Analysis of Shallow and Deep Earthquake Doublets in the Fiji-Tonga-Kermadec Region

For the Fiji-Tonga-Kermadec area and for the period from January 1977 to July 2003, the Harvard CMT catalogue lists 1022 shallow, 410 intermediate and 633 deep earthquakes of moment magnitude from 4.9 to 8.0. The magnitude threshold, above which the catalogue is complete, is 5.3–5.4, and the number of earthquakes of magnitude above this value is 691 for shallow, 329 for intermediate and 476 for deep events, respectively. The proportion of earthquakes associated with doublets and multiplets against the total number of earthquakes is approximately the same in both data sets and therefore all earthquake pairs were considered regardless of their magnitude. We investigated all the pairs of earthquakes that occurred at a centroid distance of less than 40, 60 or 90 km from each other and within a time interval of 200, 300 or 450 days, depending on their magnitude. We found 208 pairs of shallow, 31 of intermediate and 92 of deep events. To ascertain whether these earthquakes in pairs are not connected by chance, the possibility of their occurrence in an uncorrelated Poissonian catalogue was considered. It was assumed that in such a catalogue the inter-event time is exponentially distributed, the earthquake magnitude follows the Gutenberg-Richter relation, and the distribution of centroid distances between the events in pairs is controlled by its non-parametric kernel estimate. The probability of the appearance of the observed proportion of doublets of shallow earthquakes in the Poissonian catalogue was found to be very low. The low probability of occurrence in a semi-random catalogue, created by randomising centroid locations in the actual data set, also indicates major importance of the distance criterion used for a doublet specification. In general, shallow earthquakes tend to form pairs at shorter distances and within shorter time intervals than deep earthquakes. Both the distance and the time intervals do not depend on the magnitude of involved events. The largest number of pairs of deep earthquakes is observed at a depth of about 600 km, and the proportion of deep events associated with doublets against the number of all events increases with depth. From comparison of the focal mechanism of earthquakes in pairs, measured by the 3-D rotation angle, it follows that deep earthquakes forming pairs have a more diverse focal mechanism than shallow events; the rotation angle for three quarters of shallow pairs and only for about one third of deep pairs is reasonably small. The azimuth between two events forming a doublet is in about 60–65% of cases close to the strike of one of nodal planes of the first or the second event.     

Partial Stress Drop and Frictional Overshoot Mechanism of Seismic Events Induced by Mining

—The values of uniformly estimated apparent stress σ_a and Brune’s stress drop, taken as a measure of static stress drop, from 850 seismic events, with moment magnitude ranging from ?3.6 to 3.6, induced at the Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in Canada, Western Deep Levels (WDL) gold mine in South Africa, and two coal and two copper mines in Poland, were collected to study the stress release mode in various mining environments. For this, the quantity epsilon, ?=Δσ/(σ_a + Δσ/2), where Δσ is the static stress drop, proposed by Zúñiga (1993) as an indicator of stress-drop mechanism was used. The events induced at the URL are characterized by low values of epsilon corresponding to a partial stress drop mechanism, whereas all the events at WDL display a frictional overshoot mechanism in which final stress reaches a lower value than that of frictional stress. The events at Polish coal and copper mines, on the other hand, are in good agreement with the well-known Orowan’s condition such that the final stress is equal to the dynamic frictional stress.¶The Brune stress drop, however, is heavily model dependent through the source radius-corner frequency relation. The Orowan’s condition for the events from the URL would be met if a constant in the source radius-corner frequency relation is equal to 1.82 ± 0.12, and for the events from WDL if it is equal to 3.92 ± 0.40, in contrast to Brune’s constant of 2.34.¶The smoothed values of epsilon displayed as a function of time, represented by the consecutive event numbers, for selected sets of events imply that the largest seismic events in a given set occur when the epsilon is low and a partial stress drop mechanism is dominant. The large events are then followed by high epsilon values when a frictional overshoot mechanism begins to dominate.     

