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Reid (1910), the California Earthquake of April 18, 1906

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Reid (1910), the California Earthquake of April 18, 1906 , TBI CAlIFOSSllf^mQUAK^ APKIL 18, 1906 REPORT OF THE STATE EAUTHQTTAZE IKVESIIGATION COMMISSION .IK *TWO VOLIJHES -AND ATLAS THE MECHANfbS, Of TIIE ^AkTBQIIAKE Ihaeex Welding: Mj&c ':?if#-:i wASHmao^oiif, rr.e. THE CALIFOKNIA EARTHQUAKE OF APEIL 18, 1906 VOLUME n THE MECHANICS OF THE EAETHQUAKE STATE EARTHQUAKE INVESTIGATIOISr COMMISSION Andrew C. Lawson A. 0. Leuschnbr G. K. Gilbert George Davidson H. F. Ebid Charles Burckhalter J. C. Branner W. W. Campbell THE CALIFOMIA EARTHQUAKE OF APRIL 18, 1906 REPORT OF THE STATE EAETHQUAKE INVESTIGATION COMMISSION IN TWO VOLUMES AND ATLAS Volume II THE MECHANICS OP THE EARTHQUAKE _^ BY HAKEY FIELDING REID WASHINGTOl^, D. C. Published bt the Caknegie Institution of Washington 1910 b^ OOI^TEIirTS. PAET I. PHENOMENA> OF THE MEGASEISMIC REGION. PAGE The Time and Origin of the Shock 3-15 Descriptions of the Shock 3 The Beginning; of the Shock 5 The Violent Shock 9 The Depth of the Focus 11 Permanent Displacements of the Ground 16-28 The Results of the Surveys 16 The Nature of the Forces Acting 17 Illustrative Experiments 19 The Intensity of the Elastic Stresses 20 The Work Done by the Elastic Stresses 22 The Distribution of the Deforming Forces 22 The Distribution of the Slow Displacements 26 A Possible Origin of the Deforming Forces 27 On Mass-movements in Tectonic Earthquakes 29-32 The Movements before and during Earthquakes 29 The Prediction of Earthquakes 31 Shearing Movements in the Fault-zone 33-38 Changes in the Length of Lines 33 Cracks in the Ground 34 Offsets of Fences and Pipes 35 Effects on other Structures 37 Vibratory Movements and their Effects 39-48 Character of the Movements 39 Cracks formed in the Ground and the Breaking of Pipes 40 Cracks in Walls and Chimneys 43 Rotatory Movements and the Rotation of Objects on their Supports 43 Surface Waves in the Megaseismic District 47 The Influence or the Foundation on the Apparent Intensity 49-56 The Greater Damage on Alluvium 49 The Theory of Mr. Rogers's Experiments 49 Application of the Theory to Small Basins 53 Large Basins 54 The Foundation CoeflScient 55 PART II. INSTRUMENTAL RECORDS OF THE EARTHQUAKE. Collection and Reproduction of the Seismograms 59 Observatories and the Data Obtained 60-108 Berkeley, California 62 Oakland, California 62 V vi CONTENTS. PAGE Observatories and the Data Obtained — Continued YoLintville, California 62 Alameda, California 63 San Jose, California 63 Los Gatos, California 64 Mount Hamilton, California 64 Carson City, Nevada 66 Victoria, British Columbia 66 Sitka, Alaska 66 Tacubaya, Mexico 67 Cleveland, Ohio 68 Toronto, Canada 68 Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands 68 Ottawa, Canada 69 Washington, District of Columbia 69 Cheltenham, Maryland 70 Baltimore, Maryland 71 Albany, New York 71 Porto Rico (Vieques), West Indies 71 Trinidad, British West Indies 72 Apia, Samoa 72 Mizusawa, Japan 73 Ponta Delgada, Azores 73 Paisley, Scotland 73 Bergen, Norway 74 Eindburgh, Scotland 74 Tokyo, Japan 74 Bidston, England 75 Upsala, Sweden 75 Shide, Isle of Wight, England 76 Osaka, Japan 76 Kobe, Japan 77 Kew, England 77 Hamburg, Germany 78 Uccle, Belgium 78 Jurjew, Russia 78 Irkutsk, Siberia 79 Potsdam, Germany 81 Gottingen, Germany 81 Coimbra, Portugal 82 Leipzig, Germany ................ 82 Jena, Germany ..... 83 Strassburg, Germany 84 Moscow, Russia 84 Munich, Germany 85 San Fernando, Spain 85 Tortosa, Spain 86 Kremsmiinster, Austria 86 Krakau, Austria 87 Granada, Spain 87 Pavia, Italy 88 Vienna, Austria 89 Sal6 (Brescia), Italy 89 Laibaoh, Austria qq Triest, Austria qq Budapest, Hungary gj^ CONTENTS. vii FAOE Observatories and the Data Obtained — Continued O'Gyalla, Hungary . ' g^ Fiume, Hungary gg Florence (Ximeniano), Italy g3 Zagreb (Agram), Hungary g3 Pola, Austria o^^ Quarto-Castello (Florence), Italy g4 Zi-Ka-Wei, China g5 Pilar, Argentina 95 Urbino, Italy gg Kocca di Papa, Italy gg Belgrade, Servia gy Carloforte, Sardinia, Italy g7 Sarajevo, Bosnia g7 Isehia, Italy 93 Caggiano (Salerno), Italy 99 Taihoku, Formosa, Japan 99 Sofia, Bulgaria XOO Messina, Sicily, Italy 100 Catania, Sicily, Italy iQi Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 101 Wellington, New Zealand 102 Calamate, Greece 102 Tiflis, Caucasia, Russia 102 Taschkent, Russian Turkestan 102 Christchurch, New Zealand 103 Manila, Philippine Islands 103 Tadotsu, Japan 104 Cairo, Egypt 104 Calcutta, India 105 Bombay, India 105 Batavia, Java 106 Kodaikanal, Madras, India 106 Perth, Western Australia 106 Cape of Good Hope, Africa 107 Island of Mauritius 107 The Seismogram and its Elongation 109-114 Earlier Explanations 109 A New Explanation 110 The Stronger Transverse Waves Ill The Separation of the First Two Phases Ill The Direction of the Motion 112 The Principal Part and the Tail 113 The Propagation op the Disturbance 115-134 The Hodographs 115 The Preliminary Tremors 117 The Paths of the Waves thru the Earth 121 Relation of the Velocity to the Depth below the Earth's Surface 122 Internal Reflections 123 The Surface Waves 125 Propagation along the Major Arc 127 Equality of Velocities along Different Paths 180 Comparison of the Hodographs of the California Earthquake with other Observations . 