Convection pattern and stress system under the African plate

Studies on tectonic forces from satellite-derived gravity data have revealed a subcrustal stress system which provides a unifying mechanism for uplift, depression, rifting, plate motion and ore formation in Africa. The subcrustal stresses are due to mantle convection. Seismicity, volcanicity and kimberlite magmatism in Africa and the development of the African tectonic and magnetic features are explained in terms of this single stress system. The tensional stress fields in the crust exerted by the upwelling mantle flows are shown to be regions of structural kinship characterized by major concentration of mineral deposits. It is probable that the space techniques are capable of detecting and determining the tectonic forces in the crust of Africa.     

Convection-generated stress concentration and seismogenic models of the Tangshan earthquake

Despite the success of earthquake predictions in China, the complete failure of the Chinese program to predict the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in the Peking region indicates that the state of stress in China is still very poorly understood. This paper examines the subcrustal stress field due to mantle convection flows under China as inferred from the satellite gravity field of the Earth. This stress field enables us to determine the current stress regimes in the crust of the Peking region. It is shown that under the influence of this subcrustal stress field the rectangular fault system in the Peking region will cause stress concentration. Conformal transformation and mapping of the convection-generated stresses under North China have revealed stress concentration in the rhombic Tangshan fault block. The magnitude and direction of the concentrated stress field in the Tangshan seismic district seem to be in accord with the seismogenic models for the 1976 Tangshan earthquake developed by Guo et al., (1977) and Ding (1978).     

The mantle convection pattern and force source mechanism of recent tectonic movement in China

The Runcorn stress equations and 2–30° harmonic coefficients of the geopotential have been applied to determine the mantle convection pattern beneath China. The pattern is compared with geophysical and geological observations and it is found that the directional change belts of mantle flows coincide with the major fault belts between tectonic units of China. The stress field generated by mantle flows, except in the Tian Shan region, also coincide with the stress field of recent tectonic movement in China. The Tarim and Junggar basins are formed by tensional stresses due to divergent mantle convection currents under northwest China. The formation of the Qinhai-Xizang (Tibet) plateau is due mainly to the compression of the Tarim block and Indian plate, caused by convergent mantle convection currents. The shear-fault belts in central China (100–105°E) are generated by the running change belt of mantle flows, a well-known N-S seismic zone. In eastern China, tensional faults, grabens, lake and sea depressions are related to the eastward displacement of continental lithosphere exerted by eastward dispersal mantle flows under this region.This paper provides new material for further study of the force source mechanism of recent tectonic movement from the viewpoint of mantle convection currents.     

小尺度地幔对流、壳下应力场与华北地震

本文分析了魏格纳等求得的重力位球谐系数,得出n≤11阶系数与大尺度地幔对流相关,而12≤n≤25阶系数反映小尺度地幔对流;计算了小尺度地幔对流引起的华北地区壳下应力场,该应力场具有挤压性质,挤压中心在山西临汾—洪洞一带(111.5°E;36°N),应力大小为0.2—0.75×10~8达因·厘米~(-2),整个应力场具有规则的中心对称特征;壳下应力场的几何特征与震源机制解的结果、大震裂缝走向与错动方式、地震的空间分布等均彼此具有良好的一致性,对唐山与海城地震,这种一致性尤为明显。看来,似乎小尺度地幔对流及其造成的壳下应力场对包括目前这次强震高潮在内的华北地区地震的孕震过程起着控制作用     

Geodynamics of the Baikal-Stanovoy seismic belt

The convection generated tensional stress field in the Earth, as inferred from satellite gravity data, reveals an anomalous lens of upwelling mantle rocks under the Baikal rift zone. The point of no strain at 56°N 116°E forms a seismic gap along the Baikal-Stanovoy seismic belt. East of this point, the stress field changes from extension to compression. Therefore, the position of no strain at the eastern termination of the rift accounts for the dying-out of the rift zone and for the appearance of a compressive structure in the Stanovoy Range.     

