Estimation of Coda Wave Attenuation for the National Capital Region, Delhi, India Using Local Earthquakes

Abstract

Attenuation of seismic waves is very essential for the study of earthquake source parameters and also for ground-motion simulations, and this is important for the seismic hazard estimation of a region. The digital data acquired by 16 short-period seismic stations of the Delhi Telemetric Network for 55 earthquakes of magnitude 1.5 to 4.2, which occurred within an epicentral distance of 100 km in an area around Delhi, have been used to estimate the coda attenuation Q _c . Using the Single Backscattering Model, the seismograms have been analyzed at 10 central frequencies. The frequency dependence average attenuation relationship Q _c  = 142f ^1.04 has been attained. Four Lapse-Time windows from 20 to 50 seconds duration with a difference of 10 seconds have been analyzed to study the lapse time dependence of Q _c . The Q _c values show that frequency dependence (exponent n) remains similar at all the lapse time window lengths. While the change in Q ₀ values is significant, change in Q ₀ with larger lapsetime reflects the rate of homogeneity at the depth. The variation of Q _c indicates a definitive trend from west to east in accordance with the geology of the region.