Body wave velocity distribution in the Benioff zone of central Kamchatka during aftershocks of the Kronotskii earthquake of 1997 (M = 7.9)

The distribution of the P and S velocities in the Benioff zone of central Kamchatka during the period of aftershocks (1997–2004) of the disastrous Kronotskii earthquake of 1997 (M = 7.9, M_W = 7.7) has been determined. Based on the data for the foreshock period immediately preceding the earthquake (1991–1997), a sharp increase in the body wave velocities in the Benioff zone below the Kronotskii Peninsula (up to 9.5–9.7 km/s for V _P and 5.1–5.3 km/s for V _S) has been determined at depths of 55–140 km in the subvertical region. Based on observations during the period of aftershocks comparable with the last period of foreshocks (about 7 years), it has been established that the body wave velocities calculated for the Benioff zone below the Kronotskii Peninsula returned to the initial values typical of the beginning of that period. This indicates that stresses relaxed around the head part of the Kronotskii earthquake rupture zone after its origination. This conclusion is confirmed by a sharp decrease in the number of earthquakes with M = 2.3–4.9 in the Benioff zone below the Kronotskii Peninsula. Moreover, taking the velocity distribution during the period of aftershocks into account, it has been determined that a second stress relaxation zone is located at the southwestern flank of the Kronotskii earthquake rupture zone where the largest (M = 6.7) aftershock occurred. According to these data, it is concluded that two stress concentration centers could have existed during the preparation of the Kronotskii earthquake.     

Fault complexity associated with the 14 August 2003 M<Subscript>w</Subscript>6.2 Lefkada,Greece, aftershock sequence

The M _w 6.2 Lefkada earthquake occurred on 14 August 2003 beneath the western coastline of Lefkada Island. The main shock was followed by an intense aftershock activity, which formed a narrow band extending over the western coast of the Island and the submarine area between Lefkada and Kefalonia Islands, whereas additional off fault aftershocks formed spatial clusters on the central and northwestern part of the Island. The aftershock spatial distribution revealed the activation of along-strike adjacent fault segment as well as of secondary faults close to the main rupture. The properties of the activated segments were illuminated by the precisely located aftershocks, fault plane solutions determination and the cross sections performed parallel and normal to their strike. The aftershock focal mechanisms exhibited mainly strike slip faulting throughout the activated area, although deviation of the dominant stress pattern is also observed. The results help to emphasize the importance of the identification of activated nearby fault segments possibly triggered by the main rupture. Because such segments are capable to produce moderate events causing appreciable damage, they should be viewed with caution in seismic hazard assessment in addition to the major regional faults.     

Relocation of the MS5.7 Earthquake Sequence in Songyuan, Jilin Province, 2018 and the Analysis of Its Seismogenic Structure

The 2018,Songyuan,Jilin M_S5. 7 earthquake occurred at the intersection of the FuyuZhaodong fault and the Second Songhua River fault. The moment magnitude of this earthquake is M_W5. 3,the centroid depth by the waveform fitting is 12 km,and it is a strike-slip type event. In this paper,with the seismic phase data provided by the China Earthquake Network, the double-difference location method is used to relocate the earthquake sequence,finally the relocation results of 60 earthquakes are obtained. The results show that the aftershock zone is about 4. 3km long and 3. 1km wide,which is distributed in the NE direction. The depth distribution of the seismic sequence is 9km-10 km. 1-2 days after the main shock,the aftershocks were scattered throughout the aftershock zone,and the largest aftershock occurred in the northeastern part of the aftershock zone. After 3-8 days,the aftershocks mainly occurred in the southwestern part of the aftershock zone. The profile distribution of the earthquake sequence shows that the fault plane dips to the southeast with the dip angle of about 75°. Combined with the regional tectonic setting,focal mechanism solution and intensity distribution,we conclude that the concealed fault of the Fuyu-Zhaodong fault is the seismogenic fault of the Songyuan M_S5. 7 earthquake. This paper also relocates the earthquake sequence of the previous magnitude 5. 0 earthquake in 2017. Combined with the results of the focal mechanism solution,we believe that the two earthquakes have the same seismogenic structure,and the earthquake sequence generally develops to the southwest. The historical seismic activity since 2009 shows that after the magnitude 5. 0 earthquake in 2017,the frequency and intensity of earthquakes in the earthquake zone are obviously enhanced,and attention should be paid to the development of seismic activity in the southwest direction of the earthquake zone.     

