Determination of earthquake parameters

Improved seismic data and computer facilities have made dramatic progress possible in the computational techniques of earthquake location and the quantification of earthquakes. Some of the more proven techniques may well be ready for application in the routine reporting of earthquake parameters. Earthquake parameters serve as an important data base for the generalists and synthesizers in seismology and as an initial starting point for the applied theoreticians. The routine determination and reporting of source properties, for example, could make possible a new level of understanding in many seismological studies that would parallel the use of routinely reported earthquake locations to define boundaries of tectonic plates worldwide. These advances are made possible now through the availability of digitally recorded seismic data and of computer programs for interactive analysis that permit more rapid and efficient estimation of earthquake parameters.