MACROSEISMIC SURVEY OF THE M7.9, 2002 DENALI FAULT EARTHQUAKE

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SURVEY RESULTS

 

The completed questionnaires were submitted to the USGS “Did You Feel It?” website for intensity calculations. The results were analyzed and visualized using GIS software. Appendix B provides the statistics for the questions 6-18. Table 1 provides the parameters of the 99 survey sites, including the geographic coordinates (rounded to three decimal places), distances to the fault rupture, decimal CII intensities, and corresponding MMI intensities. Overall, there are 29 intensity IX (CII ³ 8.5), 29 intensity VIII (7.5 £ CII < 8.5), 19 intensity VII (6.5 £ CII < 7.5), 17 intensity VI (5.5 £ CII < 6.5), and 5 intensity V (CII < 5.5) locations in the dataset. The distances from the fault rupture range from 2 to 127 km; 26 sites are within 20 km of the fault.

 

Table 1. Parameters of the macroseismic survey sites of the Denali Fault earthquake. Sites are ordered by increasing distance from the fault.

 

 

Code

Location

Latitude

Longitude

Dist, km

CII

MMI

1

TC32

Mentasta Lake

62.933

-143.794

2

8.7

IX

2

TC33

Mentasta Lake

62.932

-143.797

2

8.2

VIII

3

TC34

Mentasta Lak e

62.932

-143.793

2

8.3

VIII

4

TC35

Mentasta Lake

62.931

-143.796

2

8.1

VIII

5

TC36

Mentasta Lake

62.930

-143.797

2

8.2

VIII

6

TC28

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP83.5

62.930

-143.559

3

8.2

VIII

7

RH14

Richardson Hwy, MP219 (PS10)

