On the GPS-based ionospheric perturbation after the Tohoku earthquake of March 11, 2011

Based on the data from the GPS receiving networks in Japan and America which have a high time resolution (2 min), two-dimensional (2D) distributions of the variations in the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) are constructed both close to and far from of the epicenter of the submarine earthquake of March 11, 2011 in Japan. Above the epicenter, a diverging multi-period disturbance appears after the main shock due to the acoustic gravity waves. Far from the epicenter, the wave trains associated with the tsunamigenic atmospheric internal gravity waves are revealed. These atmospheric waves significantly advance the arrival of the tsunami signal initially on the Hawaiian islands and then on the western coast of North America. The presence of the tsunami precursor in the form of atmospheric gravity waves is supported by the numerical calculations and by the analysis of the dispersion relation for the waves in the atmosphere. The detected ionospheric responses close and far from the epicenter can be used in the early tsunami warning systems.     

On the earthquake of March 11, 2011 near the northeastern coast of Honshu Island

The paper addresses the interpretation of the location, type, and size of the source for the earth-quake of March 11, 2011. The source—a subvertical reverse fault trending in the azimuth of ∼25° along the island arc—is located in the middle part of the Pacific slope of Honshu Island, between 38°–38.5°N and 35.5°N. The length of the source, about 350 km, approximately corresponds to a magnitude ∼8.7 earthquake. In the north, the source is bounded by a sublatitudinal reverse fault, which generated an earthquake with magnitude 7.2–7.5 in 1978. On this segment of the Pacific slope of Honshu Island, there are probably another one or a few other large seismic sources, which are still latent. They are longitudinal reverse faults, which are comparable in scale with the source of the March, 2011 earthquake. The recurrence period of the maximal earthquakes in such sources is more than 1000 years.     

Low frequency seismic noise before a magnitude 9.0 Tohoku earthquake on March 11, 2011

The dynamics of seismic noise before the catastrophic earthquake of March 11, 2011 in Japan is studied in a minute period range using the records of broadband IRIS stations. It is found that the dispersion of the noise and the number of asymmetric pulses recorded within 500 km from the epicenter of the earthquake have drastically increased 1.5 months before the event. This is the highest enhancement ever recorded by these stations during the same interval of the year for the past 15 years since the IRIS network started stably operating. No increase is revealed in the noise recorded beyond 1200 km from the epicenter. The pattern of decay in amplitudes of the anomalous noise with increasing distance from the epicenter to the corresponding stations likely indicates that the sources of the noise were located close to the source of the earthquake. The noise contains both regular and chaotic components.     

88小时:美国地质调查局国家地震信息中心对2011年3月11日Mw9.0日本地震的响应

引言 2011年3月11日日本本州岛东海岸附近海域发生的M9．0地震（Tohoku earthquake,以下称“东日本大地震”——译者注）及其引发的海啸造成数以万计的人员死亡,造成的财产损失可能超过1万亿美元,这是有历史记录以来最严重的自然灾害之一。     

Geomagnetic Disturbances Accompanying the Great Japanese Earthquake of March 11, 2011

Geomagnetism and Aeronomy - This work analyzes the geomagnetic field variations recorded at the Magnetic Observatory of Karazin Kharkiv National University (in the period range of 1–1000 s)...     

Relocation of the 10 March 2011 Yingjiang,China, earthquake sequence and its tectonic implications

An earthquake with M_S5.8 occurred on 10 March 2011 in Yingjiang county, western Yunnan, China. This earthquake caused 25 deaths and over 250 injuries. In order to better understand the seismotectonics in the region, we collected the arrival time data from the Yunnan seismic observational bulletins during 1 January to 25 March 2011, and precisely hand-picked the arrival times from high-quality seismograms that were recorded by the temporary seismic stations deployed by our Institute of Crustal Dynamics, China Earthquake Administration. Using these arrival times, we relocated all the earthquakes including the Yingjiang mainshock and its aftershocks using the double-difference relocation algorithm. Our results show that the relocated earthquakes dominantly occurred along the ENE direction and formed an upside-down bow-shaped structure in depth. It is also observed that after the Yingjiang mainshock, some aftershocks extended toward the SSE over about 10 km. These results may indicate that the Yingjiang mainshock ruptured a conjugate fault system consisting of the ENE trending Da Yingjiang fault and a SSE trending blind fault. Such structural features could contribute to severely seismic hazards during the moderate-size Yingjiang earthquake.     

