Suitable triggering algorithms for detecting strong ground motions using MEMS accelerometers

With the recent development of digital Micro Electro Mechanical System （MEMS） sensors, the cost of monitoring and detecting seismic events in real time can be greatly reduced. Ability of MEMS accelerograph to record a seismic event depends upon the efficiency of triggering algorithm, apart from the sensor＇s sensitivity. There are several classic triggering algorithms developed to detect seismic events, ranging from basic amplitude threshold to more sophisticated pattern recognition. Algorithms based on STA/LTA are reported to be computationally efficient for real time monitoring. In this paper, we analyzed several STA/LTA algorithms to check their efficiency and suitability using data obtained from the Quake Catcher Network （network of MEMS accelerometer stations）. We found that most of the STA/LTA algorithms are suitable for use with MEMS accelerometer data to accurately detect seismic events. However, the efficiency of any particular algorithm is found to be dependent on the parameter set used （i.e., window width of STA, LTA and threshold level）.

Prediction of near-field strong ground motions for scenario earthquakes on active fault

A method to predict near-field strong ground motions for scenario earthquakes on active faults is proposed. First, macro-source parameters characterizing the entire source area, i.e., global source parameters, including fault length, fault width, rupture area, average slip on the fault plane, etc., are estimated by seismogeology survey, seismicity and seismic scaling laws. Second, slip distributions characterizing heterogeneity or roughness on the fault plane, i.e., local source parameters, are reproduced/evaluated by the hybrid slip model. Finally, the finite fault source model, developed from both the global and local source parameters, is combined with the stochastically synthetic technique of ground motion using the dynamic comer frequency based on seismology. The proposed method is applied to simulate the acceleration time histories on three base-rock stations during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Comparisons between the predicted and recorded acceleration time histories show that the method is feasible and practicable.

Attenuation characteristics of ground motions in northern China

Four recently developed attenuation models are calibrated by using a very limited amount of strong motion data recorded in China.The research shows that the attenuation characteristics of the earthquake shaking in northern China are similar to those in the western US.The supporting evidence includes Q factors,preliminary results of kappa values,stress drop, shear wave velocity profile in the shallow earth crust,areas enclosed by the isoseismals of Modified Mercalli Intensity V.From these comparison,s of different attenuation models,it is recommended that the Crouse and McGuire spectral attenuation model could possibly be used for northern China.

Rupture directivity and hanging wall effect in near field strong ground motion simulation

A random synthesis procedure based on finite fault model is adopted for near field strong ground motion simulation in this paper. The fault plane of the source is divided into a number of sub-sources, the whole moment magnitude is also divided into more sub-events. The Fourier spectrum of ground motion caused by a sub-event in given sub-source, then can be derived by means of taking the point source spectrum, attenuation with distance, energy dissipation, and near surface effect, into account. A time history is synthesized from this amplitude spectrum and a random phase spectrum, and being combined with an envelope function. The ground motion is worked out by superposition of all time histories from each sub-event in each sub-source, with time lags determining by the differences between the triggering times of sub-events and distances of the sub-sources. From the example of simulations at 21 near field points in a scenario earthquake with 4 dip angles of the fault plane, it is illustrated that the procedure can describe the rupture directivity and hanging wall effect very well. To validate the procedure, the response spectra and time histories recorded at three near fault stations MCN, LV3 and PCD during the Northridge earthquake in 1994, are compared with the simulated ones.

Seismic hazard analysis of Tianjin area based on strong ground motion prediction

Taking Tianjin as an example, this paper proposed a methodology and process for evaluating near-fault strong ground motions from future earthquakes to mitigate earthquake damage for the metropolitan area and important engineering structures. The result of strong ground motion was predicted for Tianjin main faults by the hybrid method which mainly con- sists of 3D finite difference method and stochastic Green＇s function. Simulation is performed for 3D structures of Tianjin re- gion and characterized asperity models. The characterized asperity model describing source heterogeneity is introduced fol- lowing the fault information from the project of Tianjin Active Faults and Seismic Hazard Assessment. We simulated the worst case that two earthquakes separately occur. The results indicate that the fault position, rupture process and the sedi- mentary deposits of the basin significantly affect amplification of the simulated ground motion. Our results also demonstrate the possibility of practical simulating wave propagation including basin induced surface waves in broad frequency-band, for seismic hazard analysis near the fault from future earthquakes in urbanized areas.

The strong ground motion observation for the Wenchuan aftershock

In this paper, the mobile strong ground motion observation for the destructive earthquake is introduced. Considering the characteristics and its spatial distributions of aftershock, 59 strong ground motion instruments were installed along the Longrnenshan fault area, and more than 2 000 records have been accumulated. It shows that it is necessary to perform the mobile strong ground motion observation after the destructive earthquake, and the precious collected data could be applied for further research.

Far-field analysis of effects of unilateral rupturing fault on the space correlation of strong ground motion

On the assumption that seismic source is simplified as linear rupture fault with finite length, this paper qualitatively studies the seismic source effects on space correlation of strong ground motion. Based on expanding expression of Fourier spectrum of strong ground motion with space coordinate variables, this paper also gives a expression of describing correlation of strong ground motion field. According to far-field condition, the theoretical formula of the expression can be obtained. Furthermore, this paper presents a theoretical formula of estimation the radius of strong ground motion field, which depends on expansion condition of Fourier spectrum of strong ground motion, with space variables. At last, taking one earthquake as an example, this paper gives three-dimension patterns of radius of the field with epicenter distance and azimuth as well as frequency.

3-D physical model in strong ground motion numerical simulation:A case study of Kunming basin

Seismic hazard assessment based on urban active faults can provide scientific bases for city planning and project construction, while numerical simulation of strong ground motion is an important method for seismic hazard prediction and assessment. A 3-D physical model in conformity with real strata configuration of （mainly） the Quaternary is a prerequisite to ensure the reliability of the simulation results. In this paper, we give a detailed account of the technical scheme and process for creating a 3-D physical model in Kunming basin. The data used are synthe- sized from seismogeological data, borehole data, topographic data, digital elevation mode （DEM） data, seismic exploration results and wave velocity measurements. Strafigraphic division is based mainly on shear wave velocity, with strata sequence taken into consideration. The model construction is finally accomplished with ArcGIS and many relevant programming techniques via layer-by-layer stacking （in depth direction） of the adjacent medium interfaces （meshes）. Meanwhile, a database of 3-D physical models is set up, which provides model data and parameters for strong ground motion simulation. Some processing methods and significant issues are also addressed in the paper in accordance with different types of exploration and experimental data.

A stochastic model of the Fourier phase of strong ground motion

The notion of equivalent dispersion of strong seismic waves is further illuminated and a frequency-dependentstochastic model of the Fourier phase of strong earthquake ground motion is presented for use in statistical estimates of the Fourier phase. The non-stationary features of design ground motions synthesized using the phasemodel in combination with the empirical attenuation model of amplitude spectra of strong ground motion are ableto be consistent with those of observed records in the sense of statistics.

Simulation of Near-Fault Strong Ground Motion in the Beijing Region

On the basis of previous study of the 1679 Sanhe-Pinggu(M8.0) earthquake,the biggest event in history ever recorded in Beijing and its adjacent area,we made a 3-D strong ground motion simulation utilizing the staggered-grid finite differences method to study the distributions of peak ground velocity with different earthquake source models in the Beijing region.In the paper,earthquake source models and a transmission medium velocity model are established and the corresponding parameters are given in accordance to the results from a related previous study.Then,using a three-dimensional finite difference computing program of near-fault strong ground motion developed by Graves,the peak ground velocity caused by a destructive earthquake in the Beijing area is simulated.In our computation model,the earthquake source is 3km in depth,and a total number of 21,679 observation points on the ground surface are figured out.The transmission medium velocity model is composed of four stratums which are the Quaternary deposit,the upper crust,the upper part of the middle crust and the lower part of the middle crust.With the minimum grid spacing of 0.15km,a total of 2.28×106 grids are generated.Using a time step of 0.02 seconds we calculated the peak ground velocity for a duration of 8 seconds.After the analysis of the simulation results,we observed some basic characteristics of near-fault strong ground motion such as the concentration effect of near-fault peak ground velocity,rupture directivity effect,hanging wall effect,and basin effect.The results from our simulation and analysis suggest that the source and transmitting medium parameters in our model are suitable and the finite difference method is applicable to estimate the distribution of strong ground motion in the study region.

Study on the severest real ground motion for seismic design and analysis

How to select the adequate real strong earthquake ground motion for seismic analysis and design of structures is an essential problem in earthquake engineering research and practice. In the paper the concept of the severest design ground motion is proposed and a method is developed for comparing the severity of the recorded strong ground motions. By using this method the severest earthquake ground motions are selected out as seismic inputs to the structures to be designed from a database that consists of more than five thousand significant strong ground motion records collected over the world. The selected severest ground motions are very likely to be able to drive the structures to their critical response and thereby result in the highest damage potential. It is noted that for different structures with different predominant natural periods and at different sites where structures are located the severest design ground motions are usually different. Finally, two examples are illustrated to demonstrate the rationality of the concept and the reliability of the selected design motion.

Spatial distribution of near-fault ground motion

Near-fault strong ground motion of strike-slip and dip-slip of vertical and inclined rectangular fault in half-space and layered half-space is analyzed by dislocation source model. The Fourier spectra ratio of ground motion is adopted to study the characteristics of near-fault ground motion. For both slip models, near-fault strong ground motion with high amplitude is located in a narrow belt area along the projection of the fault on the ground and mainly controlled by the sub-faults nearby. Directivity of strike-slip fault is more dominant in long period for components perpendicular to the fault, and more dominant in long period for components parallel to the fault for dip-slip fault. The deeper the location of the source is, the more slowly the amplitude of ground motion attenuates. There is obvious hanging wall effect in ground motion of inclined fault, and the spatial distribution of ground motion is asymmetric which coincides with observational data. Finally, a fitting function of spatial distribution for near-fault ground motion is proposed and compared with near source factors of the 1997 Uniform Building Code of USA.

Advances in ground motion studies in China

This paper briefly summarizes the works in the processing of strong ground motion data, the factors affecting strong ground motion, the modeling of strong ground motion and the calculating of broad-band response spectrum which have been done recent years by engineering seismologists and seismologists of China. In addition, we think back to the international cooperation in strong ground motion of the recent years and make some expectations for the future.

Baseline correction for near-fault ground motion recordings of the 2008 Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake

In this study, both records of a digital accelerometer and a seismograph at a far-field station for the 2008 Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake were analyzed, and a pulsive noise model for acceleration record was found. By comparing with the result of a rotary-table tilt test, we concluded that the noises in the acceleration records were caused by ground tilt as a result of rotational ground motion. We analyzed the key noises that may cause baseline offset, and proposed a baseline-correction scheme for preserving the long-period ground motion in accordance with specific pulse positions. We then applied this correction method to some near-field strongmotion acceleration records. The result shows that this method can obtain near-field ground displacements, including permanent displacements, in agreement with GPS data, and that this method is more stable than other methods.

Kinematic source model for simulation of near-fault ground motion field using explicit finite element method

This paper briefly reviews the characteristics and major processes of the explicit finite element method in modeling the near-fault ground motion field. The emphasis is on the finite element-related problems in the finite fault source modeling. A modified kinematic source model is presented, in which vibration with some high frequency components is introduced into the traditional slip time function to ensure that the source and ground motion include sufficient high frequency components. The model presented is verified through a simple modeling example. It is shown that the predicted near-fault ground motion field exhibits similar characteristics to those observed in strong motion records, such as the hanging wall effect, vertical effect, fling step effect and velocity pulse effect, etc.

Ground motion prediction equations based on shallow crustal earthquakes in Georgia and the surrounding Caucasus

Strong ground motions caused by earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 3.5 to 6.9 and hypocentral distances of up to 300km were recorded by local broadband stations and three-component accelerograms within Georgia’s enhanced digital seismic network.Such data mixing is particularly effective in areas where strong ground motion data are lacking.The data were used to produce models based on ground-motion prediction equations(GMPEs),one benefit of which is that they take into consideration information from waveforms across a wide range of frequencies.In this study,models were developed to predict ground motions for peak ground acceleration and 5%-damped pseudo-absolute-acceleration spectra for periods between 0.01 and 10 s.Short-period ground motions decayed faster than long-period motions,though decay was still in the order of approximately 1/r.Faulting mechanisms and local soil conditions greatly influence GMPEs.The spectral acceleration(SA)of thrust faults was higher than that for either strike-slip or normal faults but the influence of strike-slip faulting on SA was slightly greater than that for normal faults.Soft soils also caused significantly more amplification than rocky sites.

A Case Study on the Effect of Post-critical SmS on Ground Motion in Yingjiang,Yunnan Province,China

There are controversies on ground motion attenuation relations at the epicentral distance of about 100km. Some models predict that the seismic energy remains almost constant or becomes even stronger with increasing distance at this distance, while other models hold that it decreases with increased distance. The divergence lies mainly in whether SmS is stronger than direct S and surface waves at this distance. With the MsS. 9 earthquake sequence in the Yingjiang region of Yunnan Province as an example, we demonstrate that SmS is always 2 - 5 times stronger than direct S waves around the epicentral distance of 100km （which is the post-critical distance for S in this region）. Study of synthetic seismograms suggest that crustal structure has an important effect on the amplitude of post-critical SmS, with simple crust producing strong SmS. This preliminary study confirms that in China, SmS also plays an important role on ground motion at distances around 100km, which demands more studies of post-critical SmS.

Spatial-temporal characterization of the San Andreas Fault by fault-zone trapped waves at seismic experiment site,Parkfield,California

In this article,we review our previous research for spatial and temporal characterizations of the San Andreas Fault(SAF)at Parkfield,using the fault-zone trapped wave(FZTW)since the middle 1980s.Parkfield,California has been taken as a scientific seismic experimental site in the USA since the 1970s,and the SAF is the target fault to investigate earthquake physics and forecasting.More than ten types of field experiments(including seismic,geophysical,geochemical,geodetic and so on)have been carried out at this experimental site since then.In the fall of 2003,a pair of scientific wells were drilled at the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth(SAFOD)site;the main-hole(MH)passed a~200-m-wide low-velocity zone(LVZ)with highly fractured rocks of the SAF at a depth of~3.2 km below the wellhead on the ground level(Hickman et al.,2005;Zoback,2007;Lockner et al.,2011).Borehole seismographs were installed in the SAFOD MH in 2004,which were located within the LVZ of the fault at~3-km depth to probe the internal structure and physical properties of the SAF.On September 282004,a M6 earthquake occurred~15 km southeast of the town of Parkfield.The data recorded in the field experiments before and after the 2004 M6 earthquake provided a unique opportunity to monitor the co-mainshock damage and post-seismic heal of the SAF associated with this strong earthquake.This retrospective review of the results from a sequence of our previous experiments at the Parkfield SAF,California,will be valuable for other researchers who are carrying out seismic experiments at the active faults to develop the community seismic wave velocity models,the fault models and the earthquake forecasting models in global seismogenic regions.

The GIS and analysis of earthquake damage distribution of the 1303 Hongtong M=8 earthquake

The geography information system of the 1303 Hongtong M=8 earthquake has been established. Using the spatial analysis function of GIS, the spatial distribution characteristics of damage and isoseismal of the earthquake are studied. By comparing with the standard earthquake intensity attenuation relationship, the abnormal damage dis-tribution of the earthquake is found, so the relationship of the abnormal distribution with tectonics, site condition and basin are analyzed. In this paper, the influence on the ground motion generated by earthquake source and the underground structures near source also are studied. The influence on seismic zonation, anti-earthquake design, earthquake prediction and earthquake emergency responding produced by the abnormal density distribution are discussed.