Open AccessProcedures for seismic event type discrimination at the Canadian Hazards Information Service
Author(s) -
Nick Ackerley,
Alison Bird,
Michal Kolaj,
Honn Kao,
Maurice Lamontagne
Publication year - 2022
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.4095/329613
Subject(s) - event (particle physics) , natural hazard , natural (archaeology) , seismology , computer science , certainty , seismic hazard , seismic risk , data mining , information retrieval , geology , mathematics , paleontology , oceanography , physics , geometry , quantum mechanics
Within a catalogue of seismic events, it is necessary to distinguish natural tectonic earthquakes from seismic events due to human activity or other natural processes. This becomes very important when the data are incorporated into models of seismic hazard, sincenatural and anthropogenic events follow different recurrence and scaling laws. This document outlines a two-step procedure whereby first, a most likely event type is identified, and second, confirmation or refutation is sought. The procedure is intended to be compatible with current and pastpractices at the Canadian Hazards Information Service and the Geological Survey of Canada in assigning event types in the National Earthquake Database (NEDB). Furthermore, this document presents a new nomenclature and coding system for event types and their certainty, one that is compatible withQuakeML. Detailed classification criteria are given for all common event types; for rare event types, only definitions and examples are given.