CN EARTHQUAKE PREDICTION ALGORITHM AND THE MONITORING
OF THE FUTURE STRONG VRANCEA EVENTS

C.L. MOLDOVEANU 1,2, O.V. NOVIKOVA 3, GIULIANO F. PANZA 4,5, MIRCEA RADULIAN 1

1 National Institute for Earth Physics, Bucharest, Romania
2 Department of Earth Sciences, Parma University, Italy
3 International Institute for Earthquake Prediction, Theory and Mathematical Geophysics, Moscow, Russia
4 Department of Earth Sciences, Trieste University, Italy
5 Center for Theoretical Physics, SAND Group, Trieste, Italy


The preparation process of the strong subcrustal events originating in Vrancea region, Romania, is monitored using an intermediate-term medium-range earthquake prediction method – the CN algorithm (Keilis-Borok, Rotwain, 1990). We present the results of the monitoring of the preparation of future strong earthquakes for the time interval from January 1, 1994, to January 1, 2003 using the updated catalogue of the Romanian local network. The data base considered for the CN monitoring of the preparation of the future strong earthquakes in Vrancea covers the period from 1966.3.1 to 2003.1.1 and the geographical rectangle 44.8 degrees–48.4 degrees N, 25.0 degrees –28.0 degrees E. The algorithm correctly identifies, by retrospective prediction, the TIPs for all the three strong earthquakes (Mo = 6.4) that occurred in Vrancea during this period. The cumulated duration of the TIPs represents 26.5% of the total interval of time considered (1966.3.1–2003.1.1). The monitoring of current seismicity using the algorithm CN is carried out since 1994. No strong earthquakes occurred from 1994.1.1 to 2003.1.1 but the CN declared an extended false alarm from 1999.5.1 to 2000.11.1. There is no alarm currently declared in the region (on January 1, 2003), as can be seen from the TIPs diagram shown in Figure 1.

Key words: earthquake prediction, CN monitoring, Vrancea