The quiescence of earthquakes with ML34.0 as an important precursory characteristic prior to strong shocks in North China region

Before a strong earthquake, there is often a process of quiescence or 2absence2 of regional seismic activity, which is a phenomenon that has attracted the attention of many scholars in China and other countries (LU, et al, 1985; Wesson, 1973). In the past ten-odd years, some Chinese seismologists made, earlier or later, special studies on the quiescence anomaly of seismicity in some specified areas from different angles. Taking the converted annual frequency of M=5.0 earthquakes in North China region as a characteristic quantity, JIANG and FENG (1989) analyzed the quiescence anomaly of seismic activity by fuzzy recognition.     

Seismicity research in the subregions of Chinese mainland using strain accumulating and releasing model based on G-R relation

Introduction Earthquake activity analysis in different sub-regions in Chinese mainland shows that the dis- tribution of strong earthquakes exhibits the different spatial patterns in different periods. Seismic activity in the same earthquake area or seismic belt is self-similar to some extent, and the charac- teristic in time is some ″periodicity-like″. It shows that the frequency and intensity are quite dif- ferent in different periods (SHI et al, 1997). For a seismic region, strain is one…     

The middle-long term prediction of the February 3, 1996 Lijiang earthquake (MS=7) by the "criterion of activity in quiescence"

IntroductionIn the book Future CataS~ologr published in 1992, we proposed a viewpoiflt on using the"criterion of activity in quiescence" to predict big eathquake (MsZ7) (GUO, et al, 1992), and predicted in the book that in futore several years or in ten years a big earthquake (Ms27) will be possible to occur in the Zhongdian and nearby in Yunnan Province. In the 1994 nation-wide earthquake tendency consultation meeting we pointed out, once more, in the Zhongdian region of Yunnan Province…     

On the calibration of feedback broadband seismometer FBS-3A with current signal

IntroductionWith the time passing by and the environment changing, the characteristics of the components in a seismometer may change a little to some extent because of some certain reasons. Therefore the reliability of a sensor(s output may lower the reliability and a wrong result may also be produced if these changes are not realized and controlled or adjusted in time. Hence, the seismometers must be calibrated either before leaving factory or in use, so as to check the parameters and the cha…     

State Vectors—A New Method for Seismicity Analysis

The concept of state vector stems from statistical physics, where it is usually used to describe the evolution of a continuum field in its way of coarse-graining. In this paper, the state vector is employed to depict the evolution of seismicity quantitatively, and some interesting results are presented The authors investigated some famous earthquake cases (e.g., the Haicheng earthquake, the Tangshan earthquake, the west Kunlun Mountains earthquake, etc.) and found that the state vectors evidently change prior to the occurrence of large earthquakes. Thus it is believed that the state vector can be used as a kind of precursor to predict large earthquakes.     

Seismic performance of an existing bridge with scoured caisson foundation

A three-dimensional rigid body on the shape of a parallelepiped is modelled in order to rock on a side or a vertex of the base,in order to evaluate the seismic response of rigid blocks lying on a horizontal support.The center of mass of the body is considered as eccentric with respect to its geometric center.As seismic input,three Italian recorded accelerograms,with different spectral content,are used.The study is mainly conducted to highlight the differences between the seismic response of 2D and 3D models of rigid blocks,with the aim to understand if,in some cases,the use of the 3D model of rigid block is required to obtain safer results.In fact,the outcomes show that in some ranges of the geometrical and mechanical parameters that characterize the excitation and the body,a two-dimensional model,which is not able to consider the 3D rocking on a vertex,can provide unsafe results.In particular,it is found that the overturning process of the three-dimensional block can occur under excitations which are lower than those which overturn a corresponding two-dimensional block.     

The Time-Frequency Energy Attenuation Factor and Its Application on the Basis of Gauss Linear Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wavelet Transform

Based on the Gauss linear frequency-modulated wavelet transform, a new characteristic index is presented, namely time-frequency energy attenuation factor which can reflect the difference features of waveform in earthquake focus mechanism, wave traveling path and its attenuation characteristics in focal area or near field. In order to test its validity, we select the natural earthquakes and explosion or collapse events whose focus mechanisms vary obviously, and some natural earthquakes located at the same site or in a very small area. The study indicates that the time-frequency energy attenuation factors of the natural earthquakes are obviously different with that of explosion or collapse events, and the change of the time-frequency energy attenuation factors is relatively stable for the earthquakes under the normal seismicity background. Using the above-mentioned method, it is expected to offer a useful criterion for strong earthquake prediction by continuous earthquake observation.     

