| Abstract: | Strong tectonic earthquakes within the crust always occur on already existing faults, and they have the property of a shear rupture. Such earthquakes with surface-wave magnitudes M < 7 obviously have a geometric similarity. Because of this similarity and the validity of the Gutenberg and Richter's energy—magnitude relation, the expression M = 2 log10 L + const., with L = focal length, is valid.The expression LmaxL* for the maximum focal length, is also valid if L* is the length of the rectilinear extent of the seismic line on which the maximum earthquake occurs. The bounds of L* may be given by sharp bends and/or by traversing deep faults. Thus the maximum imaginable earthquake on a seismic line with the length L* has the magnitude Mmax = 2 log10 L* + const.For the investigated region — the Alps and adjacent areas — from the data of recent and historical strong earthquakes, it follows that Mmax = 2 log10 L* + 1.7, if L* is measured in kilometres. These limiting values lie in the centre-field of the magnitude range for maximum earthquakes, published by Shebalin in 1970. By the aid of this equation it is also possible to assess the upper limiting value of the accompanying maximum scale intensity. |
