The Ain Temouchent (Algeria) Earthquake of December 22<Superscript>nd</Superscript>, 1999

—On December 22^nd, 1999 an earthquake of Magnitude M_w : 5.7 occurred at Ain Temouchent (northwest Algeria). This moderate seismic event was located in a region characterized by a low seismic activity where few historical events have been observed. The earthquake, with a maximum intensity of VII (MSK scale), caused serious damages to the Ain Temouchent city and its surroundings. In the epicentral area, 25 people died and about 25,000 people were made homeless. Some minor breaks have been observed in several areas in the field. They were mainly related to minor collapses in the landscape or in volcanic cavities. The focal mechanism has been studied by using broadband data at regional and teleseismic distances, and different methods. The fault-plane solution has been estimated from first motions of P wave. Depth and source time function have been estimated from the modeling of body waveforms. Scalar seismic moment and source dimension have been obtained from spectral analysis. Results show thrust motion, with a horizontal pressure axis oriented in a NW-SE direction, a depth of 4 km and a simple source time function with time duration of 5 s. Scalar seismic moment estimated from waveform modeling is 4.7 × 10¹⁷ Nm, and spectral analysis gives a value of 1.7 × 10¹⁷ Nm and a source radius of 7.5 km.     

Evidence for Quaternary liquefaction-induced features in the epicentral area of the 21 May 2003 Zemmouri earthquake (Algeria, M w = 6.8)

Evidence of ancient liquefaction-in duced features is presented in the area of the 2003 Zemmouri earthquake (M _w 6.8). This earthquake was related to an offshore unknown 50-km long fault. A 0.55-m coseismic coastal uplift was generated and extensive liquefaction has been induced in the most susceptible area which correspond to the seaside and along the hydrographic network, mainly the Sebaou and Isser valley rivers. Field investigations allowed us to identify past liquefaction traces in the Quaternary deposits. The observed features are represented by sand dikes, sills, and sand vents as well as well-preserved sand boiled volcanoes. In this work, we also describe the alluvial environment, the hosted localized stratigraphic layer, the morphology and the geometry of the observed features, as well as the observed deformation (settlement) of the hosted layers that are among characteristics of the seismically induced features as described in worldwide examples. Our observations represent a step towards paleoseismological studies in the region knowing that the May 21st 2003 Zemmouri earthquake is produced by an offshore fault where a direct study of the seismogenic fault is inaccessible.     

Seismotectonics and seismic quietness of the Oranie region (Western Algeria): The Mascara earthquake of August 18th 1994, Mw = 5.7, Ms = 6.0

The plate dynamics in the central western Mediterranean region is characterised by a collision between the Eurasian and African plates. In response to this dynamics, many systems of faults and folds having a NE-SW and E-W trending have been generated along the Tellian Atlas of Algeria. The Oranie region (north western Algeria) has experienced some significant earthquakes in the last centuries, the most important one is that of Oran city on February 9^th 1790, I_o = XI which destroyed the town completely and caused the loss of many lives. Since 1790 no other event was so disastrous except that of August 18^th 1994, M_w = 5.7, which struck Mascara province (Algeria) at 01 h 13 mn GMT. Since the beginning of this century the region has been dominated by a seismic quietness. Thus, no event with magnitude larger than 5.5 have occurred in this area. In relation with this recent event, a seismotectonic framework summarising the tectonic, seismicity and focal solution results is presented. The Maximum Observed Intensities Map (MOI) made for Algeria (Bezzeghoud et al., 1996) is also used to show that the Mascara region is located in an VIII-X intensity zone, which explain partially the casualties caused by the 18/08/1994 (M_w = 5.7) earthquake. This earthquake is not anomalous compared to historical records but is unusual compared to recorded seismicity of this century. The seismotectonic map made in this study and also the review of the focal solutions given by the EMSC, Harvard, and other authors shows that our event is probably associated with a source belonging to a system of faults located in the vicinity of the village of Hacine where the maximum damage was observed.     

中国北天山褶皱逆冲带2016年MW6.0呼图壁地震—盲逆冲和上覆褶皱地震

2016年呼图壁M W6.0地震发生在中国天山褶皱逆冲带北部。然而,由于震级小、震源深且无地表破裂,2016年呼图壁地震的同震断层破裂模型和地震构造至今仍然未知。本文研究表明,2016年呼图壁地震发生在一个深地壳(15~20km)盲逆冲断层上,且深部盲逆冲断层的破裂触发了浅层上覆褶皱的运动。本文使用Sentinel-1A/1B卫星观测的升轨和降轨干涉合成孔径雷达(InSAR)数据反演构建了2016年呼图壁地震的发震构造。研究发现,单个断层不能很好地拟合Sentinel-1升轨和降轨数据观测到的InSAR形变场。基于InSAR观测大地测量数据,研究发现沿齐古背斜发育的一个沿深度方向倾角变化的小断层也在呼图壁地震中发生了破裂,增加了上述小断层后,模型反演残差显著降低。整体而言,2016年呼图壁地震发生在一条走向264.4°、倾角28.8°的地壳深部盲断层上,显著的断层滑移位于地表以下13~18km深度处,峰值滑移量约10.0cm。触发的浅层地壳断层弯曲褶皱具有铲形的断层几何形状,其破裂以逆冲运动为主。浅层褶皱结构上由主震产生的静态库仑应力变化为负,表明对于呼图壁地震浅层断层破裂,动态库仑应力可能比静态库仑应力在触发浅层断层破裂中起着更重要的作用。最后,研究结果表明,深震源的中强地震有可能引发该地区浅层上覆断层弯曲褶皱的破裂。     

Harmonization check of M w within the central, northern, and northwestern European earthquake catalogue (CENEC)

Large data sets covering large areas and time spans and composed of many different independent sources raise the question of the obtained degree of harmonization. The present study is an analysis of the harmonization with respect to the moment magnitude M _w within the earthquake catalogue for central, northern, and northwestern Europe (CENEC). The CENEC earthquake catalogue (Grünthal et al., J Seismol, 2009) contains parameters for over 8,000 events in the time period 1000–2004 with magnitude M _w ≥ 3.5. Only about 2% of the data used for CENEC have original M _w magnitudes derived directly from digital data. Some of the local catalogues and data files providing data give M _w, but calculated by the respective agency from other magnitude measures or intensity. About 60% of the local data give strength measures other than M _w, and these have to be transformed by us using available formulae or new regressions based on original M _w data. Although all events are thus unified to M _w magnitude, inhomogeneity in the M _w obtained from over 40 local catalogues and data files and 50 special studies is inevitable. Two different approaches have been followed to investigate the compatibility of the different M _w sets throughout CENEC. The first harmonization check is performed using M _w from moment tensor solutions from SMTS and Pondrelli et al. (Phys Earth Planet Inter 130:71–101, 2002; Phys Earth Planet Inter 164:90–112, 2007). The method to derive the SMTS is described, e.g., by Braunmiller et al. (Tectonophysics 356:5–22, 2002) and Bernardi et al. (Geophys J Int 157:703–716, 2004), and the data are available in greater extent since 1997. One check is made against the M _w given in national catalogues and another against the M _w derived by applying different empirical relations developed for CENEC. The second harmonization check concerns the vast majority of data in CENEC related to earthquakes prior to 1997 or where no moment tensor based M _w exists. In this case, an empirical relation for the M _w dependence on epicentral intensity (I ₀) and focal depth (h) was derived for 41 master events, i.e., earthquakes, located all over central Europe, with high-quality data. To include also the data lacking h, the corresponding depth-independent relation for these 41 events was also derived. These equations are compared with the different sets of data from which CENEC has been composed, and the goodness of fit is demonstrated for each set. The vast majority of the events are very well or reasonably consistent with the respective relation so that the data can be said to be harmonized with respect to M _w, but there are exceptions, which are discussed in detail.     

Evidence for fault-related directionality and localized site effects from strong motion recordings of the 2003 Boumerdes (Algeria) earthquake: Consequences on damage distribution and the Algerian seismic code

The Algiers–Boumerdes region has been struck by a destructive magnitude 6.8 (M_w) earthquake on May 21, 2003. The study presented in this paper is based on main shock strong motions from 13 stations of the Algerian accelerograph network. A maximum 0.58g peak ground acceleration (PGA) has been recorded at 20 km from the epicenter, only about 150 m away from a PGA of 0.34g, with both a central frequency around 5 Hz, explained by a strong very localized site effect, confirmed by receiver function technique results showing peaks at 5 Hz with amplitudes changing by a factor of 2. Soil amplifications are also evidenced at stations located in the quaternary Mitidja basin, explaining the higher PGA values recorded at these stations than at stations located on firm soil at similar distances from the epicenter. A fault-related directionality effect observed on the strong motion records and confirmed by the study of the seismic movement anisotropy, in agreement with the N65 fault plan direction, explains the SW–NE orientation of the main damage zone. In the near field, strong motions present a high-frequency content starting at 3 Hz with a central frequency around 8 Hz, while in the far field their central frequency is around 3 Hz, explaining the high level of damage in the 3- to 4-story buildings in the epicentral zone. The design spectra overestimate the recorded mean response spectra, and its high corner frequency is less than the recorded one, leading to a re-examination of the seismic design code that should definitively integrate site-related coefficient, to account for the up to now neglected site amplification, as well as a re-modeling of the actual design spectra. Finally, both the proposed Algerian attenuation law and the worldwide laws usually used in Algeria underestimate the recorded accelerations of the 6.8 (M_w) Boumerdes earthquake, clearly showing that it is not possible to extrapolate the proposed Algerian law to major earthquakes.     

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.     

The tectonic settings and seismogenic tectonics of the M5.7 Jiujiang earthquake in 2005,Jiangxi Province,China

The M5.7 Jiujiang earthquake in 2005 was a mid-strong one, stronger than expected to occur in the region. This paper discusses the neo-tectonic settings of this earthquake, and it is thought that the earthquake region is located in the transitional belt, a potential area inducing weak to moderately strong earthquakes, between two large different tectonic units. The results of the reconnaissance work and on-the-spot investigation after earthquake indicate that the occurrence of the M5.7 Jiujiang earth- quake is closely related with the NE-trending fault on the western margin of Ruichang Basin. From its controlling to the landforms and Quaternary depositions, geological profiles, ESR dating, etc., the ac- tivity of the Dingjiashan-Langjunshan fault bounding the basin is discussed. It suggests that this fault displays an active one in Middle Pleistocene by the outcrop. Based on the activity of the fault, and the direction and location of the ground fissures, the isoseismal lines and the nodal plane of the focal mechanism solution, it is inferred that the Dingjiashan-Langjunshan fault is the seismogenic tectonics of the M5.7 Jiujiang earthquake, and the intersection point between this fault and the active NW ones is the possible origin of location of this earthquake. Our study shows that this earthquake is not an event exceeding expectation, and that the active and invisible characteristics of the causative fault are typical in the eastern area of China.     

