Characteristics of Taiwan's Seismicity
Tsui-Yu Chang(1), Fabrice Cotton(2), Yi-Ben Tsai(1) and Jacques Angelier(3)
(1) College of Earth Sciences, National Central University, Taiwan. (2) Laboratoire de G駮physique Interne et de Tectonophysique, Observatoire de Grenoble, Maison Des G駮sciences, Grenoble, France. (3) Laboratoire Tectonique Quantitative, Universit・P. & M. Curie, Case 129, T 25-26, E1, 4 Place Jussieu, 75252 Cedex Paris, France.
Contacts: changty@rupture.gep.ncu.edu.tw (Tsui-Yu Chang)
Abstract
Based on field observations and accumulating seismographic records after some disastrous earthquakes, it is believed that considerable information regarding the generation of large earthquakes and surface fractures may be locked in seismicity patterns. In Taiwan area, the instrumental observation of earthquakes has been initiated since 1898, and up to 2000, about 180,000 earthquakes have been accumulated in the synthetic catalog organized by the Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan (abbr. CWB). The evolution of seismographic instrumentation and networks is principally associated with the modern history of Taiwan and has been well presented in some publications (e.g. Cheng et al., 1996; Wang and Shin, 1998). In this study, we aim to have a systematical comprehension for the preliminary significance in terms of seismotectonics. We firstly applied a completeness test for the CWB seismicity catalog for determining the reliable records that represent a complete seismicity reflecting the Taiwan痴 tectonic setting. Afterward, b-value and z-value have been realized after such reliable records. The b-value analysis has extracted the relationship between the seismic behaviors and tectonic setting. The application of the z-test demonstrated a series of rate changes before the Chi-Chi earthquake. A computer program, ZMAP, distributed free by the Stefan Wiemer (2001), has been efficiently used in this study.
raeg2003@tansa.kumst.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Last modified: Wed Dec 04 14:36:53 2002