Segmented seismicity of the M w 6.2 Baladeh earthquake sequence (Alborz Mountains, Iran) revealed from regional moment tensors

The M _w 6.2 Baladeh earthquake occurred on 28 May 2004 in the Alborz Mountains, northern Iran. This earthquake was the first strong shock in this intracontinental orogen for which digital regional broadband data are available. The Baladeh event provides a rare opportunity to study fault geometry and ongoing deformation processes using modern seismological methods. A joint inversion for hypocentres and a velocity model plus a surface-wave group dispersion curve analysis were used to obtain an adapted velocity model, customised for mid- and long-period waveform modelling. Based on the new velocity model, regional waveform data of the mainshock and larger aftershocks (M _w ?≥3.3) were inverted for moment tensors. For the Baladeh mainshock, this included inversion for kinematic parameters. All analysed earthquakes show dominant thrust mechanisms at depths between 14 and 26 km, with NW–SE striking fault planes. The mainshock ruptured a 28° south-dipping area of 24 × 21 km along a north-easterly direction. The rupture plane of the mainshock does not coincide with the aftershock distribution, neither in map view nor with respect to depth. The considered aftershocks form two main clusters. The eastern cluster is associated with the mainshock. The western cluster does not appear to be connected with the rupture plane of the mainshock but, instead, indicates a second activated fault plane dipping at 85° towards the north.     

The 2014 Kefalonia Doublet (<Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>W</Subscript>6.1 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>W</Subscript>6.0), Central Ionian Islands,Greece: Seismotectonic Implications along the Kefalonia Transform Fault Zone

The 2014 Kefalonia earthquake sequence started on 26 January with the first main shock (M_W6.1) and aftershock activity extending over 35 km, much longer than expected from the causative fault segment. The second main shock (M_W6.0) occurred on 3 February on an adjacent fault segment, where the aftershock distribution was remarkably sparse, evidently encouraged by stress transfer of the first main shock. The aftershocks from the regional catalog were relocated using a 7-layer velocity model and station residuals, and their distribution evidenced two adjacent fault segments striking almost N-S and dipping to the east, in full agreement with the centroid moment tensor solutions, constituting segments of the Kefalonia Transform Fault (KTF). The KTF is bounded to the north by oblique parallel smaller fault segments, linking KTF with its northward continuation, the Lefkada Fault.     

2019年12月26日湖北应城M4.9地震震源参数及余震活动性研究

2019年12月26日湖北应城发生M4.9有感地震,其震感波及武汉大部分地区。为了分析该地震的发震构造及余震活动性,本文利用波形拟合方法测定了不同速度模型下该地震的震源机制解和矩心深度,并用Bootstrapping抽样反演技术评价反演结果;此外,利用模板匹配技术匹配主震和目录余震波形,获取了更为完整的余震目录。结果显示,应城地震以走滑为主,矩心深度7.5km左右,矩震级M_W4.67;应城地震有1个前震和17个余震,余震序列缺少M2~4事件,表明应城地震为孤立型地震,M2以下地震的b值为0.8。     

The 2008 Kultuk earthquake with M w = 6.3 in the south of Baikal: Spatial-temporal analysis of seismic activation

The results of investigating the data of stationary and field observations in the epicentral zone of the Kultuk earthquake of August 27, 2008 with M _w = 6.3 localized south of Baikal are presented. The seismic activation amounting to 1790 aftershocks with K _p ?? 4 (M _w ?? 0.9) affected a part of the general fault bounding the southwestern coast of the lake and shallower intrabasin structures. It was established through the cluster analysis that the main shock was located at the periphery of the cloud of the concentrated seismicity component, and three main clusters reflecting a complex character of rupture in the earthquake source were identified in the zone of aftershocks. Owing to a high accuracy of aftershock hypocenters determinations (ERZ ?? 1.2 km), the local character of the seismisity-generating zones was revealed. Based on the method of mapping seismic regime parameters, it was established that zones of reduced fractionality are recognizable in the central part of the source area; in this case, the entire periphery, except for the southeastern direction (where the main shock epicenter is located), is characterized by a high fractionality, which also points to the complex character of the rupture in the source. On the whole, the aftershock sequence under consideration showed the activation of the southwestern flank of the Southern Baikal region, which remained passive for more than one century, and demonstrated destructive features of the Earth??s crust.     

