A comprehensive earthquake source database for China’s strong-motion flatfile (2007–2020)

Abstract

The National Strong-Motion Observation Network System of China has collected over 12 000 strong-motion recordings from 2007 to December 2020. This study assembled the source-related metadata of 1 920 earthquakes associated with assembled well-processed recordings of China. The earthquake basic information, focal mechanisms, and the fault geometry were collected from various institutes and literature. We recommended the M_W values for 900 earthquakes, the fault types for 1 064 earthquakes, and the fault geometries for 18 large earthquakes. We also performed the statistical analysis for establishing the empirical conversions of M_W-M_S, and M_L, and providing the empirical relationships between M_W and ruptured area, aspect ratio, respectively. Moreover, the ruptured fault geometries of large earthquakes were used to preliminarily divide all earthquakes considered into 1 141 mainshocks, and 779 aftershocks. The finite-fault distances (R_JB and R_rup) of strong-motion recordings from the 18 large earthquakes were calculated, and then used to yield the statistic relationships between the point-source distances (R_epi and R_hyp) and finite-fault distances. We finally provided the earthquake source database freely accessible at website. The source-related metadata can be directly applied to develop the ground motion prediction equations of China.