BOXER User Guide Version 3.0
August 1999
The "Boxer" program was written by P. Gasperini in the April 1999. It is a revised and simplified version of several computer codes which, starting from 1993, have been developed by the author, and with the contribution of F. Bernardini and G. Ferrari, to compute focal parameters of earthquakes from macroseismic data and have been actually used to make the computation of the Catalogo dei Forti Terremoti in Italia dal 461 a.C. al 1990 [Boschi et al. 1995, 1997] and of the BSSA paper [Gasperini et al., 1999]. The present version of the program also took advantage of important improvements by G. Vannucci and G. Valensise (who also suggested the name of the program).
While the computed macroseismic epicenter, epicentral intensity and azimuth fully coincide with the published papers, the magnitude may be slightly different (some tenth of magnitude unit at most) due to some differences in the relative weighting of intensity classes. A description of the procedure to determine the azimuth and to draw the "boxes" representing the seismogenic structure can be found in Gasperini et al. [1999]. More details on the computation of epicenter and of the magnitude can even be found (but only in italian) in Gasperini and Ferrari [1995,1997]
Input and output
The program reads optional parameters from the file INPPARM.DAT.
The macroseismic data are read instead from a separate file whose name
and format can be specified by the user (see below). Both summary data
for each earthquake (date, magnitude etc.) and the list of intensity points
are read from this file.
All the files must reside in the same folder with
the program executable. The program writes two output files: a short one
on the file OUTSUMMARY.DAT which contains a record for each earthquake including source
parameters, magnitude, azimuth , and a long one on file OUTFULL.DAT.
See the sample files enclosed in the kit for an example of input and output.
Option cards in file INPPARM.DAT
Each option cards includes a "tag" field (from column 1 to 10) and a "parameters" field from column 11 to 80. Some option card may be followed by one o more additional "data" cards containing a "parameters" field from column 1 to 80.
The tag identifies the purpose of the card and must be written beginning with column 1 with either upper or lower case characters. A percent character ("%") in column 1 indicate comments and make the card content to be ignored by the program.
An alphabetical list of the available option cards tag follows:
AZPAR - Assign parameters of the azimuth computation algorithm
CRAMCOEF - Assigns coefficient of the distance weighting formula in the azimuth algorithm
FILE - Define the name of the macroseismic input data file
FORMATE - Specifies the Fortran format of the event summary records of the input data file
FORMATI - Specifies the Fortran format of the intensity point records of the input data file
LENGCOEF - Assigns coefficients of the fault length formula
MAGCOEF - Assigns coefficients of the magnitude formula using the radius method
MAPINFO - Direct the program to produce graphic input files for MAP-INFO.
M-I0COEF - Assigns coefficients of the magnitude-intensity formula
OUTLOOK - Direct the program to write a fixed format summary file
OUTPUT - Select type of output
SELMAG - Defines the minimum magnitude for azimuth computations.
USEMAG - Direct the program to use the magnitude reported on the event summary record
WIDCOEF - Assigns coefficients of the fault width formula
A detailed explanation of the format of each option is given below:
AZPAR
Assigns the values of the minimum allowed number of data-points and the maximum allowed number of half degree decrements with respect to maximum intensity in the azimuth computation algorithm (see: Gasperini et al. [1999]).
Parameter field:
1) Name: Nmin
Columns: 11-15
Type: Integer
Default: 3
Columns: 16-20
Type: Integer
Default: 4
None
Example
1 11 21
AZPAR 6 4
CRAMCOEF
Assigns the values to the coefficients of the CRAM [Berardi et al., 1993] formula to compute the distance weights in the azimuth determination algorithm (see: Gasperini et al. [1999])
where 
is the difference between epicentral and local intensity and 
is the epicentral distance. Default values were empirically estimated for Italy by Gasperini et al. [1999].
Parameter field:
1) Name: Acram
Columns: 11-20
Type: Real
Default: -0.46
Columns: 21-30
Type: Real
Default: 0.93
None
Example
1 11 21
CRAMCOEF -0.3 1.1
FILE
Assigns the name of the macroseismic data file containing the event summary and the intensity points.
Parameter field:
1) Name: Filename
Columns: 11-80
Type: Alphanumeric
Default: INPUT.DAT
none
Example
1 11
FILE INPUT2.DAT
FORMATE
Specifies the Fortran format of the event summary records of the input data file. The format must be embedded in parenthesis. It must contain 9 fields in the following order: Year (integer), Month (integer), Day (integer), Hour (integer), Minute (integer), Second (integer), Epicentral Area (alphanumeric), Magnitude (real), Number of intensity points (integer). Tabulation (T fields) can be used to accomplish this order if different.
Parameter field:
none
Additional data cards:
Card 1
1) Name: Formate
Function: Fortran format of event summary records
Columns: 1-80
Type: Alphanumeric
Default:(I5,5I2,15X,A20,1X,F5.1,1X,I5)
1 11
FORMATE
(8x,I5,5I3,1X,A20,64x,F3.2,T58,I4)
FORMATI
Specifies the Fortran format of the intensity point records of the input data file. The format must be embedded in parenthesis. It must contain 4 fields in the following order: Latitude (real), Longitude (real), Intensity (real), Locality name (alphanumeric). Tabulation (T fields) can be used to accomplish this order if different. Latitude and longitude must be given in degrees with decimals (not primes). West longitude is negative. Uncertain intensity values (i.e. VII-VIII) may be given as fractional (i.e. 7.5)
Parameter field:
none
Additional data cards:
Card 1
1) Name: Formati
Columns: 1-80
Type: Alphanumeric
Default : (2F7.3,1X,F4.1,1X,A20)
1 11
FORMATI
(48X,2F8.4,F6.1,T30,A20)
LENGCOEF
Assigns the values to the coefficients of the formula to compute fault length from moment magnitude
where 
is the moment magnitude and
is the fault length in kilometers.