Field Investigation of the M_S6.8 Wuqia,Xinjiang Earthquake on October 5,2008

A M S 6.8 earthquake occurred on October 5,2008 in the Wuqia region in Xinjiang.The macroseismic epicenter is situated in the Nula village of the Kyrghyz Republic,7km southwest of the Wuqia Yierkeshitan Port in Xinjiang.The epicenter intensity is Ⅷ degrees (outside borders).The areas of intensity Ⅶ and Ⅵ are 7354km 2 and 1031km 2,respectively.This seismic event is related with movement of the NE-trending Kzikeaerkate fault belt.Buildings in the earthquake-stricken area were damaged or affected to a certain extent by this earthquake,accompanied with some phenomena of geological disaster.     

Fault Geometry and Departure of Precursors From the Epicenter

Different tectonic elements may play different roles and their deformation styles and types of anomalies are also different in the process of deformation.Such differences may be the cause of the phenomena of the departure from the region with obvious anomalies from the coming epicenter,which are called "departure of precursors from epicenter." From some new experimental and numerical modeling results,five types of deformation elements are identified according to their roles in the process of deformation in a region.They are the brake(or locked),slip,yield,sensitive,and valve elements.Spatial distribution of different elements,especially sensitive and slip elements,are discussed by taking the bend fault,extension,compression,and complex en-echelon faults as examples.These elements with different roles may overlap each other in some cases or be separated in other cases.It is obvious that for different fault geometry,the spatial layout of these elements is different and thus the position and style of possi     

Characteristics of Seismic Activity in a 3-Dimensional Space before the Wen'an Earthquake,Hebei Province by Relocation of Small Earthquakes in the China's Capital Area

Characteristics of seismic activity before the M5.1 earthquake in Wen'an,Hebei Province on July 4,2006 are analyzed by relocation of small earthquakes in the China's capital area,and some results are obtained as follows:① The seismic activity of M L ≥3.0 in the middle part of the Hebei plain seismic belt displayed a feature of strengthening (lasting 43 months) quiescence (17 months) five years before the Wen'an earthquake.Simultaneously,the strain release curve showed a variation process of accelerating-flatting.② A seismogenic gap in a three-dimensional space,located at the depth of 15km ～ 20km,with 70km long in latitude direction and 90km long in longitude orientation,was formed by M≥2.0 earthquakes four years prior to the Wen'an earthquake.The initial rupture point of the Wen'an earthquake is situated at the bottom of the gap.③ The focal depths of earthquakes with M L ≥2.0 in the middle part of the Hebei plain seismic belt gradually increased from 10km to 30km during the period from April,2003 to October,2004.Meanwhile,the seismic activity obviously strengthened in the middle and lower crust (from 20km to 30km in depth).     

Nonlinear performance of classical damping

The performance of a classical damping matrix, constructed either from the use of initial structural properties or current structural properties, in the step-by-step solution of a nonlinear multiple degree of freedom (MDOF) system is analytically evaluated. The analytical results are confirmed by numerical examples. Consequently, some conclusions are drawn from these analytical results that might be considered as rough guidelines for practical applications. It is found that a classical damping matrix constructed from initial structural properties is adequate for practical applications, since it has approximately the same damping effect as obtained by current structural properties and is more efficient in terms of computing.     

