that indicate the degree to which a site belongs in a tectonic category.

An integrated investigation of the induced seismicity near Crooked Lake, Alberta, Canada in 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, R.; Gu, Y. J.; Shen, J.; Schultz, R.

2016-12-01

In the past three years, the Crooked Lake (or Fox Creek) region has become one of the most seismically active areas in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB), mostly attributable to hydraulic-fracturing operations on shale gas. Among the human-related earthquakes, the January 12, 2016 event (M = 4.1) not only triggered the "red light" provincial protocol, leading to the temporary suspension of a near-by injection well, but also set a new magnitude record for earthquakes in Alberta in the last decade. In this study, we determine the source parameters (e.g., magnitude, hypocenter location) of this earthquake and its aftershocks using full moment tensor inversions. Our findings are consistent with the anthropogenic origin of this earthquake and the source solution of the main shock shows a strike-slip mechanism with limited non-double-couple components ( 22%). The candidate fault orientations, which are predominantly N-S and E-W trending, are consistent with those of earlier events in this region but different from induced events in other parts in the WCSB. The inferred compressional axis is supported by crustal stress orientations extracted from bore-hole breakouts and the right-lateral fault is preferred by both seismic and aeromagnetic data. A further analysis of the waveforms from the near-source stations (<10 km) detected nearly 100 pre-/aftershocks within a week of this earthquake. Systematic differences in the waveforms between earthquake multiples before and after the master event suggest moderate changes of seismic velocity structures at the injection depth around the source area, possibly a reflection of fluid migration and/or changes in stress field. In short, our integrated study on the January 2016 earthquake cluster offers critical insights on the nature of induced earthquakes in the Crooked Lake region and other parts of the WCSB.

Near real-time estimation of the seismic source parameters in a compressed domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, Ismael A. Vera

Seismic events can be characterized by its origin time, location and moment tensor. Fast estimations of these source parameters are important in areas of geophysics like earthquake seismology, and the monitoring of seismic activity produced by volcanoes, mining operations and hydraulic injections in geothermal and oil and gas reservoirs. Most available monitoring systems estimate the source parameters in a sequential procedure: first determining origin time and location (e.g., epicentre, hypocentre or centroid of the stress glut density), and then using this information to initialize the evaluation of the moment tensor. A more efficient estimation of the source parameters requires a concurrent evaluation of the three variables. The main objective of the present thesis is to address the simultaneous estimation of origin time, location and moment tensor of seismic events. The proposed method displays the benefits of being: 1) automatic, 2) continuous and, depending on the scale of application, 3) of providing results in real-time or near real-time. The inversion algorithm is based on theoretical results from sparse representation theory and compressive sensing. The feasibility of implementation is determined through the analysis of synthetic and real data examples. The numerical experiments focus on the microseismic monitoring of hydraulic fractures in oil and gas wells, however, an example using real earthquake data is also presented for validation. The thesis is complemented with a resolvability analysis of the moment tensor. The analysis targets common monitoring geometries employed in hydraulic fracturing in oil wells. Additionally, it is presented an application of sparse representation theory for the denoising of one-component and three-component microseismicity records, and an algorithm for improved automatic time-picking using non-linear inversion constraints.

Seeking new potential in the early-late Permian Gharif Play, West Central Oman

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guit, F.; Al-Lawati, M.; Nederlof, P.

1995-08-01

West Central Oman is a relatively underexplored area where the hydrocarbons found to date occur mainly within the Early-Late Permian Gharif Formation. Structural definition of the low relief closures is hampered by seismic velocity variations caused by dune terrain. Recent exploration activity resulted in several Gharif discoveries, but highlighted reservoir distribution problems. The Gharif Formation, which consists of fluvio-marine sediments, conformably overlies the glacio-lacustine sediments of the Early Permian Al Khlata Formation. It is overlain by shallow marine carbonates of the Late Permian Khuff Formation, the main regional seal. The area is located distally from the main sediment sources tomore » the east. Reservoir development and lateral continuity are seen as the main risk. Most reservoirs are beyond seismic resolution, only the stacked sandstones of the incised valley fills could provide sufficient acoustic contrast to be recognized on seismic. Geochemical typing indicates that the hydrocarbons in the Gharif can be grouped in two main families: the Huqf and Q-hydrocarbons, which are believed to originate from Cambrian to Precambrian source rocks. Although the two hydrocarbon families are sometimes found in one well, they have very different spatial distributions. The Q-oils form continuous strings of accumulations below the main regional seal, whereas the Huqf hydrocarbons occur scattered throughout the area. Mixed accumulations are found where cross-faults or salt domes intercept a Q-oil fairway. Future exploration activities will be guided by refined sedimentological, stratigraphical and hydrocarbon migration models and by the continued efforts to recognize incised valley fills on seismic.« less

Central and Eastern United States (CEUS) Seismic Source Characterization (SSC) for Nuclear Facilities Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kevin J. Coppersmith; Lawrence A. Salomone; Chris W. Fuller

2012-01-31

This report describes a new seismic source characterization (SSC) model for the Central and Eastern United States (CEUS). It will replace the Seismic Hazard Methodology for the Central and Eastern United States, EPRI Report NP-4726 (July 1986) and the Seismic Hazard Characterization of 69 Nuclear Plant Sites East of the Rocky Mountains, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Model, (Bernreuter et al., 1989). The objective of the CEUS SSC Project is to develop a new seismic source model for the CEUS using a Senior Seismic Hazard Analysis Committee (SSHAC) Level 3 assessment process. The goal of the SSHAC process is to representmore » the center, body, and range of technically defensible interpretations of the available data, models, and methods. Input to a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) consists of both seismic source characterization and ground motion characterization. These two components are used to calculate probabilistic hazard results (or seismic hazard curves) at a particular site. This report provides a new seismic source model. Results and Findings The product of this report is a regional CEUS SSC model. This model includes consideration of an updated database, full assessment and incorporation of uncertainties, and the range of diverse technical interpretations from the larger technical community. The SSC model will be widely applicable to the entire CEUS, so this project uses a ground motion model that includes generic variations to allow for a range of representative site conditions (deep soil, shallow soil, hard rock). Hazard and sensitivity calculations were conducted at seven test sites representative of different CEUS hazard environments. Challenges and Objectives The regional CEUS SSC model will be of value to readers who are involved in PSHA work, and who wish to use an updated SSC model. This model is based on a comprehensive and traceable process, in accordance with SSHAC guidelines in NUREG/CR-6372, Recommendations for Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis: Guidance on Uncertainty and Use of Experts. The model will be used to assess the present-day composite distribution for seismic sources along with their characterization in the CEUS and uncertainty. In addition, this model is in a form suitable for use in PSHA evaluations for regulatory activities, such as Early Site Permit (ESPs) and Combined Operating License Applications (COLAs). Applications, Values, and Use Development of a regional CEUS seismic source model will provide value to those who (1) have submitted an ESP or COLA for Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) review before 2011; (2) will submit an ESP or COLA for NRC review after 2011; (3) must respond to safety issues resulting from NRC Generic Issue 199 (GI-199) for existing plants and (4) will prepare PSHAs to meet design and periodic review requirements for current and future nuclear facilities. This work replaces a previous study performed approximately 25 years ago. Since that study was completed, substantial work has been done to improve the understanding of seismic sources and their characterization in the CEUS. Thus, a new regional SSC model provides a consistent, stable basis for computing PSHA for a future time span. Use of a new SSC model reduces the risk of delays in new plant licensing due to more conservative interpretations in the existing and future literature. Perspective The purpose of this study, jointly sponsored by EPRI, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the NRC was to develop a new CEUS SSC model. The team assembled to accomplish this purpose was composed of distinguished subject matter experts from industry, government, and academia. The resulting model is unique, and because this project has solicited input from the present-day larger technical community, it is not likely that there will be a need for significant revision for a number of years. See also Sponsors Perspective for more details. The goal of this project was to implement the CEUS SSC work plan for developing a regional CEUS SSC model. The work plan, formulated by the project manager and a technical integration team, consists of a series of tasks designed to meet the project objectives. This report was reviewed by a participatory peer review panel (PPRP), sponsor reviewers, the NRC, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other stakeholders. Comments from the PPRP and other reviewers were considered when preparing the report. The SSC model was completed at the end of 2011.« less

Analysis shear wave velocity structure obtained from surface wave methods in Bornova, Izmir

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pamuk, Eren, E-mail: eren.pamuk@deu.edu.tr; Akgün, Mustafa, E-mail: mustafa.akgun@deu.edu.tr; Özdağ, Özkan Cevdet, E-mail: cevdet.ozdag@deu.edu.tr

2016-04-18

Properties of the soil from the bedrock is necessary to describe accurately and reliably for the reduction of earthquake damage. Because seismic waves change their amplitude and frequency content owing to acoustic impedance difference between soil and bedrock. Firstly, shear wave velocity and depth information of layers on bedrock is needed to detect this changing. Shear wave velocity can be obtained using inversion of Rayleigh wave dispersion curves obtained from surface wave methods (MASW- the Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves, ReMi-Refraction Microtremor, SPAC-Spatial Autocorrelation). While research depth is limeted in active source study, a passive source methods are utilized formore » deep depth which is not reached using active source methods. ReMi method is used to determine layer thickness and velocity up to 100 m using seismic refraction measurement systems.The research carried out up to desired depth depending on radius using SPAC which is utilized easily in conditions that district using of seismic studies in the city. Vs profiles which are required to calculate deformations in under static and dynamic loads can be obtained with high resolution using combining rayleigh wave dispersion curve obtained from active and passive source methods. In the this study, Surface waves data were collected using the measurements of MASW, ReMi and SPAC at the İzmir Bornova region. Dispersion curves obtained from surface wave methods were combined in wide frequency band and Vs-depth profiles were obtained using inversion. Reliability of the resulting soil profiles were provided by comparison with theoretical transfer function obtained from soil paremeters and observed soil transfer function from Nakamura technique and by examination of fitting between these functions. Vs values are changed between 200-830 m/s and engineering bedrock (Vs>760 m/s) depth is approximately 150 m.« less

Seismotectonics of the May 19, 2011 Simav- Kutahya Earthquake Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komec Mutlu, Ahu

2014-05-01

Aftershock sequence of May 19, 2011 Simav earthquake (Mw = 5.8) is relocated with a new 1-D seismic velocity model and focal mechanisms of largest aftershocks are determined. The May 19, 2011 Simav-Kutahya earthquake is occured in the most seismically active region of western Turkey. During six months after the mainshock, more than 5000 earthquakes are recorded and aftershocks followed over a period of almost two years. In this study, more than 7600 aftershocks occured between years 2011 and 2012 with magnitudes greater than 1.8 relocated. Waveform data is collected by 13 three component seismic stations from three different networks (Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (NEMC-National Earthquake Monitoring Center), Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, Department of Earthquake and Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University Geophysics Department). These seismic stations are deployed closer than 80 km epicentral distance in the Simav-Kutahya. Average crustal velocity and average crustal thickness for the region are computed as 5.68 km/sn and 37.6 km, respectively. The source mechanism of fifty aftershocks with magnitudes greater than 4.0 are derived from first motion P phases. Analysis of focal mechanisms indicate mainly normal fault motions with oblique slip.

Relocating San Miguel Volcanic Seismic Events for Receiver Functions and Tomographic Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patlan, E.; Velasco, A. A.; Konter, J.

2009-12-01

The San Miguel volcano lies near the city of San Miguel, El Salvador (13.43N and -88.26W). San Miguel volcano, an active stratovolcano, presents a significant natural hazard for the city of San Miguel. Furthermore, the internal state and activity of volcanoes remains an important component to understanding volcanic hazard. The main technology for addressing volcanic hazards and processes is through the analysis of data collected from the deployment of seismic sensors that record ground motion. Six UTEP seismic stations were deployed around San Miguel volcano from 2007-2008 to define the magma chamber and assess the seismic and volcanic hazard. We utilize these data to develop images of the earth structure beneath the volcano, studying the volcanic processes by identifying different sources, and investigating the role of earthquakes and faults in controlling the volcanic processes. We will calculate receiver functions to determine the thickness of San Miguel volcano internal structure, within the Caribbean plate. Crustal thicknesses will be modeled using calculated receiver functions from both theoretical and hand-picked P-wave arrivals. We will use this information derived from receiver functions, along with P-wave delay times, to map the location of the magma chamber.

Ambient seismic noise interferometry in Hawai'i reveals long-range observability of volcanic tremor

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ballmer, Silke; Wolfe, Cecily; Okubo, Paul G.; Haney, Matt; Thurber, Clifford H.

2013-01-01

The use of seismic noise interferometry to retrieve Green's functions and the analysis of volcanic tremor are both useful in studying volcano dynamics. Whereas seismic noise interferometry allows long-range extraction of interpretable signals from a relatively weak noise wavefield, the characterization of volcanic tremor often requires a dense seismic array close to the source. We here show that standard processing of seismic noise interferometry yields volcanic tremor signals observable over large distances exceeding 50 km. Our study comprises 2.5 yr of data from the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory short period seismic network. Examining more than 700 station pairs, we find anomalous and temporally coherent signals that obscure the Green's functions. The time windows and frequency bands of these anomalous signals correspond well with the characteristics of previously studied volcanic tremor sources at Pu'u 'Ō'ō and Halema'uma'u craters. We use the derived noise cross-correlation functions to perform a grid-search for source location, confirming that these signals are surface waves originating from the known tremor sources. A grid-search with only distant stations verifies that useful tremor signals can indeed be recovered far from the source. Our results suggest that the specific data processing in seismic noise interferometry—typically used for Green's function retrieval—can aid in the study of both the wavefield and source location of volcanic tremor over large distances. In view of using the derived Green's functions to image heterogeneity and study temporal velocity changes at volcanic regions, however, our results illustrate how care should be taken when contamination by tremor may be present.

Features of Radiation and Propagation of Seismic Waves in the Northern Caucasus: Manifestations in Regional Coda

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kromskii, S. D.; Pavlenko, O. V.; Gabsatarova, I. P.

2018-03-01

Based on the Anapa (ANN) seismic station records of 40 earthquakes ( M W > 3.9) that occurred within 300 km of the station since 2002 up to the present time, the source parameters and quality factor of the Earth's crust ( Q( f)) and upper mantle are estimated for the S-waves in the 1-8 Hz frequency band. The regional coda analysis techniques which allow separating the effects associated with seismic source (source effects) and with the propagation path of seismic waves (path effects) are employed. The Q-factor estimates are obtained in the form Q( f) = 90 × f 0.7 for the epicentral distances r < 120 km and in the form Q( f) = 90 × f1.0 for r > 120 km. The established Q( f) and source parameters are close to the estimates for Central Japan, which is probably due to the similar tectonic structure of the regions. The shapes of the source parameters are found to be independent of the magnitude of the earthquakes in the magnitude range 3.9-5.6; however, the radiation of the high-frequency components ( f > 4-5 Hz) is enhanced with the depth of the source (down to h 60 km). The estimates Q( f) of the quality factor determined from the records by the Sochi, Anapa, and Kislovodsk seismic stations allowed a more accurate determination of the seismic moments and magnitudes of the Caucasian earthquakes. The studies will be continued for obtaining the Q( f) estimates, geometrical spreading functions, and frequency-dependent amplification of seismic waves in the Earth's crust in the other regions of the Northern Caucasus.

Large Torque Variations in Two Soft Gamma Repeaters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woods, Peter M.; Kouveliotou, Chryssa; Gogus, Ersin; Finger, Mark H.; Swank, Jean; Markwardt, Craig B.; Hurley, Kevin; vanderKlis, Michiel

2002-01-01

We have monitored the pulse frequencies of the two soft gamma repeaters SGR 1806-20 and SGR 1900+14 through the beginning of year 2001 using primarily Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer Proportional Counter Array observations. In both sources, we observe large changes in the spin-down torque up to a factor of approximately 4, which persist for several months. Using long-baseline phase-connected timing solutions as well as the overall frequency histories, we construct torque noise power spectra for each SGR (Soft Gamma Repeater). The power spectrum of each source is very red (power-law slope is approximately -3.5). The torque noise power levels are consistent with some accreting systems on timescales of approximately 1 yr, yet the full power spectrum is much steeper in frequency than any known accreting source. To the best of our knowledge, torque noise power spectra with a comparably steep frequency dependence have been seen only in young, glitching radio pulsars (e.g., Vela). The observed changes in spin-down rate do not correlate with burst activity; therefore, the physical mechanisms behind each phenomenon are also likely unrelated. Within the context of the magnetar model, seismic activity can not account for both the bursts and the long-term torque changes unless the seismically active regions are decoupled from one another.

