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

S. Singh, J. Pacheco (), M. Ordaz, R. Dattatrayam, G. Suresh and P. Baidya

Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, 2012, vol. 64, issue 2, 1510 pages

Abstract: 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. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Keywords: Early tsunami warning; Indian Ocean tsunami; 2004 Sumatra earthquake; Radiated energy of Sumatra and Nias earthquakes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1007/s11069-012-0311-5

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