63.424

-145.765

3

8.1

VIII

8

TC27

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP78

62.888

-143.679

4

9.0

IX

9

TC43

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP78.1

62.890

-143.682

4

9.1

IX

10

TC29

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP88

62.936

-143.424

7

8.9

IX

11

TC45

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP76

62.860

-143.672

7

7.4

VII

12

TC47

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP89.5

62.945

-143.387

7

9.1

IX

13

RH01

Richardson Hwy, MP227

63.514

-145.853

10

7.4

VII

14

TC26

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP72.3

62.821

-143.709

11

7.5

VIII

15

TC30

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP91

62.962

-143.352

11

7.7

VIII

16

TC31

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP91

62.964

-143.357

11

8.9

IX

17

TC24

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP72

62.813

-143.725

12

9.1

IX

18

TC25

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP71.8

62.814

-143.724

12

8.2

VIII

19

TC38

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP71.7

62.810

-143.735

13

9.1

IX

20

SL08

Nabesna Rd, MP28.5

62.527

-143.241

15

7.6

VIII

21

SL07

Nabesna Rd, MP25

62.545

-143.325

16

9.0

IX

22

SL09

Nabesna Rd, MP42

62.396

-142.996

16

7.3

VII

23

TC21

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP67.5

62.758

-143.804

19

8.6

IX

24

TC22

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP67.5

62.758

-143.795

19

8.6

IX

25

TC41

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP68

62.763

-143.794

19

7.2

VII

26

RH10

Richardson Hwy, MP195

63.148

-145.541

19

7.2

VII

27

TC39

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP66.5

62.746

-143.808

21

5.8

VI

28

TC37

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP65.5

62.733

-143.837

23

8.6

IX

29

TC44

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP65.5

62.735

-143.836

23

8.6

IX

30

SL01

Nabesna  Road , MP15

62.601

-143.619

23

7.5

VIII

31

RH03

Richardson Hwy, MP191

63.107

-145.511

23

9.1

IX

32

TC18

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP63

62.725

-143.914

25

9.1

IX

33

TC19

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP63.5

62.725

-143.896

25

9.0

IX

34

TC20

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP63.5

62.724

-143.890

25

8.2

VIII

35

TC42

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP63.5

62.724

-143.893

25

9.1

IX

36

TC17

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP61

62.719

-143.962

27

8.9

IX

37

TC40

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP61

62.718

-143.961

27

9.1

IX

38

SL05

Slana

62.711

-143.966

28

8.9

IX

39

SL06

Slana

62.700

-143.937

28

9.0

IX

40

TC15

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP58

62.717

-144.035

29

9.1

IX

41

TC16

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP60

62.714

-143.992

29

8.6

IX

42

SL02

Slana

62.707

-143.968

29

8.1

VIII

43

SL03

Slana

62.674

-143.826

29

8.0

VIII

44

SL04

Slana

62.704

-143.964

29

7.6

VIII

45

RH05

Richardson Hwy, MP185

63.028

-145.492

31

7.2

VII

46

RH12

Paxson

63.030

-145.499

31

7.8

VIII

47

RH13

Paxson

63.033

-145.497

31

8.2

VIII

48

TC46

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP53

62.710

-144.185

34

8.5

IX

49

RH15

Richardson Hwy, MP182.5

62.983

-145.497

36

8.2

VIII

50

RH04

Richardson Hwy, MP180

62.943

-145.518

41

6.0

VI

51

AK14

Alaska Hwy, MP1338

63.389

-143.740

43

6.5

VII

52

TC10

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP40

62.644

-144.527

49

7.9

VIII

53

AK09

Alaska Hwy, MP1318.5

63.333

-143.130

53

6.1

VI

54

AK13

Tanacross

63.384

-143.349

53

8.9

IX

55

AK05

Alaska Hwy, MP1318

63.343

-143.109

54

6.6

VII

56

AK11

Tok

63.315

-143.008

54

6.6

VII

57

AK15

Alaska Hwy, MP1378

63.690

-144.552

54

4.8

V

58

AK02

Tok

63.328

-143.002

55

6.4

VI

59

AK04

Alaska Hwy, MP1317.5

63.345

-143.088

55

8.1

VIII

60

AK12

Alaska Hwy, MP1316

63.339

-143.056

55

6.4

VI

61

AK03

Tok

63.327

-142.952

56

8.2

VIII

62

AK06

Alaska Hwy, MP1315

63.340

-143.020

56

6.6

VII

63

AK08

Tok

63.336

-143.021

56

8.2

VIII

64

AK10

Tok

63.321

-142.954

56

5.3

V

65

TC13

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP34.5

62.589

-144.650

57

6.5

VII

66

TC23

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP34

62.583

-144.656

57

5.9

VI

67

TC09

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP33

62.564

-144.668

58

5.5

VI

68

TC11

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP33

62.566

-144.669

58

6.4

VI

69

TC12

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP33

62.573

-144.662

58

6.5

VII

70

AK01

Tok

63.346

-142.969

58

6.7

VII

71

AK07

Tok

63.333

-142.921

58

7.9

VIII

72

AK20

Alaska Hwy, MP1399

63.865

-145.104

62

6.2

VI

73

AK16

Dot Lake

63.663

-144.062

63

7.8

VIII

74

AK18

Alaska Hwy, MP1404

63.901

-145.233

63

6.4

VI

75

AK17

Alaska Hwy, MP1412.5

63.962

-145.464

64

5.8

VI

76

AK19

Alaska Hwy, MP1403

63.914

-145.134

66

6.1

VI

77

RH09

Delta Junction

64.046

-145.735

67

7.3

VII

78

NW03

Northway

62.960

-141.943

67

9.0

IX

79

NW04

Northway

62.963

-141.929

67

9.1

IX

80

NW05

Northway

62.961

-141.941

67

8.0

VIII

81

NW06

Northway

62.963

-141.934

67

8.9

IX

82

NW07

Northway

62.962

-141.935

67

7.4

VII

83

RH11

Delta Junction

64.040

-145.743

68

6.0

VI

84

NW01

Northway Village

62.981

-141.952

68

8.6

IX

85

NW02

Northway Village

62.983

-141.956

68

7.7

VIII

86

AK21

Alaska Hwy, MP1264

63.010

-141.802

76

6.1

VI

87

RH06

Richardson Hwy, MP147.5

62.526

-145.520

84

8.4

VIII

88

TC07

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP9

62.366

-145.155

91

5.8

VI

89

TC06

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP8

62.361

-145.171

92

7.9

VIII

90

TC14

Gakona

62.301

-145.311

100

7.2

VII

91

TC02

Gakona

62.300

-145.311

101

5.4

V

92

TC03

Gakona

62.302

-145.311

101

7.1

VII

93

TC04

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP2

62.302

-145.302

101

6.0

VI

94

TC05

Tok Cutoff Hwy, MP2.5

62.304

-145.274

101

7.8

VIII

95

RH07

Richardson Hwy, MP130.5

62.319

-145.356

101

4.8

V

96

TC01

Gakona

62.301

-145.315

102

7.0

VII

97

RH08

Richardson Hwy, MP115.5

62.117

-145.482

124

4.8

V

98

GL01

Glenn Hwy, MP183

62.109

-145.611

126

5.7

VI

99

GL02

Glenn Hwy, MP184

62.110

-145.570

127

6.8

VII

 

Table C1 (Appendix C) lists the USGS CII dataset for the DF earthquake, representing more than 3,197 responses from 57 zip codes in Alaska (zip codes with only one response are not considered). While these intensities are assigned to the zip codes as regions, in our analysis we need to attribute them to specific locations, which was done in the following way:

 

a) If the zip code covers a small area with a relatively uniform population distribution, then the intensities are attributed to the geographic centers of the corresponding zip codes

 

b) If the zip code covers a large area with a few population centers, then the intensities are attributed to the “population-weighted centers.” The population statistics were obtained from the 2000 Census database (www.census.gov). In one case (zip code 99586) however, it was not possible to represent the whole area with a single intensity value, since the rupture passed through the area. Therefore, there is a large intensity gradient within the zip code. This data point has been excluded from the analysis.

 

Thus, the combined GI-USGS dataset of the DF earthquake contains intensities for more than 155 locations (Figure 2). For mapping purposes we need to create a regular spatial grid of intensities. However, the attempts to create such a grid from the original data points alone did not produce reliable results because of very inhomogeneous spatial distribution. To resolve this problem, we first created a supporting temporary grid with 25 km spacing in which the intensity values were determined from the intensity-distance relationship provided in the next section. This size of the grid is such that it helps to generate smooth contour lines and preserves the spatial heterogeneity of the original data points at the same time.  The final intensity grid with 5 km spacing was produced on the basis of the original points and the supporting grid using the Kriging interpolation method. In the final interpolation, the USGS points were given weights proportional to the number of responses from the corresponding zip code.

 

 

Figure 2. Locations of the intensity survey sites. The GI and USGS survey sites are marked by circles and squares, accordingly (Click on Figure to see larger version).