Representations of seismicity

[1] Some alternative representations for seismicity are introduced based on the use of the hue, saturation, and brightness model of color representati on. Depth information is conveniently coded by hue and magnitude by saturat ion. The approach can be used for individual events or to provide useful su mmary properties of seismicity. The cumulative effects of many events can b e combined by converting body wave magnitude into an equivalent energy or s train release and then summing the energy or strain contributions in a part icular cell, finally converting back to an effective magnitude over a 10-ye ar period for plotting. Time averaging improves the reliability of the info rmation and can provide a clearer picture of the balance between seismic ev ents at different depths.