1999 JAN25, Western Colombia Earthquake

Origin time 18:19:17 UTC/GMT, Latitude 4.29 degrees N, Longitude 75.68 degrees W

Magnitude(s): mb=5.8 Ms=5.8 MW=6.1

Moment=1.82e+25 newton meters

Depth 33 kilometers

Several hundred killed, thousands homeless

BROAD BAND THREE COMPONENT SEISMOGRAMS OF THE 1999 WESTERN COLOMBIA EARTHQUAKEjl

The above seismograms were recorded at 4 samples per second from a Guralp
CMG-3TD broadband seismometer in the walk in vault near Leonard, OK.
Leonard is i4060 kilometers or 2520 miles from the epicenter (great circle)

P-WAVE ARRIVAL BLOWUP
This blowup of the P-wave arrivals (the first wave to arrive) can be
used to determine the direction to the earthquake. The initial movement
at Leonard could be either away from the earthquake epicenter or toward
the epicenter. The direction would depend on the direction of fault
movement. The vertical initial movement shown on bhz (z is always used 
for vertical components) is distinctly downwards. At Leonard, the earth
is moving toward the Columbia epicenter (down). The North-south trace
(bhn) moves southward, and the east-west trace moves eastward (on seismograms
upward movement of a trace shows earth movement up, north, or east).

The inital movement shows that the earth moves toward the epicenter AND
to the southeast. Therefore the earthquake was SE of Leonard. Most of South
America is E of North America. The Colombian Andes are SE of Oklahoma.

We know the direction. From the time lag of the S wave after the P wave
(you measure it) we can find the distance. Thus from this one three-component
seismogram, we can locate the earthquake within at least the right
country. Use this travel time graph of P
PP and S to find the distance

EARTHQUAKE CATALOG INDEX HOME SEISMOGRAM INDEX