An analysis of mechanical constraints when using superconducting gravimeters for far-field pre-seismic anomaly detection

Abstract

Pre-seismic gravity anomalies from records obtained at a 1 Hz sampling rate from superconducting gravimeters (SG) around East Asia are analyzed. A comparison of gravity anomalies to the source parameters of associated earthquakes shows that the detection of pre-seismic gravity anomalies is constrained by several mechanical conditions of the seismic fault plane. The constraints of the far-field pre-seismic gravity amplitude perturbation were examined and the critical spatial relationship between the SG station and the epicenter precursory signal for detection was determined. The results show that: (1) the preseismic amplitude perturbation of gravity is inversely proportional to distance; (2) the transfer path from the epicenter to the SG station that crosses a tectonic boundary has a relatively low pre-seismic gravity anomaly amplitude; (3) the pre-seismic gravity perturbation amplitude is also affected by the attitude between the location of an SG station and the strike of the ruptured fault plane. The removal of typhoon effects and the selection of SG stations within a certain intersection angle to the strike of the fault plane are essential for obtaining reliable pre-seismic gravity anomaly results.