Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A combined study of macroseismic data and focal mechanisms applied to the West-Bohemian earthquake, Czechoslovakia

  • Published:
pure and applied geophysics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The main shock of the West-Bohemian earthquake swarm, Czechoslovakia, (magnitudem=4.5, depthh=10 km) exhibits an irregular areal distribution of macroseismic intensities 6° to 7° MSK-64. Four lobes of the 6° isoseismal are found and the maximum observed intensity is located at a distance of 8 km from the instrumentally determined epicentre. This distribution can be explained by the energy flux of the directS wave generated by a circular source, the hypocentral location and focal mechanism of which are taken from independent instrumental studies. The theoretical intensity, which is assumed to be logarithmically proportional to the integrated squared ground-motion velocity (i.e.,I=const+log ∫v 2 (t)dt), fits the observed intensity with an overall root-mean-square error less than 0.5°. It is important that the present intensity data can also be equally well explained by the isotropic source. The fit was attained by means of a horizontally layered model though large fault zones and an extended sedimentary basin suggest a significant lateral heterogeneity of the epicentral region. The results encourage a broader application of the simple modelling technique used.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aki, K., andRichards, P. G.,Quantitative Seismology (W. H. Freeman, San Francisco 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  • Antonini, M.,Statistics and source parameters of the swarm from digital recordings, InEarthquake Swarm 1985/86 in Western Bohemia (ed. Procházková, D.) (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1987) pp. 205–217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Antonini, M.,Variations in the focal mechanisms during the 1985/86 Western Bohemian earthquake sequence—correlation with spatial distribution of foci and suggested geometry of faulting, InInduced Seismicity and Associated Phenomena (ed. Procházková, D.) (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1988) pp. 250–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bard, P. Y., andTucker, B. E. (1989),Predictability of Sediment Site Amplification: A Case Study, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. (submitted).

  • Boatwright, J. (1980),A Spectral Theory for Circular Seismic Sources; Simple Estimates of Source Dimension, Dynamic Stress Drop, and Radiated Energy, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am.70, 1–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boatwright, J. (1986),Teleseismic Estimates of the Energy Radiated by Shallow Earthquakes, J. Geophys. Res.91, 2095–2112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boore, D. M., andJoyner, W. B. (1982),The Empirical Prediction of Ground Motion, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am.72, 543–560.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chiaruttini, C., andSiro, L. (1981),The Correlation of Peak Ground Horizontal Acceleration with Magnitude, Distance, and Seismic Intensity for Friuli and Ancona, Italy, and the Alpide Belt, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am.71, 1993–2009.

    Google Scholar 

  • Červený, V., Molotkov, I., andPšenčík, I.,Ray Method in Seismology (Universita Karlova, Praha 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  • Červený, V., andJanský, J. (1985),Fast Computation of Ray Synthetic Seismograms in Vertically Inhomogeneous Media, Studia geoph. et geod.29, 49–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Data Catalogue of Earthquakes in the FRG and Adjacent Areas 1982 (Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe, Hannover 1986).

    Google Scholar 

  • Dravinski, M., andMossessian, T. K. (1987),Scattering of Plane Harmonic P, SV, and Rayleigh Waves by Dipping Layers of Arbitrary Shape, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am.77, 212–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dudek, A. (1987),Geology and tectonic pattern of the Western Bohemian seismic area, InEarthquake Swarm 1985/86 in Western Bohemia (ed. Procházková, D.) (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1987) pp. 34–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isc Regional Catalogue of Earthquakes for 1984 July–December, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Newbury 1987).

  • Kárník, V., andZedník, J.,Amplitudes of Sg (Lg) waves from the largest events of the swarm in West Bohemia and calibrating curves for near shocks, InEarthquake Swarm 1985/86 in Western Bohemia (ed. Procházková, D.) (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1987) pp. 255–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klíma, K., andRuprechtová, L.,The West-Bohemian earthquake swarm 1985/86—standard observatory data processing, InEarthquake Swarm 1985/86 in Western Bohemia (ed. Procházková, D.) (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1987) pp. 174–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lokajíček, T., Janatková, Z., andPlomerová, J.,Travel times of seismic waves of the 1985–86 swarm in Western Bohemia, InEarthquake Swarm 1985/86 in Western Bohemia (ed. Procházková, D.) (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1987) pp. 236–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahel', M., Kodym, O., andMalkovský, M. (1984),Tectonic Map of ČSSR, 1∶500000, Geologický ústav Dionýsa Štúra, Bratislava.

  • McCann, M. W., andBoore, D. M. (1983),Variability in Ground Motions: Root-Mean-Square Acceleration and Peak Acceleration for the 1971 San Fernando, California, Earthquake, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am.73, 615–632.

    Google Scholar 

  • Medvedev, S. V. (1978),Determination of the Seismic Intensity (in Russian), Voprosy inzhenyernoy seismologii19, 108–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moczo, P., Bard, P.-Y., andPšenčík, I. (1987),Seismic Response of Two-dimensional Absorbing Structures by the Ray Method, J. Geophys.62, 38–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Novotný, O. (1983),Theoretical Dispersion Curves for the Seismic Profile Kašperské Hory (Czechoslovakia)—Ksiaz (Poland), Studia geoph. et geod.27, 157–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Panza, G. F., andCuscito, M. (1982),Influence of Focal Mechanism on Shape of Isoseismals: Irpinia Earthquake of November 23, 1980, Pure Appl. Geophys.120, 577–582.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plešinger, A., andVavryčuk, V.,Spectral and polarization analysis of broad-band digital recordings of the main shock of Dec. 21, 1985 (in Czech), InPočitačové spracovanie údajov československej seizmickej siete (eds. Mrázová, K., and Ruprechtová, L.) (Geophys. Inst. Slovak. Acad. Sci., Bratislava 1986) pp. 108–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Procházková, D., ed.,Earthquake Swarm 1985/86 in Western Bohemia (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1987).

