Lessons and Questions from Thirty Years of Testing the Precursory Swarm Hypothesis

In 1976 Frank Evison identified the first examples of earthquake swarms as long-term precursors of main-shock events, and thereby discovered the predictive scaling relations of long-term seismogenesis. From this time on, forecasting became the main focus of his research. After learning from an early attempt to communicate forecasts confidentially to government, he recognised the importance of hypothesis testing, and the precursory swarm hypothesis was cast in a form similar to a regional likelihood model. Tests of its performance relative to a stationary Poisson model at M ≥ 5.8 in New Zealand were begun in 1977. The initial hypothesis was that of a 1–1 relation between swarms and main-shock events. Following a study of the Japan catalogue, the generalised swarm hypothesis, in which multiple swarms were precursory to multiple main-shock events, was formulated. Tests of this form of the hypothesis at M ≥ 6.8 were initiated in a region of surveillance east of Japan in 1983. Eventually the generalised hypothesis was adopted in New Zealand also. In 1999, tests were begun in a region of Greece. In 1994–1995, several main-shock events favourable to the swarm hypothesis occurred, however four main-shock events near Arthur’s Pass, New Zealand, occurred without precursory swarms. Subsequent analysis showed that events called “quarms”, which were similar to swarms but more protracted in time, had preceded these events. This led to the proposal of a qualitative physical process to account for swarms, quarms and the predictive relations: A three-stage faulting process, in which a major crack induces aftercracks in its neighbourhood, just as a main shock induces aftershocks. An inference from this process was that the most general long-term precursor should be an increase of seismicity at similar magnitudes to the eventual aftershocks. It turned out that such a precursory scale increase nearly always occurs before major earthquakes and conforms to the predictive scaling relations. Setting aside the problem of identifying the scale increase before the major earthquake, the EEPAS (Every Earthquake a Precursor According to Scale) forecasting model was formulated. The success of this relatively weak model in forecasting major events in New Zealand, California, Japan and Greece shows that the predictive scaling relations are ubiquitous in earthquake catalogues. Although none of the formal tests of the swarm hypothesis were successful in their own terms, they were beneficial in identifying shortcomings in its formulation, thereby leading to improved understanding of long-term seismogenesis and a better forecasting model. Some puzzling aspects of the scaling relations are whether they vary regionally, and why the precursor area and aftershock area scale differently with magnitude. A more practical question is whether the EEPAS model can be strengthened, by making use of the clustering of some precursors in swarms and quarms, to bring us nearer to the original goal of forecasting individual major earthquakes.     

伽师强震群与加兹里强震群对比研究

对比研究了新疆伽师强震群与乌兹别克斯坦加兹里强震群,发现两者不但在分段上极为相似,而且随时间的发展在能量释放的分配形式上也极为相似,且余震都呈共轭分布,主要地震迁移呈多侧扩展型,强震群序列中各次主要地震的发生表现出一定的的继承性特征,强震前中小地震出现平静。从频度及强度上看,两次强震群第一组强震发生后余震频度及强度较低,第二组强震发生后余震频度及强度较高,第三组强震发生后余震频度及强度最高。     

震群活动和地震预报综述

研究震群和大地震的关系、用前兆震群预报未来地震的发生,是世界范围内比较活跃的课题之一。文章例举了震群的一些指标以说明前兆性震群的预报意义,并从大范围的众多震群活动阐述大震前震群活动的一些特征。根据震群的分布可确定未来大震的发生地点,并解释不同类型震群的力学成因。     

2013年8月河北蔚县小震群遗漏地震检测与发震构造分析

华北地区近年来小震群活动频繁, 在有数字波形记录的中强地震相对缺乏的背景下, 小震群发震构造精细研究可为华北地区地震危险性分析和地震趋势判断提供重要依据. 本文利用匹配滤波技术对2013年8月22—25日河北蔚县小震群遗漏地震事件进行检测, 并通过地震精定位和震源机制求解分析此次震群的发震构造. 计算结果显示, 通过互相关扫描检测到18次被地震台网常规分析遗漏的地震, 约为地震目录给出的13次地震事件的1.38倍. 该震群发震构造有北东向和北西向两组断裂, 震群活动前期以北东向构造活动为主, 后期地震主要发生在北西向构造, 北西向构造在此次震群活动中地震频度和强度均高于北东向构造. 震源机制计算结果显示北西向构造发震机制以正断拉张为主.      

