Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Local magnitude, coda magnitude, and radiated energy of volcanic tectonic earthquakes from October 2010 to December 2011 at Sinabung volcano, Indonesia

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Bulletin of Volcanology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In August 2010, Sinabung volcano began erupting after more than a thousand years of dormancy. Following several weeks of phreatic eruptions, the eruptions ceased and Sinabung entered what became an inter-eruptive period of dominantly seismic unrest. While standard equations for understanding the size of an earthquake (local magnitude (ML), coda magnitude (MC), and seismic energy release (ER)) have long been developed, it is best practice to fine tune these relations for a given region and period of study to more accurately describe seismicity and to directly compare it with other volcanic systems. More accurate descriptions of magnitudes and energy release are vital to accurate volcanic eruption forecasting and evaluation of seismic and volcanic risk. In this study, we use high-frequency volcano-tectonic (VT) earthquakes recorded on a temporary three-component network installed between October 2010 and December 2011 in the region around Sinabung volcano to better constrain the seismic parameters of and better understand this previously unstudied volcano. We determine region-specific formulas for ML, MC, and ER as follows:

$$ {\mathrm{M}}_{\mathrm{L}}={\log}_{10}A+1.1252{\log}_{10}r+0.0280\ r-2.5427,\kern0.5em {\mathrm{M}}_{\mathrm{C}}=0.7764\ {\log}_{10}{t}_{coda}+0.0676\ r-0.7185,\kern0.5em \mathrm{and}\kern0.5em {\log}_{10}\left({\mathrm{E}}_{\mathrm{R}}\right)=1.5720{\mathrm{M}}_{\mathrm{L}}+11.5258, $$

where A, r, and tcoda are maximum amplitude on a Wood-Anderson seismogram, hypocentral distance (km), and the coda duration (s), respectively. Constants in the ML equation have physically interpretable meanings. The constant for the geometrical spreading term (log10r term) equals one for perfect spherical spreading of the waveform. Our value is greater than one and thus suggests that wavefronts spread at a slightly different rate than for simple spherical spreading. The constant for the attenuation term (r term) is consistent with locally mapped attenuative deposits (limestones and tuffs) and previous 3D tomographic results. Our MC equation differs from a previous study, likely because different data in a different time period were used. Earthquake hypocenters are consistent with those located in previous tomographic studies, and we interpret the earthquakes in this study as distal VT earthquakes induced by continued magmatic intrusion at Sinabung over the period of October 2010–December 2011.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aldiss DT, Ghazali SA (1984) The regional geology and evolution of the Toba volcano-tectonic depression, Indonesia. J Geol Soc 141(3):487–500

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alsaker A, Kvamme LB, Hansen RA, Dahle A, Bungum H (1991) The ML scale in Norway. Bull Seismol Soc Am 81:379–398

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakun WH, Lindh AG (1977) Local magnitudes, seismic moments, and coda durations for earthquakes near Oroville, California. Bull Seismol Soc Am 67(3):615–629

    Google Scholar 

  • Bindi D, Spallarossa D, Eva C, Cattaneo M (2005) Local and duration magnitudes in northwestern Italy, and seismic moment versus magnitude relationships. Bull Seismol Soc Am 95:592–604

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bormann P, Wendt S, Di Giacomo D (2013) Chapter 3: seismic sources and source parameters. In: New Manual of Seismological Observatory Practice, Bormann, P. (Ed.), IASPEI, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam; http://nmsop.gfz-potsdam.de; https://doi.org/10.2312/GFZ.NMSOP-2. Accessed 3 July 2019

  • Budi-Santoso A, Lesage P, Dwiyono S, Sumarti S, Jousset P, Metaxian JP (2013) Analysis of the seismic activity associated with the 2010 eruption of Merapi volcano, Java. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 261:153–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butcher A, Luckett R, Verdon J, Kendall JM, Baptie B, Wookey J (2017) Local magnitude discrepancies for near-event receivers: implications for the U.K. traffic-light scheme. Bull Seismol Soc Am 107(2):532–541. https://doi.org/10.1785/0120160225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cardona C, Tassara A, Gil-Cruz F, Lara L, Morales S, Kohler P, Franco L (2018) Crustal seismicity associated to rapid surface uplift at Laguna del Maule Volcanic Complex, Southern Volcanic Zone of the Andes. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 353:83–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chouet BA, Matoza RS (2013) A multi-decadal view of seismic methods for detecting precursors of magma movement and eruption. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 252:108–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coulon CA, Hsieh PA, White R, Lowenstern JB, Ingebritsen SE (2017) Causes of distal volcano-tectonic seismicity inferred from hydrothermal modeling. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 345:98–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Del Pezzo E, Petrosino S (2001) A local-magnitude scale for Mt. Vesuvius from synthetic Wood-Anderson seismograms. J Seismol 5:207–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dindi E, Havskov J, Iranga M, Jonathan E, Lombe DK, Mamo A, Turyomurugyendo G (1995) Potential capability of the east African seismic stations. Bull Seismol Soc Am 85(1):354–360

    Google Scholar 

  • Dumont S, Socquet A, Grandin R, Doubre C, Klinger Y (2015) Surface displacements on faults triggered by slow magma transfers between dyke injections in the 2005–2010 rifting episode at Dabbahu–Manda–Hararo rift (Afar, Ethiopia). Geophys J Int 204:399–417

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Endo ET, Malone SD, Noson LL, and Weaver, C.S., 1981, Locations, magnitudes, and statistics of the March 20–May 18 earthquake sequence, in Lipman, P.W., and Mullineaux, D.R., eds., The 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens, Washington: U.S. Geol Surv Prof Pap 1250, p. 93–107

  • Fauzi, Mc Caffrey R, Wark DA, Sunaryo, Haryadi PYP (1996) Lateral variation in slab orientation beneath Toba caldera, northern Sumatra. Geophys Res Lett 23(5):443–446. https://doi.org/10.1029/96GL00381

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gambino S, Milluzzo V, Scaltrito A, Scarfì L (2012) Relocation and focal mechanisms of earthquakes in the south-central sector of the Aeolian Archipelago: new structural and volcanological insights. Tectonophysics 524:108–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein P, Snoke A (2005) SAC availability for the IRIS community. Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Newsletter 7(UCRL-JRNL-211140)

  • Greenfield T, Keir D, Kendall J-M, Ayele A (2019) Seismicity of the Bora-Tullu Moye volcanic field, 2016–2017. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 20:548–570. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GC007648

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gunawan H, Surono, Budianto A, Kristianto, Prambada O, McCausland WA, Pallister JS, Iguchi M (2019) Overview of the eruptions of Sinabung 2010 and 2013-present and details of the phreatomagmatic phase. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 382:210–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2017.09.018

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gutenberg B (1956) The energy of earthquakes. Q J Geol Soc 112(1–4):1–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gutenberg B, Richter CF (1956) Earthquake magnitude, intensity, energy, and acceleration: (second paper). Bull Seismol Soc Am 46(2):105–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Hauksson E, Shearer P (2005) Southern California hypocenter relocation with waveform cross-correlation, part 1: results using the double-difference method. Bull Seismol Soc Am 95(3):896–903

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Havskov J, Ottemoller L (2010) Routine data processing in earthquake seismology. Springer, Dordrecht, Heidelberg, London, New York

  • Hendrasto M, Surono, Budianto A, Kristianto, Triastuty H, Haerani N, Basuki A, Suparman Y, Primulyana S, Prambada O, Loeqman A, Indrastuti N, Andreas AA, Rosadi U, Adi S, Iguchi M, Ohkura T, Nakada S, Yoshimoto M (2012) Evaluation of volcanic activity at Sinabung volcano, after more than 400 years of quiet. J Disaster Res 7(1):11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrmann RB (1975) The use of duration as a measure of seismic moment and magnitude. Bull Seismol Soc Am 65:899–913