Regional Observation of Seismic Activity in Baekdu Mountain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Geunyoung; Che, Il-Young; Shin, Jin-Soo; Chi, Heon-Cheol

2015-04-01

Seismic unrest in Baekdu Mountain area between North Korea and Northeast China region has called attention to geological research community in Northeast Asia due to her historical and cultural importance. Seismic bulletin shows level of seismic activity in the area is higher than that of Jilin Province of Northeast China. Local volcanic observation shows a symptom of magmatic unrest in period between 2002 and 2006. Regional seismic data have been used to analyze seismic activity of the area. The seismic activity could be differentiated from other seismic phenomena in the region by the analysis.

Space and time distribution of foci and source-mechanisms of West-Bohemia/Vogtland earthquake swarms - a tool for insight into their triggering mechanisms and driving forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horalek, Josef; Fischer, Tomas; Cermakova, Hana

2013-04-01

West Bohemia/Vogtland (border area between Czech Republic and Germany) belongs to the most active intraplate earthquake-swarm regions in Europe. Above, this area is characteristic by high activity of crustal fluids. Swarm earthquakes with magnitudes ML < 4.0 occur frequently in the area of about 3 000 km2, however, the Nový Kostel focal zone (NK), which shows a few tens of thousands events within the last twenty years, dominates the recent seismicity of the whole region. During last fifteen years there were four earthquake swarms in 1997, 2000, 2008 and 20011 (besides a few tens of microswarms) encompassing a fault plane of about 15 x 6 km. The swarms were located close to each other. Moreover, the 2000 (MLmax = 3.3) and 2008 (MLmax = 3.8) swarms were "twins", i.e. their hypocenters fall precisely on the same portion of the NK fault plane; and the 1997 (MLmax = 2.9) and 2011 (MLmax = 3.6) swarms also occurred on the same fault segment. However, the individual swarms differed considerably in their evolution, mainly in the rate of the seismic-moment release and foci migration. Source mechanisms (in the full moment-tensor description) and their time and space variations also show different patterns. All the 2000- and 2008-swarm events were pure shears, most of them showing the oblique normal faulting. Although source mechanisms of majority of the 2000- and 2008 events signify the faulting parallel to the main NK fault plane, there is a significant amount of events having different source mechanisms. We also found alteration of the source mechanisms with depths. The 1997 and 2011 swarms took place on two differently oriented fault segments thus two different source mechanisms occurred: the oblique-normal on the one segment and the oblique-thrust type on the other one. Moreover, source mechanisms of the oblique thrust events suggest combined sources (possessing significant non-DC components). This indicates complexity of both NK focal zone (where earthquake swarms have periodically occurred) and rupturing in the individual swarms. Similar pattern of the strain energy release we disclosed for seismicity due to fluid injection into deep boreholes at HDR site Soultz-sous-Forêts (France) in 2003. We analyzed the spatial and temporal distribution of micro-earthquakes and their source mechanisms and found that injected fluids triggered large seismicity (pure-shear events) at two existing natural fault segments, which ran independently of the injection strategy. Taking into account all our results, we can conclude that earthquake swarms occur on short subcritically loaded fault segments which are affected by crustal fluids. Pressurized fluids reduced normal component of the tectonic stress and lower friction, thus decrease the shear strength of the medium (in terms of Coulomb friction criterion). On critically loaded and favourably oriented fault segments the swarm activity is driven by the differential local stress, the shear rupturing occurs.

Constructing new seismograms from old earthquakes: Retrospective seismology at multiple length scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Entwistle, Elizabeth; Curtis, Andrew; Galetti, Erica; Baptie, Brian; Meles, Giovanni

2015-04-01

If energy emitted by a seismic source such as an earthquake is recorded on a suitable backbone array of seismometers, source-receiver interferometry (SRI) is a method that allows those recordings to be projected to the location of another target seismometer, providing an estimate of the seismogram that would have been recorded at that location. Since the other seismometer may not have been deployed at the time the source occurred, this renders possible the concept of 'retrospective seismology' whereby the installation of a sensor at one period of time allows the construction of virtual seismograms as though that sensor had been active before or after its period of installation. Using the benefit of hindsight of earthquake location or magnitude estimates, SRI can establish new measurement capabilities closer to earthquake epicenters, thus potentially improving earthquake location estimates. Recently we showed that virtual SRI seismograms can be constructed on target sensors in both industrial seismic and earthquake seismology settings, using both active seismic sources and ambient seismic noise to construct SRI propagators, and on length scales ranging over 5 orders of magnitude from ~40 m to ~2500 km[1]. Here we present the results from earthquake seismology by comparing virtual earthquake seismograms constructed at target sensors by SRI to those actually recorded on the same sensors. We show that spatial integrations required by interferometric theory can be calculated over irregular receiver arrays by embedding these arrays within 2D spatial Voronoi cells, thus improving spatial interpolation and interferometric results. The results of SRI are significantly improved by restricting the backbone receiver array to include approximately those receivers that provide a stationary phase contribution to the interferometric integrals. We apply both correlation-correlation and correlation-convolution SRI, and show that the latter constructs virtual seismograms with fewer non-physical arrivals. Finally we reconstruct earthquake seismograms at sensors that were previously active but were subsequently removed before the earthquakes occurred; thus we create virtual earthquake seismograms at those sensors, truly retrospectively. Such SRI seismograms can be used to create a catalogue of new, virtual earthquake seismograms that are available to complement real earthquake data in future earthquake seismology studies. [1]E. Entwistle, Curtis, A., Galetti, E., Baptie, B., Meles, G., Constructing new seismograms from old earthquakes: Retrospective seismology at multiple length scales, JGR, in press.

Seismic hazard assessment of the Province of Murcia (SE Spain): analysis of source contribution to hazard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Mayordomo, J.; Gaspar-Escribano, J. M.; Benito, B.

2007-10-01

A probabilistic seismic hazard assessment of the Province of Murcia in terms of peak ground acceleration (PGA) and spectral accelerations [SA( T)] is presented in this paper. In contrast to most of the previous studies in the region, which were performed for PGA making use of intensity-to-PGA relationships, hazard is here calculated in terms of magnitude and using European spectral ground-motion models. Moreover, we have considered the most important faults in the region as specific seismic sources, and also comprehensively reviewed the earthquake catalogue. Hazard calculations are performed following the Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment (PSHA) methodology using a logic tree, which accounts for three different seismic source zonings and three different ground-motion models. Hazard maps in terms of PGA and SA(0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 s) and coefficient of variation (COV) for the 475-year return period are shown. Subsequent analysis is focused on three sites of the province, namely, the cities of Murcia, Lorca and Cartagena, which are important industrial and tourism centres. Results at these sites have been analysed to evaluate the influence of the different input options. The most important factor affecting the results is the choice of the attenuation relationship, whereas the influence of the selected seismic source zonings appears strongly site dependant. Finally, we have performed an analysis of source contribution to hazard at each of these cities to provide preliminary guidance in devising specific risk scenarios. We have found that local source zones control the hazard for PGA and SA( T ≤ 1.0 s), although contribution from specific fault sources and long-distance north Algerian sources becomes significant from SA(0.5 s) onwards.

Ultrahigh-Resolution 3-Dimensional Seismic Imaging of Seeps from the Continental Slope of the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Subsurface, Seafloor and Into the Water Column

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brookshire, B. N., Jr.; Mattox, B. A.; Parish, A. E.; Burks, A. G.

2016-02-01

Utilizing recently advanced ultrahigh-resolution 3-dimensional (UHR3D) seismic tools we have imaged the seafloor geomorphology and associated subsurface aspects of seep related expulsion features along the continental slope of the northern Gulf of Mexico with unprecedented clarity and continuity. Over an area of approximately 400 km2, over 50 discrete features were identified and three general seafloor geomorphologies indicative of seep activity including mounds, depressions and bathymetrically complex features were quantitatively characterized. Moreover, areas of high seafloor reflectivity indicative of mineralization and areas of coherent seismic amplitude anomalies in the near-seafloor water column indicative of active gas expulsion were identified. In association with these features, shallow source gas accumulations and migration pathways based on salt related stratigraphic uplift and faulting were imaged. Shallow, bottom simulating reflectors (BSRs) interpreted to be free gas trapped under near seafloor gas hydrate accumulations were very clearly imaged.

High impact mass drops from helicopter: A new active seismic source method applied in an active volcanic setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jolly, A. D.; Chardot, L.; Neuberg, J.; Fournier, N.; Scott, B. J.; Sherburn, S.

2012-06-01

We obtain estimates of the seismic velocity and attenuation for White Island volcano by use of high-impact sand-bag drops from helicopter. Three drops were attempted, two at either end of a 6-station linear array within the crater floor, and the third in the volcano's crater lake. The bags were dropped from ˜310-380 m height and contained ˜700 kg of sand. The impact velocity was estimated at ˜60-70 m/s yielding a kinetic energy of about 106 Nm, giving P-wave onsets to a distance of ˜1 km. We obtained a seismic velocity estimate of Vp = 1.2 km/s for the unconsolidated crater floor and Vp = 2.2 km/s for rays traversing through consolidated rock outside the crater. Attenuation was very strong (Q < 10) for both consolidated and unconsolidated parts of the volcano. This trial shows that low cost helicopter mass drops can be successfully applied to safely determine sub-surface properties at hazardous volcanoes.

Response in thermal neutrons intensity on the activation of seismic processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonova, Valentina; Chubenko, Alexandr; Kryukov, Sergey; Lutsenko, Vadim

2017-04-01

Results of study of thermal and high-energy neutrons intensity during the activation of seismic activity are presented. Installations are located close to the fault of the earth's crust at the high-altitude station of cosmic rays (3340 m above sea level, 20 km from Almaty) in the mountains of Northern Tien-Shan. High correlation and similarity of responses to changes of space and geophysical conditions in the absence of seismic activity are obtained between data of thermal neutron detectors and data of the standard neutron monitor, recording the intensity of high-energy particles. These results confirm the genetic connection of thermal neutrons at the Earth's surface with high-energy neutrons of the galactic origin and suggest same sources of disturbances of their flux. However, observations and analysis of experimental data during the activation of seismic activity showed the frequent breakdown of the correlation between the intensity of thermal and high-energy neutrons and the absence of similarity between variations during these periods. We suppose that the cause of this phenomenon is the additional thermal neutron flux of the lithospheric origin, which appears under these conditions. Method of separating of thermal neutron intensity variations of the lithospheric origin from neutrons variations generated in the atmosphere is proposed. We used this method for analysis of variations of thermal neutrons intensity during earthquakes (with intensity ≥ 3b) in the vicinity of Almaty which took place in 2006-2015. The increase of thermal neutrons flux of the lithospheric origin during of seismic processes activation was observed for 60% of events. However, before the earthquake the increase of thermal neutron flux is only observed for 25-30% of events. It is shown that the amplitude of the additional thermal neutron flux from the Earth's crust is equal to 5-7% of the background level.

Characteristics of the recent seismic activity on a near-shore fault south of Malta, Central Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bozionelos, George; Galea, Pauline; D'Amico, Sebastiano; Agius, Matthew

2017-04-01

The tectonic setting of the Maltese islands is mainly influenced by two dominant rift systems belonging to different ages and having different trends. The first and older rift created the horst and graben structure in northern Malta. The second rift generation, in the south, including the Maghlaq Fault, is associated with the Pantelleria Rift. The Maghlaq Fault is a spectacular NW - SE trending and left-stepping normal fault running along the southern coastline of the Maltese islands, cutting the Oligo-Miocene pre to syn-rift carbonates. Its surface expression is traceable along 4 km of the coastline, where vertical displacements of the island's Tertiary stratigraphic sequence are clearly visible and exceed 210m. These displacements have given rise to sheer, slickensided fault scarps, as well as isolating the small island of Filfla 4km offshore the southern coast. Identification and assessment of the seismic activity related with Maghlaq fault, for the recent years, is performed, re-evaluating and redetermining the hypocentral locations and the source parameters of both recent and older events. The earthquakes that have affected the Maltese islands in the historical past, have occurred mainly at the Sicily Channel, at eastern Sicily, even as far away as the Hellenic arc. Some of these earthquakes also have caused considerable damage to buildings. The Maghlaq fault is believed to be one of the master faults of the Sicily Channel Rift, being parallel to the Malta graben, which passes around 20km south of Malta and shows continuous seismic activity. Despite the relationship of this fault with the graben system, no seismic activity on the Maghlaq fault had been documented previous to 2015. On the July 30nth 2015, an earthquake was widely felt in the southern half of Malta and was approximately located just offshore the southern coast. Since then, a swarm of seismic events lasting several days, as well as other isolated events have occurred, indicating the fault to be seismically active. Investigation of the nature of the seismic events and other previous activity that may have been misclassified due to poor location capability, is performed. Such results are of utmost importance in order to reveal the implication of this newly-discovered activity on the seismic hazard to the Maltese islands and also to improve understanding of the local geodynamics, highlighting the mechanisms that contribute to both the crustal deformation and the tectonics of the upper crust. The investigation is carried out using the stations of the recently extended Malta Seismic Network and regional stations. The results are evaluated in the context of the role of the Maghlaq fault in the extensional tectonics associated with the Sicily Channel Rift and the African continental margin.

Investigation of Volcanic Seismo-Acoustic Signals: Applying Subspace Detection to Lava Fountain Activity at Etna Volcano

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sciotto, M.; Rowe, C. A.; Cannata, A.; Arrowsmith, S.; Privitera, E.; Gresta, S.

2011-12-01

The current eruption of Mount Etna, which began in January, 2011, has produced numerous energetic episodes of lava fountaining, which have bee recorded by the INGV seismic and acoustic sensors located on and around the volcano. The source of these events was the pit crater on the east flank of the Southeast crater of Etna. Simultaneously, small levels of activity were noted in the Bocca Nuova as well, prior to its lava fountaining activity. We will present an analysis of seismic and acoustic signals related to the 2011 activity wherein we apply the method of subspace detection to determine whether the source exhibits a temporal evolution within or between fountaining events, or otherwise produces repeating, classifiable events occurring through the continuous explosive degassing. We will examine not only the raw waveforms, but also spectral variations in time as well as time-varying statistical functions such as signal skewness and kurtosis. These results will be compared to straightforward cross-correlation analysis. In addition to classification performance, the subspace method has promise to outperform standard STA/LTA methods for real-time event detection in cases where similar events can be expected.

Earthquake Forecasting in Northeast India using Energy Blocked Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohapatra, A. K.; Mohanty, D. K.

2009-12-01

In the present study, the cumulative seismic energy released by earthquakes (M ≥ 5) for a period 1897 to 2007 is analyzed for Northeast (NE) India. It is one of the most seismically active regions of the world. The occurrence of three great earthquakes like 1897 Shillong plateau earthquake (Mw= 8.7), 1934 Bihar Nepal earthquake with (Mw= 8.3) and 1950 Upper Assam earthquake (Mw= 8.7) signify the possibility of great earthquakes in future from this region. The regional seismicity map for the study region is prepared by plotting the earthquake data for the period 1897 to 2007 from the source like USGS,ISC catalogs, GCMT database, Indian Meteorological department (IMD). Based on the geology, tectonic and seismicity the study region is classified into three source zones such as Zone 1: Arakan-Yoma zone (AYZ), Zone 2: Himalayan Zone (HZ) and Zone 3: Shillong Plateau zone (SPZ). The Arakan-Yoma Range is characterized by the subduction zone, developed by the junction of the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It shows a dense clustering of earthquake events and the 1908 eastern boundary earthquake. The Himalayan tectonic zone depicts the subduction zone, and the Assam syntaxis. This zone suffered by the great earthquakes like the 1950 Assam, 1934 Bihar and the 1951 Upper Himalayan earthquakes with Mw > 8. The Shillong Plateau zone was affected by major faults like the Dauki fault and exhibits its own style of the prominent tectonic features. The seismicity and hazard potential of Shillong Plateau is distinct from the Himalayan thrust. Using energy blocked model by Tsuboi, the forecasting of major earthquakes for each source zone is estimated. As per the energy blocked model, the supply of energy for potential earthquakes in an area is remarkably uniform with respect to time and the difference between the supply energy and cumulative energy released for a span of time, is a good indicator of energy blocked and can be utilized for the forecasting of major earthquakes. The proposed process provides a more consistent model of gradual accumulation of strain and non-uniform release through large earthquakes and can be applied in the evaluation of seismic risk. The cumulative seismic energy released by major earthquakes throughout the period from 1897 to 2007 of last 110 years in the all the zones are calculated and plotted. The plot gives characteristics curve for each zone. Each curve is irregular, reflecting occasional high activity. The maximum earthquake energy available at a particular time in a given area is given by S. The difference between the theoretical upper limit given by S and the cumulative energy released up to that time is calculated to find out the maximum magnitude of an earthquake which can occur in future. Energy blocked of the three source regions are 1.35*1017 Joules, 4.25*1017 Joules and 0.12*1017 in Joules respectively for source zone 1, 2 and 3, as a supply for potential earthquakes in due course of time. The predicted maximum magnitude (mmax) obtained for each source zone AYZ, HZ, and SPZ are 8.2, 8.6, and 8.4 respectively by this model. This study is also consistent with the previous predicted results by other workers.

A Fracture Decoupling Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stroujkova, A. F.; Bonner, J. L.; Leidig, M.; Ferris, A. N.; Kim, W.; Carnevale, M.; Rath, T.; Lewkowicz, J.

2012-12-01

Multiple observations made at the Semipalatinsk Test Site suggest that conducting nuclear tests in the fracture zones left by previous explosions results in decreased seismic amplitudes for the second nuclear tests (or "repeat shots"). Decreased seismic amplitudes reduce both the probability of detection and the seismically estimated yield of a "repeat shot". In order to define the physical mechanism responsible for the amplitude reduction and to quantify the degree of the amplitude reduction in fractured rocks, Weston Geophysical Corp., in collaboration with Columbia University's Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, conducted a multi-phase Fracture Decoupling Experiment (FDE) in central New Hampshire. The FDE involved conducting explosions of various yields in the damage/fracture zones of previously detonated explosions. In order to quantify rock damage after the blasts we performed well logging and seismic cross-hole tomography studies of the source region. Significant seismic velocity reduction was observed around the source regions after the initial explosions. Seismic waves produced by the explosions were recorded at near-source and local seismic networks, as well as several regional stations throughout northern New England. Our analysis confirms frequency dependent seismic amplitude reduction for the repeat shots compared to the explosions in un-fractured rocks. The amplitude reduction is caused by pore closing and/or by frictional losses within the fractured media.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, Paul A.

Nonlinear dynamics induced by seismic sources and seismic waves are common in Earth. Observations range from seismic strong ground motion (the most damaging aspect of earthquakes), intense near-source effects, and distant nonlinear effects from the source that have important consequences. The distant effects include dynamic earthquake triggering-one of the most fascinating topics in seismology today-which may be elastically nonlinearly driven. Dynamic earthquake triggering is the phenomenon whereby seismic waves generated from one earthquake trigger slip events on a nearby or distant fault. Dynamic triggering may take place at distances thousands of kilometers from the triggering earthquake, and includes triggering ofmore » the entire spectrum of slip behaviors currently identified. These include triggered earthquakes and triggered slow, silent-slip during which little seismic energy is radiated. It appears that the elasticity of the fault gouge-the granular material located between the fault blocks-is key to the triggering phenomenon.« less

Crustal architecture of the eastern margin of Japan Sea: back-arc basin opening and contraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

No, T.; Sato, T.; Takahashi, N.; Kodaira, S.; Kaneda, Y.; Ishiyama, T.; Sato, H.

2012-12-01

Although large earthquakes such as the 1964 Niigata earthquake (M 7.5), 1983 Nihonkai-Chubu earthquake (M 7.8), and 1993 Hokkaido Nansei-Oki earthquake (M 7.8) have caused large amounts of damage to the eastern margin of the Japan Sea, a substantial number of seismic studies have been conducted for the seismogenic zone on the Pacific Ocean side of Japan. In addition, the detail of the source fault model for the eastern margin of the Japan Sea is not well defined for all cases. This highlights the need for further studies to investigate seismic imaging. Therefore, we have collaborated with other Japanese research institutions for a project titled "Priority Investigations of Strain Concentration Areas" (which is funded by Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology, Japan). This project has conducted seismic surveys from 2009 to 2012 using the deep-sea research vessel, Kairei, from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. There is a strain concentration area in the eastern part of the survey area (Okamura et al., 1995). The western part of the survey area includes the Yamato Basin and Japan Basin. It is very important to study the crustal structure in the seismotectonic studies of the eastern margin of the Japan Sea. We conducted a marine seismic survey by using a multichannel seismic (MCS) system and ocean bottom seismographs (OBSs) along the eastern margin of the Japan Sea. Seismic data were acquired along 42 lines with a total length of approximately 9,000 km. The following results were obtained from seismic imaging. On the basis of the results of the MCS imaging, active reverse faults and folds were observed in the margin of the Toyama Trough; however, the sedimentary layers in the trough were flat. In the sedimentary layers and crusts of the Sado Ridge, Mogami Trough, and source area of the 1964 Niigata earthquake located north of the Sado Island, greater deformation was observed. The deformation weakened toward the Yamato Basin and Japan Basin; however, the development of an asymmetric anticline and its associated reverse fault was observed off Akita prefecture, which could indicate a very recent growth structure. This development is associated with an active structure on the southern extension of the fault that caused the 1983 Nihonkai-Chubu Earthquake. On the other hand, the results from the seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection imaging using OBSs indicated that the area from the basin to the continental shelf, including the source area of the 1964 Niigata Earthquake, and the island arc crust had a large lateral variation in the upper and middle crust. In contrast, beneath the source area of the 1983 Nihonkai-Chubu Earthquake, the crustal structure is interpreted as a transitional crust between oceanic and island arc crusts, with larger variation in the P-wave velocity than those of the surrounding areas. Furthermore, the crust of the Yamato Basin area is thicker than a typical oceanic crust, whereas the crust of the Japan Basin area is similar to a typical oceanic crust.

Recent faulting in western Nevada revealed by multi-scale seismic reflection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frary, Roxanna N.; Louie, John N.; Stephenson, William J.; Odum, Jackson K.; Kell, Annie; Eisses, Amy; Kent, Graham M.; Driscoll, Neal W.; Karlin, Robert; Baskin, Robert L.; Pullammanappallil, Satish; Liberty, Lee M.

2011-01-01

The main goal of this study is to compare different reflection methods used to image subsurface structure within different physical environments in western Nevada. With all the methods employed, the primary goal is fault imaging for structural information toward geothermal exploration and seismic hazard estimation. We use seismic CHIRP (a swept-frequency marine acquisition system), weight drop (an accelerated hammer source), and two different vibroseis systems to characterize fault structure. We focused our efforts in the Reno metropolitan area and the area within and surrounding Pyramid Lake in northern Nevada. These different methods have provided valuable constraints on the fault geometry and activity, as well as associated fluid movement. These are critical in evaluating the potential for large earthquakes in these areas, and geothermal exploration possibilities near these structures.

Catalog of offshore seismicity in Cascadia: Insights into the regional distribution of microseismicity and its relation to subduction processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stone, I.; Vidale, J. E.; Han, S.; Roland, E. C.

2017-12-01

We present a catalog of offshore seismicity generated from Cascadia Initiative OBS data. The catalog, which records 271 earthquakes along the coasts of Washington, Oregon, Northern California, and Vancouver Island, spans all 4 years of the OBS deployment and shows distinct along-strike variations in seismicity. Within the subduction zone, seismicity increases significantly from north to south, following trends in decreasing sediment thickness and increasing internal deformation of the incoming plate. Seismicity is sparse off the coasts of Vancouver Island and Washington (49-46°N), but abruptly increases south of the Washington/Oregon border. Off Northern and Central Oregon, widespread earthquakes are observed near the interface between 46 and 45°N, as well as at the previously identified clusters of seismicity off Newport, Oregon. South of Cape Blanco ( 43°N), seismicity is abundant and distributed across a large depth range. We locate an additional 440 events seaward of the deformation front, which show that rates of seismicity are higher in the Juan de Fuca plate south of 46°N, consistent with internal deformation trends observed during recent active source seismic reflection/refraction studies. Our observations imply that the smoothness and degree of hydration of the incoming plate, which are linked to the amount of underthrust sediment and amount of intraplate deformation, are major contributing factors to the distribution of microseismicity in the Cascadia Subduction Zone

Magma migration at the onset of the 2012-13 Tolbachik eruption revealed by Seismic Amplitude Ratio Analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taisne, B.; Caudron, C.; Kugaenko, Y.; Saltykov, V.

2015-12-01

In contrast of the 1975-76 Tolbachik eruption, the 2012-2013 Tolbachik eruption was not preceded by any striking change in seismic activity. By processing the Klyuchevskoy volcano group seismic data with the Seismic Amplitude Ratio Analysis (SARA) method, we gain insights into the dynamics of magma transfer prior to this important eruption. We highlighted a clear migration of the source of the microseismicity within the seismic swarm, starting 20 hours before the reported eruption onset (05:15 UTC, 26 November 2012). This migration proceeded in different phases and ended when eruptive tremor, corresponding to lava extrusion, was recorded (at ~11:00 UTC, 27 November 2012). In order to get a first order approximation of the location of the magma, we compare the calculated seismic intensity ratios with the theoretical ones. As expected, the observations suggest a migration toward the eruptive vent. However, we explain the pre-eruptive observed ratios by a vertical migration under the northern slope of Plosky Tolbachik volcano that would interact at shallower depth with an intermediate storage region and initiate the lateral migration toward the eruptive vents. Another migration is also captured by this technique and coincides with a seismic swarm that started 16-20 km to the south of Plosky Tolbachik at 20:31 UTC on November 28 and lasted for more than 2 days. This seismic swarm is very similar to the seismicity preceding the 1975-76 Tolbachik eruption and can be considered as a possible aborted eruption.

When probabilistic seismic hazard climbs volcanoes: the Mt. Etna case, Italy - Part 1: Model components for sources parameterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azzaro, Raffaele; Barberi, Graziella; D'Amico, Salvatore; Pace, Bruno; Peruzza, Laura; Tuvè, Tiziana

2017-11-01

The volcanic region of Mt. Etna (Sicily, Italy) represents a perfect lab for testing innovative approaches to seismic hazard assessment. This is largely due to the long record of historical and recent observations of seismic and tectonic phenomena, the high quality of various geophysical monitoring and particularly the rapid geodynamics clearly demonstrate some seismotectonic processes. We present here the model components and the procedures adopted for defining seismic sources to be used in a new generation of probabilistic seismic hazard assessment (PSHA), the first results and maps of which are presented in a companion paper, Peruzza et al. (2017). The sources include, with increasing complexity, seismic zones, individual faults and gridded point sources that are obtained by integrating geological field data with long and short earthquake datasets (the historical macroseismic catalogue, which covers about 3 centuries, and a high-quality instrumental location database for the last decades). The analysis of the frequency-magnitude distribution identifies two main fault systems within the volcanic complex featuring different seismic rates that are controlled essentially by volcano-tectonic processes. We discuss the variability of the mean occurrence times of major earthquakes along the main Etnean faults by using an historical approach and a purely geologic method. We derive a magnitude-size scaling relationship specifically for this volcanic area, which has been implemented into a recently developed software tool - FiSH (Pace et al., 2016) - that we use to calculate the characteristic magnitudes and the related mean recurrence times expected for each fault. Results suggest that for the Mt. Etna area, the traditional assumptions of uniform and Poissonian seismicity can be relaxed; a time-dependent fault-based modeling, joined with a 3-D imaging of volcano-tectonic sources depicted by the recent instrumental seismicity, can therefore be implemented in PSHA maps. They can be relevant for the retrofitting of the existing building stock and for driving risk reduction interventions. These analyses do not account for regional M > 6 seismogenic sources which dominate the hazard over long return times (≥ 500 years).

Subsurface Characterization and Seismic Monitoring for the Southwest Partnerships Phase III Demonstration Project at Farnsworth Field, TX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Will, R. A.; Balch, R. S.

2015-12-01

The Southwest Partnership on Carbon Sequestration is performing seismic based characterization and monitoring activities at an active CO2 EOR project at Farnsworth Field, Texas. CO2 is anthropogenically sourced from a fertilizer and an ethanol plant. The field has 13 CO2 injectors and has sequestered 302,982 metric tonnes of CO2 since October 2013. The field site provides an excellent laboratory for testing a range of monitoring technologies in an operating CO2 flood since planned development is sequential and allows for multiple opportunities to record zero CO2 baseline data, mid-flood data, and fully flooded data. The project is comparing and contrasting several scales of seismic technologies in order to determine best practices for large scale commercial sequestration projects. Characterization efforts include an 85 km2 3D surface seismic survey, baseline and repeat 3D VSP surveys centered on injection wells, cross-well tomography baseline and repeat surveys between injector/producer pairs, and a borehole passive seismic array to monitor induced seismicity. All surveys have contributed to detailed geologic models which were then used for fluid flow and risk assessment simulations. 3D VSP and cross-well data with repeat surveys have allowed for direct comparisons of the reservoir prior to CO2 injection and at eight months into injection, with a goal of imaging the CO2 plume as it moves away from injection wells. Additional repeat surveys at regular intervals will continue to refine the plume. The goal of this work is to demonstrate seismic based technologies to monitor CO2 sequestration projects, and to contribute to best practices manuals for commercial scale CO2 sequestration projects. In this talk the seismic plan will be outlined, progress towards goals enumerated, and preliminary results from baseline and repeat seismic data will be discussed. Funding for this project is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy under Award No. DE-FC26-05NT42591.

Mechanism of the 2015 volcanic tsunami earthquake near Torishima, Japan

PubMed Central

Satake, Kenji

2018-01-01

Tsunami earthquakes are a group of enigmatic earthquakes generating disproportionally large tsunamis relative to seismic magnitude. These events occur most typically near deep-sea trenches. Tsunami earthquakes occurring approximately every 10 years near Torishima on the Izu-Bonin arc are another example. Seismic and tsunami waves from the 2015 event [Mw (moment magnitude) = 5.7] were recorded by an offshore seafloor array of 10 pressure gauges, ~100 km away from the epicenter. We made an array analysis of dispersive tsunamis to locate the tsunami source within the submarine Smith Caldera. The tsunami simulation from a large caldera-floor uplift of ~1.5 m with a small peripheral depression yielded waveforms remarkably similar to the observations. The estimated central uplift, 1.5 m, is ~20 times larger than that inferred from the seismologically determined non–double-couple source. Thus, the tsunami observation is not compatible with the published seismic source model taken at face value. However, given the indeterminacy of Mzx, Mzy, and M{tensile} of a shallow moment tensor source, it may be possible to find a source mechanism with efficient tsunami but inefficient seismic radiation that can satisfactorily explain both the tsunami and seismic observations, but this question remains unresolved. PMID:29740604

Mechanism of the 2015 volcanic tsunami earthquake near Torishima, Japan.

PubMed

Fukao, Yoshio; Sandanbata, Osamu; Sugioka, Hiroko; Ito, Aki; Shiobara, Hajime; Watada, Shingo; Satake, Kenji

2018-04-01

Tsunami earthquakes are a group of enigmatic earthquakes generating disproportionally large tsunamis relative to seismic magnitude. These events occur most typically near deep-sea trenches. Tsunami earthquakes occurring approximately every 10 years near Torishima on the Izu-Bonin arc are another example. Seismic and tsunami waves from the 2015 event [ M w (moment magnitude) = 5.7] were recorded by an offshore seafloor array of 10 pressure gauges, ~100 km away from the epicenter. We made an array analysis of dispersive tsunamis to locate the tsunami source within the submarine Smith Caldera. The tsunami simulation from a large caldera-floor uplift of ~1.5 m with a small peripheral depression yielded waveforms remarkably similar to the observations. The estimated central uplift, 1.5 m, is ~20 times larger than that inferred from the seismologically determined non-double-couple source. Thus, the tsunami observation is not compatible with the published seismic source model taken at face value. However, given the indeterminacy of M zx , M zy , and M {tensile} of a shallow moment tensor source, it may be possible to find a source mechanism with efficient tsunami but inefficient seismic radiation that can satisfactorily explain both the tsunami and seismic observations, but this question remains unresolved.

Assessment of seismic hazard in the North Caucasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulomov, V. I.; Danilova, T. I.; Medvedeva, N. S.; Polyakova, T. P.; Shumilina, L. S.

2007-07-01

The seismicity of the North Caucasus is the highest in the European part of Russia. The detection of potential seismic sources here and long-term prediction of earthquakes are extremely important for the assessment of seismic hazard and seismic risk in this densely populated and industrially developed region of the country. The seismogenic structures of the Iran-Caucasus-Anatolia and Central Asia regions, adjacent to European Russia, are the subjects of this study. These structures are responsible for the specific features of regional seismicity and for the geodynamic interaction with adjacent areas of the Scythian and Turan platforms. The most probable potential sources of earthquakes with magnitudes M = 7.0 ± 0.2 and 7.5 ± 0.2 in the North Caucasus are located. The possible macroseismic effect of one of them is assessed.

Interpreting intraplate tectonics for seismic hazard: a UK historical perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musson, R. M. W.

2012-04-01

It is notoriously difficult to construct seismic source models for probabilistic seismic hazard assessment in intraplate areas on the basis of geological information, and many practitioners have given up the task in favour of purely seismicity-based models. This risks losing potentially valuable information in regions where the earthquake catalogue is short compared to the seismic cycle. It is interesting to survey how attitudes to this issue have evolved over the past 30 years. This paper takes the UK as an example, and traces the evolution of seismic source models through generations of hazard studies. It is found that in the UK, while the earliest studies did not consider regional tectonics in any way, there has been a gradual evolution towards more tectonically based models. Experience in other countries, of course, may differ.

