The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive

Estimation of seismic source processes using strong motion array data

Chiou, Brian S. J.

UCB/EERC-91/07, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, 1991-07, 140 pages (425.3/C54/1991)

The problem of estimating fault rupture processes using seismic strong-motion array data recorded at near-source distances is addressed, and practical algorithms for source mapping and uncertainty assessment are developed. The parameters that define the rupture process in this study are the origin time and location of the fault rupture subevents that are responsible for the recorded near-source acceleration. The developed procedures are applied to the strong-motion array data of the July 30, 1986, ML 6.2 Taiwan earthquake, recorded at the SMART1 (Strong Motion Array Taiwan, 1) array. The wavefield recorded at the prototype array is represented as the superposition of propagating plane waves whose horizontal slowness vectors and arrival times are functions of the subevent positions and origin times. This plane-wave assumption provides the physical model. The validity of the plane-wave model for the SMART1 recordings of the event is examined critically.

Available online: http://nisee.berkeley.edu/documents/EERC/EERC-91-07.pdf (5 MB)