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Rapid earthquake focal mechanism inversion using high-rate GPS velometers in sparse network

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Abstract

In this study, we demonstrate an approach for inverting earthquake source parameters based on high-rate global positioning system (GPS) velocity seismograms. The velocity records obtained from single-station GPS velocity solutions with broadcast ephemeris are used directly for earthquake source parameter inversion using the Cut and Paste method, without requiring conversion of the velocity records into displacement records. Taking the El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake as an example, GPS velocity records from 10 stations with reasonable azimuthal coverage provide earthquake source parameters very close to those from the Global centroid moment tensor (Global CMT) solution. In sparse network tests, robust source parameters with acceptable bias can be achieved with as few as three stations. When the number of stations is reduced to two, the bias in rake angle becomes appreciable, but the magnitude and strike estimations are still robust. The results of this study demonstrate that rapid and reliable estimation of earthquake source parameters can be obtained from GPS velocity data. These parameters could be used for early earthquake warning and shake map construction, because such GPS velocity records can be obtained in real time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geodesy and Earth’s Dynamics, Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430077, China

    AiZhi Guo & SiDao Ni

  2. School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China

    AiZhi Guo, WeiWen Chen & ZhiChao Shen

  3. Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, 99775, USA

    Jeffrey T. Freymueller

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  1. AiZhi Guo
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  2. SiDao Ni
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  4. Jeffrey T. Freymueller
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  5. ZhiChao Shen
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Correspondence to SiDao Ni.

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Guo, A., Ni, S., Chen, W. et al. Rapid earthquake focal mechanism inversion using high-rate GPS velometers in sparse network. Sci. China Earth Sci. 58, 1970–1981 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-015-5174-7

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