    Google Scholar 

  • Hidayati S, Triastuty H, Mulyana I, Adi S, Ishihara K, Basuki A, Kuswandarto H, Priyanto B, Solikhin A (2019) Differences in the seismicity preceding the 2007 and 2014 eruptions of Kelud volcano, Indonesia. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 38:50–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2018.10.017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hotta K, Iguchi M, Ohkura T, Hendrasto M, Gunawan H, Kriswati E (2019) Process of magma intrusion and effusion at Sinabung volcano, Indonesia, during the period from 2013 to 2016, as revealed from continuous GNSS observation data. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 382:173–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2017.12.015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutton LK, Boore DM (1987) The ML scale in southern California. Bull Seismol Soc Am 77:2074–2094

    Google Scholar 

  • Iguchi M, Ishihara K, Surono HM (2011) Learn from 2010 eruptions at Merapi and Sinabung volcanoes in Indonesia. Disaster Prev Res Inst Ann 54(B):11

    Google Scholar 

  • Illsley-Kemp F, Keir D, Bull JM, Ayele A, Hammond JOS, Kendall JM, Gallacher RJ, Gernon T, Goitom B (2017) Local earthquake magnitude scale and b value for the Danakil region of northern Afar. Bull Seismol Soc Am 107:521–531

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Indrastuti N, Nugraha AD, McCausland WA, Hendrasto M, Gunawan H, Kusnandar R, Kasbani K (2019) 3-D seismic tomographic study of Sinabung volcano, northern Sumatra, Indonesia, during the inter-eruptive period October 2010–July 2013. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 382:197–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2019.03.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keir D, Stuart GW, Jackson A, Ayele A (2006) Local earthquake magnitude scale and seismicity rate for the Ethiopian rift. Bull Seismol Soc Am 96:2221–2230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kriswati E, Meilano I, Iguchi M, Abidin HZ, Surono (2019) An evaluation of the possibility of tectonic triggering of the Sinabung eruption. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 382:224–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2018.04.031

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee WHK, Bennett RE and Meagher KL, 1972. A method of estimating magnitude of local earthquakes from signal duration (p. 28). US Department of the Interior, Geol Surv

  • Lermo J, Chávez-García FJ (1993) Site effect evaluation using spectral ratios with only one station. Bull Seismol Soc Am 83(5):1574–1594

    Google Scholar 

  • McCaffrey R (2009) The tectonic framework of the Sumatran subduction zone. Annu Rev Earth Planet Sci 37:345–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCausland WA, White R, Indrastuti N, Gunawan H, Patira C, Suparman Y, Putra A, Triastuty H, Hendrasto M (2019) Using a process-based model of pre-eruptive seismic patterns to forecast evolving eruptive styles at Sinabung volcano, Indonesia. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 382:253–266. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2017.04.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNutt SR, Roman DC (2015) Volcanic seismicity. In: The Encyclopedia of Volcanoes. Academic Press, pp 1011–1034

  • Nakamichi H, Iguchi M, Triastuty M, Hendrasto M, Mulyana I (2019) Differences of precursory seismic energy release for the 2007 effusive dome-forming and 2014 Plinian eruptions at Kelud volcano, Indonesia. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 382:68–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2017.08.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakamura Y (1989) A method for dynamic characteristics estimation of subsurface using microtremor on the ground surface. Q Rep Railway Tech Res Instit (RTRI) 30(1):25–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishi K (2005) Hypocenter calculation software GAD (Geiger’s method with adaptive damping), ver. 1. JICA Report-May

  • Nugraha AD, Indrastuti N, Kusnandar R, Gunawan H, McCausland WA, Aulia AN, Harlianti U (2019) Joint 3-D tomographic imaging of Vp, Vs and Vp/Vs and hypocenter relocation at Sinabung volcano, Indonesia from November to December 2013. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 382:210–233. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2017.09.018

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Omori F (1911) The Usu-san eruption and the earthquake and elevation phenomena II: comparison of the bench mark heights in the base district before and after the eruption. Bull Imperial Earthquake Investig Committee 5

  • Paige CC, Saunders MA (1982) LSQR: an algorithm for sparse linear equations and sparse least squares. ACM Trans Math Softw (TOMS) 8(1):43–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prambada O, Zaennudin A, Iryanto, Basuki A, Yulius C, Mulyadi, Rohaeti E, Kisroh, Suparmo (2010) Report of geological mapping of Sinabung volcano, regency of Karo, province of north Sumatera. Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Unpublished report (in Indonesian)