震群活动的一种可能的触发机制

分析了1975年2月4目辽宁海城地震后的熊岳、1976年4月6日内蒙和林格尔地震后的凉城、以及1976年7月28日唐山大震后的宝坻等震群活动的时空分布特点.由位错模式计算了大地震在相应地区产生的附加应力(张应力)的大小(3——6巴),它和由这些震群中的小地震计算的应力降的大小相当.附加的张性应力相当于减小围压.根据不同应力途径的三轴压缩实验以及原地庄水诱发地震的试验结果指出,上述量级的应力变化可以在地壳浅处应力水平已经很高的地区触发地震活动.考虑到地下流体的扩散特性及其作用,初步解释了震群活动的高潮滞后大地震的观测事实,从而引出了大地震对其附近的震群活动的一种可能的触发机制.      

2021年9月4日新疆皮山MS 5.1和9月5日叶城MS 5.0地震总结

系统梳理2021年9月4日新疆皮山M_S 5.1和9月5日叶城M_S 5.0地震发生前地震活动异常特征、地球物理观测异常以及区域构造情况,结果如下：①地震活动异常：皮山M_S 5.1地震前出现前兆震群活动、阿图什至皮山4级地震平静、库车—沙雅4级地震窗口以及地震发生率指数异常;②地球物理观测异常：2项异常,其中形变1项,电磁1项,但与此次地震活动相关性较低;③震源机制：泽普断裂距皮山M_S 5.1和叶城M_S 5.0地震最近,间距分别约15 km和3 km,震源机制解显示2次地震均为逆冲型破裂;④序列分析：此次地震活动序列类型为震群型,主震前存在明显的前震活动,余震较为丰富,余震活动呈阶段性衰减特征。综合分析认为,2021年9月皮山M_S 5.1和叶城M_S 5.0地震组成震群型地震序列,震前地球物理观测异常较少,地震活动异常主要对发震地点具有预测意义。     

Long aftershock sequences in North China and Central US: implications for hazard assessment in mid-continents

Because seismic activity within mid-continents is usually much lower than that along plate boundary zones, even small earthquakes can cause widespread concerns, especially when these events occur in the source regions of previous large earthquakes. However, these small earthquakes may be just aftershocks that continue for decades or even longer. The recent seismicity in the Tangshan region in North China is likely aftershocks of the 1976 Great Tangshan earthquake. The current earthquake sequence in the New Madrid seismic zone in central United States, which includes a cluster of M ~ 7.0 events in 1811–1812 and a number of similar events in the past millennium, is believed to result from recent fault reactivation that releases pre-stored strain energy in the crust. If so, this earthquake sequence is similar to aftershocks in that the rates of energy release should decay with time and the sequence of earthquakes will eventually end. We use simple physical analysis and numerical simulations to show that the current sequence of large earthquakes in the New Madrid fault zone is likely ending or has ended. Recognizing that mid-continental earthquakes have long aftershock sequences and complex spatiotemporal occurrences are critical to improve hazard assessments.     

