Estimating tsunami potential of earthquakes in the Sumatra-Andaman region based on broadband seismograms in India

摘要

In this paper, we report that the ratio of broadband energy (0.01-2 Hz) to high-frequency energy (0.3-2 Hz), E r, estimated from regional seismograms of India, might be a useful parameter in estimating tsunami potential of earthquakes in the Sumatra-Andaman region. E r is expected to be sensitive to the depth as well as to the source characteristics of an earthquake. Since a shallow and slow earthquake has a greater tsunamigenic potential, E r may be a useful diagnostic parameter. We base our analysis on broadband seismograms of the great earthquakes of Sumatra-Andaman (2004, M w ~ 9.2) and Nias (2005, M w 8.6), 41 of their aftershocks, and the earthquakes of north Sumatra (2010, M w 7.8) and Nicobar (2010, M w 7.4) recorded at VISK, a station located on the east coast of India. In the analysis, we also included the two recent, great strike-slip earthquakes of north Sumatra (2012, M w 8.6, 8.2) recorded at VISK and three south Sumatra earthquakes (2007, M w 8.5; 2007, M w 7.9; 2010, M w 7.8) recorded at PALK, a station in Sri Lanka. We find that E r is a function of depth; shallower earthquakes have higher E r values than the deeper ones. Thus, E r may be indicative of tsunamigenic potential of an earthquake. As M w and E r increase so does the tsunami potential. In addition to the parameter E r, the radiated seismic energy, E s, may be estimated from the regional seismograms in India using empirical Green’s function technique. The technique yields reliable E s for the great Sumatra and Nias earthquakes. E r and E s computed from VISK data, along with M w and focal mechanism, may be useful in estimating tsunami potential along the east coast of India from earthquakes in the Sumatra-Andaman region in less than ~20 min.