Imaging the structure of the Northern Lesser Antilles (Guadeloupe - Virgin Island) to assess the tectonic and thermo-mechanical behavior of an arcuate subduction zone that undergoes increasing convergence obliquity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laurencin, M.; Marcaillou, B.; Klingelhoefer, F.; Jean-Frederic, L.; Graindorge, D.; Bouquerel, H.; Conin, M.; Crozon, J.; De Min, L.; De Voogd, B.; Evain, M.; Heuret, A.; Laigle, M.; Lallemand, S.; Lucazeau, F.; Pichot, T.; Prunier, C.; Rolandone, F.; Rousset, D.; Vitard, C.

2015-12-01

Paradoxically, the Northern Lesser Antilles is the less-investigated and the most tectonically and seismically complex segment of the Lesser Antilles subduction zone: - The convergence obliquity between the North American and Caribbean plates increases northward from Guadeloupe to Virgin Islands raising questions about the fore-arc tectonic partitioning. - The margin has undergone the subduction of the rough sediment-starved Atlantic Ocean floor spiked with ridges as well as banks docking, but the resulting tectonic deformation remains hypothetical in the absence of a complete bathymetry and of any seismic line. - Recent geodetic data and low historical seismic activity suggest a low interplate coupling between Saint-Martin and Anegada, but the sparse onshore seismometers located far from source zone cast doubt on this seismic gap. To shed new light on these questions, the ANTITHESIS project, 5 Marine Geophysical legs totaling 72 days, aims at recording a complete bathymetric map, deep and shallow seismic reflexion lines, wide-angle seismic data, heat-flow measurements and the seismic activity with a web of sea-bottom seismometers. Our preliminary results suggest that: - A frontal sliver of accretionary prism is stretched and expulsed northward by 50km along the left-lateral Bunce fault that limits the prism from the margin basement as far southward as 18.5°N. So far, this structure is the only interpreted sign of tectonic partitioning in the fore-arc. - The Anegada Passage extends eastward to the accretionary prism through strike-slip faults and pull-apart basins that possibly form a lef-lateral poorly-active system inherited from a past tectonic phase, consistently with geodetic and seismologic data. - The anomalously cold interplate contact, consistent with a low interseismic coupling, is possibly due to fluid circulation within the shallow crustal aquifer or a depressed thermal structure of the oceanic crust related to the slow-spreading at the medio-Atlantic ridge.

Acoustic monitoring of earthquakes along the Blanco Transform Fault zone and Gorda Plate and their tectonic implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dziak, Robert Paul

Hydroacoustic tertiary (T-) waves are seismically generated acoustic waves that propagate over great distances in the ocean sound channel with little loss in signal strength. Hydrophone recorded T-waves can provide a lower earthquake detection threshold and an improved epicenter location accuracy for oceanic earthquakes than land-based seismic networks. Thus detection and location of NE Pacific ocean earthquakes along the Blanco Transform Fault (BTFZ) and Gorda plate using the U.S. Navy's SOSUS (SOund SUrveillance System) hydrophone arrays afford greater insight into the current state of stress and crustal deformation mechanics than previously available. Acoustic earthquake information combined with bathymetry, submersible observations, earthquake source- parameter estimates, petrologic samples, and water-column chemistry renders a new tectonic view of the southern Juan de Fuca plate boundaries. Chapter 2 discusses development of seismo-acoustic analysis techniques using the well-documented April 1992 Cape Mendocino earthquake sequence. Findings include a hydrophone detection threshold estimate (M ~ 2.4), and T-wave propagation path modeling to approximate earthquake acoustic source energy. Empirical analyses indicate that acoustic energy provides a reasonable magnitude and seismic moment estimate of oceanic earthquakes not detected by seismic networks. Chapters 3 documents a probable volcanogenic T-wave event swarm along a pull-apart basin within the western BTFZ during January 1994. Response efforts yielded evidence of anomalous water-column 3He concentrations, pillow- lava volcanism, and the first discovery of active hydrothermal vents along an oceanic fracture zone. Chapter 4 discusses the detection of a NE-SW trending microearthquake band along the mid-Gorda plate which was active from initiation of SOSUS recording in August 1991 through July 1992, then abruptly ceased. It is proposed that eventual termination of the Gorda plate seismicity band is due to strain reduction associated with the Cape Mendocino earthquake sequence. Chapter 5 combines bathymetric, hydro-acoustic, seismic, submersible, and gravity data to investigate the active tectonics of the transform parallel Blanco Ridge (BR), along the eastern BTFZ. The BR formation mechanism preferred here is uplift through strike-slip motion (with a normal component) followed by formation and intrusion of mantle-derived serpentinized-peridotite into the shallow ocean crust. The conclusion considers a potential link between the deformation patterns observed along the BTFZ and Gorda plate regions.

Joint Seismic-Geodetic Algorithm for Finite-Fault Detection and Slip Inversion in the West Coast ShakeAlert System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, D. E.; Felizardo, C.; Minson, S. E.; Boese, M.; Langbein, J. O.; Murray, J. R.

2016-12-01

Finite-fault source algorithms can greatly benefit earthquake early warning (EEW) systems. Estimates of finite-fault parameters provide spatial information, which can significantly improve real-time shaking calculations and help with disaster response. In this project, we have focused on integrating a finite-fault seismic-geodetic algorithm into the West Coast ShakeAlert framework. The seismic part is FinDer 2, a C++ version of the algorithm developed by Böse et al. (2012). It interpolates peak ground accelerations and calculates the best fault length and strike from template matching. The geodetic part is a C++ version of BEFORES, the algorithm developed by Minson et al. (2014) that uses a Bayesian methodology to search for the most probable slip distribution on a fault of unknown orientation. Ultimately, these two will be used together where FinDer generates a Bayesian prior for BEFORES via the methodology of Minson et al. (2015), and the joint solution will generate estimates of finite-fault extent, strike, dip, best slip distribution, and magnitude. We have created C++ versions of both FinDer and BEFORES using open source libraries and have developed a C++ Application Protocol Interface (API) for them both. Their APIs allow FinDer and BEFORES to contribute to the ShakeAlert system via an open source messaging system, ActiveMQ. FinDer has been receiving real-time data, detecting earthquakes, and reporting messages on the development system for several months. We are also testing FinDer extensively with Earthworm tankplayer files. BEFORES has been tested with ActiveMQ messaging in the ShakeAlert framework, and works off a FinDer trigger. We are finishing the FinDer-BEFORES connections in this framework, and testing this system via seismic-geodetic tankplayer files. This will include actual and simulated data.

An Oscillation of the Crack-like Conduit at Nevado del Ruiz Volcano, Colombia, Inferred from Multi-band Analyses of Very Long Period Seismic Events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maeda, Y.; Kumagai, H.; Londono, J. M.; Lopez, C. M.; Castaño, L. M.; Beatriz, B.; García, L.

2017-12-01

Nevado del Ruiz is an active volcano in Colombia, which continues eruption activity and has been monitored by 13 broadband and 3 short-period seismic stations. In 2015-2016, a joint Japan-Colombia team installed an automatic event detection and location system based on the amplitude source location (ASL) method. Kumagai et al. (IAVCEI, 2017) indicated the existence of a magma conduit extending from the NW flank to the summit based on ASL analyses of various seismic signals including long-period (LP) and very long period (VLP) events and tremors in a 5-10 Hz frequency band. In this study, we analyzed the VLP events by waveform inversion using eight summit stations in a frequency band of 0.3-0.7 Hz. We selected 14 VLP events from May to December 2016 based on signal-to-noise ratios and simplicity of the waveforms. We assumed a homogeneous P-wave velocity of 3.5 km/s with topography in the calculation of the Green functions. We conducted frequency-domain waveform inversion assuming a tensile crack source and investigated the best location and orientation of the crack by a grid search. The inversion results pointed to a low-angle ( 30°) NW-dipping crack near the top of the conduit (approximately 1 km below the summit). The estimated source time functions displayed two or three cycles of oscillations with the seismic moment of order of 1010-1011 N m. For these 14 events, the ASLs from the 5-10 Hz frequency band were also near the top of the conduit. These results suggest the VLP and high-frequency signals are generated by an oscillation of the crack-like conduit near the summit, which may be triggered by a volume change of magma ascending in the conduit.

Seismic interferometry by crosscorrelation and by multidimensional deconvolution: a systematic comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wapenaar, Kees; van der Neut, Joost; Ruigrok, Elmer; Draganov, Deyan; Hunziker, Jürg; Slob, Evert; Thorbecke, Jan; Snieder, Roel

2011-06-01

Seismic interferometry, also known as Green's function retrieval by crosscorrelation, has a wide range of applications, ranging from surface-wave tomography using ambient noise, to creating virtual sources for improved reflection seismology. Despite its successful applications, the crosscorrelation approach also has its limitations. The main underlying assumptions are that the medium is lossless and that the wavefield is equipartitioned. These assumptions are in practice often violated: the medium of interest is often illuminated from one side only, the sources may be irregularly distributed, and losses may be significant. These limitations may partly be overcome by reformulating seismic interferometry as a multidimensional deconvolution (MDD) process. We present a systematic analysis of seismic interferometry by crosscorrelation and by MDD. We show that for the non-ideal situations mentioned above, the correlation function is proportional to a Green's function with a blurred source. The source blurring is quantified by a so-called interferometric point-spread function which, like the correlation function, can be derived from the observed data (i.e. without the need to know the sources and the medium). The source of the Green's function obtained by the correlation method can be deblurred by deconvolving the correlation function for the point-spread function. This is the essence of seismic interferometry by MDD. We illustrate the crosscorrelation and MDD methods for controlled-source and passive-data applications with numerical examples and discuss the advantages and limitations of both methods.

Waveform classification and statistical analysis of seismic precursors to the July 2008 Vulcanian Eruption of Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodgers, Mel; Smith, Patrick; Pyle, David; Mather, Tamsin

2016-04-01

Understanding the transition between quiescence and eruption at dome-forming volcanoes, such as Soufrière Hills Volcano (SHV), Montserrat, is important for monitoring volcanic activity during long-lived eruptions. Statistical analysis of seismic events (e.g. spectral analysis and identification of multiplets via cross-correlation) can be useful for characterising seismicity patterns and can be a powerful tool for analysing temporal changes in behaviour. Waveform classification is crucial for volcano monitoring, but consistent classification, both during real-time analysis and for retrospective analysis of previous volcanic activity, remains a challenge. Automated classification allows consistent re-classification of events. We present a machine learning (random forest) approach to rapidly classify waveforms that requires minimal training data. We analyse the seismic precursors to the July 2008 Vulcanian explosion at SHV and show systematic changes in frequency content and multiplet behaviour that had not previously been recognised. These precursory patterns of seismicity may be interpreted as changes in pressure conditions within the conduit during magma ascent and could be linked to magma flow rates. Frequency analysis of the different waveform classes supports the growing consensus that LP and Hybrid events should be considered end members of a continuum of low-frequency source processes. By using both supervised and unsupervised machine-learning methods we investigate the nature of waveform classification and assess current classification schemes.

Commerce geophysical lineament - Its source, geometry, and relation to the Reelfoot rift and New Madrid seismic zone

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langenheim, V.E.; Hildenbrand, T.G.

1997-01-01

The Commerce geophysical lineament is a northeast-trending magnetic and gravity feature that extends from central Arkansas to southern Illinois over a distance of ???400 km. It is parallel to the trend of the Reelfoot graben, but offset ???40 km to the northwest of the western margin of the rift floor. Modeling indicates that the source of the aeromagnetic and gravity anomalies is probably a mafic dike swarm. The age of the source of the Commerce geophysical lineament is not known, but the linearity and trend of the anomalies suggest a relationship with the Reelfoot rift, which has undergone episodic igneous activity. The Commerce geophysical lineament coincides with several topographic lineaments, movement on associated faults at least as young as Quaternary, and intrusions of various ages. Several earthquakes (Mb > 3) coincide with the Commerce geophysical lineament, but the diversity of associated focal mechanisms and the variety of surface structural features along the length of the Commerce geophysical lineament obscure its relation to the release of present-day strain. With the available seismicity data, it is difficult to attribute individual earthquakes to a specific structural lineament such as the Commerce geophysical lineament. However, the close correspondence between Quaternary faulting and present-day seismicity along the Commerce geophysical lineament is intriguing and warrants further study.

Mapping the sources of the seismic wave field at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, using data recorded on multiple seismic Antennas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Almendros, J.; Chouet, B.; Dawson, P.; Huber, Caleb G.

2002-01-01

Seismic antennas constitute a powerful tool for the analysis of complex wave fields. Well-designed antennas can identify and separate components of a complex wave field based on their distinct propagation properties. The combination of several antennas provides the basis for a more complete understanding of volcanic wave fields, including an estimate of the location of each individual wave-field component identified simultaneously by at least two antennas. We used frequency-slowness analyses of data from three antennas to identify and locate the different components contributing to the wave fields recorded at Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, in February 1997. The wave-field components identified are (1) a sustained background volcanic tremor in the form of body waves generated in a shallow hydrothermal system located below the northeastern edge of the Halemaumau pit crater; (2) surface waves generated along the path between this hydrothermal source and the antennas; (3) back-scattered surface wave energy from a shallow reflector located near the southeastern rim of Kilauea caldera; (4) evidence for diffracted wave components originating at the southeastern edge of Halemaumau; and (5) body waves reflecting the activation of a deeper tremor source between 02 hr 00 min and 16 hr 00 min Hawaii Standard Time on 11 February.

Beyond seismic interferometry: imaging the earth's interior with virtual sources and receivers inside the earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wapenaar, C. P. A.; Van der Neut, J.; Thorbecke, J.; Broggini, F.; Slob, E. C.; Snieder, R.

2015-12-01

Imagine one could place seismic sources and receivers at any desired position inside the earth. Since the receivers would record the full wave field (direct waves, up- and downward reflections, multiples, etc.), this would give a wealth of information about the local structures, material properties and processes in the earth's interior. Although in reality one cannot place sources and receivers anywhere inside the earth, it appears to be possible to create virtual sources and receivers at any desired position, which accurately mimics the desired situation. The underlying method involves some major steps beyond standard seismic interferometry. With seismic interferometry, virtual sources can be created at the positions of physical receivers, assuming these receivers are illuminated isotropically. Our proposed method does not need physical receivers at the positions of the virtual sources; moreover, it does not require isotropic illumination. To create virtual sources and receivers anywhere inside the earth, it suffices to record the reflection response with physical sources and receivers at the earth's surface. We do not need detailed information about the medium parameters; it suffices to have an estimate of the direct waves between the virtual-source positions and the acquisition surface. With these prerequisites, our method can create virtual sources and receivers, anywhere inside the earth, which record the full wave field. The up- and downward reflections, multiples, etc. in the virtual responses are extracted directly from the reflection response at the surface. The retrieved virtual responses form an ideal starting point for accurate seismic imaging, characterization and monitoring.

Comparison of smoothing methods for the development of a smoothed seismicity model for Alaska and the implications for seismic hazard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moschetti, M. P.; Mueller, C. S.; Boyd, O. S.; Petersen, M. D.

2013-12-01

In anticipation of the update of the Alaska seismic hazard maps (ASHMs) by the U. S. Geological Survey, we report progress on the comparison of smoothed seismicity models developed using fixed and adaptive smoothing algorithms, and investigate the sensitivity of seismic hazard to the models. While fault-based sources, such as those for great earthquakes in the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone and for the ~10 shallow crustal faults within Alaska, dominate the seismic hazard estimates for locations near to the sources, smoothed seismicity rates make important contributions to seismic hazard away from fault-based sources and where knowledge of recurrence and magnitude is not sufficient for use in hazard studies. Recent developments in adaptive smoothing methods and statistical tests for evaluating and comparing rate models prompt us to investigate the appropriateness of adaptive smoothing for the ASHMs. We develop smoothed seismicity models for Alaska using fixed and adaptive smoothing methods and compare the resulting models by calculating and evaluating the joint likelihood test. We use the earthquake catalog, and associated completeness levels, developed for the 2007 ASHM to produce fixed-bandwidth-smoothed models with smoothing distances varying from 10 to 100 km and adaptively smoothed models. Adaptive smoothing follows the method of Helmstetter et al. and defines a unique smoothing distance for each earthquake epicenter from the distance to the nth nearest neighbor. The consequence of the adaptive smoothing methods is to reduce smoothing distances, causing locally increased seismicity rates, where seismicity rates are high and to increase smoothing distances where seismicity is sparse. We follow guidance from previous studies to optimize the neighbor number (n-value) by comparing model likelihood values, which estimate the likelihood that the observed earthquake epicenters from the recent catalog are derived from the smoothed rate models. We compare likelihood values from all rate models to rank the smoothing methods. We find that adaptively smoothed seismicity models yield better likelihood values than the fixed smoothing models. Holding all other (source and ground motion) models constant, we calculate seismic hazard curves for all points across Alaska on a 0.1 degree grid, using the adaptively smoothed and fixed smoothed seismicity models separately. Because adaptively smoothed models concentrate seismicity near the earthquake epicenters where seismicity rates are high, the corresponding hazard values are higher, locally, but reduced with distance from observed seismicity, relative to the hazard from fixed-bandwidth models. We suggest that adaptively smoothed seismicity models be considered for implementation in the update to the ASHMs because of their improved likelihood estimates relative to fixed smoothing methods; however, concomitant increases in seismic hazard will cause significant changes in regions of high seismicity, such as near the subduction zone, northeast of Kotzebue, and along the NNE trending zone of seismicity in the Alaskan interior.

Comparison of smoothing methods for the development of a smoothed seismicity model for Alaska and the implications for seismic hazard

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moschetti, Morgan P.; Mueller, Charles S.; Boyd, Oliver S.; Petersen, Mark D.

2014-01-01

In anticipation of the update of the Alaska seismic hazard maps (ASHMs) by the U. S. Geological Survey, we report progress on the comparison of smoothed seismicity models developed using fixed and adaptive smoothing algorithms, and investigate the sensitivity of seismic hazard to the models. While fault-based sources, such as those for great earthquakes in the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone and for the ~10 shallow crustal faults within Alaska, dominate the seismic hazard estimates for locations near to the sources, smoothed seismicity rates make important contributions to seismic hazard away from fault-based sources and where knowledge of recurrence and magnitude is not sufficient for use in hazard studies. Recent developments in adaptive smoothing methods and statistical tests for evaluating and comparing rate models prompt us to investigate the appropriateness of adaptive smoothing for the ASHMs. We develop smoothed seismicity models for Alaska using fixed and adaptive smoothing methods and compare the resulting models by calculating and evaluating the joint likelihood test. We use the earthquake catalog, and associated completeness levels, developed for the 2007 ASHM to produce fixed-bandwidth-smoothed models with smoothing distances varying from 10 to 100 km and adaptively smoothed models. Adaptive smoothing follows the method of Helmstetter et al. and defines a unique smoothing distance for each earthquake epicenter from the distance to the nth nearest neighbor. The consequence of the adaptive smoothing methods is to reduce smoothing distances, causing locally increased seismicity rates, where seismicity rates are high and to increase smoothing distances where seismicity is sparse. We follow guidance from previous studies to optimize the neighbor number (n-value) by comparing model likelihood values, which estimate the likelihood that the observed earthquake epicenters from the recent catalog are derived from the smoothed rate models. We compare likelihood values from all rate models to rank the smoothing methods. We find that adaptively smoothed seismicity models yield better likelihood values than the fixed smoothing models. Holding all other (source and ground motion) models constant, we calculate seismic hazard curves for all points across Alaska on a 0.1 degree grid, using the adaptively smoothed and fixed smoothed seismicity models separately. Because adaptively smoothed models concentrate seismicity near the earthquake epicenters where seismicity rates are high, the corresponding hazard values are higher, locally, but reduced with distance from observed seismicity, relative to the hazard from fixed-bandwidth models. We suggest that adaptively smoothed seismicity models be considered for implementation in the update to the ASHMs because of their improved likelihood estimates relative to fixed smoothing methods; however, concomitant increases in seismic hazard will cause significant changes in regions of high seismicity, such as near the subduction zone, northeast of Kotzebue, and along the NNE trending zone of seismicity in the Alaskan interior.

WebEQ: a web-GIS System to collect, display and query data for the management of the earthquake emergency in Central Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carbone, Gianluca; Cosentino, Giuseppe; Pennica, Francesco; Moscatelli, Massimiliano; Stigliano, Francesco

2017-04-01

After the strong earthquakes that hit central Italy in recent months, the Center for Seismic Microzonation and its applications (CentroMS) was commissioned by the Italian Department of Civil Protection to conduct the study of seismic microzonation of the territories affected by the earthquake of August 24, 2016. As part of the activities of microzonation, IGAG CNR has created WebEQ, a management tool of the data that have been acquired by all participants (i.e., more than twenty research institutes and university departments). The data collection was organized and divided into sub-areas, assigned to working groups with multidisciplinary expertise in geology, geophysics and engineering. WebEQ is a web-GIS System that helps all the subjects involved in the data collection activities, through tools aimed at data uploading and validation, and with a simple GIS interface to display, query and download geographic data. WebEQ is contributing to the creation of a large database containing geographical data, both vector and raster, from various sources and types: - Regional Technical Map em Geological and geomorphological maps em Data location maps em Maps of microzones homogeneous in seismic perspective and seismic microzonation maps em National strong motion network location. Data loading is done through simple input masks that ensure consistency with the database structure, avoiding possible errors and helping users to interact with the map through user-friendly tools. All the data are thematized through standardized symbologies and colors (Gruppo di lavoro MS 2008), in order to allow the easy interpretation by all users. The data download tools allow data exchange between working groups and the scientific community to benefit from the activities. The seismic microzonation activities are still ongoing. WebEQ is enabling easy management of large amounts of data and will form a basis for the development of tools for the management of the upcoming seismic emergencies.

Short-term seismic precursors to Icelandic eruptions 1973-2014.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Einarsson, Páll

2018-05-01

Networks of seismographs of high sensitivity have been in use in the vicinity of active volcanoes in Iceland since 1973. During this time 21 confirmed eruptions have occurred and several intrusions where magma did not reach the surface. All these events have been accompanied by characteristic seismic activity. Long-term precursory activity is characterised by low-level, persistent seismicity (months-years), clustered around an inflating magma body. Whether or not a magma accumulation is accompanied by seismicity depends on the tectonic setting, interplate or intraplate, the depth of magma accumulation, the previous history and the state of stress. All eruptions during the time of observation had a detectable short-term seismic precursor marking the time of dike propagation towards the surface. The precursor times varied between 15 minutes and 13 days. In half of the cases the precursor time was less than 2 hours. Three eruptions stand out for their long duration of the immediate precursory activity, Heimaey 1973 with 30 hours, Gjálp 1996 with 34 hours, and Bárðarbunga 2014 with 13 days. In the case of Heimaey the long time is most likely the consequence of the great depth of the magma source, 15-25 km. The Gjálp eruption had a prelude that was unusual in many respects. The long propagation time may have resulted from a complicated triggering scenario involving more than one magma chamber. The Bárðarbunga eruption at Holuhraun issued from the distal end of a dike that took 13 days to propagate laterally for 48 km before it opened to the surface. Out of the 21 detected precursors 14 were noticed soon enough to lead to a public warning of the coming eruption. In 4 additional cases the precursory signal was noticed before the eruption was seen. In only 3 cases was the eruption seen or detected before the seismic precursor was verified.

Advanced Seismic While Drilling System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robert Radtke; John Fontenot; David Glowka

A breakthrough has been discovered for controlling seismic sources to generate selectable low frequencies. Conventional seismic sources, including sparkers, rotary mechanical, hydraulic, air guns, and explosives, by their very nature produce high-frequencies. This is counter to the need for long signal transmission through rock. The patent pending SeismicPULSER{trademark} methodology has been developed for controlling otherwise high-frequency seismic sources to generate selectable low-frequency peak spectra applicable to many seismic applications. Specifically, we have demonstrated the application of a low-frequency sparker source which can be incorporated into a drill bit for Drill Bit Seismic While Drilling (SWD). To create the methodology ofmore » a controllable low-frequency sparker seismic source, it was necessary to learn how to maximize sparker efficiencies to couple to, and transmit through, rock with the study of sparker designs and mechanisms for (a) coupling the sparker-generated gas bubble expansion and contraction to the rock, (b) the effects of fluid properties and dynamics, (c) linear and non-linear acoustics, and (d) imparted force directionality. After extensive seismic modeling, the design of high-efficiency sparkers, laboratory high frequency sparker testing, and field tests were performed at the University of Texas Devine seismic test site. The conclusion of the field test was that extremely high power levels would be required to have the range required for deep, 15,000+ ft, high-temperature, high-pressure (HTHP) wells. Thereafter, more modeling and laboratory testing led to the discovery of a method to control a sparker that could generate low frequencies required for deep wells. The low frequency sparker was successfully tested at the Department of Energy Rocky Mountain Oilfield Test Center (DOE RMOTC) field test site in Casper, Wyoming. An 8-in diameter by 26-ft long SeismicPULSER{trademark} drill string tool was designed and manufactured by TII. An APS Turbine Alternator powered the SeismicPULSER{trademark} to produce two Hz frequency peak signals repeated every 20 seconds. Since the ION Geophysical, Inc. (ION) seismic survey surface recording system was designed to detect a minimum downhole signal of three Hz, successful performance was confirmed with a 5.3 Hz recording with the pumps running. The two Hz signal generated by the sparker was modulated with the 3.3 Hz signal produced by the mud pumps to create an intense 5.3 Hz peak frequency signal. The low frequency sparker source is ultimately capable of generating selectable peak frequencies of 1 to 40 Hz with high-frequency spectra content to 10 kHz. The lower frequencies and, perhaps, low-frequency sweeps, are needed to achieve sufficient range and resolution for realtime imaging in deep (15,000 ft+), high-temperature (150 C) wells for (a) geosteering, (b) accurate seismic hole depth, (c) accurate pore pressure determinations ahead of the bit, (d) near wellbore diagnostics with a downhole receiver and wired drill pipe, and (e) reservoir model verification. Furthermore, the pressure of the sparker bubble will disintegrate rock resulting in an increased overall rates of penetration. Other applications for the SeismicPULSER{trademark} technology are to deploy a low-frequency source for greater range on a wireline for Reverse Vertical Seismic Profiling (RVSP) and Cross-Well Tomography. Commercialization of the technology is being undertaken by first contacting stakeholders to define the value proposition for rig site services utilizing SeismicPULSER{trademark} technologies. Stakeholders include national oil companies, independent oil companies, independents, service companies, and commercial investors. Service companies will introduce a new Drill Bit SWD service for deep HTHP wells. Collaboration will be encouraged between stakeholders in the form of joint industry projects to develop prototype tools and initial field trials. No barriers have been identified for developing, utilizing, and exploiting the low-frequency SeismicPULSER{trademark} source in a variety of applications. Risks will be minimized since Drill Bit SWD will not interfere with the drilling operation, and can be performed in a relatively quiet environment when the pumps are turned off. The new source must be integrated with other Measurement While Drilling (MWD) tools. To date, each of the oil companies and service companies contacted have shown interest in participating in the commercialization of the low-frequency SeismicPULSER{trademark} source. A technical paper has been accepted for presentation at the 2009 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in a Society of Exploration Geologists/American Association of Petroleum Geophysicists (SEG/AAPG) technical session.« less

Retrieval of P wave Basin Response from Autocorrelation of Seismic Noise-Jakarta, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saygin, E.; Cummins, P. R.; Lumley, D. E.

2016-12-01

Indonesia's capital city, Jakarta, is home to a very large (over 10 million), vulnerable population and is proximate to known active faults, as well as to the subduction of Australian plate, which has a megathrust at abut 300 km distance, as well as intraslab seismicity extending to directly beneath the city. It is also located in a basin filled with a thick layer of unconsolidated and poorly consolidated sediment, which increases the seismic hazard the city is facing. Therefore, the information on the seismic velocity structure of the basin is crucial for increasing our knowledge of the seismic risk. We undertook a passive deployment of broadband seismographs throughout the city over a 3-month interval in 2013-2014, recording ambient seismic noise at over 90 sites for intervals of 1 month or more. Here we consider autocorrelations of the vertical component of the continuously recorded seismic wavefield across this dense network to image the shallow P wave velocity structure of Jakarta, Indonesia. Unlike the surface wave Green's functions used in ambient noise tomography, the vertical-component autocorrelograms are dominated by body wave energy that is potentially sensitive to sharp velocity contrasts, which makes them useful in seismic imaging. Results show autocorrelograms at different seismic stations with travel time variations that largely reflect changes in sediment thickness across the basin. We also confirm the validity our interpretation of the observed autocorrelation waveforms by conducting 2D finite difference full waveform numerical modeling for randomly distributed seismic sources to retrieve the reflection response through autocorrelation.

Along-strike variations in seismic structure of the locked-sliding transition on the plate boundary beneath the southern part of Kii Peninsula, southwestern Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurashimo, E.; Iidaka, T.; Iwasaki, T.; Saiga, A.; Umeyama, E.; Tsumura, N.; Sakai, S.; Hirata, N.

2013-12-01

The Nankai trough region, where the Philippine Sea Plate (PHS) subducts beneath the SW Japan arc, is a well-known seismogenic zone of interplate earthquakes. A narrow zone of nonvolcanic tremor has been found in the SW Japan fore-arc, along strike of the arc (Obara, 2002). The epicentral distribution of tremor corresponds to the locked-sliding transition estimated from thermal and deformation models (Hyndman et al., 1995). The spatial distribution of the tremor is not homogeneous in a narrow belt but is spatially clustered. Obara [2002] suggested fluids as a source for tremor because of the long duration and the mobility of the tremor activity. The behavior of fluids at the plate interface is a key factor in understanding fault slip processes. Seismic reflection characteristics and seismic velocity variations can provide important information on the fluid-related heterogeneity of structure around plate interface. However, little is known about the deeper part of the plate boundary, especially the transition zone on the subducting plate. To reveal the seismic structure of the transition zone, we conducted passive and active seismic experiments in the southern part of Kii Peninsula, SW Japan. Sixty 3-component portable seismographs were installed on a 60-km-long line (SM-line) nearly perpendicular to the direction of the subduction of the PHS with approximately 1 km spacing. To improve accuracy of hypocenter locations, we additionally deployed six 3-component seismic stations around the survey line. Waveforms were continuously recorded during a five-month period from December, 2009. In October of 2010, a deep seismic profiling was also conducted. 290 seismometers were deployed on the SM-line with about 200 m spacing, on which five explosives shots were fired as controlled seismic sources. Arrival times of local earthquakes and explosive shots were used in a joint inversion for earthquake locations and 3-D Vp and Vp/Vs structures, using the iterative damped least-squares algorithm, simul2000 (Thurber and Eberhart-Phillips, 1999). To obtain the detailed structure image of the transition zone on the subducting plate, the explosive shot data recorded on the SM-line were processed using the seismic reflection technique. Seismic reflection image shows the lateral variation of the reflectivity along the top of the PHS. A clear reflection band is present where the clustered tremors occurred. The depth section of Vp/Vs structure shows the lateral variation of the Vp/Vs values along the top of the PHS. Clustered tremors are located in and around the high Vp/Vs zone. These results suggest the occurrence of the tremors may be associated with fluids dehydrated from the subducted oceanic lithosphere.

Assessment of pre-crisis and syn-crisis seismic hazard at Campi Flegrei and Mt. Vesuvius volcanoes, Campania, southern Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Convertito, Vincenzo; Zollo, Aldo

2011-08-01

In this study, we address the issue of short-term to medium-term probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for two volcanic areas, Campi Flegrei caldera and Mt. Vesuvius in the Campania region of southern Italy. Two different phases of the volcanic activity are considered. The first, which we term the pre-crisis phase, concerns the present quiescent state of the volcanoes that is characterized by low-to-moderate seismicity. The second phase, syn-crisis, concerns the unrest phase that can potentially lead to eruption. For the Campi Flegrei case study, we analyzed the pattern of seismicity during the 1982-1984 ground uplift episode (bradyseism). For Mt. Vesuvius, two different time-evolutionary models for seismicity were adopted, corresponding to different ways in which the volcano might erupt. We performed a site-specific analysis, linked with the hazard map, to investigate the effects of input parameters, in terms of source geometry, mean activity rate, periods of data collection, and return periods, for the syn-crisis phase. The analysis in the present study of the pre-crisis phase allowed a comparison of the results of probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for the two study areas with those provided in the Italian national hazard map. For the Mt. Vesuvius area in particular, the results show that the hazard can be greater than that reported in the national hazard map when information at a local scale is used. For the syn-crisis phase, the main result is that the data recorded during the early months of the unrest phase are substantially representative of the seismic hazard during the whole duration of the crisis.

The Augustine magmatic system as revealed by seismic tomography and relocated earthquake hypocenters from 1994 through 2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

Syracuse, E.M.; Thurber, C.H.; Power, J.A.

2011-01-01

We incorporate 14 years of earthquake data from the Alaska Volcano Observatory with data from a 1975 controlled-source seismic experiment to obtain the three-dimensional P and S wave velocity structure and the first high-precision earthquake locations at Augustine Volcano to be calculated in a fully three-dimensional velocity model. Velocity tomography shows two main features beneath Augustine: a narrow, high-velocity column beneath the summit, extending from ???2 km depth to the surface, and elevated velocities on the south flank. Our relocation results allow a thorough analysis of the spatio-temoral patterns of seismicity and the relationship to the magmatic and eruptive activity. Background seismicity is centered beneath the summit at an average depth of 0.6 km above sea level. In the weeks leading to the January 2006 eruption of Augustine, seismicity focused on a NW-SE line along the trend of an inflating dike. A series of drumbeat earthquakes occurred in the early weeks of the eruption, indicating further magma transport through the same dike system. During the six months following the onset of the eruption, the otherwise quiescent region 1 to 5 km below sea level centered beneath the summit became seismically active with two groups of earthquakes, differentiated by frequency content. The deep longer-period earthquakes occurred during the eruption and are interpreted as resulting from the movement of magma toward the summit, and the post-eruptive shorter-period earthquakes may be due to the relaxation of an emptied magma tube. The seismicity subsequently returned to its normal background rates and patterns. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

High-resolution seismic reflection survey at Dover AFB: A comparison of three seismic sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cardimona, S.; Kadinsky-Cade, K.; Miller, R.

1996-11-01

In June of 1995, the Earth Sciences Division of the Air Force Phillips Lab, with survey equipment from the University of Delaware and assisted by the Kansas Geological Survey and Elohi Geophysics, conducted a geophysical site characterization of the SERDP-funded Groundwater Remediation Field Lab (GRFL) located at Dover AFB, Delaware and administered by Applied Research Associates for USAF Armstrong Lab. Seismic data were collected in order to (1) compare the results using three different compressional sources and (2) cover the field site well enough to characterize the seismic response of the shallow subsurface. This paper will focus primarily on themore » first of these two goals. Seismic data were collected along three north-south profiles set 10 meters apart, each profile with a different compressional source: a 5.5kg sledgehammer, a 12-gauge firing rod from Betsy Seisgun Inc. shooting 150 grain blanks, and a portable piezoelectrically driven vibrator, developed by Elohi Geophysics, operating with a 90Hz-450Hz sweep. An east-west cross line was collected using the sledgehammer source in order to tie the three profiles together. A laser theodolite provided station location and elevation control. The primary targets were the water table (that had been marked on maps at a depth of about 3 meters) and a sand-clay interface at about 15 meters depth. We collected 24-channel CMP data using a half meter spacing of both source and 100Hz geophones. Field C after initial walkaway noise testing with each source did not show any one source to be outstanding A practical early result of the seismic survey showed the water table to be at just over 10 meters. We have associated the strongest reflection event with the water-table interface. Seismic data comparison in this study is based on spectral content, total energy and signal-to-noise ratios, as well as a discussion of coherency of the primary reflection event at the water table.« less

Assessment of macroseismic intensity in the Nile basin, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fergany, Elsayed

2018-01-01

This work intends to assess deterministic seismic hazard and risk analysis in terms of the maximum expected intensity map of the Egyptian Nile basin sector. Seismic source zone model of Egypt was delineated based on updated compatible earthquake catalog in 2015, focal mechanisms, and the common tectonic elements. Four effective seismic source zones were identified along the Nile basin. The observed macroseismic intensity data along the basin was used to develop intensity prediction equation defined in terms of moment magnitude. Expected maximum intensity map was proven based on the developed intensity prediction equation, identified effective seismic source zones, and maximum expected magnitude for each zone along the basin. The earthquake hazard and risk analysis was discussed and analyzed in view of the maximum expected moment magnitude and the maximum expected intensity values for each effective source zone. Moderate expected magnitudes are expected to put high risk at Cairo and Aswan regions. The results of this study could be a recommendation for the planners in charge to mitigate the seismic risk at these strategic zones of Egypt.

Assessing Multiple Methods for Determining Active Source Travel Times in a Dense Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, L.; Zeng, X.; Thurber, C. H.; Team, P.

2016-12-01

238 three-component nodal seismometers were deployed at the Brady Hot Springs geothermal field in Nevada to characterize changes in the subsurface as a result of changes in pumping conditions. The array consisted of a 500 meter by 1600 meter irregular grid with 50 meter spacing centered in an approximately rectangular 1200 meter by 1600 meter grid with 200 meter spacing. A large vibroseis truck (T-Rex) was deployed as an active seismic source at 216 locations. Over the course of 15 days, the truck occupied each location up to four times. At each location a swept-frequency source between 5 and 80 Hz over 20 seconds was produced using three vibration modes: longitudinal S-wave, transverse S-wave, and P-wave. Seismic wave arrivals were identified using three methods: cross-correlation, deconvolution, and Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD) plus the Hough Transform (HT). Surface wave arrivals were clear for all three modes of vibration using all three methods. Preliminary tomographic models will be presented, using the arrivals of the identified phases. This analysis is part of the PoroTomo project: Poroelastic Tomography by Adjoint Inverse Modeling of Data from Seismology, Geodesy, and Hydrology; http://geoscience.wisc.edu/feigl/porotomo.

Crustal seismicity associated to rpid surface uplift at Laguna del Maule Volcanic Complex, Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardona, Carlos; Tassara, Andrés; Gil-Cruz, Fernando; Lara, Luis; Morales, Sergio; Kohler, Paulina; Franco, Luis

2018-03-01

Laguna del Maule Volcanic Complex (LMVC, Southern Andes of Chile) has been experiencing large rates (ca. 30 cm/yr) of surface uplift as detected since 2008 by satellite geodetic measurements. Previous works have modeled the source of this deformation as an inflating rectangular sub-horizontal sill underlying LMVC at 5 km depth, which is supposedly related to an active process of magmatic replenishment of a shallow silicic reservoir. However little is known about the tectonic context on which this activity is taking place, particularly its relation with crustal seismicity that could help understanding and monitoring the current deformation process. Here we present the first detailed characterization of the seismic activity taking place at LMVC and integrate it with structural data acquired in the field in order to illuminate the possible connection between the ongoing process of surface uplift and the activation of crustal faults. Our main finding is the recognition of repetitive volcano-tectonic (VT) seismic swarms that occur periodically between 2011 and 2014 near the SW corner of the sill modeled by InSAR studies. A cross-correlation analysis of the waveforms recorded for these VT events allows identifying three different seismic families. Families F1 and F3 share some common features in the stacked waveform and its locations, which markedly differ from those of family F2. Swarms belonging to this later family are more energetic and its energy was increasing since 2011 to a peak in January 2013, which coincide with maximum vertical velocities detected by local GPS stations. This points to a common process relating both phenomena. The location of VT seismic swarms roughly coincides with the intersection of a NE-SW lineament with a WNW-ESE lineament. The former shows clear field evidences of dextral strike-slip that are fully consistent with one nodal plane of focal mechanism for well-recorded F2 events. The conjugate nodal plane of these focal mechanisms could coincide with the WNW-ESE lineament, for which our field reconnaissance suggests a dominant normal motion. Events belonging to families F1 and F3 are also dominantly strike-slip but with some mixture with thrust and normal components. Our results, in conjunction with results of previous authors, suggest a complex mechanical interaction between the arrangement of crustal faults forming the structural framework on which the magmatic plumbing system of LMVC is emplaced and the inflating source at depth.

Acquisition and deconvolution of seismic signals by different methods to perform direct ground-force measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poletto, Flavio; Schleifer, Andrea; Zgauc, Franco; Meneghini, Fabio; Petronio, Lorenzo

2016-12-01

We present the results of a novel borehole-seismic experiment in which we used different types of onshore-transient-impulsive and non-impulsive-surface sources together with direct ground-force recordings. The ground-force signals were obtained by baseplate load cells located beneath the sources, and by buried soil-stress sensors installed in the very shallow-subsurface together with accelerometers. The aim was to characterize the source's emission by its complex impedance, function of the near-field vibrations and soil stress components, and above all to obtain appropriate deconvolution operators to remove the signature of the sources in the far-field seismic signals. The data analysis shows the differences in the reference measurements utilized to deconvolve the source signature. As downgoing waves, we process the signals of vertical seismic profiles (VSP) recorded in the far-field approximation by an array of permanent geophones cemented at shallow-medium depth outside the casing of an instrumented well. We obtain a significant improvement in the waveform of the radiated seismic-vibrator signals deconvolved by ground force, similar to that of the seismograms generated by the impulsive sources, and demonstrates that the results obtained by different sources present low values in their repeatability norm. The comparison evidences the potentiality of the direct ground-force measurement approach to effectively remove the far-field source signature in VSP onshore data, and to increase the performance of permanent acquisition installations for time-lapse application purposes.

Geomodels of coseismic landslides environments in Central Chile.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serey, A.; Sepulveda, S. A.; Murphy, W.; Petley, D. N.

2017-12-01

Landslides are a major source of fatalities and damage during strong earthquakes in mountain areas. Detailed geomodels of coseismic landslides environments are essential parts of seismic landslide hazard analyses. The development of a site specific geological model is required, based on consideration of the regional and local geological and geomorphological history and the current ground surface conditions. An engineering geological model is any approximation of the geological conditions, at varying scales, created for the purpose of solving an engineering problem. In our case, the objective is the development of a methodology for earthquake-induced landslide hazard assessment applicable to urban/territorial planning and disaster prevention strategies assessment at a regional scale adapted for the Chilean tectonic conditions. We have developed the only 2 complete inventories of landslides triggered by earthquakes in Chile. The first from the Mw 6.2, shallow crustal Aysén earthquake in 2007. Second one from the Mw 8.8, megathrust subduction Maule earthquake in 2010. From the comparison of these 2 inventories with others from abroad, as well as analysis of large, prehistoric landslide inventories proposed as likely induced by seismic activity we have determined topographic, geomorphological, geological and seismic controlling factors in the occurrence of earthquake-triggered landslides. With the information collected we have defined different environments for generation of coseismic landslides based on the construction of geomodels. As a result we have built several geomodels in the Santiago Cordillera in central Chile (33°S), based upon the San Ramón Fault, a west-vergent reverse fault that outcrops at the edge of Santiago basin recently found to be active and a likely source of seismic activity in the future, with potential of triggering landslides in the Santiago mountain front as well as inland into the Mapocho and Maipo Cordilleran valleys. In conclusion these geomodels are a powerful tool for earthquake-induced landslide hazard assessment. As an implication we can identify landslide-prone areas, distinguish different seismic scenarios and describe related potential hazards, including burial and river damming by large rock slides and rock avalanches.

Investigation of active faults in the Ionian Sea through seismological, geochemical and bathymetric data: the SEISMOFAULTS project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sgroi, T.; Beranzoli, L.; Caruso, C.; Corbo, A.; Costanza, A.; De Caro, M.; D'Anna, G.; Doglioni, C.; Embriaco, D.; Frugoni, F.; Italiano, F.; Lazzaro, G.; Monna, S.; Montuori, C.; Nigrelli, A.; Passafiume, G.; Billi, A.; Cuffaro, M.; Albano, M.; Bosman, A.; Gasperini, L.; Ligi, M.; Martorelli, E.; Petracchini, L.; Polonia, A.; Scrocca, D.; Serracino, M.; Bigi, S.; Conti, A.; Proietti, G.; Ruggiero, L.; Tartarello, M. C.

2017-12-01

In a past and recent time, the Western Ionian Sea and surrounding regions of south Calabria and eastern Sicily (southern Italy) have been the site of destructive earthquakes (e.g. 1908, Mw 7.2; 1783, Mw 6.9; 1693, Mw 7.4; 1169, Mw 6.6; 362, Mw 6.6), which caused damage, devastation, and death (more than 80,000 deaths in 1908) and were followed by strong tsunamis. Although such events have been studied by many authors, their sources and generation mechanisms are still heavily debated both for earthquakes and tsunamis. The faults that generated such earthquakes are not yet known as it is unknown whether the associated tsunamis were generated directly by earthquakes or indirectly by seismically-triggered landslides. The lack of an adequate network of seismic stations at the bottom of the Ionian Sea and of a continuous acquisition of geophysical and geochemical parameters on the medium and long term prevents the full understanding of the tectonic, seismological, and geomorphologic phenomena of the Western Ionian Sea. A seismological and geochemical experiment, also accompanied by a detailed bathymetric survey, is now ongoing in the Ionian Sea from May 2017. Eight Ocean Bottom Seismometers and Hydrophones (OBS/H) and two modules for geochemical monitoring (CH4, CO2 and O) were deployed on the sea bottom (www.seismofaults.it). They will record seismological and geochemical signals for a period of about 12 months with the aim to: - determine whether faults are seismically active and can be sources of possible seismic hazard; - observe eventual premonitory elements, such degassing processes from structures such as mud volcanoes, characterizing the seismic movements along faults; - determine whether gravitational movements (e.g. landslides) along the Sicilian-Calabrian margins can be triggered by low magnitude earthquakes, and thus to better evaluate the tsunamigenic potential of the western Ionian region. The analyses of the new seismological and geochemical data, combined with data previously collected in the same area, will contribute to deepen the understanding of the tectonic and volcanic activities of the Ionian Sea, permitting to focus on the geodynamic picture of eastern Sicily offshore area.

Rethinking moment tensor inversion methods to retrieve the source mechanisms of low-frequency seismic events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karl, S.; Neuberg, J.

2011-12-01

Volcanoes exhibit a variety of seismic signals. One specific type, the so-called long-period (LP) or low-frequency event, has proven to be crucial for understanding the internal dynamics of the volcanic system. These long period (LP) seismic events have been observed at many volcanoes around the world, and are thought to be associated with resonating fluid-filled conduits or fluid movements (Chouet, 1996; Neuberg et al., 2006). While the seismic wavefield is well established, the actual trigger mechanism of these events is still poorly understood. Neuberg et al. (2006) proposed a conceptual model for the trigger of LP events at Montserrat involving the brittle failure of magma in the glass transition in response to the upwards movement of magma. In an attempt to gain a better quantitative understanding of the driving forces of LPs, inversions for the physical source mechanisms have become increasingly common. Previous studies have assumed a point source for waveform inversion. Knowing that applying a point source model to synthetic seismograms representing an extended source process does not yield the real source mechanism, it can, however, still lead to apparent moment tensor elements which then can be compared to previous results in the literature. Therefore, this study follows the proposed concepts of Neuberg et al. (2006), modelling the extended LP source as an octagonal arrangement of double couples approximating a circular ringfault bounding the circumference of the volcanic conduit. Synthetic seismograms were inverted for the physical source mechanisms of LPs using the moment tensor inversion code TDMTISO_INVC by Dreger (2003). Here, we will present the effects of changing the source parameters on the apparent moment tensor elements. First results show that, due to negative interference, the amplitude of the seismic signals of a ringfault structure is greatly reduced when compared to a single double couple source. Furthermore, best inversion results yield a solution comprised of positive isotropic and compensated linear vector dipole components. Thus, the physical source mechanisms of volcano seismic signals may be misinterpreted as opening shear or tensile cracks when wrongly assuming a point source. In order to approach the real physical sources with our models, inversions based on higher-order tensors might have to be considered in the future. An inversion technique where the point source is replaced by a so-called moment tensor density would allow inversions of volcano seismic signals for sources that can then be temporally and spatially extended.

Seismic hazard in the Nation's breadbasket

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boyd, Oliver; Haller, Kathleen; Luco, Nicolas; Moschetti, Morgan P.; Mueller, Charles; Petersen, Mark D.; Rezaeian, Sanaz; Rubinstein, Justin L.

2015-01-01

The USGS National Seismic Hazard Maps were updated in 2014 and included several important changes for the central United States (CUS). Background seismicity sources were improved using a new moment-magnitude-based catalog; a new adaptive, nearest-neighbor smoothing kernel was implemented; and maximum magnitudes for background sources were updated. Areal source zones developed by the Central and Eastern United States Seismic Source Characterization for Nuclear Facilities project were simplified and adopted. The weighting scheme for ground motion models was updated, giving more weight to models with a faster attenuation with distance compared to the previous maps. Overall, hazard changes (2% probability of exceedance in 50 years, across a range of ground-motion frequencies) were smaller than 10% in most of the CUS relative to the 2008 USGS maps despite new ground motion models and their assigned logic tree weights that reduced the probabilistic ground motions by 5–20%.

Seismic swarm associated with the 2008 eruption of Kasatochi Volcano, Alaska: earthquake locations and source parameters

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ruppert, Natalia G.; Prejean, Stephanie G.; Hansen, Roger A.