中国西北及周边地区上地幔密度异常驱动小尺度对流

假设地震层析成像提供的地震波速异常对应于上地幔物质的密度异常分布,而该密度异常直接源于上地幔热对流相应的温度扰动. 在给定边界条件下,利用三维傅里叶变换,在波数域内求解控制流体行为的运动方程和连续性方程,得到上地幔小尺度对流流场. 利用密度异常驱动上地幔小尺度对流的数学 物理模型,采用胥颐、刘福田等提供的地震层析成像数据计算得到了我国西北及周边地区上地幔对流模式. 结果表明,对流流场的顶部在岩石圈较薄的盆地区域呈现上升发散流动特征,如塔里木盆地、柴达木盆地、哈萨克斯坦块体及准噶尔盆地;岩石圈较厚的山脉则对应了会聚下降的流动特征,如天山山脉、昆仑山山脉和祁连山山脉. 同时,塔里木盆地处于拉张状态,驱动其上地幔物质南下向青藏高原北部西昆仑运动,以及北上向天山下部流动,这可能是天山隆升的原因之一.      

Upper mantle convection beneath northwest China and its adjacent region driven by density anomaly

Introduction The northwest of China includes Tarim, Junggar and Qaidam basins, and Kunlun, Tianshan, Altun and Qilian mountains, as well as the north part of the Tibetan Plateau. For a long time, the study of lithosphere structures and dynamics in this area has been a popular topic in geoscience, and has yielded many results. For example, TANG (1994) and LI et al (1998) suppose that the tectonic structure of Tarim Basin is various with geological periods, which changes many times betwee…     

长江带现代地震构造应力场分布特征

根据长江带76个地震震源机制解与17个小震综合断层面解的结果统计分析,得到该带地震应力场主应力方向的优势分布。表明该带处于北东东—南东东向挤压和北北西—近南北向引张的构造应力作用之中。在力的性质上,该带水平张应力高于水平压应力,斜向压应力又高于斜向张应力,与华北地区比较,主应力方向相对向东南方向偏转,该带水平力和斜力所占比例均高于华北地区,同时讨论了该带中三个分区的现代构造应力场分布及它们的力源关系。     

华北地区强震活动与月相的关系及其机制

华北地区及其地震带的强震活动与月相密切相关。华北地区和河北平原、河淮及南海地震带强震大都发生在朔前后。郯庐和汾渭地震带强震多发生在上弦前后,依据华北地区强震孕育的地壳上地幔构造,探讨了引潮力触发地震的可能机制--潮致流体上涌触发模式,该模式的要点是:①上地幔和地壳内存在流体是孕育强震的必要条件;②深部流体可能快速上涌;③引潮力可能是触发流体快速上涌的主要作用力;④深部流体通过如应力腐蚀或雷宾德尔效应之类的非线性机制激发地震。     

华北地区拆离滑脱带控震作用初探

华北东部盆岭区以地震多、震级大、损失惨重而称。以往地震地质研究多注重断裂交汇、拐点、分枝等部位的控震作用。但是，华北盆岭区多次大震的烈度并不呈线型展布，震源也并非沿陡倾断裂走向分布，而是在一定深度上(近水平)弥散展布，故人们开始注意深部滑脱带控震的探讨。笔依据近十余年华北地幔亚热柱的研究认为，华北断陷区之下为—强烈上隆的地幔亚热柱。地幔物质的上隆及上侵作用使上地壳裂解断陷，而中地壳在地幔、下地壳的影响下形成相间展布的低速—高导层。在地幔亚热柱热物质流向外拆离的带动下，中、下地壳亦由亚热柱顶部向外围拆离滑脱。当中、下地壳拆离到上地壳裂陷盆地边缘受到造山带的阻挡而减慢时，两之间便产生剪切作用，导致应力不断积聚并阶段性释放，从而造成亚热柱外围地震频繁发生。     

Syntheses of the regional stress fields of the Japanese islands

The principal stresses in northern Honshu and in central-southwest Japan are synthesized on the basis of the ridge push, slab pull and across-arc variation of differential forces due to crust/plate structural variation. Assuming a more compressive north–south horizontal stress in central Japan-northern Honshu than that of southwest Japan, the calculated principal stress profiles explain the observed stress fields in these areas: namely, a strike–slip fault type for southwest-central Japan and a reverse fault type for northern Honshu, both having east–west σ_Hmax. Kyushu is characterized by the gradient of horizontal stresses both in the east–west and north–south directions, which cannot be explained by simple plate interactions or by crust/plate structural variation. Combined with other lines of evidence for existence of mantle upwelling in the East China Sea west of Kyushu, it is proposed that the stress gradient is produced by the viscous drag exerted by the flow spread laterally from the upwelling plume. The eastward movement of Kyushu and southwest Japan relative to Eurasia revealed by the recent Global Positioning System measurements conducted by the Geographical Survey Institute of Japan would be partly explained by this basal drag.     

