Location

Location ANSS

The ANSS event ID is ak01958kp09o and the event page is at https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ak01958kp09o/executive.

2019/04/24 02:40:02 66.304 -157.167 5.4 3.4 Alaska

Focal Mechanism

 USGS/SLU Moment Tensor Solution
 ENS  2019/04/24 02:40:02:0  66.30 -157.17   5.4 3.4 Alaska
 
 Stations used:
   AK.BPAW AK.CHUM AK.COLD AK.GCSA AK.NEA2 AK.RDOG TA.C18K 
   TA.D19K TA.D20K TA.D22K TA.E18K TA.E19K TA.E20K TA.E21K 
   TA.E22K TA.E23K TA.E24K TA.F17K TA.F18K TA.F19K TA.F20K 
   TA.F21K TA.F22K TA.F24K TA.G16K TA.G17K TA.G18K TA.G19K 
   TA.G21K TA.G22K TA.G23K TA.H16K TA.H17K TA.H18K TA.H19K 
   TA.H20K TA.H21K TA.H22K TA.H23K TA.H24K TA.I20K TA.I21K 
   TA.I23K TA.J18K TA.J19K TA.J20K TA.TOLK XV.F7TV XV.F8KN 
 
 Filtering commands used:
   cut o DIST/3.3 -40 o DIST/3.3 +50
   rtr
   taper w 0.1
   hp c 0.03 n 3 
   lp c 0.10 n 3 
 
 Best Fitting Double Couple
  Mo = 2.32e+21 dyne-cm
  Mw = 3.51 
  Z  = 12 km
  Plane   Strike  Dip  Rake
   NP1      155    85   -45
   NP2      250    45   -173
  Principal Axes:
   Axis    Value   Plunge  Azimuth
    T   2.32e+21     26     211
    N   0.00e+00     45     330
    P  -2.32e+21     34     102

 Moment Tensor: (dyne-cm)
    Component   Value
       Mxx     1.30e+21
       Mxy     1.16e+21
       Mxz    -5.53e+20
       Myy    -1.02e+21
       Myz    -1.52e+21
       Mzz    -2.85e+20
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                     ##############                  
                 ---###################              
              ------######################           
             --------######################          
           ----------##########-----#########        
          ------------#--------------------###       
         -----------###-----------------------#      
        ---------#######------------------------     
        -------##########-----------------------     
       ------############------------------------    
       -----##############-----------------------    
       ---#################-------------   ------    
       ---##################------------ P ------    
        -####################-----------   -----     
        -#####################------------------     
         ######################----------------      
          ######################--------------       
           #######   ############------------        
             ##### T #############---------          
              ####   ##############-------           
                 ###################---              
                     ##############                  
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
 Global CMT Convention Moment Tensor:
      R          T          P
 -2.85e+20  -5.53e+20   1.52e+21 
 -5.53e+20   1.30e+21  -1.16e+21 
  1.52e+21  -1.16e+21  -1.02e+21 


Details of the solution is found at

http://www.eas.slu.edu/eqc/eqc_mt/MECH.NA/20190424024002/index.html
        

Preferred Solution

The preferred solution from an analysis of the surface-wave spectral amplitude radiation pattern, waveform inversion or first motion observations is

      STK = 155
      DIP = 85
     RAKE = -45
       MW = 3.51
       HS = 12.0

The NDK file is 20190424024002.ndk The waveform inversion is preferred.

Magnitudes

Given the availability of digital waveforms for determination of the moment tensor, this section documents the added processing leading to mLg, if appropriate to the region, and ML by application of the respective IASPEI formulae. As a research study, the linear distance term of the IASPEI formula for ML is adjusted to remove a linear distance trend in residuals to give a regionally defined ML. The defined ML uses horizontal component recordings, but the same procedure is applied to the vertical components since there may be some interest in vertical component ground motions. Residual plots versus distance may indicate interesting features of ground motion scaling in some distance ranges. A residual plot of the regionalized magnitude is given as a function of distance and azimuth, since data sets may transcend different wave propagation provinces.

mLg Magnitude


Left: mLg computed using the IASPEI formula. Center: mLg residuals versus epicentral distance ; the values used for the trimmed mean magnitude estimate are indicated. Right: residuals as a function of distance and azimuth.

ML Magnitude


Left: ML computed using the IASPEI formula for Horizontal components. Center: ML residuals computed using a modified IASPEI formula that accounts for path specific attenuation; the values used for the trimmed mean are indicated. The ML relation used for each figure is given at the bottom of each plot. Right: Residuals from new relation as a function of distance and azimuth.


Left: ML computed using the IASPEI formula for Vertical components (research). Center: ML residuals computed using a modified IASPEI formula that accounts for path specific attenuation; the values used for the trimmed mean are indicated. The ML relation used for each figure is given at the bottom of each plot. Right: Residuals from new relation as a function of distance and azimuth.

Context

The left panel of the next figure presents the focal mechanism for this earthquake (red) in the context of other nearby events (blue) in the SLU Moment Tensor Catalog. The right panel shows the inferred direction of maximum compressive stress and the type of faulting (green is strike-slip, red is normal, blue is thrust; oblique is shown by a combination of colors). Thus context plot is useful for assessing the appropriateness of the moment tensor of this event.

Waveform Inversion using wvfgrd96

The focal mechanism was determined using broadband seismic waveforms. The location of the event (star) and the stations used for (red) the waveform inversion are shown in the next figure.
Location of broadband stations used for waveform inversion

The program wvfgrd96 was used with good traces observed at short distance to determine the focal mechanism, depth and seismic moment. This technique requires a high quality signal and well determined velocity model for the Green's functions. To the extent that these are the quality data, this type of mechanism should be preferred over the radiation pattern technique which requires the separate step of defining the pressure and tension quadrants and the correct strike.

