A statistical study of aftershock sequences

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Giorgio Ranalli

Abstract

A comprehensive statistical study of the phenomenology of aftershock sequences is made in this paper. The spatial distribution of aftershocks indicates that they are mainly crustal events; however, deeper sequences also take place. The analysis of the distribution of aftershocks in 15 sequences with respect to time and magnitude leads to the statistical confirmation of a set of phenomenological laws describing the process, namely, the time-frequency law of hyperbolic decay of aftershock activity with time, the magnitude stability law, and the exponential magnitude- frequency distribution. The hypotheses involved are checked. The grouping of data and the statistical methods employed are chosen according to some basic well·confirmed assumptions regarding the nature of the process.

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How to Cite
Ranalli, G. (2010) “A statistical study of aftershock sequences”, Annals of Geophysics, 53(1), pp. 43–58. doi: 10.4401/ag-4645.
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