Allan G. Lindh

SEA99: A Revised Ground-Motion Prediction Relation for Use in Extensional Tectonic Regimes

We present SEA99, a revised predictive relation for geometric mean horizontal peak ground acceleration and 5%-damped pseudovelocity response spec- trum, appropriate for estimating earthquake ground motions in extensional tectonic regimes, which we demonstrate to have lower ground motions than other tectonic regimes. SEA99 replaces SEA96, a relation originally derived by Spudich et al. (1996, 1997). The data set used to develop SEA99 is larger than that for SEA96, and minor errors in the SEA96 data set have been corrected. In addition, a one-step regression method described by Joyner and Boore (1993, 1994) was used rather than the two-step method of Joyner and Boore (1981). SEA99 has motions that are as much as 20% higher than those of SEA96 at short distances (5-30 km), and SEA99s motions are about 20% lower than SEA96 at longer periods (1.0-2.0 sec) and larger distance (40-100 km). SEA99 dispersions are significantly less than those of SEA96. SEA99 rock motions are on the average 20% lower than motions predicted by Boore et al. (1994) except for short distances at periods around 1.0 sec, where SEA99 motions exceed those predicted by Boore et al. (1994) by as much as 10%. Com- parison of ground motions from normal-faulting and strike-slip events in our data set indicates that normal-faulting horizontal ground motions are not significantly different from extensional regime strike-slip ground motions.

The 1984 Morgan Hill, California, Earthquake

The Morgan Hill, California, earthquake (magnitude 6.1) of 24 April 1984 ruptured a 30-kilometer-long segment of the Calaveras fault zone to the east of San Jose. Although it was recognized in 1980 that an earthquake of magnitude 6 occurred on this segment in 1911 and that a repeat of this event might reasonably be expected, no short-term precursors were noted and so the time of the 1984 earthquake was not predicted. Unilateral rupture propagation toward the south-southeast and an energetic late source of seismic radiation located near the southeast end of the rupture zone contributed to the highly focused pattern of strong motion, including an exceptionally large horizontal acceleration of 1.29g at a site on a dam abutment near the southeast end of the rupture zone.

Seismic Amplitude Measurements Suggest Foreshocks Have Different Focal Mechanisms than Aftershocks

The ratio of the amplitudes of P and S waves from the foreshocks and aftershocks to three recent California earthquakes show a characteristic change at the time of the main events. As this ratio is extremely sensitive to small changes in the orientation of the fault plane, a small systematic change in stress or fault configuration in the source region may be inferred. These results suggest an approach to the recognition of foreshocks based on simple measurements of the amplitudes of seismic waves.

Wave Propagation and Site Response in the Santa Clara Valley

Forty-two portable digital instruments were deployed across the Santa Clara Valley from June until early November 1998; this array recorded 14 small and moderate local events and 7 large teleseismic events. We analyze the ground motion from these events to determine station delays and relative site amplification within the Valley. P waves from an event at the southern edge of the valley are early (Δ t > -0.35 sec) at stations over an axial ridge in the basement interface in the middle of the valley, but late (Δ t < 0.20 sec) for stations over the Cupertino and Evergreen basins to either side. The S -wave delays are approximately twice as large. Teleseismic P -waves from an M = 7.0 event beneath the Bonin Islands show a similar pattern in travel-time delays. The P waves are amplified by factors of 1.5-3 for frequencies below 2 Hz at stations within either basin, compared with stations on the axial ridge. The P -wave coda appear enhanced at 2-3 sec, but coda Q estimates at frequencies from 0.2 to 1.1 Hz are not markedly different at stations over the basin compared with stations on the ridge with the possible exceptions of consistently high values over the northern end of the Evergreen Basin. We invert the S -wave spectra for site-specific attenuation and amplification from the 14 local events by assuming a common source spectra for each event, 1/ r geometrical spreading, and constraining the inversion using the 30-m velocity profile at four stations in the array. The largest amplifications occurred in the 1- to 6-Hz band at stations near the northwest edge of the Evergreen basin. While the highest amplifications occur at stations with the lowest S -wave velocities, the scatter obscures the correlation between velocity and amplification. The stations in the basins are characterized by higher attenuation than the stations on the basement ridge. Manuscript received 2 July 2001.

A change in fault-plane orientation between foreshocks and aftershocks of the Galway Lake earthquake, ML = 5.2, 1975, Mojave desert, California

Abstract A marked change is observed in P / SV amplitude ratios, measured at station TPC, from foreshocks to aftershocks of the Galway Lake earthquake. This change is interpreted to be the result of a change in fault-plane orientation occurring between foreshocks and aftershocks. The Galway Lake earthquake, M L = 5.2, occurred on June 1, 1975. The first-motion fault-plane solutions for the main shock and most foreshocks and aftershocks indicate chiefly right-lateral strike-slip on NNW-striking planes that dip steeply, 70–90°, to the WSW. The main event was preceded by nine located foreshocks, ranging in magnitude from 1.9 to 3.4, over a period of 12 weeks, starting on March 9, 1975. All of the foreshocks form a tight cluster approximately 1 km in diameter. This cluster includes the main shock. Aftershocks are distributed over a 6-km-long fault zone, but only those that occurred inside the foreshock cluster are used in this study. Seismograms recorded at TPC ( Δ = 61 km ), PEC ( Δ = 93 km ), and CSP ( Δ = 83 km ) are the data used here. The seismograms recorded at TPC show very consistent P / SV amplitude ratios for foreshocks. For aftershocks the P / SV ratios are scattered, but generally quite different from foreshock ratios. Most of the scatter for the aftershocks is confined to the two days following the main shock. Thereafter, however, the P / SV ratios are consistently half as large as for foreshocks. More subtle (and questionable) changes in the P / SV ratios are observed at PEC and CSP. Using theoretical P / SV amplitude ratios, one can reproduce the observations at TPC, PEC and CSP by invoking a 5–12° counterclockwise change in fault strike between foreshocks and aftershocks. This interpretation is not unique, but it fits the data better than invoking, for example, changes in dip or slip angle. First-motion data cannot resolve this small change, but they permit it. Attenuation changes would appear to be ruled out by the fact that changes in the amplitude ratios, P TPC / P PEC and p tpc / p csp , are observed, and these changes accompany the changes in P / SV . Observations for the Galway Lake earthquake are similar to observations for the Oroville, California, earthquake ( M L = 5.7) of August 1, 1975, and the Brianes Hills, California, earthquake ( M L = 4.3) of January 8, 1977 (Lindh et al., Science Vol. 201, pp. 56–59). A change in fault-plane orientation between foreshocks and aftershocks may be understandable in terms of early en-echelon cracking (foreshocks) giving way to shear on the main fault plane (main shock plus aftershocks). Recent laboratory data (Byerlee et al., Tectonophysics, Vol. 44, pp. 161–171) tend to support this view.