Tectonic analysis of mine tremor mechanisms from the Upper Silesian Coal Basin

Fault network of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB) is built of sets of strike-slip, oblique-slip and dip-slip faults. It is a typical product of force couple which acts evenly with the parallel of latitude, causing horizontal and anti-clockwise movement of rock-mass. Earlier research of focal mechanisms of mine tremors, using a standard fault plane solution, has shown that some events are related to tectonic directions in main structural units of the USCB. An attempt was undertaken to analyze the records of mine tremors from the period 1992–1994 in the selected coal fields. The digital records of about 200 mine tremors with energy larger than 1×10⁴ J (M _L >1.23) were analyzed with SMT software for seismic moment tensor inversion. The decomposition of seismic moment tensor of mine tremors was segmented into isotropic (I) part, compensated linear vector dipole (CLVD) part and double-couple (DC) part. The DC part is prevalent (up to 70%) in the majority of quakes from the central region of the USCB. A group of mine tremors with large I element (up to 50%) can also be observed. The spatial orientation of the fault and auxiliary planes were obtained from the computations for the seismic moment DC part. Study of the DC part of the seismic moment tensor made it possible for us to separate the group of events which might be acknowledged to have their origin in unstable energy release on surfaces of faults forming a regional structural pattern. The possible influence of the Cainozoic tectonic history of the USCB on the recent shape of stress field is discussed.     

The Influence of a Local Fault Zone on High Energy Tremor Occurrence During Longwall Mining of a Coal Seam

Underground mining of coal seams in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin in Poland is accompanied by seismic activity of varying magnitude. The investigations which have been performed for several years distinguished high energy mine tremors connected directly with mining or coupled with geological structures, such as large faults. In mined seams, local fault zones occur. Faults in these zones are usually small, with throws comparable with coal seams thicknesses. Local fault zone may be responsible for the occurrence of high energy tremors as well as large faults, as presented in this article. An analysis of source mechanism of high energy tremors generated during longwall mining of the coal seam No. 510, with presence of a local fault zone, in one of the Polish hard coal mines in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin was performed. For this purpose, the seismic moment tensor inversion method was used. In most of foci, the process of shear predominated. Determined nodal plane parameters were correlated with parameters of faults forming the local fault zone. High energy tremors were generated mostly by dislocations on faults of the local fault zone. Weakening of roof rocks in the neighborhood of local fault zone takes an important role too, and was responsible for share of implosion in the focal mechanism.     

On correlation between seismic activities and focal mechanisms of subsequent strong earthquakes

Introduction Earthquakes are direct results from tectonic deformation and crustal movements, which usu- ally contain abundant information of crustal stress status and medium property in the deep lithosphere. Seismic activities might reflect accumulation and concentration of crustal stress in the seismogenic process. And different mechanisms of rock ruptures lead to different precursory phe- nomena prior to earthquakes (ZHANG, et al, 2001). Therefore, seismic activities before a strong earthq…     

利用相干体技术探测煤矿微小构造方法研究

煤矿高产高效安全生产地质保障体系要求探明煤矿微小构造,相干体技术利用计算机分析检测三维地震数据体中相邻道之间地震信号的相似性,比常规解释方法更有利于小断层等小构造的识别;相干技术算法中C3比C1、C2两种相干算法在断层识别和边缘检测上具有更高的水平分辨率和垂直分辨率;相干体技术与地震属性技术、图象处理技术联合使用,形成煤田地震资料解释的新模式,能够更好地解决煤矿生产中遇到的构造、岩性等实际问题,极大提高三维地震成果的使用效率和应用水平;相干体技术在许厂、梁家等煤矿中应用取得了良好效果.     

Statistical analysis on temporal-spatial correlativity within temporal doublets of strong earthquakes in North China and its vicinity

Introduction Being the important evidence of seismic trend prediction, the characters of spatial-temporal distribution of strong earthquakes can, to some extent, reflect the gestation mechanism and the migration law of strong quakes. From temporal point of view, a number of scholars consider the occurrence of strong earthquakes as the independent events, i.e., Poisson process. Based on this assumption, various predicted models are brought forward, such as stationary Poisson model, subsection …     

