Some considerations on the hypocentre location problem

• Main Authors: M. STUCCHI, M. DI NATALE, B. BETRO, G. ZONNO
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) 1981-06-01
• Series: Annals of Geophysics
• Online Access: http://www.annalsofgeophysics.eu/index.php/annals/article/view/4694

Some aspects of the problem of accuracy in the hypocentre location<br />are discussed, and some difficulties are shown to arise within the conventional<br />approach. The statistical basis of the commonly employed location<br />procedure is examined, in orded to clarify under which assumptions it can<br />be considered as correct; in particular an example is given where the<br />validity of the probabilistic statement connected to confidence regions<br />is evaluated via Montecarlo simulation.<br />The hypocentre location problem is next re-examined regarding it as<br />a measurement problem: in this scheme, special attention is paid to the<br />analysis of the features of the measurement instrument, and to the<br />problem of the possibility of repeating the trials.<br />The analysis suggests that the attention should be shifted on to joint<br />treatment of several events, including a different probabilistic interpreta-tion ot confidence regions, in order to overcome the inadequacies which<br />have been pointed out.<br />Accordingly, the joint focal and crustal parameters determination is<br />interpreted as a change of perspective in seismological measurements.