长白山天池火山区的震群活动研究

2002和2003年夏季流动地震观测揭示,天池火山口附近存在大量的微震活动和一系列震群活动.地震定位结果表明地震主要发生在火山口附近,以震群形式发生的地震全部集中在天池火山口西南部,东北部地震密集区没有观测到震群活动.在夏季以外的其他季节,天池火山区只有一个固定地震台站（CBS）用于地震监测.利用CBS台不同时间的观测纪录,通过波形相关分析发现其他季节的主要震群活动仍然集中在天池西南部.震群的高精度相对定位揭示震源位置沿北西－南东向分布,倾向西南,倾角约80°. 2003年7月13日的震群发生期间,地震震源位置出现从深到浅的迁移现象,同时震源深度较大的地震在不同台站的地震波初动方向几乎全部向上,表明震源具有明显的膨胀分量.考虑到长白山天池火山2002年以来出现明显的地表形变、地球化学异常和谐频地震等现象,我们认为震群活动可能与5 km深度附近存在岩浆热液活动和岩浆增压有关.     

初探地震活动的时间分维特征

本文运用分维的概念和方法,对我国部分强震前地震活动时间分维,前震震群活动时间分维,7级以上大地震的余震活动时间分维和小震群活动时间分维进行了计算。初步结果表明,同一类型的地震活动(如强震前较大时空范围内地震活动、强震的余震、前震震群、小震群等类型)的时间分维十分相近,而不同类型地震活动的时间分维存在着差异,一般说来,强震前的地震活动比较普遍地存在降维现象,表现出临近强震时,震源及附近地区地震活动时间结构的有序性增强。这为地震预报开辟了一个新的途径。     

Self-organization of earthquake swarms

The temporal clustering of swarm activity differs significantly from characteristics of aftershock sequences accompanying mainshocks. This is often assumed to be caused by crustal structure complexities and fluid migration. However, the underlying mechanism is not yet fully understood, especially, the processes and conditions which lead to the apparent differences between the swarm patterns and typical mainshock–aftershock sequences. In previous works, we have shown that the most conspicuous characteristics of tectonic earthquakes can be reproduced by stick-slip block models incorporating visco-elastic interactions. Now, the same model is shown to reproduce an almost periodical occurrence of earthquake swarms in the case of an enlarged postseismic response. The simulated swarms respect not only the Gutenberg-Richter law for the event sizes, they also reproduce several observations regarding their spatio-temporal patterns. In particular, the comparison with the January 1997 and the year 2000 swarm in Vogtland/NW-Bohemia shows a good agreement in the interevent-time distributions and the spatio-temporal spreading of the swarm activity. The simulated seismicity patterns result from self-organization within the swarm due to local stress transfers and viscous coupling. Consequently, the agreement with the Vogtland swarm activity do not allow any decision about the preparatory process of the swarms; in particular, the question whether the swarms are initially triggered by fluid intrusion or tectonic motion cannot be answered. However, the model investigations suggest that the process of self-organization is very important for understanding the activity patterns of earthquake swarms.     

Seismic activity of Erebus volcano,antarctica

Mount Erebus is presently the only Antarctic volcano with sustained eruptive activity in the past few years. It is located on Ross Island and a convecting anorthoclase phonolite lava lake has occupied the summit crater of Mount Erebus from January 1973 to September 1984. A program to monitor the seismic activity of Mount Erebus named IMESS was started in December 1980 as an international cooperative program among Japan, the United States and New Zealand. A new volcanic episode began on 13 September, 1984 and continued until December.Our main observations from the seismic activity from 1982–1985 are as follows: (1) The average numbers of earthquakes which occurred around Mount Erebus in 1982, 1983 and January–August 1984 were 64, 134 and 146 events per day, respectively. Several earthquake swarms occurred each year. (2) The averag number of earthquakes in 1985 is 23 events per day, with only one earthquake swarm. (3) A remarkable decrease of the background seismicity is recognized before and after the September 1984 activity. (4) Only a few earthquakes were located in the area surrounding Erebus mountain after the September 1984 activity.A magma reservoir is estimated to be located in the southwest area beneath the Erebus summit, based on the hypocenter distributions of earthquakes.     