The observed and predicted traces are filtered using the following gsac commands:

cut o DIST/3.3 -40 o DIST/3.3 +50
rtr
taper w 0.1
hp c 0.03 n 3 
lp c 0.10 n 3 
The results of this grid search are as follow:

           DEPTH  STK   DIP  RAKE   MW    FIT
WVFGRD96    1.0   310    45   -85   3.14 0.2700
WVFGRD96    2.0   305    45   -90   3.28 0.3568
WVFGRD96    3.0   335    55   -40   3.27 0.3296
WVFGRD96    4.0   345    80    55   3.32 0.3660
WVFGRD96    5.0   345    80    55   3.34 0.4125
WVFGRD96    6.0   345    80    50   3.36 0.4481
WVFGRD96    7.0   350    75    50   3.38 0.4743
WVFGRD96    8.0   160    90   -50   3.44 0.4856
WVFGRD96    9.0   160    90   -50   3.46 0.5017
WVFGRD96   10.0   160    90   -45   3.48 0.5102
WVFGRD96   11.0   155    85   -45   3.49 0.5149
WVFGRD96   12.0   155    85   -45   3.51 0.5155
WVFGRD96   13.0   155    85   -45   3.52 0.5122
WVFGRD96   14.0   155    85   -40   3.54 0.5062
WVFGRD96   15.0   155    85   -40   3.55 0.4982
WVFGRD96   16.0   340    90    40   3.56 0.4848
WVFGRD96   17.0   340    90    40   3.57 0.4718
WVFGRD96   18.0   155    85   -40   3.58 0.4615
WVFGRD96   19.0   155    80   -40   3.59 0.4474
WVFGRD96   20.0   155    80   -40   3.60 0.4330
WVFGRD96   21.0   155    80   -40   3.61 0.4183
WVFGRD96   22.0   155    80   -40   3.61 0.4039
WVFGRD96   23.0   155    80   -40   3.62 0.3893
WVFGRD96   24.0   155    80   -45   3.63 0.3748
WVFGRD96   25.0   160    80   -40   3.63 0.3611
WVFGRD96   26.0   160    80   -40   3.64 0.3481
WVFGRD96   27.0   160    80   -40   3.64 0.3371
WVFGRD96   28.0   155    75   -45   3.64 0.3271
WVFGRD96   29.0   155    75   -45   3.65 0.3176

The best solution is

WVFGRD96   12.0   155    85   -45   3.51 0.5155

The mechanism corresponding to the best fit is
Figure 1. Waveform inversion focal mechanism

The best fit as a function of depth is given in the following figure:

Figure 2. Depth sensitivity for waveform mechanism

The comparison of the observed and predicted waveforms is given in the next figure. The red traces are the observed and the blue are the predicted. Each observed-predicted component is plotted to the same scale and peak amplitudes are indicated by the numbers to the left of each trace. A pair of numbers is given in black at the right of each predicted traces. The upper number it the time shift required for maximum correlation between the observed and predicted traces. This time shift is required because the synthetics are not computed at exactly the same distance as the observed, the velocity model used in the predictions may not be perfect and the epicentral parameters may be be off. A positive time shift indicates that the prediction is too fast and should be delayed to match the observed trace (shift to the right in this figure). A negative value indicates that the prediction is too slow. The lower number gives the percentage of variance reduction to characterize the individual goodness of fit (100% indicates a perfect fit).

The bandpass filter used in the processing and for the display was

cut o DIST/3.3 -40 o DIST/3.3 +50
rtr
taper w 0.1
hp c 0.03 n 3 
lp c 0.10 n 3 
Figure 3. Waveform comparison for selected depth. Red: observed; Blue - predicted. The time shift with respect to the model prediction is indicated. The percent of fit is also indicated. The time scale is relative to the first trace sample.

Focal mechanism sensitivity at the preferred depth. The red color indicates a very good fit to the waveforms. Each solution is plotted as a vector at a given value of strike and dip with the angle of the vector representing the rake angle, measured, with respect to the upward vertical (N) in the figure.

A check on the assumed source location is possible by looking at the time shifts between the observed and predicted traces. The time shifts for waveform matching arise for several reasons:

Assuming only a mislocation, the time shifts are fit to a functional form:

 Time_shift = A + B cos Azimuth + C Sin Azimuth

The time shifts for this inversion lead to the next figure:

The derived shift in origin time and epicentral coordinates are given at the bottom of the figure.

Velocity Model

The WUS.model used for the waveform synthetic seismograms and for the surface wave eigenfunctions and dispersion is as follows (The format is in the model96 format of Computer Programs in Seismology).

MODEL.01
Model after     8 iterations
ISOTROPIC
KGS
FLAT EARTH
1-D
CONSTANT VELOCITY
LINE08
LINE09
LINE10
LINE11
      H(KM)   VP(KM/S)   VS(KM/S) RHO(GM/CC)         QP         QS       ETAP       ETAS      FREFP      FREFS
     1.9000     3.4065     2.0089     2.2150  0.302E-02  0.679E-02   0.00       0.00       1.00       1.00    
     6.1000     5.5445     3.2953     2.6089  0.349E-02  0.784E-02   0.00       0.00       1.00       1.00    
    13.0000     6.2708     3.7396     2.7812  0.212E-02  0.476E-02   0.00       0.00       1.00       1.00    
    19.0000     6.4075     3.7680     2.8223  0.111E-02  0.249E-02   0.00       0.00       1.00       1.00    
     0.0000     7.9000     4.6200     3.2760  0.164E-10  0.370E-10   0.00       0.00       1.00       1.00    
Last Changed Thu Apr 25 11:42:59 AM CDT 2024