Critical movement of large rocks in currents and waves

Cobbles, boulders, and rocks often are used in a bed protection layer near a structure to protect the underlying sand bed against erosion by combined current and waves. The design of a bed protection layer consisting of loose rocks (rubble mound) requires knowledge of the stability and movement (as bed load) of very coarse materials. If some movement (or damage) is acceptable, the rock diameter can be designed to be smaller. This paper addresses the stability and movement of very coarse materials (cobbles, boulders, and rocks) based on the concept of the critical Shields mobility number. It is shown that the bed load transport of large cobbles, boulders, and rocks can be described by the equations of Meyer-Peter and Mueller (MPM) and Cheng. Both are valid for relatively small Shields mobility numbers. New and general equations for the design of a bed protection layer (including some permissible damage) in conditions with a current with or without waves are proposed based on the Shields mobility parameter and the bed load transport equation of Cheng. Laboratory and field data of critical velocities for pebbles, cobbles, boulders, and rocks have been analyzed and compared to the computed results of the proposed equations. Practical applications are given to demonstrate the general applicability of the proposed equations.     

Influence of Ordovician carbonate reservoir beds in Tarim Basin by faulting

The quality of the Ordovician carbonate reservoir beds in the Tarim Basin is closely related to the development of secondary pores,fractures and cavities. Karstification is important in improving the properties of reservoir beds,and karstification related to unconformity has caught wide attention. Compared with the recent research on the unconformity karst reservoir bed improvement,this paper shows a new way of carbonate reservoir bed transformation. Based on field survey,core and slices observation,transformation of Ordovician carbonate reservoir beds by faulting can be classified into three types: (1) Secondary faults and fracturs generated by faulting improved carbonate reservoir bed properties,which were named the Lunnan or Tazhong82 model; (2) upflow of deep geothermal fluids caused by faulting,with some components metasomatizing with carbonate and forming some secon-dary deposit,such as fluorite. It can improve carbonate reservoir bed properties obviously and is named the Tazhong 82 model; and (3) the faulting extending up to the surface increased the depth of supergene karstification and the thickness of reservoir bed. It is named the Hetianhe model. Trans-formation effect of carbonate reservoir beds by faulting was very significant,mainly distributed on the slopes or on the edge or plunging end of the uplift.     

Deep medium environment of strong earthquakes occurrence in Yunnan region

The deep structure background of earth medium for strong earthquakes occurrence in Yunnan area is discussed in this paper, by using the results on the study of the velocity structure, electrical conductivity structure, geothermal structure in the crust and upper mantle in Yunnan area. The results show that the occurrence of strong earthquakes in Yunnan region is obviously related to the deep medium and tectonic environment such as the existence of the high velocity zone in the upper crust, the low velocity zone or high electrical conductivity layer in the middle crust, local uplift in the upper mantle, high geothermal activity and deep and large fault, etc. The M6 large earthquakes could not take place at anywhere, they often occur at some regions which have a certain background in the deep medium structure. The activity of the earthquakes with magnitude of 5 or less is quite random, the occurrence of them have not the obvious background of the deep medium structure.     

ON THE THEORIES OF HYDRAULIC GEOMETRY

Hydraulic geometry is of fundamental importance in planning, design, and management of river engineering and training works. Although some concepts of hydraulic geometry were proposed toward the end of the nineteenth century, the real impetus toward formulating a theory of hydraulic geometry was provided by the work of Leopold and Maddock (1953). A number of theories have since been proposed. Some of the theories are interrelated but others are based on quite different principles. All theories, however, assume that the river flow is steady and uniform and the river tends to attain a state of equilibrium or quasi-equilibrium. The differences are due to the differences in hydraulic mechanisms that the theories employ to explain the attainment of equilibrium by the river.     

Empirical Approaches to Earthquake Prediction: A Brief Review of the Practice and Research in China

This paper gives a brief review of some progress in the research and practice of earthquake prediction in China in terms of the study of strong earthquake cases in three disciplines of precursory means: crust deformation and strain, underground fluid dynamics, and geoelectro-magnettsm, summarized in the past 30-odd years. All the progress, however, shows that the research of earthquake prediction in China is still in the empirical stage of its development. The main tasks in this stage would involve the following aspects: (1) accumulating earthquake cases, particularly the cases of strong earthquakes with a wide variety of reliable precursory data observed by fixed or mobile networks of different disciplines; and (2) studying the physical mechanism of observational means in more detail and the synthetic model of earthquake preparation based on the theoretical and laboratory researches as well as the data of in-situ observation.     