Default values are empirical estimates for subsurface rupture length of "all types of fault" according to
Wells and Coppersmith [1993].
Parameter field:
1) Name: Alen
Columns: 11-20
Type: Real
Default: -2.44
Columns: 21-30
Type: Real
Default: 0.59
None
Example
1 11 21
LENGCOEF -2.11 0.65
MAGCOEF
Assigns the values of the coefficients of the Sibol et al [1987] formula to compute the macroseismic magnitude with the radius method (see Gasperini et al. [1999]) for different intensity class. Default values are empirical estimates for Italy from the data of the Catalogo dei Forti Terremoti in Italia dal 461 a.C. al 1990 [Boschi et al.. 1995, 1997].
Parameter field:
1) Name: Ncoef
Columns: 11-15
Type: Integer
Default: 10
Card 1
1) Name: Aiv(1)
Columns: 1-15
Type: real
Default: see below
Type: real
Columns: 16-30
Default: see below
Type: real
Columns: 31-45
Default: see below
Type: real
Columns: 46-60
Default: see below
Repeat the above format for different intensity classes (in increasing order of intensity).
Example:
(The example values are the default ones)
1 11 21 31 41 51 61 MAGCOEF 10 2. 3.554 0.025 0.024 3. 3.422 0.038 0.023 4. 3.034 0.074 0.019 4.5 4.340 0.022 0.015 5. 3.277 0.103 0.012 6. 3.829 0.070 0.015 6.5 4.198 0.094 0.009 7. 4.394 0.091 0.009 7.5 5.078 0.110 0.000 8. 5.348 0.116 0.000
MAPINFO (undocumented)
Direct the program to produce graphic input files for MAP-INFO mapping code.
M-I0COEF
Assigns the values of the coefficients of the formula to compute magnitude from epicentral intensity alone when data not enough to apply the radius method (see: Gasperini et al. [1999])
where 
is the moment magnitude and 
the epicentral intensity. Default values have been empirically
estimated on the basis of the italian magnitude-intensity database by Rebez and Stucchi [1999]
Parameter field:
1) Name: Aint
Columns: 11-20
Type: Real
Default: 0.94
Columns: 21-30
Type: Real
Default: 0.56
None
Example
1 11 21
M-I0COEF 1.5 0.5
OUTLOOK (undocumented)
Direct the program to write a fixed format summary file
OUTPUT
Select type of output (1- normal output, 2-log output)
Parameter field:
1) Name: Iout
Columns: 11-15
Type: Integer
Default: 1
None
Example
1 11 21
OUTPUT 2
SELMAG
Direct the program to compute the azimuth only for earthquakes with magnitude larger than a given threshold.
Parameter field:
1) Name: Aminmg
Function: minimum magnitude threshold above which the azimuth is computed
Type: Real
Default: none (no threshold)
none
Example
1 11
SELMAG 5.5
USEMAG
Direct the program to use the magnitude value specified on the event summary line instead of the computed one.
Parameter field:
none
Additional data cards
none
Example
1 11
USEMAG
WIDCOEF
Assigns the values of the coefficients of the formula to compute fault width from moment magnitude
where 
is the moment magnitude and 
is the fault length in kilometers. Default values are empirical estimates for subsurface rupture width of "all types of fault" according to Wells and Coppersmith [1993].
Parameter field:
1) Name: Alen
Columns: 11-20
Type: Real
Default: -1.01
Columns: 21-30
Type: Real
Default: 0.32
None
Example
1 11 21
WIDCOEF -1.3 0.29
References
Berardi, R., C. Petrungaro, L. Zonetti, L. Magri and M. Mucciarelli (1993). Mappe di sismicità per l’area Italiana, ISMES/ENEL, 51 pp.
Boschi, E., G. Ferrari, P. Gasperini, E. Guidoboni, G. Smriglio and G. Valensise (1995). Catalogo dei forti terremoti in Italia dal 461 a.C. al 1980. ING-SGA, Bologna, 973 pp. and a CD-ROM.
Boschi, E., E. Guidoboni, G. Ferrari, G. Valensise and P. Gasperini (1997). Catalogo dei forti terremoti in Italia dal 461 a.C. al 1990. ING-SGA, Bologna, 644 pp. and a CD-ROM.
Gasperini, P., and G. Ferrari (1995). Stima dei parametri sintetici, in: E. Boschi et al. (Eds.), Catalogo dei Forti Terremoti in Italia dal 461 a.C. al 1980. ING-SGA publ., 96-111.
Gasperini,P., and G. Ferrari (1997). Stima dei parametri sintetici: nuove elaborazioni. In: E. Boschi et al. (Eds.), Catalogo dei Forti Terremoti in Italia dal 461 a.C. al 1990, ING- SGA publ., 56-64.
Gasperini P., Bernardini F., Valensise G. and Boschi E. (1999). Defining Seismogenic Sources from Historical Earthquake Felt Reports. Bull. Seism. Soc. Am., 89, 94-110.
Rebez A. and Stucchi M. (1999). Determinazione dei coefficienti della relazione tabellare Io/Ms. In Catalogo Parametrico dei Terremoti Italiani, ING,GNDT,SGA,SSN, 90 pp..
Sibol, M. S., G. A. Bollinger and J. B. Birch (1987). Estimations of magnitudes in central and eastern North America using Intensity and Felt Area. Bull. Seism. Soc. Am., 77, 1635-1654.
Wells, D. L. and K. J. Coppersmith (1994). New empirical relationships among magnitude, rupture length, rupture width, rupture area, and surface displacement. Bull. Seism. Soc. Am., 84, 974-1,002.