This project is a theoretical study to improve the estimation of earthquake hypocenter errors. The focus is on finding a practical way to do multi-hypocenter error estimation. The research will extend previous 2-event methods to many events, and evaluate non-parametric methods. The new techniques developed will be applied to three earthquake data sets: aftershocks of the June 10, 1987, southeast Illinois earthquake, seismicity in the area of the rupture zone of the 1984 Morgan Hill, California, earthquake, and seismicity in the Garm region of the USSR. Earthquake hypocenter locations, and their uncertainties, are directly applicable to our ability to delineate active fault surfaces and therefore the research is important to the goals of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.
