Horizontal particle velocity and its relation to magnitude in the Western United States

1979 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 2037-2061
Author(s):  
A. F. Espinosa
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Data Base ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Seismic Waves ◽  
Scaling Law ◽  
Direct Determination ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Horizontal Particle

abstract A magnitude (ML) scaling law has been derived from the strong-motion data base of the San Fernando earthquake of February 9, 1971, and the results have been compared with other strong-motion recordings obtained from 62 earthquakes in the Western United States. The relationship derived is ML = 3.21 + 1.35 log10Δ + log10v. An excellent agreement was obtained between the determined ML values in this study and those evaluated by Kanamori and Jennings (1978). This scaling law is applicable to the collected data from 63 earthquakes whose local magnitudes range from about 4.0 to 7.2, recorded at epicentral distances between about 5 to 300 km, and with short-period seismic waves in the range of 0.2 to 3.0 sec. The Long Beach earthquake of 1933, with an ML = 6.3 (PAS) and an ML = 6.43 ± 0.36 as determined by Kanamori and Jennings is in agreement with an ML = 6.49 ± 0.32 obtained in this study. The Imperial Valley earthquake of 1940, with an ML = 6.5 (PAS), compares well with an ML = 6.5 as determined in this study. The Kern County earthquake of 1952, with an ML = 7.2 (BRK), is in fairly good agreement with the ML = 7.0 ± 0.2 obtained in this investigation. This value is significantly lower than the commonly quoted 7.7 value for this event. The San Francisco earthquake of 1957, with an ML = 5.3 (BRK), agrees very well with an ML = 5.3 ± 0.1 as determined in this study. The Parkfield earthquake of 1966 has an ML = 5.8 ± 0.3, which is consistent with the 5.6 (PAS). The procedure developed here is applied to the data base obtained from the Western United States strong-motion recordings. The procedure allows the evaluation of ML for moderate and larger earthquakes from the first integration of the strong-motion accelerograms and allows the direct determination of ML from the scaled amplitudes in a rapid, economical, and accurate manner. It also has allowed for the extension of the trend of the attenuation curve for horizontal particle velocities at distances less than 5 km for different size events.

Short-period P-wave attenuation along various paths in North America as determined from P-wave spectra of the SALMON nuclear explosion

1976 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 1609-1622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltan A. Der ◽  
Thomas W. McElfresh
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
North America ◽  
Wave Attenuation ◽  
Nuclear Explosion ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Source Spectrum ◽  
Wave Spectra ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Q Values

abstract Average Q values were determined for ray paths to various LRSM stations from the SALMON nuclear explosion by taking ratios of observed P-wave spectra to the estimated source spectrum. Most Q values for P-wave paths throughout eastern North America are in the range 1600 to 2000 while those crossing over into the western United States are typically around 400 to 500. These differences in Q for intermediate distances can sufficiently explain the differences in the teleseismic event magnitudes observed, 0.3 to 0.4 magnitude units, in the western versus the eastern United States, if one assumes that the low Q layer under the western United States is located at depths less than 200 km.

scholarly journals The contribution of marine organics to the air quality of the western United States

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 7415-7423 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Gantt ◽  
N. Meskhidze ◽  
A. G. Carlton
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Western United States ◽  
The Us

Abstract. The contribution of marine organic emissions to the air quality in coastal areas of the western United States is studied using the latest version of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional-scale Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQv4.7) modeling system. Emissions of marine isoprene, monoterpenes, and primary organic matter (POM) from the ocean are implemented into the model to provide a comprehensive view of the connection between ocean biology and atmospheric chemistry and air pollution. Model simulations show that marine organics can increase the concentration of PM2.5 by 0.1–0.3 μg m−3 (up to 5%) in some coastal cities such as San Francisco, CA. This increase in the PM2.5 concentration is primarily attributed to the POM emissions, with small contributions from the marine isoprene and monoterpenes. When marine organic emissions are included, organic carbon (OC) concentrations over the remote ocean are increased by up to 50% (25% in coastal areas), values consistent with recent observational findings. This study is the first to quantify the air quality impacts from marine POM and monoterpenes for the United States, and it highlights the need for inclusion of marine organic emissions in air quality models.

On the relation between modified Mercalli intensity and body-wave magnitude

1979 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 893-909
Author(s):  
Otto W. Nuttli ◽  
G. A. Bollinger ◽  
Donald W. Griffiths
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South Carolina ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Body Wave ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Historical Earthquakes ◽  
P Wave ◽  
Intensity Data ◽  
Lg Wave ◽  
Body Wave Magnitude

abstract This paper is concerned with estimating body-wave magnitude, mb, from the intensity distribution of an earthquake. Initially, it is assumed that modified Mercalli (MM) intensity values are directly related to the (A/T)z values of 1-Hz, Lg-wave ground motion. By comparison with the intensity values of a reference earthquake, magnitudes are calculated for 41 western and central United States earthquakes. Magnitudes of these earthquakes also are determined independently, in the conventional manner, using teleseismic P-wave amplitudes. Comparison of the two sets of magnitude values indicates that the assumed relation between 1-Hz, Lg-wave (A/T)z values and MM intensity does not hold exactly over the mb range of 4.0 to 6.2. An empirical equation is derived to adjust the mb values obtained from intensity data so that they agree with the teleseismic P-wave magnitudes. The method then is applied to estimate mb of some historical earthquakes which occurred prior to 1962. These include the set for which Kanamori and Jennings (1978) estimated ML from strong-motion accelerograms. Some noteworthy United States earthquakes also are considered. These include: the 1811 New Madrid earthquake for which mb is estimated to be 7.3; the 1886 Charleston, South Carolina earthquake, for which mb is estimated to be 6.6 to 6.9; the 1897 Giles County, Virginia earthquake, for which mb is estimated to be 5.8; the 1906 San Francisco, California earthquake, for which mb is estimated to be 6.8 to 7.1. The intensity-attenuation method cannot be used for estimating mb of all historical earthquakes because the intensity data are not always adequate. In some cases, however, the total felt area or the area enclosed by the Modified Mercalli IV isoseism can be determined. It was found that empirical equations relating mb to these areas, which were derived for central and northeastern United States earthquakes, also apply for events in the southeast. These empirical methods are used to estimate mb values for a set of historical Virginia earthquakes.

Perennial Pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium): Properties of Invaded Tidal Marshes

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura K. Reynolds ◽  
Katharyn E. Boyer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Soil Characteristics ◽  
San Francisco Estuary ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Tidal Marshes ◽  
Lepidium Latifolium ◽  
Sarcocornia Pacifica ◽  
Structural And Functional Properties ◽  
Wetland Habitats

AbstractLepidium latifolium (perennial pepperweed) is recognized as a threat to wetland habitats throughout much of the western United States, but its role in tidal marshes has not been explored. Over three seasons in three regions of San Francisco Estuary (Suisun, San Pablo, and South San Francisco bays), we characterized locations in tidal marshes where monotypic stands of L. latifolium are replacing the native Sarcocornia pacifica (pickleweed). Soils within L. latifolium stands had significantly lower moisture, salinity, organic matter, and carbon : nitrogen (C : N) and higher pH than in adjacent S. pacifica stands at similar elevation and distance from channels. In addition, L. latifolium canopies were 2 to 3 times taller, thus increasing light reaching soils, and tended to support different insect/spider assemblages (sampled only at the Suisun site). Patterns were generally consistent across the three sites, although less pronounced for some measures at the South Bay site. Overall, these data suggest that L. latifolium invasion of tidal marshes is leading to modification of both structural and functional properties, several of which might further facilitate spread of the invader; however, additional study is needed to determine cause vs. effect for several soil characteristics.

Travel times and amplitudes of principal body phases recorded from gnome

1962 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 1057-1074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Romney ◽  
Billy G. Brooks ◽  
Robert H. Mansfield ◽  
Dean S. Carder ◽  
James N. Jordan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Seismic Waves ◽  
Test Site ◽  
The United States ◽  
Body Waves ◽  
Travel Times ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Nevada Test Site ◽  
Short Period ◽  
The Difference

abstract gnome, an undergound nuclear explosion in salt near Carlsbad, New Mexico, produced seismic waves which were recorded widely throughout the United States and at a few foreign stations. The travel times of P were strongly dependent on the path of propagation, and were as much as 12 seconds earlier in the eastern United States than at equivalent distances in the western part of the United States. At the few stations more distant than 25°, P was about 2 seconds earlier than predicted by the Jeffreys-Bullen table for surface focus. Amplitudes of Pn were similarly dependent upon the path of propagation; although the measurements showed great scatter, amplitudes to the east were generally larger than those to the west. Pn travel time and amplitude anomalies suggest a systematic relationship to crustal thickness. There is evidence from the difference in the speeds and attenuation rates that Lg and P are not transmitted along analogous paths through the crust. Short period body waves were two or three times larger than expected from an explosion of the same energy in tuff at the Nevada Test Site. Surface waves, however, were relatively weak compared with explosions of similar yield in tuff.

The correlation of peak ground acceleration amplitude with seismic intensity and other physical parameters

1977 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 877-915
Author(s):  
J. R. Murphy ◽  
L. J. O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Epicentral Distance ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
Correlation Equation ◽  
Seismic Intensity ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Ground Acceleration ◽  
Regional Tectonic

abstract An analysis of acceleration/intensity correlations has been carried out using a new, worldwide data sample compiled for this study from data measured from nearly 1500 strong-motion accelerograms. This new data sample has been extensively analyzed using a variety of statistical models. It has been found that the correlation equation relating peak horizontal ground acceleration (aH) to Modified Mercalli intensity (IMM) which best describes the trends in the subset of this new sample consisting of the nearly 900 observations for which aH ≧ 10 cm/sec2 is log a H = 0.25 I M M + 0.25 for aH given in cm/sec2. Analyses of the dependence of this correlation on other variables such as local earthquake magnitude (M), epicentral distance (R) and the geographical region in which the earthquakes are occuring suggest that over the range of these variables encompassed by the available data, the correlation equation which best fits the data is log a H = 0.14 I M M + 0.24 M − 0.68 log R + β k where R is given in kilometers and β Western United States = 0.60 β Japan = 0.69 β Southern Europe = 0.88. Thus, the Southern European data indicate peak horizontal accelerations at fixed values of intensity, magnitude and epicentral distance which are about a factor of two higher than the corresponding values for the Western United States and Japan. Sufficient data are not yet available to determine whether this difference is due to a consistent measurement bias associated with the assignment of intensities in Southern Europe or to variations in the regional tectonic environment in which the earthquakes are occurring.

Near-Field Strong Ground Motions from GPS-Derived Velocities for 2020 Intermountain Western United States Earthquakes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan W. Crowell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Salt Lake ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Salt Lake City ◽  
Strong Motion ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Peak Ground Velocity ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Owens Valley

Abstract In early 2020, four moderate sized earthquakes occurred in the Intermountain region of the western United States, two M 6.5 events in Challis, Idaho, and Monte Cristo Range, Nevada; an M 5.7 in Magna, Utah, within the Salt Lake City metropolitan area; and an M 5.8 in the Owens Valley of California. Although the Magna and Owens Valley earthquakes were well recorded in the near field with an array of seismic instrumentation, the Challis and Monte Cristo events were not densely recorded. All of the events, however, have reasonable coverage with high rate Global Positioning System (GPS) stations in the near field. Here, I report on strong-motion observations recorded at 19 regional GPS stations at 5 Hz. I compare these observations with seismic recordings where available and ShakeMap estimations of peak ground velocity to find good agreement with a natural-log residual of ±0.5. Furthermore, I compute the correlation between collocated stations and show a strong positive correlation >0.65. This study highlights the utility of high-rate GPS velocity observations to strong-motion seismology.

Writing Time in Metaphors

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer J. Smith
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Western United States ◽  
Entire System ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Space Race ◽  
Do So

Coherence of place often exists alongside irregularities in time in cycles, and chapter three turns to cycles linked by temporal markers. Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles (1950) follows a linear chronology and describes the exploration, conquest, and repopulation of Mars by humans. Conversely, Louise Erdrich’s Love Medicine (1984) jumps back and forth across time to narrate the lives of interconnected families in the western United States. Bradbury’s cycle invokes a confluence of historical forces—time as value-laden, work as a calling, and travel as necessitating standardized time—and contextualizes them in relation to anxieties about the space race. Erdrich’s cycle invokes broader, oppositional conceptions of time—as recursive and arbitrary and as causal and meaningful—to depict time as implicated in an entire system of measurement that made possible the destruction and exploitation of the Chippewa people. Both volumes understand the United States to be preoccupied with imperialist impulses. Even as they critique such projects, they also point to the tenacity with which individuals encounter these systems, and they do so by creating “interstitial temporalities,” which allow them to navigate time at the crossroads of language and culture.

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