Crustal Heterogeneity in the Source Region of the 2004 Mid Niigata Prefecture Earthquake: Inversion Analysis of Coda Envelopes

The 2004 Mid Niigata Prefecture earthquake (M_JMA 6.8) and its aftershock sequences generated complicated, i.e., several conjugate fault planes in their source region. In order to understand the generating process of these earthquakes, we estimated a 3-D distribution of relative scattering coefficients in the source region. The large slip area during the main shock rupture seems to be bounded by strong heterogeneous zones with larger scattering coefficients. Hypocenters of the main shock and major large aftershocks with M 5-6 classes tend to be located close to stronger scattering areas. We found that one of these strong heterogeneities already existed before the occurrence of the M 5.9 aftershock on November 8. We suppose that heterogeneous structures in the source region of this earthquake sequence affected the initiation and growth of ruptures of the main shock and major large aftershocks.     

2018年9月4日新疆伽师MS5.5地震序列及发震构造讨论

2018年9月4日新疆伽师发生M_S5.5地震,震中处于塔里木地块西北缘,位于1997~1998年伽师强震群震区内。此次伽师地震前发生了M_S4.7前震,截至9月30日最大余震震级为M_S4.6（M_L5.0）,初步判定为前-主-余型地震序列。序列精定位结果显示,余震沿近NE向展布,主震震源深度与1997~1998年伽师强震主震基本一致,发震断层陡立。本文从区域的构造环境、地震震源机制解和余震分布特征等方面分析认为,地震发生在伽师隐伏断裂东南端部,为1997~1998年伽师强震群震区的一次新的构造活动。序列参数、视应力等计算结果显示,伽师M_S5.5地震的预测最大余震震级与最大余震震级M_S4.6接近,表明序列最大余震已经发生。     

玉树MS7.1级地震部分余震重新定位及发震构造分析

综合利用玉树震区应急流动台站观测数据和青海地震台网固定台站观测数据,依据最新的人工地震宽角反射/折射剖面的速度模型,采用Hypo2000地震定位法,对2010年4月18日至4月29日期间玉树震区发生的部分余震进行了重新定位.重新定位后,震源位置的水平和垂直方向平均误差分别为1.35 km和4.68 km,走时残差为0.49 s.震源深度分布范围为1.48～19.85 km,平均震源深度为10.28 km.定位研究结果表明:玉树地震余震沿北西-南东向的甘孜-玉树断裂带的北支,即玉树-隆宝断裂分布,长约97 km.余震分布特征在主震(微观震中)两侧存在差异,可能反映了两侧构造特征存在差异.截止到4月29日,主震东南仍是应力的主要释放区域,余震强度大且活动密集的区域位于主震东南距主震约5 km、横向范围约20 km.主震破裂区的大部分应力在主震过程中得以释放,主震时应力未释放的区域成为主要的余震分布区.余震的连续发生可能已造成主震破裂区相互连通,且破裂范围向西北方向扩展.玉树主震及余震的发震构造为甘孜-玉树断裂的北支,即玉树-隆宝断裂段,断层性质为北东倾向的高角度左旋走滑断层.发震断层的倾角和宽度在帮洞两侧有所不同,帮洞以东发震断层宽度约为12 km,倾角约为83°;而帮洞以西发震断层宽度约为6.5 km,断层倾角约减缓为63°.     

A new technique for moment tensor inversion with applications to the 2008 Wenchuan <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>S</Subscript>8.0 earthquake sequence

A M_S8.0 earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China, on May 12, 2008, and subsequently, numerous aftershocks followed. We obtained the moment tensor solutions and source time functions (STFs) for the Wenchuan earthquake and its seven larger aftershocks (M_S5.0～6.0) by a new technique of moment tensor inversion using the broadband and long-period seismic waveform data from the Global Seismic Network (GSN). Firstly, the theoretical background and technical flow of the new technique was briefly introduced, and an aftershock of the Wenchuan earthquake sequence was employed to illustrate the real procedure for inverting the moment tensor; secondly, the moment tensor solutions and STFs of the eight events, including the main shock, were presented, and finally, the interpretation of the results was made. The agreement of our results with the GCMT results indicates the new approach is efficient and feasible. By using this approach, not only the moment tensor solution can be obtained but also the STF can be retrieved; the inverted STFs indicate that the source rupture process may be complicated even for the moderate earthquakes. The inverted focal mechanisms of the Wenchuan earthquake sequence show that the most of the aftershocks occurred in the main faults of the Longmenshan fault zone with predominantly thrustingwith minor right-lateral strike-slip component, but some of them may have occurred in the subfaults with strike-slip faulting in the vicinity of the main faults.     

芦山MS7.0级地震余震序列重新定位及构造意义

利用四川省地震台网的震相数据和双差定位方法对芦山M_S7.0级地震及其余震序列进行了精确定位,根据余震分布确定了发震断层的位置和断层面的几何特征,并对余震活动进行了分析.结果显示,芦山M_S7.0级地震的震中位于30.28°N、102.99°E,震源深度为16.33 km.余震沿发震断层向主震两侧延伸,主要分布在长约32 km、宽约15~20 km、深度为5~24 km的范围内.地震破裂带朝西南方向扩展范围较大,东北方向略小,余震震级随时间迅速衰减.震源深度剖面清晰地显示出发震断层的逆冲破裂特征,推测发震断层为大川—双石断裂东侧约10 km的隐伏断层.该断层走向217°、倾向北西,倾角约45°,产状与大川—双石断裂相比略缓,它们同属龙门山前山断裂带的叠瓦状逆冲断层系.受发震断裂影响,部分余震沿大川—双石断裂分布,西北方向的余震延伸至宝兴杂岩体的东南缘,与汶川地震的破裂带之间存在50 km左右的地震空区,有可能成为未来发生强震的潜在危险区.     

汶川MS8.0地震余震序列重新定位及其地震构造研究

综合利用川西流动地震台阵观测数据和震后应急地震观测台站的震相数据,采用双差地震定位方法对汶川地震的余震序列进行了精确重新定位,并对汶川地震的地震构造进行了深入研究.其结果显示,汶川地震序列从彭灌杂岩南缘开始破裂,主震及其余震破裂带长约350 km,在大部分区域宽约20~30 km,其宽度和空间形态沿破裂带显示了强烈的分段和非均匀特征.坚硬的彭灌杂岩对余震的非均匀性分布和汶川地震复杂的破裂过程起到了重要的控制作用.以松潘—甘孜地块中地壳低速层顶部为底边界,余震主要分布在4~24 km深度范围内的龙门山东缘上地壳高速层内.余震深度分布剖面清晰地显示了映秀—北川断裂和灌县—江油断裂以及汶川—茂汶断裂在20~22 km深度合并为剪切带的特征.小鱼洞到理县方向存在一条长度超过60 km的垂直于龙门山走向的余震分布条带,综合震源机制解和地震破裂过程的研究结果,我们推测,这是坚硬的彭灌杂岩体底部在长期应力积累作用下发生破裂的反映,并成为汶川地震释放出巨大能量的主要原因.     

