Earthquake Recording and its Parameters

Arjun Kumar

Earthquake Waves
Body Waves
P or Longitudinal waves
(more prominent on vertical component)

S or Transverse waves

Important
for
Earthquake
location

(more prominent on horizontal component)

Surface Waves
Love waves

Rayleigh waves

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Components of Motion
N
Z
W

Z or Vertical Component
EW Component
NS Component

(up & down)

Important for Engineers

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Ways to Record Motion

Acceleration (cm / sec.2)

Velocity ( cm / sec.)

Displacement (cm)

- high frequency signals

- intermediate frequency signals

low frequency signals

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Recording Instruments
Analog (Continuous)

Analog

(Film, Smoke Paper, Paper)

Digital (at regular intervals)

(various digital data storage devices)
Broad Band
Short Period

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Types of Instruments
Short period- sensitive to high frequency signals
(local earthquakes)

Intermediate period- sensitive to intermediate frequency signals

(regional events)

Long period- sensitive to low frequency signals

(teleseismic events)

Modern Instrument
Broad Band- e.g. 0.01 to 50 Hz
(local, regional and teleseismic events)
The instruments records the motion produced w.r.t. mass system
due to an earthquake.
Now these days instruments records the voltage required to hold
the mass system at place.
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Objective of Routine Processing

Origin Time (GMT or IST)
Location (Epicenter & Hypocenter)
Size (Magnitude)

Earthquake
Parameters

Advanced Processing
Source Parameters (Moment, Energy Release,
Fault Dimension, Slip, Stress Drop etc. )
Tomography of the Earth.
and many more.
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Estimation of Origin Time

S2

S1

Wadti-Diagram
S3
S2
S1

S3

Time (IST or GMT)

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Simple sketch of arrival of various phases

Recording Station

Hypocenter

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Travel
Time
Curve

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Estimation of Location
By Multiple Stations

S2

For local earthquakes

d2

d ( S P ) 8.0

d1

S1

For regional earthquakes

d ( S n Pn ) 10.0

d3

S3

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Estimation of Location
By Single 3 Component Stations

S2
d2
S1
d1

N
d3

AZ1
W

AZ1 tan

1 AE
AN

.
.

S3

AZ2

To Epicenter
S

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First rough discrimination about depth

shallow earthquakes (surface waves)

h[km] 0.5t ( pP P )[ s ] 7
deep (no surface waves)
100 < h < 300 km

h[km] 0.5t ( pP P )[ s ] 8
h > 300 km

h[km] 0.5t ( pP P )[ s ] 9

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Estimation of Magnitude
Magnitude is the measure of the size of
the earthquake.
It is a number assign to a earthquake
It is independent of place of observation.
It is calculated from the amplitude of the
seismic waves observed on a
seismogram.
Commonly used scales:
The Richter Scale, also called the Local Magnitude Scale ( ML).
The body wave magnitude scale (mb).
The surface wave magnitude scale (Ms).
The duration magnitude scale (MD).
The moment magnitude scale (Mw).
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Richter magnitude scale

First of all, American seismologist C. F. Richter (1937) defined the magnitude scale
by listing the earthquakes occurred in Southern California recorded on Wood
Anderson Seismograph.
He defined the magnitude as natural log of recorded trace amplitude recorded on
standard Wood Anderson seismograph placed at an epicentral distance of 100 km.

M L Log 10 A(mm) Disance correction factor

The equation behind this monogram is

M L log10 A(mm) 3.0 log10 [8t (sec)] 2.92

Problems with the Richter scale
This scale was originally intended to be used only in a
particular study area in California, and on horizontal
seismograms of shallow earthquakes recorded on a
particular instrument, the Wood-Anderson seismometer
(Natural frequency=1.12Hz, free period = 0, max.
magnification = 2800, damping factor =0.80.

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The idea of Richter magnitude scale was further extended for earthquakes from different
regions and different depth ranges equivalent body and surface wave magnitude scale
have been developed :
Body wave magnitude (mb) Calculated from short period body waves (~1 sec.)

The standard body-wave magnitude formula is

mb = log10(A/T) + Q(D,h) ,

[Body wave magnitude]

Surface wave magnitude (Ms) Calculated from long period surface waves (~ 20 sec.)

Surface
waves

The standard surface-wave formula is

MS = log10 (A/T) + 1.66 log10 (D) + 3.30 .

[Surface Wave Magnitude]

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 Duration magnitude (MD)

Due to the very limited dynamic range of analog and film records (~40 & 60dB), the
events occurred near to instrument clipp the records, and hence determination of
magnitude becomes impossible.

To cop this problem, by calibirating the total duration of the signal of earthquakes within
100 km of known magnitude ML, duration magnitude is developed
MD=a0 + a1 log D
Where D is total duration of signal, and constants a0 and a1 vary from region to region.

