Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
SpringerLink
Log in

Broadband Ground Motion Simulation of the 2004 and 1977 Vrancea, Romania, Earthquakes Using Empirical Green’s Function Method

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Best Practices in Physics-based Fault Rupture Models for Seismic Hazard Assessment of Nuclear Installations

Part of the book series: Pageoph Topical Volumes ((PTV))

  • 751 Accesses

Abstract

We estimated the parameters of strong motion generation areas and simulated broadband ground motions for the moderate October 27, 2004 (M w 5.8) and damaging March 4, 1977 (M w 7.4) Vrancea (Romania) intermediate-depth subduction earthquakes using the empirical Green’s function method. The method allows the simulation of ground motions in a broadband frequency range by summing up the subevent records, corresponding to small magnitude events in the near-source areas, which are assumed to follow the source-scaling relationship and the omega-square source spectral model. We first estimated the strong motion generation area that reproduces near-source ground motions in a broadband frequency range of 0.3–10 Hz for the 2004 earthquake, by fitting the synthetic acceleration, velocity, and displacement waveforms to the observed data. The source properties of the obtained strong motion generation area are in agreement with the predictions made using an empirical source scaling relationship for crustal earthquakes, implying a stress drop of approximately 10 MPa for the 2004 earthquake. We then modeled the strong motion generation area for the 1977 damaging earthquake using the 2004 earthquake as an empirical Green’s function and constructing a source model based on its estimated source parameters. To simulate the unique record at Bucharest, capital city of Romania, the rupture was assumed to have propagated from the northeast bottom of the strong motion generation area having a stress drop of 50 MPa. Broadband ground motion simulations were further compared in terms of the modified Mercalli intensity values, calculated from the peak ground accelerations and peak ground velocities of synthetic waveforms, with the observed Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik intensity values. Our estimates of the source properties for the 2004 and 1977 Vrancea intermediate-depth earthquakes support the size-dependent stress drop.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Aki, K. (1967). Scaling law of seismic spectrum. Journal of Geophysical Research, 72, 1217–1231.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aldea, A., Kashima, T., Poiata, N., & Kajiwara, T. (2006). A new digital seismic network in romania with dense instrumentation in Bucharest. In Proceedings of the 1st European conference on earthquake engineering and seismology, Geneva, Switzerland, Paper No. 515.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asano, K., Iwata, T., & Irikura, K. (2004). Source modeling and strong ground motion simulation of the off Miyagi Intraslab earthquake of May 26, 2003. Zisin, 2(57), 171–185. (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Bala, A., Radulian, M., & Popescu, E. (2003). Earthquakes distribution and their focal mechanism in correlation with the active tectonic zones of Romania. Journal of Geodynamics, 36, 129–145.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brune, J. N. (1970). Tectonic stress and the spectra of seismic shear waves from earthquakes. Journal of Geophysical Research, 75, 4997–5009.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brune, J. N. (1971). Correction. Journal of Geophysical Research, 76, 5002.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cioflan, C. O., Marmureanu, A., & Marmureanu, G. (2011). The quantitative evidence of the soil nonlinear behavior during of strong Vrancea earthquakes in real/nonlinear seismology. Romanian Reports in Physics, 63, 839–851.

    Google Scholar 

  • Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. (1977). Earthquake in Romania: March 4, 1977: A preliminary report to Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, EERI Newsletter, 11(3B). https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=s9U8AAAAIAAJ.

  • Gusev, A., Radulian, M., Rizescu, M., & Panza, G. F. (2002). Source scaling of intermediate-depth Vrancea earthquakes. Geophysical Journal International, 151, 879–889.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartzell, S. H. (1978). Earthquake aftershocks as Green’s functions. Geophysical Research Letters, 5, 1–4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartzell, S. (1979). Analysis of the Bucharest strong ground motion record for the March 4, 1977 Romanian earthquake. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 69, 513–530.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartzell, S. H., & Heaton, T. H. (1983). Inversion of strong ground motion and teleseismic waveform data for the fault rupture history of the 1979 Imperial Valley, California, earthquake. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 73, 1553–1583.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurukawa, N., Popa, M., & Radulian, M. (2005). Vrancea intermediate-depth earthquakes in Romania. Seismicity and mechanisms. Journal of the Balkan Geophysical Society, 8(Suppl. 1), 315–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Irikura, K. (1986). Prediction of strong acceleration motions using empirical Green’s function. In Proceedings of the 7th Japan earthquake engineering symposium (pp. 151–156).

    Google Scholar 

  • Irikura, K., & Kamae, K. (1994). Estimation of strong ground motion in broad-frequency band based on a seismic source scaling model and an empirical Green’s function technique. Annali di Geofisica, 37, 1721–1743.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamae,K.,&Irikura,K. (1998). Sourcemodel of the 1995Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake and simulation of near-source ground motion. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 88, 400–412.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kanamori, H., & Anderson, D. L. (1975). Theoretical basis of some empirical relations in seismology. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 65, 1073–1095.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lungu, D., Aldea, A., & Arion, C. (2008). Romania’s seismicity and seismic hazard: From historical records to design codes (pp. 1–16). Berlin: Springer. ISBN 978-1-4020-9242-8

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, M., Wenzel, F., & The CALIXTO working group. (2006). Highresolution teleseismic body wave tomography beneath SERomania— II. Imaging of a slab detachment scenario. Geophysical Journal International, 164, 579–595.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mckenzie, D. P. (1970). Plate tectonics of Mediterranean region. Nature, 226, 239–242.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mckenzie, D. P. (1972). Active tectonics of the Mediterranean region. Geophysical Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, 39, 109–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitrofan, H., Anghelache, M. A., Chitea, F., Damian, A., Cadicheanu, N., & Vis¸an, M. (2016). Lateral detachment in progress within the Vrancea slab (Romania): Inferences from intermediate-depth seismicity patterns. Geophysical Journal International, 205, 864–875.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miyake, H., Iwata, T., & Irikura, K. (1999). Strong ground motion simulation and source modeling of the Kagoshimaken Hokuseibu earthquakes of March 26 (MJMA 6.5) and May 13 (MJMA 6.3), 1997, using empirical Green’s function method. Zisin, 51, 431–442. (in Japanese with English abstract).

