NEHRP Clearinghouse
- Title
- Statistical Relations Among Earthquake Magnitude, Surface Rupture Length, and Surface Fault Displacement.
- File
- PB2006108299.pdf
- Author(s)
- Bonilla, M. G.; Mark, R. K.; Lienkaemper, J. J.
- Source
- January 1984, 50 p.
- Identifying Number(s)
- USGS-OFR-84-256
- Abstract
- In order to refine correlations of surface-wave magnitude, fault rupture length at the ground surface, and fault displacement at the surface by including the uncertainties in these variables, the existing data were critically reviewed and a new data base was compiled. Earthquake magnitudes were redetermined as necessary to make them as consistent as possible with the Gutenberg methods and results, which necessarily make up much of the data base. Measurement errors were estimated for the three variables for 58 moderate to large shallow-focus earthquakes. Regression analyses were then made utilizing the estimated measurement errors. The regression analysis demonstrates that the relations among the variables magnitude, length, and displacement are stochastic in nature. The stochastic variance, introduced in part by incomplete surface expression of seismogenic faulting, variation in shear modulus, and regional factors, dominates the estimated measurement errors.
- Keywords
- ; Geologic faults; Surface waves; Statistical analysis; Correlations; Magnitude; Length; Data compilation; Regression analysis; Displacement; Stochastic processes; Seismographs; Earthquakes