Comment on “High-Definition Mapping of the Gutenberg–Richter b-Value and Its Relevance: A Case Study in Italy” by M. Taroni, J. Zhuang, and W. Marzocchi

Abstract

Abstract Taroni et al. (2021) published a statistical framework to reliably estimate the b-value and its uncertainties, with the goal being the interpretation in a seismotectonic context and improving earthquake forecasting capabilities. In this comment, we show that the results presented for the Italian region and the conclusions drawn by the authors, are heavily biased due to quarry-blast events in the Italian earthquake catalog used in the analysis. Without removing this anthropogenic component in the data, a meaningful analysis of the earthquake-size distribution for natural seismicity is, in our opinion, not possible. This comment highlights the need for basic data quality analysis before sophisticated statistical tools are applied to a dataset.