An updated and refined catalog of earthquakes in Taiwan (1900–2014) with homogenized M w magnitudes

Abstract

The main goal of this study was to develop an updated and refined catalog of earthquakes in Taiwan (1900–2014) with homogenized M w magnitudes that are compatible with the Harvard M w . We hope that such a catalog of earthquakes will provide a fundamental database for definitive studies of the distribution of earthquakes in Taiwan as a function of space, time, and magnitude, as well as for realistic assessments of seismic hazards in Taiwan. In this study, for completeness and consistency, we start with a previously published catalog of earthquakes from 1900 to 2006 with homogenized M w magnitudes. We update the earthquake data through 2014 and supplement the database with 188 additional events for the time period of 1900–1935 that were found in the literature. The additional data resulted in a lower magnitude from M w 5.5–5.0. The broadband-based Harvard M w , United States Geological Survey (USGS) M, and Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology (BATS) M w are preferred in this study. Accordingly, we use empirical relationships with the Harvard M w to transform our old converted M w values to new converted M w values and to transform the original BATS M w values to converted BATS M w values. For individual events, the adopted M w is chosen in the following order: Harvard M w > USGS M > converted BATS M w > new converted M w . Finally, we discover that use of the adopted M w removes a data gap at magnitudes greater than or equal to 5.0 in the original catalog during 1985–1991. The new catalog is now complete for M w ≥ 5.0 and significantly improves the quality of data for definitive study of seismicity patterns, as well as for realistic assessment of seismic hazards in Taiwan.