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Article
Spatial Variations in the Frequency-Magnitude Distribution of Earthquakes at Mount Pinatubo Volcano
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America
  • John J. Sanchez, Sánchez Universtiy of Alaska Fairbanks
  • Stephen R. McNutt, Universtiy of Alaska Fairbanks
  • J. A. Power, Universtiy of Alaska Fairbanks
  • Max Wyss, World Agency for Planetary Monitoring and Earthquake Risk Reduction
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2004
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1785/0120020244
Disciplines
Abstract

The frequency-magnitude distribution of earthquakes measured by the b-value is mapped in two and three dimensions at Mount Pinatubo, Philippines, to a depth of 14 km below the summit. We analyzed 1406 well-located earthquakes with magnitudes MD ≥0.73, recorded from late June through August 1991, using the maximum likelihood method. We found that b-values are higher than normal (b = 1.0) and range between b = 1.0 and b = 1.8. The computed b-values are lower in the areas adjacent to and west-southwest of the vent, whereas two prominent regions of anomalously high b-values (b ∼ 1.7) are resolved, one located 2 km northeast of the vent between 0 and 4 km depth and a second located 5 km southeast of the vent below 8 km depth. The statistical differences between selected regions of low and high b-values are established at the 99% confidence level. The high b-value anomalies are spatially well correlated with low-velocity anomalies derived from earlier P-wave travel-time tomography studies. Our dataset was not suitable for analyzing changes in b-values as a function of time. We infer that the high b-value anomalies around Mount Pinatubo are regions of increased crack density, and/or high pore pressure, related to the presence of nearby magma bodies.

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, v. 94, issue 2, p. 430-438

Citation Information
John J. Sanchez, Stephen R. McNutt, J. A. Power and Max Wyss. "Spatial Variations in the Frequency-Magnitude Distribution of Earthquakes at Mount Pinatubo Volcano" Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America Vol. 94 Iss. 2 (2004) p. 430 - 438
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/stephen-mcnutt/80/