Intensity Prediction Equations Based on the Environmental Seismic Intensity (ESI-07) Scale: Application to Normal Fault Earthquakes

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

In my opinion, the work is well structured and can be published, but I think that some clarifications should be made. The objective of the work is to calculate new IPEs based on the ESI-07 scale. As the name itself indicates, IPE stands for Intensity Prediction Equations.

In a strict sense, and to achieve a better understanding of the analysis, it is important to accurately describe the terms “Intensity” and “Prediction”. In seismology, these terms are linked to the energy released, as well as for prediction, the place, time and magnitude of the occurrence of an earthquake. 

The authors must explain this relationship in both contexts.

The data points correspond to earthquakes that occurred in the direction of the fault in question, however, the temporality of occurrence is not mentioned, that is, do they correspond to earthquakes before or after the earthquake under study? Is the ESI-07 scale defined arbitrarily?

Does it have any relation to the scales used in seismology?

Equations written in the text should be numbered.

In Figure 8, use markers or colors that are distinguishable from each other. 

The magnitudes of the earthquakes used as IDPs are not mentioned in the discussion.

Regarding the methodology, the use of the equation described in the text in section 3.2 is not clear. 

The methodology for obtaining the adjustment constants is not established and is not reported either. 

 

It is important to describe the importance of the adjustment constants for the construction of the Intensity vs. epicentral distance graphs and the DeltaI vs. epicentral distance graphs.

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear editor of Applied Sci.

Thank you very much for your consideration as reviewer of the work entitled:

Intensity prediction equations based on the Environmental 2Seismic Intensity (ESI-07) Scale: application to normal-fault 3earthquakes4

By:

Marco Pizza ,M. Francesca Ferrario, Alessandro M. Michetti, M. Magdalena Velázquez-Bucio, Pierre Lacan, and Sabina Porfido.

General Overview

This is a novelty and very interesting work focused in the development of earthquake intensity equations based on Earthquake Environmental Effects (EEE, ESI07 macroseismic scale), and applied for normal crust faults. The relevance of this work is the earthquake scenarios-derived from EEE in areas prone to suffer destructive earthquakes but with a low frequency of occurrence, applied in seismic hazard studies. In this way, it is different that the classic PSHA analysis and Ground Motion equations from intensities, giving a new and interesting approach.

QUESTIONS:

1-     The IPE obtained here, is it sensible to the earthquake-size? Questions about the attenuation and epicentral distance have been included, What about the earthquake size? What is the minimum earthquake size? The minimum intensity size will be for earthquakes that generates EEEs.

2-     (Line 159) Is this method (Bakun and Wenworth, linear fit, Line 173) compatible with the application after of the Ferrario (2020) equation (log-linear)?

3-     Figure 9. Why you have decided to fit with a linear method? Have you try log-linear similar to Ferrario (2020)?

4-     Figure 5b. If you plot the accumulated number of IDPs (orange), you can see that the I=7 can be assumed as the Intensity completeness. The whole number of IDPs is important to determine the area of earthquake affection, but I would use the I= 7 for fitting equations with the epicentre distance. It is a suggestion. See the next plot (included in the atatched PDF, page 9):

 

Some minor questions and remarks are included in the attached PDF.

 

 

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf