Rotational Seismology and Ground Motion Analysis
Summary
Rotational seismology examines the angular motions of the ground induced by seismic waves, complementing traditional translational measurements to deliver a full six‐degree‐of‐freedom characterisation of seismic events. By capturing both rotational and translational ground‐motion components, researchers can unravel wavefield properties such as phase velocity, propagation direction and wave type composition with greater precision. Advances in sensor technology—particularly ring-laser and fibre-optic gyroscopes—have reduced noise levels to the nanoradian per second scale, enabling direct observation of rotational ground motions from local tremors to distant teleseismic events. This holistic approach enhances earthquake source inversion, refines site effect assessments and improves structural response modelling by providing explicit measures of torsion and rocking. In engineering seismology, rotational data inform the design of buildings and infrastructure by quantifying rotational demands that contribute to structural damage. In geodesy, continuous rotational observations help monitor variations in Earth’s rotation, polar motion and length-of-day fluctuations, offering new insights into geophysical processes on multiple time scales. Overall, integrating rotational measurements into ground‐motion analysis has global significance for hazard mitigation, structural health monitoring and fundamental studies of solid Earth dynamics.
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Rotational Seismology and Ground Motion Analysis publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in rotational seismology and ground motion analysis across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Rotational seismology: Investigation of ground rotations induced by seismic waves.
Ground motion analysis: Study of translational and rotational movements of the Earth’s surface during seismic events.
6DOF (Six Degrees of Freedom): Full description of ground motion including three translational and three rotational components.
Ring-laser gyroscope: Optical instrument measuring rotation rate via the Sagnac effect.
Fibre-optic gyroscope: Rotation sensor using interference of light in optical fibres to detect angular motion.
Love waves: Surface seismic waves causing horizontal shear motion perpendicular to the direction of travel.
Rayleigh waves: Surface waves causing retrograde elliptical motion of ground particles.
References
- A Review of Rotational Seismology Area of Interest from a Recording and Rotational Sensors Point of View. Sensors (2024).
- Seismological Processing of Six Degree-of-Freedom Ground-Motion Data. Sensors (2020).
- Near-Field Measurement of Six Degrees of Freedom Mining-Induced Tremors in Lower Silesian Copper Basin. Sensors (2020).
- The Fiber-Optic Rotational Seismograph—Laboratory Tests and Field Application. Sensors (2019).
- The Torsional Response of Civil Engineering Structures during Earthquake from an Observational Point of View. Sensors (2021).
- ROMY: a multicomponent ring laser for geodesy and geophysics. Geophysical Journal International (2021).
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