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Corner frequencies of P and S waves and models of earthquake sources

INSTITUTE OF GEOPHYSICS AND PLANETARY PHYSICS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO, LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA 92037

Abstract

P- and S-wave spectra of 144 aftershocks of the February 9, 1971 San Fernando earthquake corroborate previous work showing that the corner frequencies for P waves in general are greater than those for S waves. This observation is consistent not only with models that treat earthquakes as volume sources, but also with physically reasonable dislocation models for which (1) the source is approximately equidimensional, (2) both the duration of slip at each point on the fault and the time for the ruptured area to develop are not long compared with the time for seismic waves to cross the ruptured area, and (3) much of the source radiates essentially simultaneously. There may be other physically reasonable dislocation models compatible with the observations. Savage's calculations indicate that models that involve propagating dislocations on long thin faults are not adequate for describing most moderate and small earthquakes studied.