130 Determination of the Distance of the Origin of an Earthquake 132 yiii CONTENTS. PAGE Periods and Amplitudes 135-138 During the Preliminary Tremors 135 During the Long Waves and the Principal Part 136 In the Megaseismio District 136 Beyond the Megaseismic District 137 Magnetograph Records 139 Conclusions 140-142 Time 140 Undamped Instruments 140 Damped Instruments 141 Period of the Pendulum 141 Magnifying Power for Short Periods 141 Time-scale 142 Identification of the Phases on the Seismograms 142 APPENDIX. THEORY OF THE SEISMOGRAPH. Introduction 145 Rotations due to Earth Waves 145 Forms of Seismographs 147 Registration 148 The Mathematical Theory 148 The Horizontal Pendulum 150 Determination of the Constants ............. 157 Interpretation of the Record 166 Magnification of Harmonic Disturbances 172 Maximum Magnifying Power ............. 175 Suspensions of Horizontal Pendulums 178 The Vertical Pendulum 179 The Inverted Pendulum 183 Seismographs for Vertical Movements 185 Separation of Linear Displacements and Tilts 188 Definitions 191 Useful Formula 192 PLATES. ^^^'^ FACING PAGE 1. Map showing Distances and Directions from the Origin of the Shook 59 2. Hodographs of the California Earthquake 114 PART I PHENOMENA OF THE MEGASEISMIC EEGIOxN : : THE CALIFOENIA EAETHQUAKE OE APRIL 18, 1906. THE TIME AND OEIGIN OE THE SHOCK. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SHOCK. The fact that the California earthquake of April 18, 1906, occurred a little after 5 a. m., before people in general were up, is one cause why we have so little reliable information regarding the exact time at which it occurred. In answer to questions sent out by the Earthquake Commission, a very large number of replies were received, but it is quite evident, from the variations among them and from the fact that many only gave the time to minutes, that these times are very unreliable. The general descriptions show that the earthquake began with a fairly strong movement which continued with increasing strength for an mterval variously estimated, but which really amounted to about half a minute; then very violent shocks occurred, and quiet was restored about 3 minutes later. Prof. George Davidson in Lafayette Park, San Francisco, marked time from the begin- ning of the shock, which he places at 5'' 12™ 00^ He noticed hard shocks until 5*" 13" 00^ a slight decrease to 5^ 13*" 30^ and quiet again about 5^ 14" 30'.» Prof. Alexander McAdie, in charge of the Weather Bureau office at San Francisco, wrote as follows to Professor Lawson under date of September 8, 1907 I have lookt up the record in my note-book made on April 18, 1906, while the earthquake was stiU perceptible. I find the entry "5" 12"" and after that "Severe lasted nearly 40 seconds." As I now remember it the portion " severe, etc.," was entered immediately after the shaking. The time given is according to my watch. On Tuesday, April 17, 1908, my error was "1 minute slow" at noon by time-ball, or time signals which were received in Weather Bureau and with which my watch has been compared for a number of years. The rate of my watch was 5 seconds loss per day; therefore the corrected time of my entry is 5" 13" 05° A. M. This of course is not the beginning of the quake. I would say perhaps that 6 or more seconds may have elapsed between the act of waking, reaUzing, and looking at the watch and making the entry. I remember distinctly getting the minute-hand's position, previous to the most violent portion of the shock. The end of the shock I did not get exactly, as I was watching the second-hand and the end came several seconds before I fully took in the fact that the motion had ceased. The second-hand was somewhere between 40 and 50 when I reahzed this. I lost the position of the second-hand because of difficulty in keeping my feet, somewhere around the 20-second mark. I suppose I ought to say that for twenty years I have timed every earthquake I have felt, and have a record of the Charleston earthquake, made while the motion was still going on. My custom is to sleep with my watch open, note-book open at the date, and pencil ready — also a hand electric torch. These are laid out in regular order — torch, watch, book, and pencil. Referring to the fact that his time is about a minute later than that given by other observers, he adds However, there is one uncertainty; I may have read my watch wrong. I have no reason to think I did ; but I know from experiment such things are possible. * * * I have the original entries untouched since the time they were made.
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