New Data on Aftershocks of the December 7, 1988, Spitak Earthquake

The paper addresses the collection and analysis of new data on aftershocks that occurred within 20 days of the main shock of the December 7, 1988, Spitak earthquake, Mw = 6.8. The data were used to improve the location of aftershock hypocenters and magnitudes. Available data concerning this 20-day period were the least reliable in terms of completeness, representativeness, and the accuracy of hypocenter location and, in particular, estimation of energy classes and magnitudes. New data were retrieved from the records and bulletins of the seismic stations of the regional and global networks. Hypocenter parameters were determined by means of the minimization of wave travel-time residuals and subsequent double-difference hypocenter relocation. Digital records of the Obninsk and Arti seismic stations (Δ = 15°–18°) and five more distant stations (Δ = 34°–53°) were used to more accurately estimate the surface-wave magnitude of the main shock and strongest aftershock. The aftershock catalog of the Spitak earthquake was substantially revised. First, the previous hypocenter locations (Aref’ev et al., 1991) were improved using the double-difference method; second, new data were retrieved from the bulletins of Caucasian seismic stations. The minimum magnitude of completeness (M _c = 1.9) of the new catalog for the first 20 days after the main shock (when there were no epicentral observations) is the same as that for the period from December 7, 1988, to December 31, 1989. The new catalog contains information on 2090 aftershocks with magnitude M = 1.9 and more for the period from December 7, 1988, to December 31, 1989. The double-difference method allowed the location of the epicenters of clustered earthquakes to be reliably estimated with a longitude error of no more than 4.6 km, a latitude error of 4 km, and a depth error of 5 km. The new spatial distribution of the aftershock hypocenters is better correlated with the tectonic setting than the old data. The new catalog can be used to assess seismic hazard after strong earthquakes in the region.     

The aftershock dynamics of the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake

The aftershocks of the catastrophic Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of December 26, 2004 (M = 9.0) are analyzed in the general context of the theory of critical phenomena. The analysis relies on the idea that, according to this theory, critical transitions have two key properties. The first is that the intensity of the fluctuations in a dynamical system monotonically increases with the approach of the bifurcation point, so that at a certain time instant, a sufficiently strong internal pulse initiates the catastrophe. This transition can be treated as spontaneous. The second property is that the reactance of the dynamical system drastically increases on the approach of the bifurcation. Even a weak external perturbation in the near-threshold interval can result in a catastrophe. In this case, it is reasonable to refer to the critical transition as an induced transition. The aftershocks of the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake are likely to demonstrate the typical features of induced seismicity. First, the strongest aftershock (M = 7.2) occurred 3 h 20 min after the main shock. It could have probably been induced by the round-trip seismic echo. Second, it was found that the spectral density of the aftershock sequence significantly increases at about ～0.3 mHz, which is close to the frequency of the spheroidal mode ₀S₂. This suggests that the spheroidal oscillations of the Earth, which are excited by the main seismic shock, modulate the aftershock activity. Both hypotheses are supported by the analysis of the aftershocks of the Tohoku earthquake of March 11, 2011 (M = 9.0).     

Static stress changes as a triggering mechanism of a shallow earthquake: case study of the 1999 Chi-Chi (Taiwan) earthquake

The role of static stress changes in triggering an earthquake has long been debated in the fields of geophysics and fault mechanics. Valuable data sets for the study of static triggering were provided within the 1-year period following the devastating 1999 Chi-Chi (Taiwan) earthquake (M_W=7.6), during which more than 20,000 aftershocks occurred. In this study, stress waves generated by the Chi-Chi earthquake were calculated using a source rupture model in conjunction with a layered elastic model. Static (permanent) stress changes were extracted from the long-period offsets in the stressgrams. Correlations between the calculated stress changes and seismicity were analyzed at different depths and over varying time intervals to ascertain the impact effects of stress changes on triggering aftershocks. Correlations between prior seismicity rates and static stress changes imposed by the Chi-Chi event were low, while correlations between late seismicity rates and static stress changes were much higher. This indicates that static stress changes did affect the occurrence of the Chi-Chi aftershock sequence. The percentage of early aftershocks at shallow depths (0-10 km) in static stress-enhanced areas within 2 weeks of the main shock was high but decreased considerably at greater depths (>10 km) and over longer time periods. It is concluded that static stress changes at depths of 0-10 km played a major role in triggering crustal aftershocks, especially those that occurred within 2 weeks of the main shock. In the deeper crust, static stress changes may have been modified by viscous flow, and at later times, perturbed by earlier, larger aftershocks. Although the correlations between seismicity rate changes and static stress changes are imperfect, a region that was anti-triggered is detected when these two results are compared. Static stress changes are presumably not the only aftershock triggering mechanism, but they definitively play a major role in triggering shallow aftershocks.     