新马德里地震带的岩石圈强度与板内形变

提出一个简单的假说来解释为什么在相对稳定的板块内部地区会存在高地震活动区与高构造形变区．首先,对于大多数板内地区而言,特别是大陆地盾地区与老的海洋盆地,下地壳与上地幔的温度相当低,那里的岩石相对坚硬在这些地区不可能发生明显的岩石圈变形,因为岩石图累积强度大大超过板块驱动力．相反,如果下地壳与上地幔温度相对较高,板块驱动力则主要由上地壳承受,因为下地壳与上地幔相对软弱在这种地区,由于岩石圈累积强度与板块驱动力大小相当,构造形变相对较快．本文将这种假说应用在位于美国中部的新马德里地震带与周围地区．地震带内部热流密度值约为60mw／m2,略高于本区背景热流密度值45mW／m2．计算得到的地温梯度与实验室结果所揭示的延性流动定律表明,在地震带内下地壳与上地幔相当软弱,板内应力主要由上地壳传递．那里的形变速率相对较高．与此相反,在周围地区热流值相对较低,岩石四累积强度大大超过板块驱动力,构造应力由地壳与上地幔共同承受热流值的大小和下地壳上地幔的受力状态是决定地震活动性在地震带内与周围地区强烈对比的主要因素．     

Small-scale mantle convection system and stress field under the Pacific plate

The existence of nonhydrostatic high-degree harmonics in the gravitational field of the earth has recently been determined using satellite and gravity observations. In this paper, we have applied the Goddard Space Flight Center GEM-8 gravity field model to calculate the small-scale mantle flow system under the Pacific plate. The resulting tectonic forces or stresses exerted by the flow currents show tensional forces under the Hawaiian Island chain and a system of latitudinal convection rolls under the East Pacific plate and are in agreement with geophysical theories.     

基于地震各向异性分析郯庐断裂带中段深部构造特征

利用郯庐断裂带中段附近10个宽频带台站的远震波形资料,基于上地幔地震各向异性来分析郯庐断裂带中段深部构造特征。本研究得到,郯庐断裂带中段深部平均快波偏振方向为93．8°,即郯庐断裂带中段深部主张应变（张应力）方向,对照GPS资料和地震资料的研究表明,郯庐断裂带中段地壳和深部上地幔的形变存在总体的一致性,即郯庐断裂带中段岩石层的形变具有统一特征,地壳与深部上地幔处于相似的应力应变状态中。     

利用远震接收函数研究华北克拉通北部造山带地壳厚度及泊松比

对2006年10月—2009年9月华北克拉通北部太行山—燕山造山带及相邻区域115套宽频带流动台和6套甚宽频流动台的接收函数数据,使用预测反褶积方法进行处理,消除沉积层的影响;然后利用谐波校正的H-κ-c叠加方法,得到了华北克拉通北部造山带及邻近区域消除地壳S波方位各向异性及倾斜界面影响的地壳厚度及泊松比。研究结果表明,研究区地壳厚度呈现西厚东薄的整体特征,地壳厚度与地形存在高度相关性,且基本符合艾里（Airy）均衡理论。西部陆块泊松比较低,表明其相对稳定,中部造山带和东部陆块的泊松比分布不均匀,可能遭受过复杂的改造过程。结合前人的研究结果,推测怀来—延庆盆地及唐山南部存在地壳部分熔融和上地幔物质的上侵,石家庄北部存在下地壳拆沉,保定—房山一带下地壳拆沉后,受伸展作用影响遭遇地幔物质底侵。不同区域地壳结构的差异性导致了谐波矫正前后研究区地壳厚度及平均泊松比变化的分布不同。      

卫星重力资料揭示的新疆天山地区构造动力学状态

利用最新的地球重力场模型,计算了新疆及邻近地区的自由空气重力异常、大地水准面扰动异常、地壳和上地幔平均密度异常以及地幔对流引起的岩石层底界面粘滞应力场分布．根据计算结果,对新疆天山地区的构造动力学特征进行了分析和推断,认为天山处于地幔对流形成的挤压沉降环境中,在南北不对称的挤压应力作用下快速隆升,挤压应力场中心在天山以南．这种应力场特征有利于塔里木板块向天山之下俯冲的观点．天山南北两侧的准噶尔盆地南缘和塔里木盆地北缘,是地壳内质量缺失区,是由于南北两侧地壳向天山下挤压而弯曲造成的．中国天山东段的深部密度分布特征与中段和西段的不同,可能是地幔对流分布的东西向差异造成的．      

