Earthquake Location: Overview

There are several different methods to locate an earthquake. These use different types of data and sometimes allow to determine Hypocenter coordinates separately without kowing the other coordinates (e.g. determination of origin time without knowledge of Hypocenter with Wadati Diagrams). There are essential two types of data, implying two types of location methods: direction data (back azimuth and emergence angle) and distance data (travel times and travel time differences).

Method Ref. lon/lat depth origin
time
Arrival Time Order Method X
Triangulation by Back Azimuth X
Wadati Diagrams X
Hyperbola Method X X X
Triangulation by Arrival Times X X X
Geiger Method X X X
Arrival Time Order Method
Triangulation by Back Azimuth
Wadati Diagrams
Hyperbola Method
Triangulation by Arrival Times
Geiger Method

eof.