A simple use of OR techniques to complete seismic records without magnitude value Online publication date: Mon, 28-Oct-2024
by M.C.M. Rodrigues; C.S. Oliveira
International Journal of Operational Research (IJOR), Vol. 51, No. 3, 2024
Abstract: We are working on modelling the phenomenon of seismic occurrences in the Azores region, which requires, among other characteristics, the knowledge of the magnitude of past events. Approximately 18,000 seismic records are available, but more than 3,000 (±17%) have no information on magnitude. In this paper, we propose a methodology to generate the missing values of magnitude. This is based on an unusual but very simple application of OR, where pseudo-random values of magnitude are generated according to the statistical distribution of magnitude in records where information is complete. Special care is exercised on the upper tail of the distribution. The procedure does not determine the magnitude of an earthquake at a specific date, but the records become more complete in the sense that the generated values have a statistical distribution identical to the observed values. Statistical tests and the confirmation of the Gutenberg-Richter law validate the methodology.
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