%A Andrzej Kijko
%T Statistical Estimation of Maximum Regional Earthquake Magnitude mmax
%X This paper provides a generic equation for the evaluation of the maximum regional earthquake magnitude mmax. The equation is capable of generating solutions in different forms, depending on the assumptions of the model and/or the available information about past seismicity. It includes the cases (i) when earthquake magnitudes are distributed according to the truncated frequency-magnitude Gutenberg-Richter relation, (ii) when the empirical magnitude distribution deviates moderately from the Gutenberg-Richter model, and (iii) when no specific model of the magnitude distribution is assumed. As an example of application, the techniques described are applied in the assessment of mmax for Southern California. The three estimates of mmax obtained in this work are: 8.32±0.43, 8.31±0.43 and 8.34±0.45. Since the third procedure applied is non-parametric and does not require specification of the functional form of the magnitude distribution, its estimate of the maximum magnitude for Southern California (viz. 8.34±0.45) is considered more reliable than the other two, which are based on the Gutenberg-Richter model.
%C Poljce, Slovenia
%D 2000
%P 1-10
%L epos225