2011-01-01

An energetic seismic swarm accompanied an eruption of Kasatochi Volcano in the central Aleutian volcanic arc in August of 2008. In retrospect, the first earthquakes in the swarm were detected about 1 month prior to the eruption onset. Activity in the swarm quickly intensified less than 48 h prior to the first large explosion and subsequently subsided with decline of eruptive activity. The largest earthquake measured as moment magnitude 5.8, and a dozen additional earthquakes were larger than magnitude 4. The swarm exhibited both tectonic and volcanic characteristics. Its shear failure earthquake features were b value = 0.9, most earthquakes with impulsive P and S arrivals and higher-frequency content, and earthquake faulting parameters consistent with regional tectonic stresses. Its volcanic or fluid-influenced seismicity features were volcanic tremor, large CLVD components in moment tensor solutions, and increasing magnitudes with time. Earthquake location tests suggest that the earthquakes occurred in a distributed volume elongated in the NS direction either directly under the volcano or within 5-10 km south of it. Following the MW 5.8 event, earthquakes occurred in a new crustal volume slightly east and north of the previous earthquakes. The central Aleutian Arc is a tectonically active region with seismicity occurring in the crusts of the Pacific and North American plates in addition to interplate events. We postulate that the Kasatochi seismic swarm was a manifestation of the complex interaction of tectonic and magmatic processes in the Earth's crust. Although magmatic intrusion triggered the earthquakes in the swarm, the earthquakes failed in context of the regional stress field.

Volcanic tremor and local earthquakes at Copahue volcanic complex, Southern Andes, Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibáñez, J. M.; Del Pezzo, E.; Bengoa, C.; Caselli, A.; Badi, G.; Almendros, J.

2008-07-01

In the present paper we describe the results of a seismic field survey carried out at Copahue Volcano, Southern Andes, Argentina, using a small-aperture, dense seismic antenna. Copahue Volcano is an active volcano that exhibited a few phreatic eruptions in the last 20 years. The aim of this experiment was to record and classify the background seismic activity of this volcanic area, and locate the sources of local earthquakes and volcanic tremor. Data consist of several volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes, and many samples of back-ground seismic noise. We use both ordinary spectral, and multi-spectral techniques to measure the spectral content, and an array technique [Zero Lag Cross Correlation technique] to measure the back-azimuth and apparent slowness of the signals propagating across the array. We locate VT earthquakes using a procedure based on the estimate of slowness vector components and S-P time. VT events are located mainly along the border of the Caviahue caldera lake, positioned at the South-East of Copahue volcano, in a depth interval of 1-3 km below the surface. The background noise shows the presence of many transients with high correlation among the array stations in the frequency band centered at 2.5 Hz. These transients are superimposed to an uncorrelated background seismic signal. Array solutions for these transients show a predominant slowness vector pointing to the exploited geothermal field of "Las Maquinitas" and "Copahue Village", located about 6 km north of the array site. We interpret this coherent signal as a tremor generated by the activity of the geothermal field.

Modeling Explosion Induced Aftershocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroll, K.; Ford, S. R.; Pitarka, A.; Walter, W. R.; Richards-Dinger, K. B.

2017-12-01

Many traditional earthquake-explosion discrimination tools are based on properties of the seismic waveform or their spectral components. Common discrimination methods include estimates of body wave amplitude ratios, surface wave magnitude scaling, moment tensor characteristics, and depth. Such methods are limited by station coverage and noise. Ford and Walter (2010) proposed an alternate discrimination method based on using properties of aftershock sequences as a means of earthquakeexplosion differentiation. Previous studies have shown that explosion sources produce fewer aftershocks that are generally smaller in magnitude compared to aftershocks of similarly sized earthquake sources (Jarpe et al., 1994, Ford and Walter, 2010). It has also been suggested that the explosion-induced aftershocks have smaller Gutenberg- Richter b-values (Ryall and Savage, 1969) and that their rates decay faster than a typical Omori-like sequence (Gross, 1996). To discern whether these observations are generally true of explosions or are related to specific site conditions (e.g. explosion proximity to active faults, tectonic setting, crustal stress magnitudes) would require a thorough global analysis. Such a study, however, is hindered both by lack of evenly distributed explosion-sources and the availability of global seismicity data. Here, we employ two methods to test the efficacy of explosions at triggering aftershocks under a variety of physical conditions. First, we use the earthquake rate equations from Dieterich (1994) to compute the rate of aftershocks related to an explosion source assuming a simple spring-slider model. We compare seismicity rates computed with these analytical solutions to those produced by the 3D, multi-cycle earthquake simulator, RSQSim. We explore the relationship between geological conditions and the characteristics of the resulting explosion-induced aftershock sequence. We also test hypothesis that aftershock generation is dependent upon the frequency content of the passing dynamic seismic waves as suggested by Parsons and Velasco (2009). Lastly, we compare all results of explosion-induced aftershocks with aftershocks generated by similarly sized earthquake sources. Prepared by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

A new seismic probe for coal seam hazard detection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peters, W.R.; Owen, T.E.; Thill, R.E.

1985-01-01

An experimental hole-to-hole seismic probe system has been developed for use in coal measure geology as a means of determining the structural conditions of coal seams. The source probe produces a 500-joule electric arc discharge whose seismic wavelet has a spectrum in the 200 to 2,000 Hz frequency range. Low compliance hydrophones contained in the source probe as well as in a separate seismic detector probe are matched to the frequency range of the source. Both probes are constructed with 5.72 cm diameter housings. The transducers in the probes are equipped with fluid-inflatable boots to permit operation in either wetmore » or dry boreholes. Preliminary tests in vertical boreholes drilled 213 m apart in sedimentary rock formations show reliable operation and useful seismic propagation measurements along horizontal and oblique paths up to 232 m in length. Because the seismic wavelet has an accurately repeatable waveshape, multiple shots and signal averaging techniques can be used to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and extend the transmission distances.« less

Looking inside the microseismic cloud using seismic interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matzel, E.; Rhode, A.; Morency, C.; Templeton, D. C.; Pyle, M. L.

2015-12-01

Microseismicity provides a direct means of measuring the physical characteristics of active tectonic features such as fault zones. Thousands of microquakes are often associated with an active site. This cloud of microseismicity helps define the tectonically active region. When processed using novel geophysical techniques, we can isolate the energy sensitive to the faulting region, itself. The virtual seismometer method (VSM) is a technique of seismic interferometry that provides precise estimates of the GF between earthquakes. In many ways the converse of ambient noise correlation, it is very sensitive to the source parameters (location, mechanism and magnitude) and to the Earth structure in the source region. In a region with 1000 microseisms, we can calculate roughly 500,000 waveforms sampling the active zone. At the same time, VSM collapses the computation domain down to the size of the cloud of microseismicity, often by 2-3 orders of magnitude. In simple terms VSM involves correlating the waveforms from a pair of events recorded at an individual station and then stacking the results over all stations to obtain the final result. In the far-field, when most of the stations in a network fall along a line between the two events, the result is an estimate of the GF between the two, modified by the source terms. In this geometry each earthquake is effectively a virtual seismometer recording all the others. When applied to microquakes, this alignment is often not met, and we also need to address the effects of the geometry between the two microquakes relative to each seismometer. Nonetheless, the technique is quite robust, and highly sensitive to the microseismic cloud. Using data from the Salton Sea geothermal region, we demonstrate the power of the technique, illustrating our ability to scale the technique from the far-field, where sources are well separated, to the near field where their locations fall within each other's uncertainty ellipse. VSM provides better illumination of the complex subsurface by generating precise, high frequency estimates of the GF and resolution of seismic properties between every pair of events. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344

Analytical magmatic source modelling from a joint inversion of ground deformation and focal mechanisms data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannavo', Flavio; Scandura, Danila; Palano, Mimmo; Musumeci, Carla

2014-05-01

Seismicity and ground deformation represent the principal geophysical methods for volcano monitoring and provide important constraints on subsurface magma movements. The occurrence of migrating seismic swarms, as observed at several volcanoes worldwide, are commonly associated with dike intrusions. In addition, on active volcanoes, (de)pressurization and/or intrusion of magmatic bodies stress and deform the surrounding crustal rocks, often causing earthquakes randomly distributed in time within a volume extending about 5-10 km from the wall of the magmatic bodies. Despite advances in space-based, geodetic and seismic networks have significantly improved volcano monitoring in the last decades on an increasing worldwide number of volcanoes, quantitative models relating deformation and seismicity are not common. The observation of several episodes of volcanic unrest throughout the world, where the movement of magma through the shallow crust was able to produce local rotation of the ambient stress field, introduces an opportunity to improve the estimate of the parameters of a deformation source. In particular, during these episodes of volcanic unrest a radial pattern of P-axes of the focal mechanism solutions, similar to that of ground deformation, has been observed. Therefore, taking into account additional information from focal mechanisms data, we propose a novel approach to volcanic source modeling based on the joint inversion of deformation and focal plane solutions assuming that both observations are due to the same source. The methodology is first verified against a synthetic dataset of surface deformation and strain within the medium, and then applied to real data from an unrest episode occurred before the May 13th 2008 eruption at Mt. Etna (Italy). The main results clearly indicate as the joint inversion improves the accuracy of the estimated source parameters of about 70%. The statistical tests indicate that the source depth is the parameter with the highest increment of accuracy. In addition a sensitivity analysis confirms that displacements data are more useful to constrain the pressure and the horizontal location of the source than its depth, while the P-axes better constrain the depth estimation.

Comparisons of Source Characteristics between Recent Inland Crustal Earthquake Sequences inside and outside of Niigata-Kobe Tectonic Zone, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Somei, K.; Asano, K.; Iwata, T.; Miyakoshi, K.

2012-12-01

After the 1995 Kobe earthquake, many M7-class inland earthquakes occurred in Japan. Some of those events (e.g., the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake) occurred in a tectonic zone which is characterized as a high strain rate zone by the GPS observation (Sagiya et al., 2000) or dense distribution of active faults. That belt-like zone along the coast in Japan Sea side of Tohoku and Chubu districts, and north of Kinki district, is called as the Niigata-Kobe tectonic zone (NKTZ, Sagiya et al, 2000). We investigate seismic scaling relationship for recent inland crustal earthquake sequences in Japan and compare source characteristics between events occurring inside and outside of NKTZ. We used S-wave coda part for estimating source spectra. Source spectral ratio is obtained by S-wave coda spectral ratio between the records of large and small events occurring close to each other from nation-wide strong motion network (K-NET and KiK-net) and broad-band seismic network (F-net) to remove propagation-path and site effects. We carefully examined the commonality of the decay of coda envelopes between event-pair records and modeled the observed spectral ratio by the source spectral ratio function with assuming omega-square source model for large and small events. We estimated the corner frequencies and seismic moment (ratio) from those modeled spectral ratio function. We determined Brune's stress drops of 356 events (Mw: 3.1-6.9) in ten earthquake sequences occurring in NKTZ and six sequences occurring outside of NKTZ. Most of source spectra obey omega-square source spectra. There is no obvious systematic difference between stress drops of events in NKTZ zone and others. We may conclude that the systematic tendency of seismic source scaling of the events occurred inside and outside of NKTZ does not exist and the average source scaling relationship can be effective for inland crustal earthquakes. Acknowledgements: Waveform data were provided from K-NET, KiK-net and F-net operated by National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention Japan. This study is supported by Multidisciplinary research project for Niigata-Kobe tectonic zone promoted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan.

Natural regeneration on seismic lines influences movement behaviour of wolves and grizzly bears.

PubMed

Finnegan, Laura; Pigeon, Karine E; Cranston, Jerome; Hebblewhite, Mark; Musiani, Marco; Neufeld, Lalenia; Schmiegelow, Fiona; Duval, Julie; Stenhouse, Gordon B

2018-01-01

Across the boreal forest of Canada, habitat disturbance is the ultimate cause of caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) declines. Habitat restoration is a focus of caribou recovery efforts, with a goal to finding ways to reduce predator use of disturbances, and caribou-predator encounters. One of the most pervasive disturbances within caribou ranges in Alberta, Canada are seismic lines cleared for energy exploration. Seismic lines facilitate predator movement, and although vegetation on some seismic lines is regenerating, it remains unknown whether vegetation regrowth is sufficient to alter predator response. We used Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data, and GPS locations, to understand how vegetation and other attributes of seismic lines influence movements of two predators, wolves (Canis lupus) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos). During winter, wolves moved towards seismic lines regardless of vegetation height, while during spring wolves moved towards seismic lines with higher vegetation. During summer, wolves moved towards seismic lines with lower vegetation and also moved faster near seismic lines with vegetation <0.7 m. Seismic lines with lower vegetation height were preferred by grizzly bears during spring and summer, but there was no relationship between vegetation height and grizzly bear movement rates. These results suggest that wolves use seismic lines for travel during summer, but during winter wolf movements relative to seismic lines could be influenced by factors additional to movement efficiency; potentially enhanced access to areas frequented by ungulate prey. Grizzly bears may be using seismic lines for movement, but could also be using seismic lines as a source of vegetative food or ungulate prey. To reduce wolf movement rate, restoration could focus on seismic lines with vegetation <1 m in height. However our results revealed that seismic lines continue to influence wolf movement behaviour decades after they were built, and even at later stages of regeneration. Therefore it remains unknown at what stage of natural regeneration, if any, wolves cease to respond to seismic lines. To reduce wolf response to seismic lines, active restoration tactics like blocking seismic lines and tree planting, along with management of alternate prey, could be evaluated.

Natural regeneration on seismic lines influences movement behaviour of wolves and grizzly bears

PubMed Central

Pigeon, Karine E.; Cranston, Jerome; Hebblewhite, Mark; Musiani, Marco; Neufeld, Lalenia; Schmiegelow, Fiona; Duval, Julie; Stenhouse, Gordon B.

2018-01-01

Across the boreal forest of Canada, habitat disturbance is the ultimate cause of caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) declines. Habitat restoration is a focus of caribou recovery efforts, with a goal to finding ways to reduce predator use of disturbances, and caribou-predator encounters. One of the most pervasive disturbances within caribou ranges in Alberta, Canada are seismic lines cleared for energy exploration. Seismic lines facilitate predator movement, and although vegetation on some seismic lines is regenerating, it remains unknown whether vegetation regrowth is sufficient to alter predator response. We used Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data, and GPS locations, to understand how vegetation and other attributes of seismic lines influence movements of two predators, wolves (Canis lupus) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos). During winter, wolves moved towards seismic lines regardless of vegetation height, while during spring wolves moved towards seismic lines with higher vegetation. During summer, wolves moved towards seismic lines with lower vegetation and also moved faster near seismic lines with vegetation <0.7 m. Seismic lines with lower vegetation height were preferred by grizzly bears during spring and summer, but there was no relationship between vegetation height and grizzly bear movement rates. These results suggest that wolves use seismic lines for travel during summer, but during winter wolf movements relative to seismic lines could be influenced by factors additional to movement efficiency; potentially enhanced access to areas frequented by ungulate prey. Grizzly bears may be using seismic lines for movement, but could also be using seismic lines as a source of vegetative food or ungulate prey. To reduce wolf movement rate, restoration could focus on seismic lines with vegetation <1 m in height. However our results revealed that seismic lines continue to influence wolf movement behaviour decades after they were built, and even at later stages of regeneration. Therefore it remains unknown at what stage of natural regeneration, if any, wolves cease to respond to seismic lines. To reduce wolf response to seismic lines, active restoration tactics like blocking seismic lines and tree planting, along with management of alternate prey, could be evaluated. PMID:29659615

GeoNetGIS: a Geodetic Network Geographical Information System to manage GPS networks in seismic and volcanic areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cristofoletti, P.; Esposito, A.; Anzidei, M.

2003-04-01

This paper presents the methodologies and issues involved in the use of GIS techniques to manage geodetic information derived from networks in seismic and volcanic areas. Organization and manipulation of different geodetical, geological and seismic database, give us a new challenge in interpretation of information that has several dimensions, including spatial and temporal variations, also the flexibility and brand range of tools available in GeoNetGIS, make it an attractive platform for earthquake risk assessment. During the last decade the use of geodetic networks based on the Global Positioning System, devoted to geophysical applications, especially for crustal deformation monitoring in seismic and volcanic areas, increased dramatically. The large amount of data provided by these networks, combined with different and independent observations, such as epicentre distribution of recent and historical earthquakes, geological and structural data, photo interpretation of aerial and satellite images, can aid for the detection and parameterization of seismogenic sources. In particular we applied our geodetic oriented GIS to a new GPS network recently set up and surveyed in the Central Apennine region: the CA-GeoNet. GeoNetGIS is designed to analyze in three and four dimensions GPS sources and to improve crustal deformation analysis and interpretation related with tectonic structures and seismicity. It manages many database (DBMS) consisting of different classes, such as Geodesy, Topography, Seismicity, Geology, Geography and Raster Images, administrated according to Thematic Layers. GeoNetGIS represents a powerful research tool allowing to join the analysis of all data layers to integrate the different data base which aid for the identification of the activity of known faults or structures and suggesting the new evidences of active tectonics. A new approach to data integration given by GeoNetGIS capabilities, allow us to create and deliver a wide range of maps, digital and 3-dimensional environment data analysis applications for geophysical users and civil defense companies, also distributing them on the World Wide Web or in wireless connection realized by PDA computer. It runs on powerful PC platform under Win2000 Prof OS © and based on ArcGIS 8.2 ESRI © software.