Anomalous variations in the foF2 critical frequency above Japan prior to the earthquake of March 9, 2011

Based on data from the Japanese Kokubunji and Wakkanai stations of vertical sounding of the ionosphere, the variations in the foF2 critical frequency prior to the strong earthquakes of March 9 and 11, 2011 (M 7.2 and 9.0, respectively), are analyzed. It is found that significant positive disturbances of foF2 had been recorded approximately one day before the first earthquake. Notably, at the Irkutsk reference station, which is located about 3300 km from the earthquake epicenters, there were no significant disturbances of foF2. This suggests that the effects of increased foF2, observed at the Kokubunji and Wakkanai stations, were probably caused by the earthquake preparation processes. The seismo-ionospheric manifestations of the stronger earthquake on March 11, 2011, even if they took place, were hidden by the geomagnetic storm’s effects.     

地球磁场对太阳风的加卸载响应与地震

将磁暴过程作为地球磁场对太阳风的加卸响应，计算分析了北京地磁台１９６５．１－１９７９．１２和１９８９．１－１９９１．１２共１８年垂直分量Ｚ的暴时场Ｄｓｔ加卸载响应比值ｆＤ（Ｚ）的变化。     

Effects of the Tohoku tsunami of March 11, 2011 on the Pacific coast of Russia

The records of the Tohoku tsunami of March 11, 2011, obtained at the nearest Deep-Ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART) stations and the coastal telemetric recorders of the Russian Tsunami Warning System, are analyzed. Such parameters as tsunami arrival times, heights of the first and maximal waves, and predominant periods are presented. The eyewitness accounts and photographs of tsunami effects are presented. The tsunami height distribution along the coast of Kuril Islands is discussed.     

On the Application of Mwp in the Near Field and the March 11, 2011 Tohoku Earthquake

Tsunami Warning Centers issue rapid and accurate tsunami warnings to coastal populations by estimating the location and size of the causative earthquake as soon as possible after rupture initiation. Both US Tsunami Warning Centers have therefore been using Mwp to issue Tsunami Warnings 5–10 min after Earthquake origin time since 2002. However, because Mwp (Tsuboi et al., Bulletin of the Seismological society of America 85:606–613, 1995) is based on the far-field approximation to the P-wave displacement due to a double couple point source, we should only very carefully apply Mwp to data obtained in the near field, at distances of less than a few wavelengths from the fault. On the other hand, the surface waves from Great Earthquakes, including those that occur just offshore of populated areas, such as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, clip seismographs located near the fault. Because the first arriving P-waves from such large events are often on scale, Mwp should provide useful information, even for these Great Earthquakes. We therefore calculate Mwp from 18 unclipped STS-1 broadband P-wave seismograms, recorded at 2–15° distance from the Tohoku epicenter to determine if Mwp can usefully estimate Mw for this earthquake, using data obtained close to the epicenter. In this case there should be a good chance to get reliable Mwp values for stations at epicentral distances of 9–10°, since the source duration for the Tohoku earthquake is less than 200 s and the time window used to estimate Mwp is 120 s in duration. Our analysis indicates that Mwp does indeed give reliable results (Mw ~ 9.1) beginning at about 11° distance from the epicenter. The values of Mwp from seismic waveforms obtained at 11–15° epicentral distance from the Mw 9.1 off the east coast of Tohuku earthquake of March 11, 2011 fell within the range 9.1–9.3, and were available within 4–5 min after origin time. Even the Mwp values of 7.7–8.4, obtained at less than 5° epicentral distance, exceed the PTWC’s threshold of Mw 7.6 for issuing a regional tsunami warning to coastal populations within 1,000 km of the epicenter, and of Mw 6.9 for issuing a local tsunami warning to the coastal populations of Hawaii.     

极低频背景变化及在地震监测中的应用

利用我国极低频台站观测到的天然场电磁数据,对极低频(0.1-800 Hz)电磁场随季节和纬度的背景变化进行初步分析,并以云南通海地震台观测到的震前电磁异常为例,阐述震前异常特征.     

The 11 March 2011 Tohoku Tsunami Survey in Rikuzentakata and Comparison with Historical Events

On 11 March 2011, a moment magnitude M _w = 9.0 earthquake occurred off the Japan Tohoku coast causing catastrophic damage and loss of human lives. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, we conducted the reconnaissance survey in the city of Rikuzentakata, Japan. In comparison with three previous historical tsunamis impacting the same region, the 2011 event presented the largest values with respect to the tsunami height, the inundation area and the inundation distance. A representative tsunami height of 15 m was recorded in Rikuzentakata, with increased heights of 20 m around rocky headlands. In terms of the inundation area, the 2011 Tohoku tsunami exceeded by almost 2.6 times the area flooded by the 1960 Chilean tsunami, which ranks second among the four events compared. The maximum tsunami inundation distance was 8.1 km along the Kesen River, exceeding the 1933 Showa and 1960 Chilean tsunami inundations by factors of 6.2 and 2.7, respectively. The overland tsunami inundation distance was less than 2 km. The tsunami inundation height linearly decreased along the Kesen River at a rate of approximately 1 m/km. Nevertheless, the measured inland tsunami heights exhibit significant variations on local and regional scales. A designated “tsunami control forest” planted with a cross-shore width of about 200 m along a 2 km stretch of Rikuzentakata coastline was completely overrun and failed to protect the local community during this extreme event. Similarly, many designated tsunami shelters were too low and were overwashed by tsunami waves, thereby failing to provide shelter for evacuees—a risk that had been underestimated.     

