TITLE:
How to Identify Foreshocks in Seismic Sequences to Predict Strong Earthquakes
AUTHORS:
Giulio Riga, Paolo Balocchi
KEYWORDS:
Foreshock, Mainshock, Aftershock, Earthquake, Microsequence, Hierarchization
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Earthquake Research,
Vol.6 No.1,
February
27,
2017
ABSTRACT: The time analysis of seismic events preceding several strong earthquakes occurred in recent decades throughout the world, has highlighted some foreshocks’ characteristics, which are helpful for their discrimination compared to other types of events. These features can be identified within the seismic sequence and used as strong events’ precursors. Through the energy release pattern analysis, which precedes any strong earthquakes, in this study we describe some graphical procedures suitable for distinguishing a foreshock from any other type of earthquake. We have broadly divided foreshocks into two classes, depending on their position within the energy release pattern, by describing some relationships between the foreshock’s magnitude and the following earthquake’s. The results obtained show how the energy release pattern of some major earthquakes has distinctive features and repeatability which it is possible to obtain information from in order to perform sufficiently reliable short-term forecasts.