    Google Scholar 

  • Miyake, H., Iwata, T., & Irikura, K. (2003). Source characterization for broadband ground-motion simulation: Kinematic heterogeneous source model and strong motion generation area. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 93, 2531–2545.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miyake, H., Tanaka, Y., Sakaue, M., Koketsu, K., & Ishigaki, Y. (2006). Empirical Green’s function simulation of broadband ground motions on Genkai Island during the 2005 West Off Fukuoka Prefecture earthquake. Earth Planets Space, 58, 1637–1642.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muller, G., Bonjer, K., Stockl, H., & Enescu, D. (1978). The Romanian earthquake of March 4, 1977. I. Rupture process inferred from fault-plane solution and multiple-event analysis. Journal of Geophysics, 44, 203–218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oncescu, M. C., & Bonjer, K. P. (1997). A note on the depth recurrence and strain release of large Vrancea earthquakes. Tectonophysics, 272, 291–302.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oncescu, M. C., Marza, V. I., Rizescu, M., & Popa, M. (1999). The Romanian earthquake catalogue between 984–1997. In F. Wenzel, D. Lungu, & O. Novak (Eds.), Vrancea earthquakes: Tectonics, hazard and risk mitigation (pp. 43–48). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oth, A., Wenzel, F., & Radulian, M. (2007). Source parameters of intermediate-depth Vrancea (Romania) earthquakes from empirical Green’s functions modeling. Tectonophysics, 438, 33–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radu, C., Polonic, G., & Apopei, I. (1979). Macroseismic field of the March 4, 1977 Vrancea earthquake. Tectonophysics, 53, 185–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radulian, M. (2014). Mechanisms of earthquakes in Vrancea. In M. Beer, I. A. Kougioumtzoglou, E. Patelli, & I. S.-K. Au (Eds.), Encyclopedia of earthquake engineering (pp. 1–9). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radulian, M., Mândrescu, N., Panza, G. F., Popescu, E., & Utale, A. (2000). Characterization of seismogenic zones of Romania. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 157, 55–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rakers, E., & Muller, G. (1982). The Romanian earthquake of March 4, 1977. III. Improved focal model and moment determination. Journal of Geophysics, 50, 143–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokolov, V Yu. (2002). Seismic intensity and Fourier acceleration spectra: Revised relationships. Earthquake Spectra, 18, 161–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokolov, V Yu., & Chernov, K Yu. (1998). On the correlation of seismic intensity with Fourier amplitude spectra. Earthquake Spectra, 14, 679–694.

    Google Scholar 

  • Somerville, P., Irikura, K., Graves, R., Sawada, S., Wald, D., Abrahamson, N., et al. (1999). Characterizing crustal earthquake slip models for the prediction of strong ground motion. Seismological Research Letters, 70, 59–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wald, D. J., Quitoraiano, V., Heaton, T. H., & Kanamori, H. (1999). Relationships between peak ground acceleration, peak ground velocity, and modified Mercalli intensity in California. Earthquake Spectra, 15, 57–564.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wenzel, F., Sperner, B., Lorenz, F., & Mocanu, V. (2002). Geodynamics, tomographic images and seismicity of the Vrancea region (SE-Carpathians, Romania). EGU Stephan Mueller Special Publication Series, 3, 95–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wessel, P., & Smith, W. H. F. (1995). New version of the generic mapping tools released. EOS Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, 76, 329.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong, H. L., & Trifunac, M. D. (1979). A note on an instrumental comparison of the modified Mercalli (MMI) and the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA) intensity scales, based on computed peak acceleration. Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, 7, 75–83.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Changjiang Wu and three anonymous reviewers for their help in improving the manuscript. We are also thankful to the National Center for Seismic Risk Reduction, Bucharest, Romania for providing the strong motion data used in the study. We also acknowledge the use of data from a broadband seismic station (MLR) and the ROMPLUS earthquake catalog of the National Institute for Earth Physics, Romania. We are grateful to Dr. Taiki Saito for providing strong motion data of the INC station for the 1977 earthquake. Discussion with Drs. Toshiaki Yokoi and Nobuo Furukawa helped to improve the study. Some figures were prepared using the GMT plotting tool of Wessel and Smith (1995).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Earth Physics, 12 Calugareni, 077125 Ilfov, Magurele, Romania

    Natalia Poiata

  2. Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, 113-0032, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Hiroe Miyake

Authors
  1. Natalia Poiata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hiroe Miyake
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Natalia Poiata .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Swissnuclear , Olten, Solothurn, Switzerland

    Luis A. Dalguer

  2. International Atomic Energy Agency , Vienna, Austria

    Yoshimitsu Fukushima

  3. Aichi Institute of Technology , Toyota, Japan

    Kojiro Irikura

  4. Nuclear Regulation Authority , Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Changjiang Wu

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Poiata, N., Miyake, H. (2018). Broadband Ground Motion Simulation of the 2004 and 1977 Vrancea, Romania, Earthquakes Using Empirical Green’s Function Method. In: Dalguer, L., Fukushima, Y., Irikura, K., Wu, C. (eds) Best Practices in Physics-based Fault Rupture Models for Seismic Hazard Assessment of Nuclear Installations. Pageoph Topical Volumes. Birkhäuser, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72709-7_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation