Data construction method for the analysis of the spatial distribution of disastrous earthquakes in Taiwan

Considering a disastrous earthquake as a rare event, the aim of this study is to apply the proposed data construction method (DCM) to determine the possible distribution pattern of disastrous earthquakes in Taiwan. Owing to the availability of only a limited amount of data and based on the multiset division of DCM, virtual samples have been generated. The procedure is illustrated by a numerical experiment that consists of data from 12 disastrous earthquakes in Taiwan from 1990 to 1999. The results show that the pattern constructed by DCM is geologically consistent with the actual phenomenon, which was caused by the collision of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Continental Plate. A case study of disastrous earthquakes in East Taiwan is then conducted by studying three near-source regions. Based on the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, the constructed spatial distribution has shown its validity and capability in providing useful information for the risk assessment of disastrous earthquakes as rare events.