Geomagnetic Effects of Remote Earthquakes

Geomagnetism and Aeronomy - The paper presents the results of a study of the relationship of seismic events with geomagnetic disturbances arising from the acoustic impact on the lower ionosphere,...     

Geodynamic processes in seismically active areas of the Tien Shan from monitoring data with the use of nuclear explosions

Recent geodynamic processes in the Tien Shan region are studied by the analysis of time series of effective velocities and traveltime delays relative to the IASPEI-91 traveltime curve of the weakly refracted wave P _n from nuclear explosions at the Semipalatinsk test site over the period of 1968–1989. The time series were constructed for 10 seismic stations located at distances of 800–1200 km from the test site in the regions of the Northern, Central, and Southern Tien Shan. The twenty-year period of observations at stations in the North Tien Shan showed a significant decrease in traveltime delays by 0.20–0.76 s, which corresponds to a 0.2–0.7% increase in seismic velocities. An opposite pattern is observed at stations of the Central and Southern Tien Shan: traveltime delays increased by 0.2–0.5 s and, accordingly, seismic velocities dropped by 0.2–0.5%. These results suggest the predominance of compression processes in the crust and upper mantle during the period of observations in Northern Tien Shan and extension processes in the Central and Southern Tien Shan. The series of velocities and traveltime residuals are characterized by the presence of rhythmic oscillations of various amplitudes and periods against a linear trend. A correlation between variations in kinematic parameters and yearly numbers of earthquakes is observed at all stations. Diagrams of the spectral time analysis reveal rhythms with periods of 2–3 and 5–7 yr. The data obtained in this study are consistent with results of studying the stress-strain state of the Tien Shan crust from focal mechanisms of earthquakes and the velocities of recent crustal movements from GPS data. It is found that the amplitude of variations in kinematic parameters of the P wave at stations located in seismically active regions (the Tien Shan, Kopet Dagh, the Caucasus, Altai, and Sayany) is two to five times higher compared to aseismic regions (the Russian and Kazakh plains).     

The use of local seismic networks for identifying the seismogenic structure of faults

We consider a method for identifying the segments of localization of deformation processes within fault zones. The method is based on the results of seismic monitoring at a dense seismic network in California. For the first time, by analyzing the seismogenic structure of several fault zones, we highly accurately located the domains involved in active deformation processes. Three-dimensional reconstructions show that these domains are a set of local segments each having a characteristic size of about 100 m, which is commensurable with the scale of the probable anthropogenic impacts on the geological medium.     

Identification of Local Seismic Events Using the Mikhnevo Seismic Array

A large number of events with sources in the immediate vicinity of an array are usually detected during seismological observations with seismic arrays. These events should be detected and correctly interpreted during processing of seismic array records in order to avoid clogging up the event catalog. This problem can be solved by classifying records of local events by genetic features and creating a databank with the most representative samples. The present paper considers local events recorded using a unique scientific setup, the Mikhnevo small aperture seismic array. Epicenters of local seismic events are located less than 5 km from the center of the array. Seismic responses of acoustic shock waves are also examined. Seismic events caused by anthropogenic sources are identified and classified using cluster, cross-correlation, and wavelet analysis. Events accompanied only by the arrival of surface waves, as well as events represented by body, surface, and acoustic waves, are identified. Shock wave events are classified as a separate category. A small group of supposedly natural weak events is also found. As a result, a databank of waveforms of local seismic events for the Mikhnevo seismic array is established. In the future, this will make it possible to automate their identification when investigating the seismicity of the East European Platform.     

Time variations in the mechanical characteristics of local crustal segments according to seismic observations

The results of the seismic observations made with two different experimental setups are presented. In the first case, the signals produced by underground nuclear explosions at the Semipalatinsk Test Site were measured on a linear profile, which allowed one to definitely outline the areas where the mechanical properties of rocks experienced considerable time variations. In the second case, the waves excited by the open-pit mine blasts recorded at a small-aperture seismic array at the Mikhnevo Geophysical Station (Institute of Geosphere Dynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences) on the East European Platform favored the estimation of variations in the integral characteristics of the seismic path. Measurements in aseismic regions characterized by diverse geological structure and different tectonic conditions revealed similar effects of the strong dependency of seismic parameters on the time of explosions. Here, the variations experienced by the maximum amplitudes of oscillations and irrelevant to seasonal changes or local conditions reached a factor of two. The generic periods of these variations including the distinct annual rhythm are probably the fragments of a lower-frequency process. The obtained results suggest that these variations are due to changes in the stressstrain state of active fault zones, which, in turn, can be associated with the macroscale motion of large blocks triggered by tidal strains, tectonic forces and, possibly, variations in the rate of the Earth’s rotation.     

Application of a three-component seismic array to improve the detection efficiency of seismic events by the matched filter method

It is found that the best results, in terms of the efficiency of detecting regional seismic phases from blast sources, are achieved by using the method of waveform cross correlation applied to the data from a small-aperture array of three-component sensors