Non-parametric Seismic Hazard in Mines

— Seismic hazard analysis methods in mines are reviewed for the purpose of selecting the best technique. To achieve this goal, the most often-used hazard analysis procedure, which is based on the classical frequency-magnitude Gutenberg-Richter relation, as well as alternative procedures are investigated.¶Since the maximum regional seismic event magnitude m _max is of paramount importance in seismic hazard analysis, this work provides a generic formula for the evaluation of this important parameter. The formula is capable of generating solutions in different forms, depending on the assumptions of the model of the magnitude distribution and/or the available information regarding past seismicity. It includes the cases (i) in which seismic event magnitudes are distributed according to the truncated frequency-magnitude Gutenberg-Richter relation, and (ii) in which no specific model of the magnitude distribution is assumed.¶Both synthetic, Monte-Carlo simulated seismic event catalogues, and actual data from the copper mine in Poland and gold mine in South Africa, are used to demonstrate the discussed hazard analysis techniques.¶Our studies show that the non-parametric technique, which is independent of the assumed model of the distribution of magnitude, provides an appropriate tool for seismic hazard assessment in mines where the magnitude distribution can be very complex.     

华北地区强震时空相关性特征分析

通过提出时空比例系数fts，从而引入时空距离这一概念，并因此将地震事件的时空属性耦合在一起．借助时空距离概念，对华北地区公元1500年以来的强震对进行了时空相关性分析．结果表明，当fts取10km/a时，强震对沿时空距离轴大致分为两类:时空距离小于140km的强震对彼此具有一定成因关系；而相距280km以上的强震则为互相独立的地震事件．该特征可为华北地区强震迁移规律的总结以及趋势预测提供参考．      

Analysis of spatial distribution of mining tremors occurring in Rudna copper mine (Poland)

The distribution of mining tremors is strictly related to the exploitation progress of mining works and, consequently, to the local stress field. In case the distribution is known, it is possible to determine future area of intensive seismicity in exploited mining panel. In the paper, an analysis of working face-to-tremor distance for Rudna copper mine in Poland is presented. In order to develop a spatial model of tremors’ occurrence in the exploited mine, the seismicity of four mining sections in the five-month period was investigated and the tremors’ distribution was obtained. It was compared with the spatial distribution of tremors in coal mines found in the literature. The results show that the places where tremors mostly occur — the vicinity of the face, in front of it — coincide with the high-stress area predicted by literature models. The obtained results help to predict the future seismic zone connected with planned mining section, which can be used in seismic hazard analysis.     

强震前地震活动图象与震源机制类型的相关性分析

在对1966年以来63次强震前中等地震活动图象全时空扫描的基础上，讨论了大陆不同构造区域、不同震源机制强震前中等地震活动图象异常演化特征及其主要活动图象与震源机制节面的相关性. 研究表明:强震前中等地震活动图象显现出应力集中和减弱两个阶段性特征，第一阶段（中期阶段）的活动图象以条带、空区和集中活跃为主；第二阶段（中短期）以持续平静为主. 走滑和正断层机制震前显示出较好的特征图象；逆冲断层震前的活动图象与其它两种机制的图象不同，没有明显的特征图象，两个阶段都有平静现象出现. 强震前中等地震条带走向与震源机制的两个节面走向一致性较好，但空区的一致性较差.      

Analysis of mining-induced microseismic events at Strathcona Mine,Subdury, Canada

Rockbursts and mining-induced seismic events have serious socio-economic consequences for the Canadian mining industry, as their mines are extended to greater depths. Automatic multichannel monitoring systems (Electro-Lab MP250s) are routinely, used to detect the arrival times of seismic waves radiated by mining-induced events and sensed on an array of single component transducers installed throughout a mine. These arrival times are then used to locate the events and produce maps of areas of high activity for use in mine planning and design. This approach has limitations in that, it does not allow a detailed analysis of source mechanisms, which could be extracted if whole waveform signals are recorded and analyzed.A major research project, sponsored by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) with the collaboration of the Canadian mining industry, is aimed at enhancing existing mine seismic monitoring technology in Canada, in order to carry out more advanced processing of data to obtain fundamental scientific information on mining-induced seismic events This paper describes preliminary results from seismic monitoring experiments carried out in a hard rock nickel mine in Sudbury, Canada. Existing seismic monitoring instrumentation was enhanced with a low cost microcomputer-based whole waveform seismic acquisition system. Some of the signals recorded during this experiment indicate anisotropic wave propagation through the mine rock masses, as observed by the splitting of shear waves and the relative arrival of two shear waves polarized in directions which may be related to the structural fabric and/or state of stress in the rock mass. Analysis of compressional wave first motion shows the predominance of shear events, as indicated by focal mechanism studies and is confirmed by spectral analysis of the waveforms. The source parameters were estimated fro typical low magnitude localized microseismic events during the initial monitoring experiments. The seismic moment of these events varied between 10⁶ N.m and 2.10⁸ N.m. with a circular source radius of between 1 m and 2 m with an estimated stress drop of the order of 1 MPa.     

