Rupture and traffic tracking with six degree-of-freedom ground motion observations: a proof of concept

With the availability of new instrumentation for more complete ground motion measurements, as rotation or strain measurements using optical technology, novel application opportunities in seismology arise. Back azimuth (BAz) information can be determined from combined measurements of rotations and translations at a single site. Such six degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) measurements are reasonably stable in delivering similar information compared to a small-scale array of three-component seismometers. Here we investigate whether a 6-DoF approach is applicable for imaging earthquake rupture propagation and other seismic sources. While common approaches determining the timing and location of energy sources generating seismic waves rely on the information of P-waves, here we take S-waves into account.