江苏及邻区震群活动特征分析

系统地整理研究了江苏及其邻近地区36次小震群活动,总结了震群活动的参数特征,探讨了震群活动与大震的关系,分析检验了前兆震群类型的判定指标.江苏地区震群活动分布集中,强度以ML2.0～3.9地震为主,震群序列总频次在30次以下居多,持续时间在15天以内的震群占总数的55％;震群序列中地震总频次和震群持续时间与震群的最大震级之间不成正比;研究区78％震群发生后对应M4.6以上中强地震,其中500km范围内时间间隔在1年内的占对应地震总数的57％,具有一定的中短期地震预测指示意义;震群与未来中强地震的距离较为离散,但尚无在原地发生大地震的震例.震群强度大小与未来中强地震的对应率高低和对应的地震强度大小没有明显的相关关系,震群频次的多少与其后发生地震的对应率高低也没有明显的相关关系.采用U-p组合或者全组合判定震群类型的效果相对较好,检验正确率约占总数的50％,但总体而言效果并不十分有效,需要参考其它方法和手段综合判定.     

西南地区前兆震群以及显著地震与区域强震的时空特征

本文系统清理并分析了西南划分的五个预报区[1]中的强震发生前的前兆震群和显著性地震特征。在西南划分的五个预报区中,各区域的前兆震群和显著地震存在共性特征,但又具有明显的区域个性。从共性特征上看,西南划分的五个预报区的前兆震群和显著性地震发生后1-2年可能发生强震,强震一般发生在前兆震群或显著性地震附近地区或相关联构造带上;川滇往往是块体内部构造较复杂的区域,发生的强震会有前兆震群或显著性地震发生。从个性特征上看,西南划分的五个预报区的前兆震群和显著性地震发生与西南地区的地震地质构造具有一定关系,也就是说特殊的构造使得各区域的前兆震群和显著性地震具有明显的个性特征。     

The 2008 West Bohemia earthquake swarm in the light of the WEBNET network

A swarm of earthquakes of magnitudes up to M _L = 3.8 stroke the region of West Bohemia/Vogtland (border area between Czechia and Germany) in October 2008. It occurred in the Novy Kostel focal zone, where also all recent earthquake swarms (1985/1986, 1997, and 2000) took place, and was striking by a fast sequence of macroseismically observed earthquakes. We present the basic characteristics of this swarm based on the observations of a local network WEBNET (West Bohemia seismic network), which has been operated in the epicentral area, on the Czech territory. The swarm was recorded by 13 to 23 permanent and mobile WEBNET stations surrounding the swarm epicenters. In addition, a part of the swarm was also recorded by strong-motion accelerometers, which represent the first true accelerograms of the swarm earthquakes in the region. The peak ground acceleration reached 0.65 m/s². A comparison with previous earthquake swarms indicates that the total seismic moments released during the 1985/1986 and 2008 swarms are similar, of about 4E16 Nm, and that they represent the two largest swarms that occurred in the West Bohemia/ Vogtland region since the M _L = 5.0 swarm of 1908. Characteristic features of the 2008 swarm are its short duration (4 weeks) and rapidity and, consequently, the fastest seismic moment release compared to previous swarms. Up to 25,000 events in the magnitude range of 0.5 < M _L < 3.8 were detected using an automatic picker. A total of nine swarm phases can be distinguished in the swarm, five of them exceeding the magnitude level of 2.5. The magnitude–frequency distribution of the complete 2008 swarm activity shows a b value close to 1. The swarm hypocenters fall precisely on the same fault portion of the Novy Kostel focal zone that was activated by the 2000 swarm (M _L ≤ 3.2) in a depth interval from 6 to 11 km and also by the 1985/1986 swarm (M _L ≤ 4.6). The steeply dipping fault planes of the 2000 and 2008 swarms seem to be identical considering the location error of about 100 m. Furthermore, focal mechanisms of the 2008 swarm are identical with those of the 2000 swarm, both matching an average strike of 170° and dip of 80° of the activated fault segment. An overall upward migration of activity is observed with first events at the bottom and last events at the top of the of the activated fault patch. Similarities in the activated fault area and in the seismic moments released during the three largest recent swarms enable to estimate the seismic potential of the focal zone. If the whole segment of the fault plane was activated simultaneously, it would represent an earthquake of M _L ~5. This is in good agreement with the estimates of the maximum magnitudes of earthquakes that occurred in the West Bohemia/Vogtland region in the past.     