On the origin of compressional intraplate stresses in South America

Intraplate stresses in middle South America are not negligible. We report thrust-faulting mechanisms for five intraplate earthquakes, which indicate a dominant horizontal deviatoric compressional stress oriented in a NW-SE direction. We conclude that this state of stress is due to forces connected with spreading on the Mid Atlantic Ridge and resistive forces exerted by the Caribbean plate to the north and the Nazca plate to the west. The existence and nature of the resistive forces is inferred from earthquake mechanisms and geological evidence presented in other studies. All the available intraplate stress data for Nazca and South America indicate that both plates are under deviatoric compression generated at spreading centers. The absence of tensional earthquake focal mechanisms, particularly in the Nazca plate near the trench, suggests that the forces associated with the gravitational sinking of subducted lithosphere are locally compensated. We present a simple numerical calculation of a non-subducting plate to show how the compressional deviatoric stresses in middle South America can be used to estimate an upper bound of about 10²¹ P for the viscosity of the mantle.     

天山中部的地震定位和地壳活动性分析

利用宽频带流动台网记录的地震P波和S波到时,根据一维和三维地壳速度模型,对天山中部及其邻近地区1997～1998年的地震进行了重新定位,以重新确定的震源参数为依据分析了地壳的活动性.震源分布表明,造山带边缘和内部的大部分断裂都显示出活动的迹象,它们对天山的地壳构造变动起到明显的作用;塔拉斯－费尔干纳断裂的活动具有分段特征：其东南段以及西南天山的部分断裂目前活动比较弱,西北段受周边断裂的影响活动较强;另外造山带边缘的构造活动有向山前盆地渗透（Penetration）的趋势.30～40km深度的地震活动表明,天山中部的地壳中下层仍然具有一定的破裂条件,它们与壳幔边界附近热扰动的驱动有关,暗示小尺度地幔对流或软流层上涌等动力作用仍在持续进行.     

大陆下地壳层流作用及其大陆动力学意义

大量的地质和地球物理资料表明 ,年轻的大陆构造活动区的下地壳可能因热软化而出现透入性非地震式顺层韧性流动 ,这种下地壳层流作用驱动大陆上地壳发生地震式脆性断块运动 ,形成盆山格局 ,发生圈层耦合。大陆下地壳低粘度物质顺层流动可能是在地幔岩浆底侵作用为下地壳提供热能和添加幔源物质的基础上 ,并在地幔上升派生的重力和剪切力作用下 ,造成大陆下地壳热软化物质从盆地下部的幔隆区顺层流向相邻造山带之下的幔拗区。在下地壳层流过程中 ,地温场和速度场发生变     

华北盆地强震孕育的动力学机制研究

强震活跃区通常出现在地壳变形剧烈的地区.但是,华北盆地地壳变形速率小,而破坏性强震却十分频繁.文中利用有限元方法对华北盆地发震断层下方可能存在的速度异常体进行了力学分析,计算结果显示：无论这个异常区是低速异常还是高速异常,在水平构造力的作用下（无论是挤压还是引张力作用）,应力及应变能密度都在空间某些区域积聚.根据本文的工作及前人的研究结果,认为华北盆地强震孕育的物理机制如下：华北克拉通在减薄、破坏过程中,浸入的岩浆或上涌的地幔物质经过漫长的地质时期演化,成为低速异常体.当断裂带下面存在这种低速异常体时,水平向构造力的作用,会使异常体上方应力集中、应变能积聚.当异常体上方的应力水平达到某种限度,介质发生破坏.在破坏过程中,异常体释放的能量,使断裂带上的应变能集聚速度加快;另一方面,异常体的破坏使断层的闭锁面积减小.随着外部构造应力的持续加载,当发震断层上的应力及能量积累达到一定极限,断层产生错动,发生强震.同时,文中结果还显示,断层在从闭锁、积累能量到解锁、发生强震的过程中,其下方的低速异常体起着重要的推进作用.