Moment magnitude (Mw) estimation of weak seismicity in northeastern Italy

• Autores: L. Moratto, Angela Saraò, Enrico Priolo
• Localización: Seismological Research Letters, ISSN 0895-0695, ISSN-e 1938-2057, Vol. 88, Nº. 6, 2017, págs. 1455-1464
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • We estimate the MwMw values of 1823 weak earthquakes ( Mw≤4.0Mw≤4.0 ) occurred in northeastern Italy, an area with complex tectonics and moderate seismicity, using the method proposed by Atkinson et al. (2014). The MwMw is obtained from the response spectra (SAs) at 1.0 and 0.3 s, which have been properly corrected for path effects. After tuning a relationship that describes log(SA)log(SA) versus MwMw for local events (those recorded at distances <80  km<80  km ), we correlate the computed MwMw values with available MLML values to obtain an empirical relationship that correlates MLML versus MwMw in the investigated region. These relationships can be easily implemented in real time, within the routine analyses of seismicity. The MLML values underestimate the energy released by weak events ( ML<2.0ML<2.0 ); therefore, our results, and reliable estimates of MwMw in general, are of utmost importance for enlarging the existing catalogs of seismic events and improving our knowledge of magnitude‐recurrence relationships. Our approach is shown to be very effective for the rapid estimation of MwMw for weak events and can be efficiently implemented within real‐time control systems and traffic‐light protocols in the seismic monitoring of induced seismicity caused by human activities carried out underground.