Mining-Induced Seismicity in the Saarland, Germany

Coal mining in the Saar mine, Germany, is accompanied by mining-induced seismic events. Strong events occur only in certain areas of the mine, other areas exhibit almost no seismicity. Shear events occur simultaneously to non-shear events. The shear events occur in different depths but their epicenters do concentrate in bands. The strike of the bands coincides with the strike of larger regional faults in the area. The seismic events of the Saar mine show some characteristics which distinguish them from seismic events observed in other German coalfields. The Gutenberg–Richter relation, for example, does not hold for these events. Furthermore, radiated seismic energy and extracted coal volume are not correlated. In the Primsmulde field a strong seismic event was observed even before mining in that region started. The event was triggered just by driving roadways into the field. The shear events cannot be explained by the mining process alone. They are presumably induced in certain regions (bands) under tectonic load by an interaction of mining-induced and tectonic stresses. In February 2008, extraction in the Primsmulde field induced a seismic event of magnitude 4, which led to surface vibrations reaching 93 mm/s. After this event, the Primsmulde field had to be abandoned. Future extraction of the Saar mine will be restricted to some small areas not intersected by the event bands found in the Dilsburg Ost and Primsmulde fields. The Saar mine will close in 2011.     

Simultaneous Impact of Open-Pit and Underground Mining on the Subsurface and Induced Seismicity

In the fourth quarter of 2016, the system for monitoring induced seismicity in the Kuznetsk Basin (Kuzbass) began to record increasing seismic activity in the area of the Kaltan open-pit coal mine, which was struck by a series of seismic events felt in cities and settlements of the Kuzbass. In addition to the existing monitoring network, a temporary network of stations has been established, which has significantly increased the accuracy and representativeness of technogenic earthquake records. Markedly expressed seismic activation near open mine works (the Kaltan open-pit mine) has been revealed. The seismically activated area covers several open mine works and their vicinity. The strongest earthquakes have occurred outside the open-pit mine at the boundary of the dump. Inside the activated area, near the operating underground mine works (the Alarda mine), local seismic activation represented by low-energy technogenic earthquakes has been recorded. The largest number of perceptible earthquakes occurred in the fourth quarter of 2016. According to the monitoring data, the number of earthquakes with magnitudes 2.5–4 decreased in early 2017, but since February 2017, seismic activation has increased around the underground mine works, which was manifested as a significant increase in the number of low-energy technogenic earthquakes. In fact, the technogenic seismic hazard has shifted from open mine works towards the area of the operating underground mine.     

1990年10月20景泰地震的活动图象及其特征

本文研究了甘肃景泰6.2级地震的活动图象及其特征。该次地震的类型属主震余震型。其地震活动的特征表现为:强震前中小地震活动图象发生变化,临震前出现中小地震活动条带;震前中小地震活动时间分维值下降并出现最低值;该次地震发生于6级地震等间距分布的格局中,并呈现明显的补位特征。本文还提出了一种利用震级测定值最大的台站的方位,确定地震破裂面的方向和节面展布的方向的方法。     

The technogenic Bachat earthquake of June 18, 2013 (<Emphasis Type="Italic">ML</Emphasis> = 6.1) in the Kuznetsk Basin—the world’s strongest in the extraction of solid minerals

The Bachat earthquake that occurred in Kemerovo oblast on June 18, 2013 with a local magnitude of ML = 6.1 is the strongest in a series of events in the vicinity of an open-pit mine of the same name, as well as the world’s largest technogenic earthquake in the extraction of solid minerals. Research on the seismicity in the environs of the mine using local networks of temporary stations began several years prior to the earthquake and continues today. We present the results of this research. Particular attention is given to monitoring of the seismic regime of technogenic activation of the Bachat coal mine and its nature.     

