Interdepedence and Variations of Earthquake Parameters on African Lithospheric Plate Using Gutenberg and Richter Relations

Abstract

The empirical variation of earthquake parameters such as frequency, focal depth and energy had been used in the past by seismologists to estimate the magnitude of large historic earthquakes from existing intensity maps. The Engineering geologists often need it to predict the intensity, focal depth and energy of earthquakes on the basis of maximum possible magnitude for a certain return period. The generalized earthquake scaling relations derived by Gutenberg and Richter [1] were used to determine the intensity and earthquake energy of individual events. The following were investigated: Frequency-magnitude variation; Focal depth’s variation with intensity, magnitude and energy; Earthquake intensity’s variation with energy of earthquakes; Magnitude’s variation with intensity and energy of earthquakes. The earthquake energy, intensity and magnitude decrease with increase in focal depth and maxima at shallow focal depth on the African plate. The seismic energy radiated from the earthquake focus could be used as the earthquake magnitude and intensity predictor.