An updated and refined catalog of earthquakes in Taiwan (1900-2014) with homogenized M w magnitudes 4. Seismology

Abstract

The main goal of this study was to develop an updated and refined catalog of earthquakes in Taiwan (1900-2014) with homogenized M w magnitudes that are compatible with the Harvard M w . We hope that such a catalog of earthquakes will provide a fundamental database for definitive studies of the distribution of earthquakes in Taiwan as a function of space, time, and magnitude, as well as for realistic assessments of seismic hazards in Taiwan. In this study, for completeness and consistency, we start with a previously published catalog of earthquakes from 1900 to 2006 with homogenized M w magnitudes. We update the earthquake data through 2014 and supplement the database with 188 additional events for the time period of 1900-1935 that were found in the literature. The additional data resulted in a lower magnitude from M w 5.5-5.0. The broadband-based Harvard M w, United States Geological Survey (USGS) M, and Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology (BATS) M w are preferred in this study. Accordingly, we use empirical relationships with the Harvard M w to transform our old converted M w values to new converted M w values and to transform the original BATS M w values to converted BATS M w values. For individual events, the adopted M w is chosen in the following order: Harvard M w > USGS M > converted BATS M w > new converted M w . Finally, we discover that use of the adopted M w removes a data gap at magnitudes greater than or equal to 5.0 in the original catalog during 1985-1991. The new catalog is now complete for M w ≥ 5.0 and significantly improves the quality of data for definitive study of seismicity patterns, as well as for realistic assessment of seismic hazards in Taiwan.