地磁日变与地震活动关系的主成分分析——以日本岩手县北部6.1级地震为例

本文提出了将主成分分析方法和地磁日变分析方法相结合以从较强干扰背景中提取相对较弱地震地磁信息的一种新思路.具体以1998年日本岩手县北部6.1级地震为例,选用三个地磁观测台资料进行研究.利用调和分析方法得到了各台基于多次谐波拟合的地磁日变曲线,在此基础上对各台的地磁日变形态进行了研究,发现距震中最近地磁台的日变形态在地震前大约两周出现了明显的异常,而其他两个距离震中相对较远的观测台日变形态基本正常.最后,将主成分分析方法应用于上述拟合地磁日变结果,得到了各主成分及其所占能量比的时间变化,结果表明在地震前两周左右第二主成分所占能量比显著增加,而且距离震中最近的台站的上述变化明显高于另两个较远的台站.上述结果表明地震前两周左右检测到的地磁日变异常可能与震中附近地下电阻率的变化或孕震过程中产生的电磁信号存在一定关系,相关研究结果有助于加深对地震电磁现象的认识和理解.     

Source rupture model of the 2018 Mw6.7 Iburi,Hokkaido earthquake from joint inversion of strong motion and InSAR observations

The 2018 Mw6.7 Iburi earthquake shocked the eastern Iburi region to the west of the Hidaka Collision Zone in Hokkaido,which is a destructive inland earthquake.We resolved the kinematic rupture process of the event by combining strong motions(SM)and synthetic aperture radar(SAR)images in a joint inversion.The results reveal that the duration of the whole rupture is about 17s,yielding a total seismic moment of 1.4×1019 N·m(Mw=6.7).The main slip area is located at a depth of approximately 24 km with a peak slip of～0.8m above the hypocenter.The comparison with the regional velocity model shows the earthquake was initiated in the upper mantle,while the majority of slips are located in the lower crust,which is an"aseismic"domain in the typical sandwich model.The location of the major slip area is consistent with a high-conductivity volume.We proposed a mechanism of low frictional property(＜0.3)produced by high pore pressure to explain the abnormal high dip angle and centroid depth located in the ductile lower-crust.Aftershocks are distributed in areas where the Coulomb frictional stress increases due to co-seismic displacement with a mechanism conjugating to the mainshock.     

Coseismic surface rupture characteristics and earthquake damage analysis of the eastern end of the 2021 MS 7.4 Madoi (Qinghai) earthquake

At 02:04 on May 22, 2021, an M_S 7.4 earthquake occurred in Madoi County in Qinghai Province, China. This earthquake is the largest seismic event in China since the 2008 M_S 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake. Thus, it is critical to investigate surface deformation and damage in time to accurately understand the seismogenic structure of the Madoi earthquake and the seismogenic capacity of the blocks in this region. This study focuses on the Xuema Village, located at the eastern end of the coseismic surface ruptures produced by the event, and assesses the deformation and seismic damage in this area based on field surveys, UAV photogrammetry, and ground penetrating radar (GPR). The results indicate that the rupture scale is substantially smaller at the eastern end of the rupture zone compared to other segments. En echelon type shear tensile fractures are concentrated in a width range of 50–100 m, and the width of single fractures ranges from 20 to 30 cm. In contrast, the degree of seismic damage significantly increases at this site. All of the brick and timber houses are damaged or collapsed, while the steel frame structures and the color steel houses are slightly damaged. More than 80% of the bridge decks on the Changma River Bridge collapse, similar to the terraces along the Youerqu and Changma Rivers and the cut slopes of Provincial Highway S205. We infer that the seismogenic fault of the Madoi earthquake exerts a tail effect in this segment. The tension zone has led to a reduction at the eastern end of the rupture zone, causing shaking damage. Local topography and buildings without earthquake-resistant construction along the strike of the rupture zone have undergone different levels of seismic damage.     

