Station threshold bias in short-period amplitude distance and station terms used to compute body-wave magnitudes mb

Abstract

A cause of bias in estimates of distance and station terms used to compute seismic magnitudes (mb) is demonstrated in a comparative study on the world amplitude–distance curve. This bias results from the presence of station thresholds in the measurement and reporting of seismic amplitudes and is analogous to that known to be present in routinely computed magnitudes. Distance terms corresponding to low amplitudes such as in the core shadow will tend to be positively biased as are station terms for stations with high thresholds.