ALBERT

Notes: Abstract —The problems of recovering the seismic information contained in the old seismograms through their digitization and processing by computer methods are discussed. We present the main principles of a simple manual technique for digitization of early seismic records of the Wiechert seismograph. Detrending of the zero-line slope, circular arc removal, smoothing and interpolation treatment of the digital data are made. The accuracy of the digitizing process is assessed and its reliability is tested by a comparison with automatically obtained digital data and their spectral amplitudes. The deconvolution of the seismograph response has allowed us to obtain the time variation of ground motion which is then contrasted with direct measurements of ground motion displacement amplitudes given in the old-time bulletins. We have created a digital database for historical earthquakes which occurred in the Iberian area during the period 1912–1940 and recorded by the Wiechert seismograph at the Geophysical Observatory of Toledo, Spain. It contains the following output data the digitized original records; the geometrically corrected and interpolated data; the time variation of ground motion; maximum amplitudes and corresponding periods; total duration of the seismic oscillations and amplitude spectra. We carry out magnitude estimates and give formulae for magnitude classification based on the signal duration and on the maximum ground displacement amplitude. We also perform seismic moment determinations by spectral analysis of waveforms and propose a new seismic moment-magnitude relation.

Notes: A detailed dispersion analysis of Rayleigh waves propagating across the Iberian Peninsula is carried out. The starting data are high-quality long-period data recorded at the broad-band NARS stations installed in (he Iberian Peninsula during the ILIHA project. We apply methods to obtain a correct selection of data and subsequent two-station surface-wave velocity measurements. A total of 64 teleseismic events recorded by the NARS array and 143 seismic paths have been studied. Several techniques which provide a significant improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio are employed to remove higher-mode interference efficiently and improve the isolation of the fundamental-mode Rayleigh wave from the seismograms. Thereafter, the interstation Rayleigh wave phase and group velocities are determined. We perform simultaneous inversion of phase-and group-velocity dispersion data by means of the stochastic inverse operator, and lest the reliability of the results by computing resolving kernels and also by forward modelling. A regionalization procedure based on the Backus-Gilbert approach for linear inversion of traveltime data is applied.Both the inversion results and the contoured shear-wave velocity panoramas display the main features of the deep structure of Iberia. We find a subcrustal low-velocity channel which extends over practically the whole peninsular area and spans a depth interval of approximately 40–50 km; it exhibits velocities of between 4.30 and 4.50 km s-1. At depths of 66–81 km, we find the highest velocities in the lithosphere, which reach values of 4.85 km s-1 in many cases. The low-velocity channel of the asthenosphere spans a large depth interval of approximately 80-180 km; it shows the lowest velocity values computed by us. We find velocities decreasing with depth, which are of the order of 4.25–4.36 km s-1 for the first 40 km and of the order of 4.00–4.25 km s-1 for the rest. The upper mantle under the asthenosphere exhibits high velocities, which range between 4.62 and 4.82 km s-1 in most cases.The shear-wave velocity structure of the Iberian subcrustal lithosphere and asthenosphere is mapped at 11 depth intervals from 24 to 201 km. At the top of the mantle, relatively low velocities span the Ebro Valley and also the southern third of the peninsula. Low velocities appear in the south-southwest quadrant, and high velocities occur over the Hercynian basement. At greater lithospheric depths, very low velocities extending over the whole peninsula suggest a low-velocity channel of non-uniform lateral structure, where a reduced zone to the west of the Iberian plateau shows relatively high velocities. At the greatest lithospheric depths, the whole Iberian block is fairly homogeneous laterally. The asthenosphere shows a notable lateral heterogeneity as well. We distinguish two parts: the upper asthenosphere, a 40 km thick layer with predominant velocity values of 4.25 km s or more; and the lower asthenosphere, a 60 km thick layer with velocity values generally below 4.25 km s-1. The upper asthenosphere seems to be less laterally heterogeneous than the lower asthenosphere. The lower asthenosphere exhibits a more pronounced negative velocity gradient than the upper asthenosphere.