Analysis and interpretation of the aftershock sequence of the August 17, 1999, Izmit (Turkey) earthquake

A micro-seismic field experiment has been carried out in the Marmara Searegion. The analysis of the events before and after the August 17, 1999Izmit (Turkey) earthquake has been completed. 1446 events have beenwell located out of a total of 3165 recorded within the period from July15 to November 2, 1999. 67% of the aftershocks with magnitudegreater than 4 have occurred within the first 6 days after the main-shock. Earthquakes of the Izmit sequence are distributed in the first 15 km of theearth crust, but major events are located in between 5 km and 15 kmdepth. The seismicity pattern defines a rupture plane extending for about150 km in an E-W direction. The rupture is extremely linear butsegmented, and its complexity increases towards the western endmanifesting bifurcation. A stress analysis has been carried out both at thewestern end and all along the aftershock zone. 96 selected aftershocks,registered between August 21 and October 22, were chosen in order tocompute their focal mechanisms and obtain information about the stressregime after the Izmit earthquake. Strike-slip and normal faultingmechanisms are dominant. The numerous strike-slip mechanisms arecompatible with a dextral motion on an EW oriented vertical fault plane. The best stress tensor solution shows a regime in extension with awell-defined ₃ axis oriented approximately N35^°.     

The Constantine (northeast Algeria) earthquake of October 27, 1985: surface ruptures and aftershock study

An earthquake of magnitude M_s = 6.0 (CSEM, Strasbourg) occurred at Constantine (Algeria) on 27 October 1985. This seismic event is the strongest felt in the Tellian Atlas since the El Asnam seismic crisis of October 10, 1980. A team from the Centre de Recherche d'Astronomie, d'Astrophysique et de Géophysique (CRAAG, Algeria), utilising 8 portable stations, registered the activity a few days after the main shock. The aftershocks follow a N045° direction, and show the existence of three ruptured segments. Cross sections display a remarkable vertical fault plane and suggest asperities in the rupture process. Surface breaks were found affecting Quaternary deposits. The principal segment is about 3.8 km long showing “enéchelon” cracks with left-lateral displacement while the main direction of the rupture is N055°. Although the vertical motion is small, the northwestern block shows a normal component of the main surface faulting, while the left-lateral displacement is about 10 cm. The strike-slip focal mechanism solution determined from the global seismic network and field observations are in good agreement.     

Decomposing InSAR LOS displacement into co-seismic dislocation with a linear interpolation model： A case study of the Kunlun Mountain Ms=8.1 earthquake

It has always been a difficult problem to extract horizontal and vertical displacement components from the InSAR LOS （Line of Sight） displacement since the advent of monitoring ground surface deformation with InSAR technique. Having tried to fit the firsthand field investigation data with a least squares model and obtained a preliminary result, this paper, based on the previous field data and the InSAR data, presents a linear cubic interpolation model which well fits the feature of earthquake fracture zone. This model inherits the precision of investigation data; moreover make use of some advantages of the InSAR technique, such as quasi-real time observation, continuous recording and all-weather measurement. Accordingly, by means of the model this paper presents a method to decompose the InSAR slant range co-seismic displacement （i.e. LOS change） into horizontal and vertical displacement components. Approaching the real motion step by step, finally a serial of curves representing the co-seismic horizontal and vertical displacement component along the main earthquake fracture zone are approximately obtained.     

Seismic microzoning from synthetic ground motion earthquake scenarios parameters: The case study of the city of Catania (Italy)

The city of Catania (Italy) in the South-Eastern Sicily has been affected in past times by several destroying earthquakes with high values of estimated magnitude. The seismogenic area to the south of Volcano Etna, known as Iblean Area, is placed between the African and the Euro-Asiatic plates on the west of the Ibleo-Maltese escarpment, to the south of the Graben of the Sicilian channel and on the east of the overlapping front of Gela. Basing on the seismic history of Catania, the following earthquake scenarios have been considered: the “Val di Noto” earthquake of January 11, 1693 (with intensity X-XI on MCS scale, magnitude M_W=7.41 and epicentral distance of about 13 km); the “Etna” earthquake of February 20, 1818 (with intensity IX on MCS scale, magnitude M_W=6.23 and epicentral distance of about 10 km). The soil response analysis at the surface, in terms of time history and response spectra, has been obtained by 1-D equivalent linear models for about 1200 borings location available in the data-bank of the central area of Catania of about 50 km², using deterministic design scenario earthquakes as input at the conventional bedrock.Seismic microzoning maps of the city of Catania have been obtained in terms of different peak ground acceleration at the surface and in terms of amplification ratios for given values of frequency.     

