Off-Network Earthquake Location by Earthquake Early Warning Systems: Methodology and Validation

Regional source-based earthquake early warning systems perform three consecutive tasks: (1) detection and epicenter location, (2) magnitude determination, and (3) ground-motion prediction. The correctness of the magnitude determination is contingent on that of the epicenter location, and the credibility of the ground-motion prediction depends on those of the epicenter location and the magnitude determination. Thus, robust epicenter location scheme is key for regional earthquake early warning systems. Available source-based systems yield acceptably accurate locations when the earthquakes occur inside the real-time seismic network, but they return erroneous results otherwise. In this study, a real-time algorithm that is intended as a supplement to an existing regional earthquake early warning systems is introduced with the sole objective of ameliorating its off-network location capacity. The new algorithm combines measurements from three or more network stations that are analyzed jointly using an array methodology to give the P-wave slowness vector and S-phase arrival time. Prior to the S-phase picking, the nonarrival of the S phase is used for determining a minimum epicentral distance. This estimate is updated repeatedly with elapsed time until the S phase is picked. Thus, the system timeliness is not compromised by waiting for the S-phase arrival. After the S wave is picked, an epicentral location can be determined using a single array by intersecting the back-azimuth beam with the S-minus-P annulus. When several arrays are assembled, the back azimuth and P and S picks from all arrays are combined to constrain the epicenter. The performance of the array processing for back azimuth and S-wave picking is assessed using a large number of accelerograms, recorded by nine strong motion sensors of the KiK-net seismic network in Japan. The nine stations are treated as three distinct seismic arrays, comprising three stations each. Good agreement is found between array-based and catalog-reported parameters. Finally, the advantage of the new array methodology with respect to alternative schemes for back azimuth and distance is demonstrated.