Study on Some Characteristics of Earthquakes and Explosions Using the Polarization Method

Abstract

In this paper, a case study has been made on the characteristics of earthquakes and explosions, mainly through the polarization method, estimating the epicentral azimuths and incident angles in the case of shallow- and deep-focus earthquakes as well as explosions based on three-component signal-to-noise ratios. We have found that it is possible to determine the epicenter and incident angle of an earthquake or an explosion by three-component single-station polarization analysis, especially using body waves like Pn, and in some cases, stable and accurate results are obtained. We made a theoretical discussion on the polarization properties of shear waves, and found that multievents which take place occasionally within explosions can be discerned by azimuth and motion pattern monitoring.