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Physical Mechanisms Contributing to Seismic Attenuation in the Crust

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Strong Ground Motion Seismology

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIC,volume 204))

Abstract

The mechanisms contributing to the attenuation of earthquake ground motion in the distance range of 10 to 200 km are studied with the aid of laboratory data, coda waves and strong motion attenuation measurements in northeast United States and Canada and theoretical models. The relative contributions to attenuation of anelasticity of crustal rocks (constant Q), fluid flow and scattering are evaluated. Scattering is found to be strong with albedo of B0=0.9 and scattering extinction length of about 17 km. The intrinsic attenuation in the crust can be explained by a high constant Q(500 ≤ Q0 ≤ 2000) and a frequency dependent mechanism most likely due to fluid effects in rocks and cracks. A fluid-flow attenuation model gives a frequency dependence (Q ≃ Q0 f0.5) similar to those determined from the analysis of coda waves of regional seismograms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth Resources Laboratory Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    M. N. Toksöz, R. S. Wu & D. P. Schmitt

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  1. M. N. Toksöz
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  2. R. S. Wu
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  3. D. P. Schmitt
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Earthquake Engineering Research Center, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey

    Mustafa Özder Erdik

  2. Earth Resources Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

    M. Nafi Toksöz

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© 1987 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Toksöz, M.N., Wu, R.S., Schmitt, D.P. (1987). Physical Mechanisms Contributing to Seismic Attenuation in the Crust. In: Erdik, M.Ö., Toksöz, M.N. (eds) Strong Ground Motion Seismology. NATO ASI Series, vol 204. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3095-2_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3095-2_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-8440-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-3095-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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