How Fast Can the Ground Really Move?
Abstract
This article discusses approaches to determining the largest possible ground motion during an earthquake occurring near Earths surface.The problem is a difficult one because the available empirical data are insufficient to provide reliable indications of the upper tails ofassociated probability distributions. The largest ground-particle velocity ever measured during an earthquake is 3.18 m/sec. Someapproaches yield limits that are roughly consistent with this number, but others suggest some potential to exceed it. We suggest that thehighest particle velocity near the transition to elasticity indicates the maximum ground velocity possible in a shallow earthquake.Considering data observed in granite, that transition takes place at a scaled range from the explosion source where particle velocity isabout 610 m/secsuggesting that the current maximum velocity measurement may not represent an absolute physical limit, but rather alimitation in sampling.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1131695
Entities
People
- Marius S. Vassiliou
Organizations
- Institute for Defense Analyses