利用空间观测技术研究青海玛多7.4级地震孕育发生变形时空特征

为揭示2021年青海玛多7.4级地震震前变形与同震破裂特征,本文系统收集与处理了青海省CORS站和中国地壳运动观测网络等GNSS资料、以及Sentinel-1和ALOS-2卫星SAR数据,通过多源数据综合处理获取了玛多地震形变场动态结果.震前GNSS形变场结果显示,玛多震源区处于其北侧剪切形变高值区边缘,震前存在左旋剪...     

Methods for Measuring Seismicity Rate Changes: A Review and a Study of How the M w 7.3 Landers Earthquake Affected the Aftershock Sequence of the M w 6.1 Joshua Tree Earthquake

The development of fault interaction models has triggered the need for an accurate estimation of seismicity rate changes following the occurrence of an earthquake. Several statistical methods have been developed in the past to serve this purpose, each relying on different assumptions (e.g., stationarity, gaussianity) pertaining to the seismicity process.In this paper we review these various approaches, discuss their limitations, and propose further improvements. The feasibility of mapping robust seismicity rate changes, and more particularly rate decreases (i.e., seismicity shadows), in the first few days of an aftershock sequence, is examined. To this aim, the hypothesis of large numbers of earthquakes, hence the use of Gaussian statistics, as is usually assumed, must be dropped.Finally, we analyse the modulation in seismicity rates following the 1992, June 28 M_w 7.3 Landers earthquake in the region of the 1992, April 22 M_w 6.1 Joshua Tree earthquake. Clear instances of early triggering (i.e., in the first few days) followed by a seismicity quiescence, are observed. This could indicate the existence of two distinct interaction regimes, a first one caused by the destabilisation of active faults by the travelling seismic waves, and a second one due to the remaining static stress perturbation.     

Real-time prediction of earthquake potential damage: A case study for the January 8, 2022 MS 6.9 Menyuan earthquake in Qinghai,China

It is critical to determine whether a site has potential damage in real-time after an earthquake occurs, which is a challenge in earthquake disaster reduction. Here, we propose a real-time Earthquake Potential Damage predictor (EPDor) based on predicting peak ground velocities (PGVs) of sites. The EPDor is composed of three parts: (1) predicting the magnitude of an earthquake and PGVs of triggered stations based on the machine learning prediction models; (2) predicting the PGVs at distant sites based on the empirical ground motion prediction equation; (3) generating the PGV map through predicting the PGV of each grid point based on an interpolation process of weighted average based on the predicted values in (1) and (2). We apply the EPDor to the 2022 M_S 6.9 Menyuan earthquake in Qinghai Province, China to predict its potential damage. Within the initial few seconds after the first station is triggered, the EPDor can determine directly whether there is potential damage for some sites to a certain degree. Hence, we infer that the EPDor has potential application for future earthquakes. Meanwhile, it also has potential in Chinese earthquake early warning system.     

Kinematical and Structural Patterns of the Yingjing-Mabian- Yanjin Thrust Fault Zone, Southeast of the Qinghai-Xizang （Tibet） Plateau and Its Segmentation from Earthquakes

INTRODUCTIONThe Yingjing-Mabian-Yanjinthrust fault zone lies on the southeastern margin of Tibet .It startsfromthe south of Tianquaninthe north,and it extends southwards through Yingjing, Emei , Ebian,Mabian,Lidian to the north of Yanjin of Yunnan, with a total length of 275 km. The fault zoneintersects withthe southernsegment of the Longmengshanthrust fault zone onits northernsegment andborders the Huayingshan-Lianfengfault zone onits southernsegment .It is a 30 km-wide NW-trendin…