四川木里小震群活动特征研究

本文通过对四川木里地区地震震源位置的重新确定,反演了较大地震震源机制解,结果显示：①重定位后的小震群震中分布成带状,地震震源深度分布在0—12km范围内;②经过对震群空间分布进行仔细分析,认为其发震构造是小金河断裂西侧的一条NWW向分支断裂;③3次4.0级以上地震震源参数存在明显差异,浅源逆冲事件表现有受垂直方向应力（重力）作用的特征,走滑事件表现出与区域应力构造活动有关。     

2005年9月新疆克孜尔震群活动特征分析与震后趋势判定

2005年9~10月新疆拜城县克孜尔地区发生5次4级地震,对该次震群活动的序列特征分析表明,这是一次非前兆性震群。震群中最大地震震源机制解和区域构造特征显示,本次震群的发生可能与克孜尔断裂活动有关。对比分析历史震群及其前后新疆及周边的地震活动后认为,本次震群附近短期内不大可能发生更大地震,但震群活动可能反映了新疆区域应力场增强,新疆及周边地区有发生中强以上地震的可能。     

北京顺义4.0级地震和震后首都圈地震趋势分析

１９９６年１２月１６日顺义Ｍｓ４．０地震，是北京地区近６ａ来最大的一次地震活动此次地震前，首都圈地区地震活动出现了近ＳＮ向弱震活动，１１月份地震活动是全的月频次最低的月份，这些异常现象之后发生了顺义地震。此次顺义地震属非前生震群活动。这次地震活动是顺义及其附近地区１９７０年以来地震活动余震最多的一次。这次地震后应注意今后几个月京西北、张家口附近发生Ｍｓ５．０左右地震的可能。     

新疆天山近7级地震前震群活动的时空分布演化特征

通过普查与系统研究发现, 新疆天山近7级强震之前, 震群活动携带了丰富震兆信息。 主要结果如下: ① 震前1年半至3年多, 包括未来强震震中在内的整个地震带或某一区段震群活动明显增强; ② 在未来强震震中附近, 震群的数量最多且空间分布最为集中, 这些大量密集的震群构成的震群环包围了未来主震震中, 即形成震群空区或空段。 震群空区或空段的几何形状大多为椭圆, 其最大尺度约200 km; ③ 强震之前, 震群数量的多少, 随未来强震震级的增加而增加; ④ 个别强震前几个月, 震群增加的速率有加快的趋势, 同时震群空区内出现填空, 可作为近7级强震进入短期异常阶段的参考标志。 最后, 对所得结果的物理机制以及在地震预报中的应用等问题进行了讨论。     

Earthquake swarms in the Kamchatka subduction zone and estimation of possible tsunami generation locations

An analysis of the space-time locations of earthquake swarms in the Kamchatka subduction zone showed that the source zones of these earthquake swarms, as well as of the epicenters of most tsunami-generating earthquakes, are confined to the seamounts in the barrier ridge between Kamchatka and the deep-sea trench. The ??dot clouds?? of hypocenters of practically all earthquake swarms dip toward the trench on seismic sections that are oriented across the subduction zone trend; this fits the auxiliary focal solution of tsunami-generating earthquakes as was first noticed by L.M. Balakina and is in agreement with the model experiment carried out by L.I. Lobkovskii et al. We discuss a likely scenario for the generation of reverse-thrust blocks whose movements are accompanied by earthquake swarms and by tsunami-generating earthquakes. We estimate the locations of the most probable tsunami generation.