Title: Modeling Well Level Fluctuations as Seismograph

abstract

The development of Richter scale for earthquake magnitude in 1935 was a major breakthrough in seismology. The Richter magnitude is calculated from the maximum amplitude recorded by the seismograph. It is quite interesting and surprising to know that a well founded in confined aquifer exhibit the characteristics of a seismograph. Eaton and Takasaki (Seismol Soc Am Bull 49(3):227–245, 1958) extended this concept to measure seismically induced water level fluctuation of a well in confined aquifer. This measurement comprises of the hydroseismic magnitude, which is identical to the surface wave magnitude from the Richter scale and a factor which represent the influence of local geology, hydrology, well construction, and magnification on the water level fluctuation for a series of quakes recorded in the same wells as well as for a single quake recorded in the nearby and distant well. Each recorder-equipped well is a potential standby seismometer for the largest quakes because most seismographs to go off scale so maximum amplitude fails to record. The present paper is based on the project work for the B.E. degree of the authors in this paper, Vorhis method of calculating the hydroseismic magnitude has been presented so that it can be applied to the seismic water level fluctuation and help permanent installation of instruments in well so that it can act as standby seismograph and record micro water level fluctuations.