肃南5.7级地震序列震源机制研究及其前兆意义

用Ｐ、Ｓ波振幅比方法反演了１９８８年１１月２２日肃南５．７级地震序列的震源机制,计算了对应的Ｐ轴Ｔ轴。结果表明,前震的一组节面比较集中且与主震断层面大体一致,其主压应力轴也表现出对的集中,而余震（以及以后发生在该地区的一些小震）的断层面解则比较散乱,但总体上仍与该区的主要断层保持大体一致,但是余震的Ｐ轴和Ｔ轴则表现更大的散乱。由此我们可以认为,中强地震发生前震源区微震震源机制的相对一致性是发震断层     

The Alabama,U.S.A., seismic event and strata collapse of May 7, 1986

On May 7, 1986, the residents of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, felt a seismic event of local magnitude 3.6 that occurred at the same time as a rock burst and roof collapse in an active longwall coal mine. Visual inspection of the seismograms reveals a deficiency in energy at frequencies above 20 Hz compared to tectonic earthquakes or surface blasts. The predominance of energy below 5 Hz may explain reports of body wave magnitudes (m _b ) greater than 4.2. Also, 1.0 Hz surface waves were more strongly excited than body waves and may explain local felt effects more typically associated with greater epicentral distances. All recorded first motions were dilatational. The concentration of stations in the northern hemisphere allows reverse motion on an east-trending near-vertical plane or strike-slip motion on northwest or southeast trending planes. The reverse focal mechanism is preferred, because the area of roof collapse and the area of active longwall mining are located between two east-striking loose vertical fracture zones. The characteristics of the seismic event suggest that it might have been sudden shear failure resulting from accumulated strain energy in overlying strata behind an active longwall. Although an alternate interpretation of the focal mechanism as an implosion or shear failure in the strata above previously mined out areas is also allowed by the first motion data, this alternate intepretation is not supported by geological data.     

Seismic activation of tectonic stresses by mining

Hard coal mining in the area of the Bytom Syncline (Upper Silesia Coal Basin, Poland) has been associated with the occurrence of high-energy seismic events (up to 10⁹ J; local magnitude up to 4.0), which have been recorded by the local mining seismological network and regional seismological network. It has been noticed that the strongest seismic events occur when the mine longwall alignments coincide with the syncline axis. Data recorded by the improved local seismic network in the Bobrek Mine allow the estimation of the depths of the events’ hypocentres during excavation of longwall panel 3 as it approached the syncline axis. The recorded data were also used to estimate the location of the rupture surface and stress distribution in the seismic focus region. It was concluded that tectonic stresses, particularly horizontal stress components, are essential in the distribution of seismic tremors resulting from reverse faulting. The stresses induced by mining activity are only triggering tectonic deformations. The hypocentres of the strongest seismic events during mining of longwall panel 3/503 were located 300–800 m deeper than the level of coal seam 503.     

Comparison of source parameters estimated in the frequency and time domains for seismic events at the Rudna copper mine,Poland

Source parameters estimated in the frequency domain for 100 selected seismic events from the Rudna copper mine, with moment magnitude ranging from 1.4 to 3.6, were collected to study their scaling relations and to compare them with the parameters estimated in the time domain. The apparent stress and static stress drop, corrected for the limited bandwidth recording, increase slightly in a similar manner with increasing seismic moment. The ratio of apparent stress to static stress drop, a measure of radiation efficiency, is practically constant and its mean value is close to 0.1. For 37 seismic events, with moment magnitude between 1.9 and 3.4, source parameters were estimated in the time domain from relative source time functions, that displayed unilateral rupture propagation, and their rupture velocity could be estimated. It ranges from 0.23 to 0.80 of shear wave velocity and is almost independent of seismic moment. The fault length, estimated from the average source pulse width and rupture velocity, is clearly dependent on seismic moment and is smaller than the source radius estimated from the corner frequency on the average by about 25 percent. There is no correlation between the values of static stress drop estimated in the frequency and time domains, but the time domain stress drop is in general similar to that estimated in the frequency domain. The apparent stress increases with increasing rupture velocity, and the ratio of apparent stress to static stress drop seems also to depend on rupture velocity.