Bayesian change points analysis for earthquakes body wave magnitude

F.A. Alawadhi and D. Alhulail

Journal of Applied Statistics, 2016, vol. 43, issue 9, 1567-1582

Abstract: Recently, the world has experienced an increased number of major earthquakes. The Zagros belt is among the most seismically active mountain ranges in the world. Due to Kuwait's location in the southwest of the Zagros belt, it is affected by relative tectonic movements in the neighboring region. It is vital to assess the Zagros seismic risks in Kuwait using recent data and coordinate with the competent authorities to reduce those risks. Using the body wave magnitude (Mb) data collected in Kuwait, we want to assess the recent changes in the magnitude of earthquakes and its variations in Kuwait's vicinity. We built a change point model to detect the significant changes in its parameters. This paper applies a hierarchical Bayesian technique and derives the marginal posterior density function for the Mb. Our interest lies in identifying a shift in the mean of a single or multiple change points as well as the changes in the variation. Building upon the model and its parameters for the 2002--2003 data, we detected three change points. The first, second and third change points occurred in September 2002, April 2003 and August 2003, respectively.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1080/02664763.2015.1117585

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