Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Filter Total Items: 1857

Post seismic deformation associated with the 1992 Mω = 7.3 Landers earthquake, southern California

Following the 1992 Mω=7.3 Landers earthquake, a linear array of 10 geodetic monuments at roughly 5‐km spacing was established across the Emerson fault segment of the Landers rupture. The array trends perpendicular to the local strike of the fault segment and extends about 30 km on either side of it. The array was surveyed by Global Positioning System 0.034, 0.048, 0.381, 1.27, 1.88, 2.60, and 3.42
Authors
James C. Savage, Jerry L. Svarc

Surface strain accumulation and the seismic moment tensor

Although the scalar moment accumulation rate within the seismogenic zone beneath a given area is sometimes deduced from the observed average surface strain accumulation rate over that same area (e.g., Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities, 1995), the correspondence between the two is very uncertain. The equivalence between surface strain accumulation and scalar moment accumulation i
Authors
James C. Savage, Robert W. Simpson

The Loma Prieta, California, earthquake of October 17, 1989: Aftershocks and postseismic effects

While the damaging effects of the earthquake represent a significant social setback and economic loss, the geophysical effects have produced a wealth of data that have provided important insights into the structure and mechanics of the San Andreas Fault system. Generally, the period after a large earthquake is vitally important to monitor. During this part of the seismic cycle, the primary fault a
Authors
Paul A. Reasenberg, Lynn D. Dietz, William L. Ellsworth, Robert W. Simpson, John W. Gephart, Susan Y. Schwartz, Glenn D. Nelson, H. Guo, A. Lerner-Lam, William Menke, Susan E. Hough, Leif Wennerberg, K.S. Breckenridge, Jeff Behr, Roger G. Bilham, Paul Bodin, Arthur G. Sylvester, Jon S. Galehouse, R. Burgmann, Paul Segall, Michael Lisowski, Jerry L. Svarc, John Langbein, M.F. Linker, J.R. Rice, M. T. Gladwin, R. L. Gwyther, R.H.G. Hart, Randall Mackie, Theodore R. Madden, Edward A. Nichols

Review of electric and magnetic fields accompanying seismic and volcanic activity

New observations of magnetic, electric and electromagnetic field variations, possibly related to recent volcanic and seismic events, have been obtained on Mt. Unzen in Japan, Reunion Island in Indian Ocean, the Long Valley volcanic caldera in California, and for faults in China and Russia, California and several other locations. For volcanic events, contributions from different physical processes
Authors
M.J.S. Johnston

Composition of the crust in the Grenville and Appalachian Provinces of North America inferred from VP/VS ratios

We use the ratios between P and S wave velocities (VP/VS), derived from seismic refraction data, to infer the composition of the crust in the Grenville and the Appalachian Provinces of North America. The crust exhibits VP/VS increasing with depth from 1.64 to 1.84; there is a clear distinction between the Grenville Province (average VP/VS=1.81) and the Appalachian Province (average VP/VS=1.73) whi
Authors
G. Musacchio, Walter D. Mooney, James H. Luetgert, Nikolas I. Christensen

The variability of PSV response spectra across a dense array deployed during the Northridge aftershock sequence

This study addresses the variability of pseudo-velocity response spectra across an array deployed on stiff soil in the San Fernando Valley during the Northridge (Mw 6.7) aftershock sequence. The separation between stations ranged from 0.5 to 5 km, and the aftershock magnitudes ranged from 2.3 to 4.0. We find that 95-percent of observed response spectra are within a factor of 1.9 to 2.6 of the netw
Authors
Edward H. Field, Susan E. Hough

Some comparisons between recent ground-motion relations

We provide an overview of new ground-motion relations for eastern North America (ENA) developed over the last five years. The empirical-stochastic relations of Atkinson and Boore (1995) are compared to relations developed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI, 1993; also Toro et al., 1994), Frankel et al. (1996), and the consensus ENA ground-motion values as reported by SSHAC (1996). The
Authors
Gail M. Atkinson, David Boore

Future of the US National Strong-Motion Program

These reports are presented in response to a charge of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (EHRP) Program Council of the U.S. Geological Survey to 'define the future of the USGS National Strong-Motion Program (NSMP)' (Appendix A). The council requested that a 'Vision Paper' and an 'Options Document' be prepared. Each of these reports is a separate document. The 'Executive Summary' of both rep
Authors

Revised long-term creep rates on the Hayward Fault, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, California

Although the Hayward fault is a source of major earthquakes, it also creeps or slips aseismically, and has done so steadily for several decades (certainly since 1921 and probably since 1869). Most of the fault creeps between 3 and 6 mm/yr, except for a 4- to 6-km-long segment near its south end that creeps at about 9 mm/yr. We present results of our recent surveys to recover angles and deflection
Authors
James J. Lienkaemper, Jon S. Galehouse

Executive summary of vision and options for the future of the US National Strong-Motion Program

These reports are presented in response to a charge of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (EHRP) Program Council of the U.S. Geological Survey to 'define the future of the USGS National Strong-Motion Program (NSMP)' (Appendix A). The council requested that a 'Vision Paper' and an 'Options Document' be prepared. Each of these reports is a separate document. The 'Executive Summary' of both rep
Authors

Options for the Future of the US National Strong-Motion Program

This report constitutes the requested 'Options Document'. This report considers three options. Option I assumes a constant level of financial support for Operating Expenses (OE) with not additional personnel support. Option II assumes a slight increase in OE support of $150K for FY 99 and beyond. Option III considers the role that a NSMP must play if the nation's urgent need to record the main ear
Authors

Vision for the future of the US National Strong-Motion Program

This document provides the requested vision for the future of the National Strong-Motion Program operated by the US Geological Survey. Options for operation of the program are presented in a companion document. Each of the three major charges of the EHRP, program council pertaining to the vision document is addressed here. The 'Vision Summary' through a series of answers to specific questions
Authors