Observations, Effects and Real Time Assessment of the March 11, 2011 Tohoku-oki Tsunami in New Zealand

The great Tohoku-oki earthquake of March 11, 2011 generated a devastating tsunami in the near field as well as substantial far-field effects throughout the Pacific Ocean. In New Zealand, the tsunami was widely observed and instrumentally recorded on an extensive array of coastal tidal gauges and supplemented by current velocity data from two sites. While the tsunami's first arrival was on the morning of March 12 in New Zealand, the strongest effects occurred throughout that afternoon and into the following day. Tsunami effects consisted primarily of rapid changes in water level and associated strong currents that affected numerous bays, harbors, tidal inlets and marine facilities, particularly on the northern and eastern shores of the North Island. The tsunami caused moderate damage and significant overland flooding at one location. The tsunami signal was clearly evident on tide gauge recordings for well over 2 days, clearly illustrating the extended duration of far field tsunami hazards. Real time analysis and modelling of the tsunami through the night of March 11, as the tsunami crossed the Pacific, was used as a basis for escalating the predicted threat level for the northern region of New Zealand. A comparison to recorded data following the tsunami shows that these real time prediction models were accurate despite the coarse near-shore bathymetry used in the assessment, suggesting the efficacy of such techniques for future events from far-field sources.     

2011年3月11日日本9.0级强震上海地区同震效应分析

2011年3月11日日本发生了MW9.0级地震,在这次地震中,上海地区的两个形变台站的7套观测仪器都记录到了不同程度的异常现象,应变及地倾斜出现幅度不同的震荡波,佘山台垂直摆东西分量在初动时就记录到最大波动,而佘山重力仪记录到的最大波值出现在震级更小的余震发生后。此外查山台钻孔倾斜北南分量以及佘山台垂直摆东西分量均在震后一段时间出现了与GPS记录相一致的加速倾斜。通过将上述现象进行简述分析,以期进一步深入了解上海地区的地形变响应特征。     

利用CSAMT电磁场响应提取激电效应的方法初探

在传统的CSAMT电磁场一雏正演中加入柯尔-柯尔模型,模拟可极化地电断面的CSAMT电磁场响应.通过对均匀半空间、H型地电断面的理论计算,分析了柯尔-柯尔模型参数对CSAMT的Ex、Hy影响特征.基于电场相对磁场对激电效应的反映更加灵敏,提出分别利用Hy与Ex分量反演电阻率、厚度以及激电参数的方法.反演计算表明,该方法克服了电阻率、厚度、激电参数一同反演时受初始模型影响太大,容易陷入局部极小值的问题,可以在一定程度上提取出合适的激电参数.     

The catastrophic earthquake of April 25, 2015, in Nepal: Analysis of seismological data

The paper analyzes available seismic data of the Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the catastrophic earthquake with Ms = 7.9 occurred in Nepal on April 25, 2015. It is shown that this earthquake (also called Gorkha) in its coseismic stage reflected the dynamic situation in the collision zone between the Indian and Eurasian plates, and occurred in the area of the Main Frontal Thrust in the Himalayas. In the last 15 years, the seismicity of this area has demonstrated the features of strong earthquake preparation. The study results are presented for the early postseismic stage (in the first month after the mainshock). It is found that the pattern of a decrease in aftershock activity is similar to that obtained by Tatevossian and Aptekman (2008) for the world’s earthquakes with M > 8. It is regular in the first 11–16 days and can be described by the Omori law, whereas on 17th day after the mainshock, the exponent characterizing the rate of change in the flow of events becomes to irregular. The spatial and temporal distribution of aftershocks of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake qualitatively and quantitatively indicates the heterogeneity of a seismogenic interface of the Himalayan arc collision zone between the Indian and Eurasian plates.     

1999年四川绵竹5.0级地震临震电磁辐射信号的准-静电磁场场强理论估算

1999年9月14日和11月30日在四川省绵竹县清平乡和汉源乡先后发生Ms5.0地震.本文通过都江堰电磁波ULF超低频观测仪震前接收到的电磁辐射信号,对观测场量的某些特征进行理论分析和估算.结果表明:理论估算是针对地下发射、空中接收的方式进行的,且针对ULF频段的磁场,与地下发射-地下接收方式的ULF频段的电场所计算的对比结果表明,此估算结果是合理的;两次地震辐射源峰值电流矩为108～106 A·m量级(平均为107A·m量级),表明两次地震的孕震体与孕震过程可能不是"独立"的.