    Google Scholar 

  • Procházková, D. (1988),1985/86 Earthquake Swarm in Western Bohemia, Seism. Res. Letters59, 71–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Procházková, D., Schmedes, E., andDrimmel, J.,Isoseismal maps of the two strongest events during the earthquake swarm 1985/86 in Western Bohemia, InEarthquake Swarm 1985/86 in Western Bohemia (ed. Procházková, D.) (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1987a) pp. 104–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Procházková, D., Tobyáš, V., Soukup, J., Michek, R., andKnaislová, D.,List of earthquakes in Westerm Bohemia, 1985–86, InEarthquake Swarm 1985/86 in Western Bohemia (ed. Procházková, D.) (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1987b) pp. suppl. 30–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-Sesma, F. J., Chávez-García, F. J., andBravo, M. A. (1988),Seismic Response of a Class of Alluvial Valleys for Incident SH Waves, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am.78, 83–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suhadolc, P., Cernobori, L., Pazzi, G., andPanza, G. F.,Synthetic isoseismals: Applications to Italian earthquakes, InSeismic Hazard in Mediterranean Regions (eds. Bonnin, J., Cara, M., Cisternas, A., and Fantechi, R.) (Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht 1988) pp. 205–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Šantrůček, P.,Main structural features of the tertiary Cheb region (in Czech), InPočitačové spracovanie údajov československej seizmickej siete (eds. Mrázová, K., and Ruprechtová, L.) (Geophys. Inst. Slovak Acad. Sci., Bratislava 1986) pp. 22–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Špičák, A.,Fault plane solutions of 1985 Dec. 21 and 1986 Jan. 20 events, InEarthquake Swarm 1985/86 in Western Bohemia (ed. Procházková, D.) (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1987) pp. 268–273.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trifunac, M. D., andBrady, A. G. (1975),A Study on the Duration of Strong Earthquake Ground Motion, Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am.65, 581–626.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wahlström, R., andStrauch, W. (1984),A Regional Magnitude Scale for Central Europe Based on Crustal Wave Attenuation, Report No. 3-84, Seismological Department, University of Uppsala, Uppsala.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zahradník, J. (1989),Simple Method for Combined Studies of Macroseismic Intensities and Focal Mechanisms, Pure Appl. Geophys.130, 83–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zahradník, J., Antonini, M., Grosser, H., Grünthal, G., Janský, J., Procházková, D., Schmedes, E., Špičák, A., andZedník, J.,Joint interpretation of focal mechanisms and macroseismic data for the main event of West-Bohemian earthquake swarm 1985/86, InInduced Seismicity and Associated Phenomena (ed. Procházková, D.) (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1988) pp. 188–210.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zahradník, J., andHron, F. (1987),Seismic Ground Motion of Sedimentary Valleys—Example La Molina, Lima, Peru, J. Geophys.62, 31–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zahradník, J., Novotný, O., andČadek, O.,Intensity of the main shock of the West-Bohemian swarm 1985/86 in the town of Cheb and other sites close to epicentre, InEarthquake Swarm 1985/86 in Western Bohemia (ed. Procházková, D.) (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1987) pp. 64–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zahradník, J., Vavryčuk, V., Janský, J., andZedník, J. (1989),Focal Mechanisms of Selected Events of the West-Bohemian Earthquake Swarm 1985/86 Constrained by P-wave Amplitudes, Revista de Geof isica, in press.

  • Zimová, R., andŠpičák, A.,1985/86 earthquake swarm in Western Bohemia—its possible relation to tectonic structure, InEarthquake Swarm 1985/86 in Western Bohemia (ed. Procházková, D.) (Geophys. Inst. Czechosl. Acad. Sci., Praha 1987) pp. 375–379.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geophysics, Charles University, V Holešovičkách 2, 180 00, Praha 8, Czechoslovakia

    J. Zahradník & J. Janský

  2. Geophysical Institute, Czechosl. Academy of Sciences, Boční II, 141 31, Praha 4, Czechoslovakia

    D. Procházková, A. Špičak & J. Zedník

  3. Central Institute for Physics of the Earth, Acad. Sci. GDR, Telegrafenberg, GDR-1561, Potsdam

    G. Grünthal

  4. Geophysical Observatory of Univeristy of Munich, Ludwigshöhe 8, D-8080, Munich, Germany

    E. Schmedes

  5. Institute of Pure and Applied Geophysics, University of Munich, Theresienstr. 41, D-8000, Munich, Germany

    M. Antonini

Authors
  1. J. Zahradník
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Antonini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. G. Grünthal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J. Janský
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. D. Procházková
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. E. Schmedes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. A. Špičak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. J. Zedník
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zahradník, J., Antonini, M., Grünthal, G. et al. A combined study of macroseismic data and focal mechanisms applied to the West-Bohemian earthquake, Czechoslovakia. PAGEOPH 133, 53–71 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00876702

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00876702

Key words

Search

Navigation