Implications from palaeoseismological investigations at the Markgrafneusiedl Fault (Vienna Basin, Austria) for seismic hazard assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hintersberger, Esther; Decker, Kurt; Lomax, Johanna; Lüthgens, Christopher

2018-02-01

Intraplate regions characterized by low rates of seismicity are challenging for seismic hazard assessment, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, evaluation of historic earthquake catalogues may not reveal all active faults that contribute to regional seismic hazard. Secondly, slip rate determination is limited by sparse geomorphic preservation of slowly moving faults. In the Vienna Basin (Austria), moderate historical seismicity (Imax, obs / Mmax, obs = 8/5.2) concentrates along the left-lateral strike-slip Vienna Basin Transfer Fault (VBTF). In contrast, several normal faults branching out from the VBTF show neither historical nor instrumental earthquake records, although geomorphological data indicate Quaternary displacement along those faults. Here, located about 15 km outside of Vienna, the Austrian capital, we present a palaeoseismological dataset of three trenches that cross one of these splay faults, the Markgrafneusiedl Fault (MF), in order to evaluate its seismic potential. Comparing the observations of the different trenches, we found evidence for five to six surface-breaking earthquakes during the last 120 kyr, with the youngest event occurring at around 14 ka. The derived surface displacements lead to magnitude estimates ranging between 6.2 ± 0.5 and 6.8 ± 0.4. Data can be interpreted by two possible slip models, with slip model 1 showing more regular recurrence intervals of about 20-25 kyr between the earthquakes with M ≥ 6.5 and slip model 2 indicating that such earthquakes cluster in two time intervals in the last 120 kyr. Direct correlation between trenches favours slip model 2 as the more plausible option. Trench observations also show that structural and sedimentological records of strong earthquakes with small surface offset have only low preservation potential. Therefore, the earthquake frequency for magnitudes between 6 and 6.5 cannot be constrained by the trenching records. Vertical slip rates of 0.02-0.05 mm a-1 derived from the trenches compare well to geomorphically derived slip rates of 0.02-0.09 mm a-1. Magnitude estimates from fault dimensions suggest that the largest earthquakes observed in the trenches activated the entire fault surface of the MF including the basal detachment that links the normal fault with the VBTF. The most important implications of these palaeoseismological results for seismic hazard assessment are as follows. (1) The MF is an active seismic source, capable of rupturing the surface despite the lack of historical earthquakes. (2) The MF is kinematically and geologically equivalent to a number of other splay faults of the VBTF. It is reasonable to assume that these faults are potential sources of large earthquakes as well. The frequency of strong earthquakes near Vienna is therefore expected to be significantly higher than the earthquake frequency reconstructed for the MF alone. (3) Although rare events, the potential for earthquake magnitudes equal or greater than M = 7.0 in the Vienna Basin should be considered in seismic hazard studies.

Monte Carlo Volcano Seismic Moment Tensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waite, G. P.; Brill, K. A.; Lanza, F.

2015-12-01

Inverse modeling of volcano seismic sources can provide insight into the geometry and dynamics of volcanic conduits. But given the logistical challenges of working on an active volcano, seismic networks are typically deficient in spatial and temporal coverage; this potentially leads to large errors in source models. In addition, uncertainties in the centroid location and moment-tensor components, including volumetric components, are difficult to constrain from the linear inversion results, which leads to a poor understanding of the model space. In this study, we employ a nonlinear inversion using a Monte Carlo scheme with the objective of defining robustly resolved elements of model space. The model space is randomized by centroid location and moment tensor eigenvectors. Point sources densely sample the summit area and moment tensors are constrained to a randomly chosen geometry within the inversion; Green's functions for the random moment tensors are all calculated from modeled single forces, making the nonlinear inversion computationally reasonable. We apply this method to very-long-period (VLP) seismic events that accompany minor eruptions at Fuego volcano, Guatemala. The library of single force Green's functions is computed with a 3D finite-difference modeling algorithm through a homogeneous velocity-density model that includes topography, for a 3D grid of nodes, spaced 40 m apart, within the summit region. The homogenous velocity and density model is justified by long wavelength of VLP data. The nonlinear inversion reveals well resolved model features and informs the interpretation through a better understanding of the possible models. This approach can also be used to evaluate possible station geometries in order to optimize networks prior to deployment.

Multiple coincident eruptive seismic tremor sources during the 2014-2015 eruption at Holuhraun, Iceland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eibl, Eva P. S.; Bean, Christopher J.; Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg; Höskuldsson, Armann; Thordarson, Thorvaldur; Coppola, Diego; Witt, Tanja; Walter, Thomas R.

2017-04-01

We analyze eruptive tremor during one of the largest effusive eruptions in historical times in Iceland (2014/2015 Holuhraun eruption). Seismic array recordings are compared with effusion rates deduced from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer recordings and ground video monitoring data and lead to the identification of three coexisting eruptive tremor sources. This contrasts other tremor studies that generally link eruptive tremor to only one source usually associated with the vent. The three sources are (i) a source that is stable in back azimuth and shows bursts with ramp-like decrease in amplitude at the beginning of the eruption: we link it to a process below the open vents where the bursts correlate with the opening of new vents and temporary increases in the lava fountaining height; (ii) a source moving by a few degrees per month while the tremor amplitude suddenly increases and decreases: back azimuth and slowness correlate with the growing margins of the lava flow field, whilst new contact with a river led to fast increases of the tremor amplitude; and (iii) a source moving by up to 25° southward in 4 days that cannot be related to any observed surface activity and might be linked to intrusions. We therefore suggest that eruptive tremor amplitudes/energies are used with caution when estimating eruptive volumes, effusion rates, or the eruption explosivity as multiple sources can coexist during the eruption phase. Our results suggest that arrays can monitor both the growth of a lava flow field and the activity in the vents.

Geothermal induced seismicity: What links source mechanics and event magnitudes to faulting regime and injection rates?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-Garzon, Patricia; Kwiatek, Grzegorz; Bohnhoff, Marco; Dresen, Georg

2017-04-01

Improving estimates of seismic hazard associated to reservoir stimulation requires advanced understanding of the physical processes governing induced seismicity, which can be better achieved by carefully processing large datasets. To this end, we investigate source-type processes (shear/tensile/compaction) and rupture geometries with respect to the local stress field using seismicity from The Geysers (TG) and Salton Sea geothermal reservoirs, California. Analysis of 869 well-constrained full moment tensors (MW 0.8-3.5) at TG reveals significant non-double-couple (NDC) components (>25%) for 65% of the events and remarkably diversity in the faulting mechanisms. Volumetric deformation is clearly governed by injection rates with larger NDC components observed near injection wells and during high injection periods. The overall volumetric deformation from the moment tensors increases with time, possibly reflecting a reservoir pore pressure increase after several years of fluid injection with no significant production nearby. The obtained source mechanisms and fault orientations are magnitude-dependent and vary significantly between faulting regimes. Normal faulting events (MW < 2) reveal substantial NDC components indicating dilatancy, and they occur on varying fault orientations. In contrast, strike-slip events dominantly reveal a double-couple source, larger magnitudes (MW > 2) and mostly occur on optimally oriented faults with respect to the local stress field. NDC components indicating closure of cracks and pore spaces in the source region are found for reverse faulting events with MW > 2.5. Our findings from TG are generally consistent with preliminary source-type results from a reduced subset of well-recorded seismicity at the Salton Sea geothermal reservoir. Combined results imply that source processes and magnitudes of geothermal-induced seismicity are strongly affected by and systematically related to the hydraulic operations and the local stress state.

The Ms4.4 2016 Yuncheng, Shanxi, China, Seismic Sequence: Source Characterizations and Tectonic Implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Z.; Riaz, M. S.; Zheng, Y.; Xiong, X.

2017-12-01

On 12 March 2016 at 11:14 (Beijing time) , a moderate earthquake with magnitude Ms4.4 struck Yuncheng County, Shanxi Province, Central China. Seismic activity continued with numerous aftershocks, and another event with little smaller magnitude of Ms4.0 occurred on 27 March 2016 at 3:58 as well as a lot of aftershocks followed. Seismic waves from the earthquakes were recorded by a dense local broadband seismic network in Shanxi and its surrounding provinces, enabling detailed the source characterizations of this earthquake sequence. The hypocenters of the Yuncheng earthquake sequence determined by the TomoDD method displayed that the events occurred in the middle of Yuncheng Basin which locates between Weihe Basin and Fenhe Basin, one of renowned active seismic belts in mainland China. The relocation of the aftershocks presented a NNW-SSE orientated distribution, and the earlier aftershocks tended to fault at shallow depths, concentrating at 5 km. After the Ms4.0 event, the aftershocks extended to the SSE direction with deeper focal depths. The focal mechanisms of the mainshock and the biggest aftershock obtained by the CAP (Cut And Paste) method indicated consistent right-lateral strike-slip faults. Since the magnitude was relatively small, no surface rupture associated with this shock sequence had been observed, and no known faults exited around the epicenter, indicating that the causative fault was ambiguous just based on the focal mechanism. According to the aftershocks distribution and the recent GPS results, the ruptured fault was apt to the nodal plane striking at 194°, dipping 79° and rake 151° for Ms4.4 mainshock and 199°/73°/141°, representing strike/dip/rake, for Ms4.0 aftershock. This earthquake sequence was regarded as an adjustment of stress accumulation in the pull-apart Yuncheng Basin, implying that the energy around the boundary faults of the basin has accumulated continuously.

New constraints on the magmatic system beneath Newberry Volcano from the analysis of active and passive source seismic data, and ambient noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heath, B.; Toomey, D. R.; Hooft, E. E. E.

2014-12-01

Magmatic systems beneath arc-volcanoes are often poorly resolved by seismic imaging due to the small spatial scale and large magnitude of crustal heterogeneity in combination with field experiments that sparsely sample the wavefield. Here we report on our continued analysis of seismic data from a line of densely-spaced (~300 m), three-component seismometers installed on Newberry Volcano in central Oregon for ~3 weeks; the array recorded an explosive shot, ~20 teleseismic events, and ambient noise. By jointly inverting both active and passive-source travel time data, the resulting tomographic image reveals a more detailed view of the presumed rhyolitic magma chamber at ~3-5 km depth, previously imaged by Achauer et al. (1988) and Beachly et al. (2012). The magma chamber is elongated perpendicular to the trend of extensional faulting and encircled by hypocenters of small (M < 2) earthquakes located by PNSN. We also model teleseismic waveforms using a 2-D synthetic seismogram code to recreate anomalous amplitudes observed in the P-wave coda for sites within the caldera. Autocorrelation of ambient noise data also reveals large amplitude waveforms for a small but spatially grouped set of stations, also located within the caldera. On the basis of these noise observations and 2-D synthetic models, which both require slow seismic speeds at depth, we conclude that our tomographic model underestimates low-velocity anomalies associated with the inferred crustal magma chamber; this is due in large part to wavefront healing, which reduces observed travel time anomalies, and regularization constraints, which minimize model perturbations. Only by using various methods that interrogate different aspects of the seismic data are we able to more realistically constrain the complicated, heterogeneous volcanic system. In particular, modeling of waveform characteristics provides a better measure of the spatial scale and magnitude of crustal velocities near magmatic systems.

Probabilistic Appraisal of Earthquake Hazard Parameters Deduced from a Bayesian Approach in the Northwest Frontier of the Himalayas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, R. B. S.; Tsapanos, T. M.; Bayrak, Yusuf; Koravos, G. Ch.

2013-03-01

A straightforward Bayesian statistic is applied in five broad seismogenic source zones of the northwest frontier of the Himalayas to estimate the earthquake hazard parameters (maximum regional magnitude M max, β value of G-R relationship and seismic activity rate or intensity λ). For this purpose, a reliable earthquake catalogue which is homogeneous for M W ≥ 5.0 and complete during the period 1900 to 2010 is compiled. The Hindukush-Pamir Himalaya zone has been further divided into two seismic zones of shallow ( h ≤ 70 km) and intermediate depth ( h > 70 km) according to the variation of seismicity with depth in the subduction zone. The estimated earthquake hazard parameters by Bayesian approach are more stable and reliable with low standard deviations than other approaches, but the technique is more time consuming. In this study, quantiles of functions of distributions of true and apparent magnitudes for future time intervals of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 years are calculated with confidence limits for probability levels of 50, 70 and 90 % in all seismogenic source zones. The zones of estimated M max greater than 8.0 are related to the Sulaiman-Kirthar ranges, Hindukush-Pamir Himalaya and Himalayan Frontal Thrusts belt; suggesting more seismically hazardous regions in the examined area. The lowest value of M max (6.44) has been calculated in Northern-Pakistan and Hazara syntaxis zone which have estimated lowest activity rate 0.0023 events/day as compared to other zones. The Himalayan Frontal Thrusts belt exhibits higher earthquake magnitude (8.01) in next 100-years with 90 % probability level as compared to other zones, which reveals that this zone is more vulnerable to occurrence of a great earthquake. The obtained results in this study are directly useful for the probabilistic seismic hazard assessment in the examined region of Himalaya.

Sustained long-period seismicity at Shishaldin Volcano, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Petersen, Tanja; Caplan-Auerbach, Jacqueline; McNutt, Stephen R.

2006-01-01

From September 1999 through April 2004, Shishaldin Volcano, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, exhibited a continuous and extremely high level of background seismicity. This activity consisted of many hundreds to thousands of long-period (LP; 1–2 Hz) earthquakes per day, recorded by a 6-station monitoring network around Shishaldin. The LP events originate beneath the summit at shallow depths (0–3 km). Volcano tectonic events and tremor have rarely been observed in the summit region. Such a high rate of LP events with no eruption suggests that a steady state process has been occurring ever since Shishaldin last erupted in April–May 1999. Following the eruption, the only other signs of volcanic unrest have been occasional weak thermal anomalies and an omnipresent puffing volcanic plume. The LP waveforms are nearly identical for time spans of days to months, but vary over longer time scales. The observations imply that the spatially close source processes are repeating, stable and non-destructive. Event sizes vary, but the rate of occurrence remains roughly constant. The events range from magnitude ∼0.1 to 1.8, with most events having magnitudes <1.0. The observations suggest that the conduit system is open and capable of releasing a large amount of energy, approximately equivalent to at least one magnitude 1.8–2.6 earthquake per day. The rate of observed puffs (1 per minute) in the steam plume is similar to the typical seismic rates, suggesting that the LP events are directly related to degassing processes. However, the source mechanism, capable of producing one LP event about every 0.5–5 min, is still poorly understood. Shishaldin's seismicity is unusual in its sustained high rate of LP events without accompanying eruptive activity. Every indication is that the high rate of seismicity will continue without reflecting a hazardous state. Sealing of the conduit and/or change in gas flux, however, would be expected to change Shishaldin's behavior.

Source-Type Identification Analysis Using Regional Seismic Moment Tensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiang, A.; Dreger, D. S.; Ford, S. R.; Walter, W. R.

2012-12-01

Waveform inversion to determine the seismic moment tensor is a standard approach in determining the source mechanism of natural and manmade seismicity, and may be used to identify, or discriminate different types of seismic sources. The successful applications of the regional moment tensor method at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and the 2006 and 2009 North Korean nuclear tests (Ford et al., 2009a, 2009b, 2010) show that the method is robust and capable for source-type discrimination at regional distances. The well-separated populations of explosions, earthquakes and collapses on a Hudson et al., (1989) source-type diagram enables source-type discrimination; however the question remains whether or not the separation of events is universal in other regions, where we have limited station coverage and knowledge of Earth structure. Ford et al., (2012) have shown that combining regional waveform data and P-wave first motions removes the CLVD-isotropic tradeoff and uniquely discriminating the 2009 North Korean test as an explosion. Therefore, including additional constraints from regional and teleseismic P-wave first motions enables source-type discrimination at regions with limited station coverage. We present moment tensor analysis of earthquakes and explosions (M6) from Lop Nor and Semipalatinsk test sites for station paths crossing Kazakhstan and Western China. We also present analyses of smaller events from industrial sites. In these sparse coverage situations we combine regional long-period waveforms, and high-frequency P-wave polarity from the same stations, as well as from teleseismic arrays to constrain the source type. Discrimination capability with respect to velocity model and station coverage is examined, and additionally we investigate the velocity model dependence of vanishing free-surface traction effects on seismic moment tensor inversion of shallow sources and recovery of explosive scalar moment. Our synthetic data tests indicate that biases in scalar seismic moment and discrimination for shallow sources are small and can be understood in a systematic manner. We are presently investigating the frequency dependence of vanishing traction of a very shallow (10m depth) M2+ chemical explosion recorded at several kilometer distances, and preliminary results indicate at the typical frequency passband we employ the bias does not affect our ability to retrieve the correct source mechanism but may affect the retrieval of the correct scalar seismic moment. Finally, we assess discrimination capability in a composite P-value statistical framework.