大柴旦Ms6.3级地震序列精确定位及发震构造初步研究

利用双差地震定位法对2009年8月28日青海省大柴旦地区发生的Ms6.3级地震及余震序列进行重新定位。结果显示:余震序列主要沿宗务隆山南缘断裂带分布;余震序列优势分布方向为北东东。该序列与宗务隆山南缘断裂带走向一致,与震源区的区域构造基本一致,余震主要分布于主震的南侧。此次地震主震发生在宗务隆山南缘断裂带北侧,Ms6.3级地震主破裂面走向、倾向、倾角与该断裂带产状基本一致,主震破裂面南侧余震活动强于北侧。     

A new technique for moment tensor inversion with applications to the 2008 Wenchuan M S8.0 earthquake sequence

A MS8.0 earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China, on May 12, 2008, and subsequently, numerous aftershocks followed. We obtained the moment tensor solutions and source time functions (STFs) for the Wenchuan earthquake and its seven larger aftershocks (MS5.0~6.0) by a new technique of moment tensor inversion using the broadband and long-period seismic waveform data from the Global Seismic Network (GSN). Firstly, the theoretical background and technical flow of the new technique was briefly introduced, and an aftershock of the Wenchuan earthquake sequence was employed to illustrate the real procedure for inverting the moment tensor; secondly, the moment tensor solutions and STFs of the eight events, including the main shock, were presented, and finally, the interpretation of the results was made. The agreement of our results with the GCMT results indicates the new approach is efficient and feasible. By using this approach, not only the moment tensor solution can be obtained but also the STF can be retrieved; the inverted STFs indicate that the source rupture process may be com-plicated even for the moderate earthquakes. The inverted focal mechanisms of the Wenchuan earthquake sequence show that the most of the aftershocks occurred in the main faults of the Longmenshan fault zone with predomi-nantly thrustingwith minor right-lateral strike-slip component, but some of them may have occurred in the sub-faults with strike-slip faulting in the vicinity of the main faults.     

The May 13, 1995, Kozani-Grevena (NW Greece) earthquake: Source study and its tectonic implications

At 08:47 GMT, on May 13, 1995, a strong earthquake of M_s = 6.6 occurred in the NW part of Greece (Western Macedonia) and caused serious damage in the Kozani and Grevena prefectures, but fortunately no fatalities. The maximum observed macroseismic intensity was IX + of the Modified Mercalli scale. The main shock was preceded by several foreshocks and followed by intense aftershock activity lasting several months.The Institute of Geodynamics of the National Observatory of Athens, in order to monitor and study the aftershock activity, installed a seismic network of nine (9) stations operated for a period of 50 days. Thousands of aftershocks were recorded. Based on the analysis of recorded data, a NE-SW trending zone dipping NW is defined.In the field a surface rupture of normal slip was observed, following a NE-SW direction for a length of 8 km with a 4 cm down throw of the NW area. This break was located along a pre-existing minor normal fault, while a main fault system exists 10 km to the SE.The focal mechanism of the main shock shows normal faulting, which is in agreement with the field observations. Moreover focal mechanisms of several well defined aftershocks were computed, showing various types of faulting.     

Relocation of the M 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake and its aftershock sequence

We relocated M8.0 Wenchuan earthquake and 2706 aftershocks with M⩾2.0 using double-difference algorithm and obtained relocations of 2553 events. To reduce the influence of lateral variation in crustal and upper mantle velocity structure, we used different velocity models for the east and west side of Longmenshan fault zone. In the relocation process, we added seismic data from portable seismic stations close to the shocks to constrain focal depths. The precisions in E-W, N-S, and U-D directions after relocation are 0.6, 0.7, and 2.5 km respectively. The relocation results show that the aftershock epi-centers of Wenchuan earthquake were distributed in NE-SW direction, with a total length of about 330 km. The aftershocks were concentrated on the west side of the central fault of Longmenshan fault zone, excluding those on the north of Qingchuan, which obviously deviated from the surface fault and passed through Pingwu-Qingchuan fault in the north. The dominant focal depths of the aftershocks are between 5 and 20 km, the average depth is 13.3 km, and the depth of the relocated main shock is 16.0 km. The depth profile reveals that focal depth distribution in some of the areas is characterized by high-angle westward dipping. The rupture mode of the main shock features reverse faulting in the south, with a large strike-slip component in the north. Supported by the Basic Research Project of Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration (Grant No. DQJB08Z03)