Precursory Seismic Quiescence Before July 28, 1976 Great Tangshan,China, Earthquake

The earthquake catalog with the minimum completeness magnitude of ML=1.7 during the period from 1970 to 1976 has been used as basic data for the research on seismic quiescence in source area before occurrence of the July 1976 great Tangshan earthquake in China,based on the analyses of the detectability of seismic network,and of relation between earthquake magnitude and frequency in Northern China.The temporal processes of seismicity rate(January 1970-July 1976)before the July 1976 great Tangshan earthquake for four researched sub regions in and around source area(aftershock area)of the mainshock are investigated and compared.It is found that there exist abnormal seismic quiescence with duration of 38 months in the subregion located in western part of aftershock area,which is significant statistically at confidence level of 0.99 and larger by beta-test.In addition,because there were no false alarms except for the above abnormal interval in the west aftershock area,and the Tangshan mainshock and 85% of af     

Seismic retroftting of RC columns with RC jackets and wing walls with different structural details

An original reinforced concrete(RC) column and four strengthened specimens, two with RC jackets and two with wing walls, were tested in this study. The original column specimen was designed to comply with older(pre-1999) design standards so that the usual detailing defi ciencies in existing school buildings in Taiwan could be simulated. Two different structural details were chosen to fabricate the full-scale specimens for each retrofi tting technique. The study confi rmed that either RC jacketing or the installation of wing walls with two different structural details can effectively improve the stiffness and strength of an existing column. RC jacketing shows a better improvement in energy dissipation and ductility when compared to the columns with wing walls installed. This is because the two RC jacketed columns experienced a fl exural failure, while a shear failure was found in the two columns with the wing walls installed, and thus led to a drastic decrease of the maximum lateral strengths and ductility. Since many factors may affect the installation of a post-installed anchor, it is better to use standard hooks to replace post-installed anchors in some specifi c points when using RC jacketing or installing wing walls.     

Tomographic investigation of the upper crustal structure and seismotectonic envi—ronments in Yunnan Province

Investigation has been made for the upper crust structure and seismotectionic environments in Yunnan Province using the plentiful DSS data of the four profiles.The derived velocity model has a good relationship with the ex-posed basins,uplifts and faults.The low velocity anomaly corresponding to the volcano also has been revealed.There exits a prominent lateral inhomogeneity within the upper crust of Yunnan region.The depth of crystalline basement generally ranges from 0km to 5km,and the bedrocks are exposed on the ground directly in some places,nevertheless the thickness of sedimentary cover also can reack to 8km or even 12km at some targe depressions.Although the Changning-Shuangjiang fault is a boundary between two first class tectonic units,its incision depth within the crust maybe shallow.On the other hand,known as the plates‘seam,the Honghe fault has a distinct evi-dence of extending into the mid-lower crust.The widely spread activity of the volcanoes in the geological era has a close relationship with the earthquake‘s occurrence nowadays.Despite of the ceasing of the volcanoes in some places on the ground,the material in the mid-lower crst is still active,and there still exists strong upward stress-As the ceasing of the volcanoes on the surface,most parts of the power from the lower crust and the upper mantle cannot be released;therefore it accumulates at some appropriate tectonic locations.Moreover,the saturation of the water from the basin,the action of other fluids,and the effects of the outer stress maybe another direct reason ac-count for the strong earthquakes‘occurrence in Yunnan region.     

GPS Observation and Study on Recent Crustal Movement in the Northeastern Area of Pamir,Xinjiang

Calculation of repeated observation data at the densified GPS monitoring network in northeastern area of Pamir together with data from IGS stations in the peribphyery of the area yielded the movement rate of more than 40GPS station sites in the area,and,hence,the recent crustal deformation rate pattern and time series of fiductial GPS stations in the area were obtained.The result indicates that the principal movement direction of the GPS station sites is NNW,basically diagonal to the strike of Tianshan fold belt,i.e.a normal compression occurs in the Tianshan region.The movement pattern near Jiashi and its southwestern zone is some different from that of station sites in their surrounding areas,indicating a certain relation of tectonic deformation in Jiashi area to seismic activity during last years.The movement rate of station sites in the periphery of Taim basin less varies and its direction is basically consistent It indicates less or basically no deformation within Tarim basin.