Location

Location ANSS

The ANSS event ID is nn00804187 and the event page is at https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nn00804187/executive.

2021/04/02 19:08:02 38.177 -117.872 8.3 4.3 Nevada

Focal Mechanism

 USGS/SLU Moment Tensor Solution
 ENS  2021/04/02 19:08:02:0  38.18 -117.87   8.3 4.3 Nevada
 
 Stations used:
   BK.DANT BK.EAGL BK.HELL BK.SUTB BK.WELL BK.YUBA CI.BFS 
   CI.CLC CI.CWC CI.FUR CI.GRA CI.HAR CI.ISA CI.LRL CI.OSI 
   CI.PASC CI.TEH CI.TIN CI.TPO CI.VES GS.MCA04 IM.NV31 LB.BMN 
   LB.TPH NC.AFD NC.MDPB NN.BEK NN.CMK6 NN.GMN NN.KVN NN.LHV 
   NN.MPK NN.MZPB NN.PAH NN.PIO NN.PNT NN.PYM2 NN.Q09A NN.QSM 
   NN.S11A NN.UNVG NN.WAK NN.WDEM NN.WLDB NN.YER SN.HEL US.ELK 
   US.TPNV UU.FOR1 UU.LCMT UU.SZCU UU.VRUT 
 
 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 = 9.23e+21 dyne-cm
  Mw = 3.91 
  Z  = 10 km
  Plane   Strike  Dip  Rake
   NP1      193    85   155
   NP2      285    65     5
  Principal Axes:
   Axis    Value   Plunge  Azimuth
    T   9.23e+21     21     146
    N   0.00e+00     65       3
    P  -9.23e+21     14     242

 Moment Tensor: (dyne-cm)
    Component   Value
       Mxx     3.59e+21
       Mxy    -7.37e+21
       Mxz    -1.50e+21
       Myy    -4.21e+21
       Myz     3.62e+21
       Mzz     6.16e+20
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
                     ###########---                  
                 ###############-------              
              #################-----------           
             #################-------------          
           ###################---------------        
          ###################-----------------       
         ####################------------------      
        ###-------------------------------------     
        --------------------######--------------     
       --------------------###########-----------    
       --------------------###############-------    
       --------------------#################-----    
       -------------------####################---    
        ------------------######################     
        ---   -----------#######################     
         -- P -----------######################      
          -   -----------#####################       
           -------------############   ######        
             -----------############ T ####          
              ----------############   ###           
                 -------###############              
                     --############                  
                                                     
                                                     
                                                     
 Global CMT Convention Moment Tensor:
      R          T          P
  6.16e+20  -1.50e+21  -3.62e+21 
 -1.50e+21   3.59e+21   7.37e+21 
 -3.62e+21   7.37e+21  -4.21e+21 


Details of the solution is found at

http://www.eas.slu.edu/eqc/eqc_mt/MECH.NA/20210402190802/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 = 285
      DIP = 65
     RAKE = 5
       MW = 3.91
       HS = 10.0

The NDK file is 20210402190802.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.

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   105    85     0   3.43 0.3477
WVFGRD96    2.0   285    85     5   3.57 0.4586
WVFGRD96    3.0   285    60    10   3.67 0.5198
WVFGRD96    4.0   285    55    10   3.73 0.5804
WVFGRD96    5.0   285    60    10   3.76 0.6307
WVFGRD96    6.0   285    60     5   3.79 0.6705
WVFGRD96    7.0   285    65    10   3.82 0.7024
WVFGRD96    8.0   285    60     5   3.87 0.7233
WVFGRD96    9.0   285    60     0   3.89 0.7359
WVFGRD96   10.0   285    65     5   3.91 0.7406
WVFGRD96   11.0   285    65     5   3.93 0.7388
WVFGRD96   12.0   285    65     5   3.94 0.7319
WVFGRD96   13.0   285    65     0   3.96 0.7192
WVFGRD96   14.0   285    65     0   3.97 0.7031
WVFGRD96   15.0   285    70     5   3.98 0.6840
WVFGRD96   16.0   285    70     5   3.99 0.6637
WVFGRD96   17.0   285    70     5   4.00 0.6421
WVFGRD96   18.0   285    70     0   4.01 0.6188
WVFGRD96   19.0   285    70     0   4.01 0.5964
WVFGRD96   20.0   285    70     0   4.02 0.5749
WVFGRD96   21.0   285    70     0   4.02 0.5538
WVFGRD96   22.0   285    70     0   4.03 0.5349
WVFGRD96   23.0   285    70     0   4.03 0.5177
WVFGRD96   24.0   285    70     0   4.04 0.5013
WVFGRD96   25.0   285    70     0   4.04 0.4865
WVFGRD96   26.0   285    70     0   4.04 0.4728
WVFGRD96   27.0   285    70     0   4.05 0.4605
WVFGRD96   28.0   285    70     0   4.05 0.4481
WVFGRD96   29.0   285    65     0   4.06 0.4373

The best solution is

WVFGRD96   10.0   285    65     5   3.91 0.7406

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 Wed Apr 24 09:59:45 PM CDT 2024