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The major problem with magnitude scales based on Richter idea is that these are not
related to physical characteristics of the earthquake source, there is a saturation effect
near 8.3-8.5, owing to the scaling law of earthquake spectra.
Moment magnitude (Mw)
By the beginning of the 21st century, a more physically meaningful measurement
called the seismic moment which is more directly relatable to the physical parameters,
such as the dimension of the earthquake rupture, and the energy released from the
earthquake.
Mo = AD
In 1979 seismologists Tom Hanks and Hiroo Kanamori, proposed the moment
magnitude scale (Mw), which provides a way of expressing seismic moments in a form
that can be approximately related to traditional seismic magnitude measurements.
Mw = 2/3 log 10(Mo) - 10.7

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Comparison of Various Magnitude Scales

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Intensity
(Based on Observation)
Intensity measures the strength of shaking produced by the earthquake at a certain
location.
Intensity is determined from effects on people, human structures, and the natural
environment.
First intensity scale was developed by Rossi-Forel. Nowdays Modifiel Mercalli and
MSK intensity scales are generally used.

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Intensity (cont)
Intensities typically observed near the epicenter of earthquakes of different
magnitudes.

Magnitude / Intensity Comparison

Magnitude

Typical Maximum
Modified Mercalli Intensity

1.0 - 3.0

3.0 - 3.9

II - III

4.0 - 4.9

IV - V

5.0 - 5.9

VI - VII

6.0 - 6.9

VII - IX

7.0 and
higher

VIII or
higher

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Average peak
acceleration (g is
gravity=9.8
m/s*s)

Modified Mercalli Scale

Intensity value and description

I. Not felt except by a very few under especially favorable circumstances.

(I Rossi-Forel scale)
II. Felt only by a few persons at rest, especially on upper floors of buildings. Delicately suspended objects may swing.
(I to II Rossi-Forel scale)
III. Felt quite noticeably indoors, especially on upper floors of buildings, but many people do not recognize it as an
earthquake. Standing automobiles may rock slightly. Vibration like passing of truck. Duration estimated.
(III Rossi-Forel scale)

0.015g-0.02g

IV. During the day felt indoors by many, outdoors by few. At night some awakened. Dishes, windows, doors disturbed; walls
make creaking sound. Sensation like heavy truck striking building. Standing automobiles rocked noticeably.
(IV to V Rossi-Forel scale)

0.03g-0.04g

V. Felt by nearly everyone, many awakened. Some dishes, windows, and so on broken; cracked plaster in a few places;
unstable objects overturned. Disturbances of trees, poles, and other tall objects sometimes noticed. Pendulum clocks may
stop.
(V to VI Rossi-Forel scale)

0.06g-0.07g

VI. Felt by all, many frightened and run outdoors. Some heavy furniture moved; a few instances of fallen plaster and
damaged chimneys. Damage slight.
(VI to VII Rossi-Forel scale)

0.10g-0.15g

VII. Everybody runs outdoors. Damage negligible in buildings of good design and construction; slight to moderate in wellbuilt ordinary structures; considerable in poorly built or badly designed structures; some chimneys broken. Noticed by
persons driving cars.
(VIII Rossi-Forel scale)
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Average peak
acceleration (g is
gravity=9.8
m/s*s)

Modified Mercalli Scale

Intensity value and description

0.25g-0.30g

VIII. Damage slight in specially designed structures; considerable in ordinary substantial buildings with partial collapse;
great in poorly built structures. Panel walls thrown out of frame structures. Fall of chimneys, factory stack, columns,
monuments, walls. Heavy furniture overturned. Sand and mud ejected in small amounts. Changes in well water. Persons
driving cars disturbed.
(VIII + to IX Rossi-Forel scale)

0.50g-0.55g

IX. Damage considerable in specially designed structures; well-designed frame structures thrown out of plumb; great in
substantial buildings, with partial collapse. Buildings shifted off foundations. Ground cracked conspicuously. Underground
pipes broken.
(IX + Rossi-Forel scale)

More than 0.60g

X. Some well-built wooden structures destroyed; most masonry and frame structures destroyed with foundations; ground
badly cracked. Rails bent. Landslides considerable from river banks and steep slopes. Shifted sand and mud. Water splashed,
slopped over banks.
(X Rossi-Forel scale)

XI. Few, if any, (masonry) structures remain standing. Bridges destroyed. Broad fissures in ground. Underground pipelines
completely out of service. Earth slumps and land slips in soft ground. Rails bent greatly.
XII. Damage total. Waves seen on ground surface. Lines of sight and level distorted. Objects thrown into the air.
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INDIA