  • Richter CF (1935) An instrumental earthquake magnitude scale. Bull Seismol Soc Am 25:1–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Richter CF (1958) Elementary seismology. W H Freeman, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Roman DC, Cashman KV (2006) The origin of volcano-tectonic earthquake swarms. Geology 34(6):457–460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siddiqqi J, Atkinson G (2002) Ground motion amplification at rock sites across Canada, as determined from the horizontal-to-vertical component ratio. Bull Seismol Soc Am 92:877–884

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh SK, Ordaz M (1994) Seismic energy release in Mexican subduction zone earthquakes. Bull Seismol Soc Am 84(5):1533–1550

    Google Scholar 

  • Tokarev PI (1985) The prediction of large explosions of andesitic volcanoes. J Geodyn 3(3–4):219–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuffen H, Dingwell DB, Pinkerton H (2003) Repeated fracture and healing of silicic magma generate flow banding and earthquakes. Geology 31(12):1089–1092

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldhauser W, Ellsworth WL (2000) A double-difference earthquake location algorithm: method and application to the northern Hayward Fault, California. Bull Seismol Soc Am 90:1353–1368

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White R, McCausland WA (2016) Volcano-tectonic earthquakes: a new tool for estimating intrusive volumes and forecasting eruptions. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 309:139–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White RA, McCausland WA (2019) A process-based model of pre-eruption seismicity patterns and its use for eruption forecasting at dormant stratovolcanoes. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 382:267–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2019.03.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright HM, Pallister JS, McCausland WA, Griswold JP, Andreastuti S, Budianto A, Primulyana S, Gunawan H, Battaglia M, Diefenbach A, Griswold J (2019) Construction of probabilistic event trees for eruption forecasting at Sinabung volcano, Indonesia 2013–14. J Volcanol Geotherm Res 382:233–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2018.02.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yokoyama I (1988) Seismic energy releases from volcanoes. Bull Volcanol 50(1):1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yukutake Y, Takeda T, Obara K (2008) Well-resolved hypocenter distribution using the double-difference relocation method in the region of the 2007 Chuetsu-oki earthquake. Earth Planets Space 60(11):1105–1109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zoback ML, Geist E, Pallister J, Hill DP, Young S, McCausland WA (2013) Advances in natural hazard science and assessment, 1963–2013. Geol Soc Am Spec Pap 501:81–154

    Google Scholar 

  • Zobin VM (1972) Focal mechanism of volcanic earthquakes. Bull Volcanol 36:561–571

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank USGS internal reviewer, Dr. Gabrielle Tepp, three anonymous journal reviewers, and the Bulletin of Volcanology Associate Editor for their helpful reviews and comments that greatly improved this manuscript.

Funding

This research has been funded by Riset ITB 2018, by operational funds of CVGHM, and the cooperative relationship among CVGHM, ITB, and USGS-VDAP.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Seismology & Geodynamic Laboratory, Faculty of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Ganesha 10 Street, Bandung, West Java, 40132, Indonesia

    Afnimar & Nimas Nurul Hamidah

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Volcano Disaster Assistance Program, 1300 SE Cardinal Court, Vancouver, WA, 98683, USA

    Wendy Anne McCausland

  3. Center for Volcanology and Geologic Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM), Jl. Diponegoro 57, Bandung, 40122, Indonesia

    Kristianto, Ahmad Basuki & Novianti Indrastuti

Authors
  1. Afnimar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wendy Anne McCausland
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Nimas Nurul Hamidah
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kristianto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ahmad Basuki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Novianti Indrastuti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Afnimar.

Additional information

Editorial responsibility: A. Cannata

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Afnimar, McCausland, W.A., Hamidah, N.N. et al. Local magnitude, coda magnitude, and radiated energy of volcanic tectonic earthquakes from October 2010 to December 2011 at Sinabung volcano, Indonesia. Bull Volcanol 82, 45 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-020-01383-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00445-020-01383-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation