Study on a gravity precursor mode of the Ms=7.0 Lijiang earthquake

To study the seismogeny process or the precursory behavior of the 1976Ms=7.0 Lijiang earthquake,we analyze the repeat gravity data with high precision from the Westem Yunnan Earthquake Prediction Experiment Area(WYEPEA)and the relted results of geology and geophysics survey in this paper.Considering the gross errors caused by observation data and model difference,we have firstly inverted the slip distribution of the main active faults with time based on the robust Bayesian least squares estimation and multi-fault dislocation model.The re-sults show that the slip changes of the faults with time from 1990to 1997obviously reflect the preparation process of the Lijiang earthquake.The images of main precursor mode have the characteristic of main shock-after shock type,which is agreement to the model of coupling movement tetween crust density and crust deformation(DD mode of coupling movement).     

丽江7.0级地震重力前兆模式研究<

为了研究1996年丽江MＳ7.0地震前地震孕育过程或前兆表现，利用滇西地震实验场内高精度重复重力观测数据，结合地质调查和地球物理推断结果，并考虑到观测数据和模型粗差， 采用稳健或抗差-贝叶斯最小二乘算法和多断层位错模型，首次初步反演获得了研究区主要活动断裂滑动的时间变化分布．结果表明，1990～1997年断层运动的时间变化，较好地反映了1996年丽江MＳ7.0地震孕育过程．其主要前兆模式图象具有主震余震型特征，遵循地壳内部密度和地壳形变耦合运动模式（简称DD耦合运动模式）．      

Study on a gravity precursor mode of the M_S=7.0 Lijiang earthquake

Introduction Earthquake prediction must be based on some kind of precursors. The precursors are some things that will indicate a shock occurrence (MEI, et al, 1993). The information of earthquake precursors comes from a deep-seated interior of crust. Therefore the analysis and pick-up of pre-cursory information should be based on the internal process of crustal movement, which includes the earthquake preparation. Being the weak parts of crust, the slip and dislocation of faults can cause cru…     

GPS time-series and its response to <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>S</Subscript>=8.1 Kunlunshan earthquake

In this paper, observation data in 25 GPS reference stations of China have been analyzed by calculating GPS position coordinate time-series with GIPSY. Result shows there is an obvious trend variation in such time-series. The trend variations of time series along the longitude and latitude coordinate reflect the motion of each position in the global-plate, in which the trend variation in the vertical direction reveals some large-scale construction information or reflects the local movement around the positions. The analysis also shows that such time-series have a variation cycle of nearly 1.02 a, but the reason still remains to be further studied. At the end of this paper, response of the time-series of M _S=8.1 Kunlunshan earthquake was analyzed, and the seismogenic process of M _S=8.1 Kunlunshan earthquake, according to the time proceeding and the feature of anomaly, was divided into 3 phases—changes in blocks with forces, strain accumulation, quick accumulation and slow release of energy. At the initial stage of seismogenic process of M _S=8.1 earthquake and at the imminent earthquake, coseismic process as well as during the post earthquake recovery, anomaly in vertical direction is always in a majority. The anomalous movement in vertical direction at the initial stage resulted in a blocking between faults, while at the middle stage of seismogenic process, the differential movement between blocks are in a majority, which is the major reason causing energy accumulating at the blocking stage of faults.     

3D <Emphasis Type="Italic">v</Emphasis><Subscript>P</Subscript> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">v</Emphasis><Subscript>S</Subscript> models of southeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau from joint inversion of body-wave arrival times and surface-wave dispersion data

A new 3D velocity model of the crust and upper mantle in the southeastern (SE) margin of the Tibetan plateau was obtained by joint inversion of body- and surface-wave data. For the body-wave data, we used 7190 events recorded by 102 stations in the SE margin of the Tibetan plateau. The surface-wave data consist of Rayleigh wave phase velocity dispersion curves obtained from ambient noise cross-correlation analysis recorded by a dense array in the SE margin of the Tibetan plateau. The joint inversion clearly improves the v _S model because it is constrained by both data types. The results show that at around 10 km depth there are two low-velocity anomalies embedded within three high-velocity bodies along the Longmenshan fault system. These high-velocity bodies correspond well with the Precambrian massifs, and the two located to the northeast of 2013 M _S 7.0 Lushan earthquake are associated with high fault slip areas during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The aftershock gap between 2013 Lushan earthquake and 2008 Wenchuan earthquake is associated with low-velocity anomalies, which also acts as a barrier zone for ruptures of two earthquakes. Generally large earthquakes (M ≥ 5) in the region occurring from 2008 to 2015 are located around the high-velocity zones, indicating that they may act as asperities for these large earthquakes. Joint inversion results also clearly show that there exist low-velocity or weak zones in the mid-lower crust, which are not evenly distributed beneath the SE margin of Tibetan plateau.     

A new technique for moment tensor inversion with applications to the 2008 Wenchuan <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>S</Subscript>8.0 earthquake sequence

A M_S8.0 earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province, China, on May 12, 2008, and subsequently, numerous aftershocks followed. We obtained the moment tensor solutions and source time functions (STFs) for the Wenchuan earthquake and its seven larger aftershocks (M_S5.0～6.0) by a new technique of moment tensor inversion using the broadband and long-period seismic waveform data from the Global Seismic Network (GSN). Firstly, the theoretical background and technical flow of the new technique was briefly introduced, and an aftershock of the Wenchuan earthquake sequence was employed to illustrate the real procedure for inverting the moment tensor; secondly, the moment tensor solutions and STFs of the eight events, including the main shock, were presented, and finally, the interpretation of the results was made. The agreement of our results with the GCMT results indicates the new approach is efficient and feasible. By using this approach, not only the moment tensor solution can be obtained but also the STF can be retrieved; the inverted STFs indicate that the source rupture process may be complicated even for the moderate earthquakes. The inverted focal mechanisms of the Wenchuan earthquake sequence show that the most of the aftershocks occurred in the main faults of the Longmenshan fault zone with predominantly thrustingwith minor right-lateral strike-slip component, but some of them may have occurred in the subfaults with strike-slip faulting in the vicinity of the main faults.     

Joint inversion of GNSS and teleseismic data for the rupture process of the 2017 <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>w</Subscript>6.5 Jiuzhaigou,China, earthquake

The spatio-temporal slip distribution of the earthquake that occurred on 8 August 2017 in Jiuzhaigou, China, was estimated from the teleseismic body wave and near-field Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data (coseismic displacements and high-rate GPS data) based on a finite fault model. Compared with the inversion results from the teleseismic body waves, the near-field GNSS data can better restrain the rupture area, the maximum slip, the source time function, and the surface rupture. The results show that the maximum slip of the earthquake approaches 1.4 m, the scalar seismic moment is ~ 8.0 × 10¹⁸ N·m (M_w?≈?6.5), and the centroid depth is ~ 15 km. The slip is mainly driven by the left-lateral strike-slip and it is initially inferred that the seismogenic fault occurs in the south branch of the Tazang fault or an undetectable fault, a NW-trending left-lateral strike-slip fault, and belongs to one of the tail structures at the easternmost end of the eastern Kunlun fault zone. The earthquake rupture is mainly concentrated at depths of 5–15 km, which results in the complete rupture of the seismic gap left by the previous four earthquakes with magnitudes >?6.0 in 1973 and 1976. Therefore, the possibility of a strong aftershock on the Huya fault is low. The source duration is ~ 30 s and there are two major ruptures. The main rupture occurs in the first 10 s, 4 s after the earthquake; the second rupture peak arrives in ~ 17 s. In addition, the Coulomb stress study shows that the epicenter of the earthquake is located in the area where the static Coulomb stress change increased because of the 12 May 2017 M_w7.9 Wenchuan, China, earthquake. Therefore, the Wenchuan earthquake promoted the occurrence of the 8 August 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake.     

Mapping three-dimensional co-seismic surface deformations associated with the 2015 <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>W</Subscript>7.2 Murghab earthquake based on InSAR and characteristics of crustal strain

Three-dimensional (3D) co-seismic surface deformations are of great importance to interpret the characteristics of coseismic deformations and to understand the geometries and dynamics of seismogenic faults. In this paper, we propose a method for mapping 3D co-seismic deformations based on InSAR observations and crustal strain characteristics. In addition, the search strategy of correlation points is optimized by adaptive correlation distance, which greatly improves the applicability of the proposed method in restoring deformations in decorrelation areas. Results of the simulation experiment reveal that the proposed method is superior to conventional methods in both the accuracy and completeness. The proposed method is then applied to map the 3D co-seismic surface deformations associated with the 2015 M_W7.2 Murghab earthquake using ascending and descending ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 images. The results show that the seismogenic fault is the Sarez-Karakul fault (SKF), which is dominated by NE-SW strike slips with an almost vertical dip angle. The north section and the south segment near the epicentre have obvious subsidence along with a southwestward motion in the northwest wall, and the southeast wall has northeast movement and surface uplift trend along the fault zone. The strain field of the earthquake is also obtained by the proposed method. It is found that the crustal block of the seismic area is obviously affected by dilatation and shear forces, which is in good agreement with the movement character of the sinistral slip.     

Soil H<Subscript>2</Subscript> and CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Surveys at Several Active Faults in Japan

Soil H₂ and CO₂ surveys were carried out along seven active faults and around the aftershock region of the 2000 Tottori-ken Seibu earthquake in Japan. Diffuse CO₂ effluxes were also measured along one fault and around the 2000 aftershock region. The results show highly variable H₂ concentration in space and time and it seems that the maximum H₂ concentration at each active fault correlates with fault activity as exemplified by the time of the latest big earthquakes. Even though observed H₂ concentrations in four faults were markedly lower than those collected previously in the latter half of the 1970s, it is evident that the higher H₂ concentrations in this study are due to the addition of the fault gases. Comparing the chemical composition of trapped gases (H₂: 5–20% and CO₂/H₂: 0.5–12) in fractured rocks of drill cores bored at the Nojima fault, a soil gas sample with the highest H₂ concentration showed large amounts of the trapped fault gas, diluted with atmospheric component. The profile experiment across a fracture zone at the Yamasaki fault showed higher H₂ concentrations and lower CO₂/H₂ ratios as was observed in soil gas from the fracture zone. A few days after the 2000 Tottori-kei Seibu earthquake, no CO₂ effluxes related to the occurrence of earthquakes were observed at the aftershock region. However, only above the epicenter zone, relatively high H₂ concentrations in soil gases were observed.     

Frequency-dependent rupture process,stress change,and seismogenic mechanism of the 25 April 2015 Nepal Gorkha <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>w</Subscript> 7.8 earthquake

On 25 April 2015, an M _w 7.8 earthquake occurred on the Main Himalaya Thrust fault with a dip angle of ~ 7° about 77 km northwest of Kathmandu, Nepal. This Nepal Gorkha event is the largest one on the Himalayan thrust belt since 1950. Here we use the compressive sensing method in the frequency domain to track the seismic radiation and rupture process of this event using teleseismic P waves recorded by array stations in North America. We also compute the distribution of static shear stress changes on the fault plane from a coseismic slip model. Our results indicate a dominant east-southeastward unilateral rupture process from the epicenter with an average rupture speed of ~3 km s^?1. Coseismic radiation of this earthquake shows clear frequency-dependent features. The lower frequency (0.05–0.3 Hz) radiation mainly originates from large coseismic slip regions with negative coseismic shear stress changes. In comparison, higher frequency (0.3–0.6 Hz) radiation appears to be from the down-dip part around the margin of large slip areas, which has been loaded and presents positive coseismic shear stress changes. We propose an asperity model to interpret this Nepal earthquake sequence and compare the frequency-dependent coseismic radiation with that in subduction zones. Such frequency-dependent radiation indicates the depth-varying frictional properties on the plate interface of the Nepal section in the main Himalaya thrust system, similar to previous findings in oceanic subduction zones. Our findings provide further evidence of the spatial correlation between changes of static stress status on the fault plane and the observed frequency-dependent coseismic radiation during large earthquakes. Our results show that the frequency-dependent coseismic radiation is not only found for megathrust earthquakes in the oceanic subduction environment, but also holds true for thrust events in the continental collision zone.     

Moment tensor inversion and source rupture process of the September 27, 2003 <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>S</Subscript>=7.9 earthquake occurred in the border area of China,Russia and Mongolia

We conducted moment tensor inversion and studied source rupture process for M _S=7.9 earthquake occurred in the border area of China, Russia and Mongolia on September 27 2003, by using digital teleseismic P-wave seismograms recorded by long-period seismograph stations of the global seismic network. Considering the aftershock distribution and the tectonic settings around the epicentral area, we propose that the M _S=7.9 earthquake occurred on a fault plane with the strike of 127°, the dip of 79° and the rake of 171°. The rupture process inversion result of M _S=7.9 earthquake shows that the total rupture duration is about 37 s, the scalar moment tensor is M ₀=0.97×10²⁰ N·m. Rupture mainly occurred on the shallow area with 110 km long and 30 km wide, the location in which the rupture initiated is not where the main rupture took place, and the area with slip greater than 0.5 m basically lies within 35 km deep middle-crust under the earth surface. The maximum static slip is 3.6 m. There are two distinct areas with slip larger than 2.0 m. We noticed that when the rupture propagated towards northwest and closed to the area around the M _S=7.3 hypocenter, the slip decreased rapidly, which may indicate that the rupture process was stopped by barriers. The consistence of spatial distribution of slip on the fault plane with the distribution of aftershocks also supports that the rupture is a heterogeneous process owing to the presence of barriers.     

Structural features and seismotectonic implications of coseismic surface ruptures produced by the 2016 <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>w</Subscript> 7.1 Kumamoto earthquake

Field investigations and analyses of satellite images and aerial photographs reveal that the 2016 M _w 7.1 (Mj 7.3) Kumamoto earthquake produced a ～40-km surface rupture zone striking NE-SW on central Kyushu Island, Japan. Coseismic surface ruptures were characterized by shear faults, extensional cracks, and mole tracks, which mostly occurred along the pre-existing NE-SW-striking Hinagu–Futagawa fault zone in the southwest and central segments, and newly identified faults in the northeast segment. This study shows that (i) the Hinagu–Futagawa fault zone triggered the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake and controlled the spatial distribution of coseismic surface ruptures; (ii) the southwest and central segments were dominated by right-lateral strike-slip movement with a maximum in-site measured displacement of up to 2.5 m, accompanied by a minor vertical component. In contrast, the northeast segment was dominated by normal faulting with a maximum vertical offset of up to 1.75 m with a minor horizontal component that formed graben structures inside Aso caldera; (iii) coseismic rupturing initiated at the jog area between the Hinagu and Futagawa faults, then propagated northeastward into Aso caldera, where it terminated. The 2016 M _w 7.1 Kumamoto earthquake therefore offers a rare opportunity to study the relationships between coseismic rupture processes and pre-existing active faults, as well as the seismotectonics of Aso volcano.     

Source process of the 14 November 2001 western Kunlun Mountain <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>S</Subscript>=8.1 earthquake

Based on digital teleseismic P-wave seismograms recorded by 28 long-period seismograph stations of the global seismic network, source process of the November 14, 2001 western Kunlun Mountain M _S=8.1 (M _W=7.8) earthquake is estimated by a new inversion method. The result shows that the earthquake is a very complex rupture event. The source rupture initiated at the hypocenter (35.95°N, 90.54°E, focal depth 10 km, by USGS NEIC), and propagated to the west at first. Then, in several minutes to a hundred minutes and over a large spatial range, several rupture growth points emerged in succession at the eastern end and in the central part of the finite fault. And then the source rupture propagated from these rupture growth points successively and, finally, stopped in the area within 50 km to the east of the centroid position (35.80°N, 92.91°E, focal depth 15 km, by Harvard CMT). The entire rupture lasted for 142 s, and the source process could be roughly separated into three stages: The first stage started at the 0 s and ended at the 52 s, lasting for 52 s and releasing approximately 24.4% of the total moment; The second stage started at the 55 s and ended at the 113 s, lasting for 58 s and releasing approximately 56.5% of the total moment; The third stage started at the 122 s and ended at the 142 s, lasting for 20 s and releasing approximately 19.1% of the total moment. The length of the ruptured fault plane is about 490 km. The maximum width of the ruptured fault plane is about 45 km. The rupture mainly occurred within 30 km in depth under the surface of the Earth. The average static slip in the underground rocky crust is about 1.2 m with the maximum static slip 3.6 m. The average static stress drop is about 5 MPa with the maximum static stress drop 18 MPa. The maximum static slip and the maximum stress drop occurred in an area within 50 km to the east of the centroid position.     

Fault complexity associated with the 14 August 2003 M<Subscript>w</Subscript>6.2 Lefkada,Greece, aftershock sequence

The M _w 6.2 Lefkada earthquake occurred on 14 August 2003 beneath the western coastline of Lefkada Island. The main shock was followed by an intense aftershock activity, which formed a narrow band extending over the western coast of the Island and the submarine area between Lefkada and Kefalonia Islands, whereas additional off fault aftershocks formed spatial clusters on the central and northwestern part of the Island. The aftershock spatial distribution revealed the activation of along-strike adjacent fault segment as well as of secondary faults close to the main rupture. The properties of the activated segments were illuminated by the precisely located aftershocks, fault plane solutions determination and the cross sections performed parallel and normal to their strike. The aftershock focal mechanisms exhibited mainly strike slip faulting throughout the activated area, although deviation of the dominant stress pattern is also observed. The results help to emphasize the importance of the identification of activated nearby fault segments possibly triggered by the main rupture. Because such segments are capable to produce moderate events causing appreciable damage, they should be viewed with caution in seismic hazard assessment in addition to the major regional faults.     

Deep tectonic setting of the 2008 Wenchuan <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>s</Subscript>8.0 earthquake in southwestern China

Teleseismic P-wave receiver functions at 20 broadband seismic stations in the Longmenshan fault zone (LMFZ) and its vicinity were extracted, and the crustal thickness and the P- and S-wave velocity ratio were calculated by use of the H-k stacking algorithm. With the results as constraints, the S-wave velocity structures beneath each station were determined by the inversion of receiver functions. The crustal structure of the Rear-range zone is similar to that of the Songpan-Garze Block, whereas the velocity structure of the Fore-range zone resembles that of Sichuan Basin, implying that the Central Principal Fault of LMFZ is the boundary between the eastern Tibetan Plateau and the Yangtze Block. Lower velocity zone exists in lower crust of the Songpan-Garze Block and the central-southern segment of the Rear-range zone, which facilitates the detachment of the material in upper and middle crust. Joint analysis of the receiver functions and the Bouguer gravity anomalies supports the thesis on the detachment-thrust mode of the LMFZ. A double-detachment pattern is suggested to the tectonic setting in the Songpan-Garze Block. The upper detachment occurs at the depth of 10-15 km, and represents a high-temperature ductile shear zone. There is a lower detachment at the depth of about 30 km, below which the lower crust flow exists in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Interpretation of the Bouguer gravity anomalies indicates that the Sichuan Basin is of higher density in upper and middle crust in comparison with that of the Songpan-Garze Block. The LMFZ with higher density is the result from the thrusting of the Songpan-Garze Block over the Sichuan Basin. In the lower crust, higher P velocity and higher density in the Sichuan Basin are related to more rigid material, while lower S velocity and lower density in the Songpan-Garze Block are related to the softened and weakened material. The higher density block beneath the Sichuan Basin obstructs the eastward flow of lower crustal material from the Tibetan Plateau, which is driven by the compression of northward movement of Indian Plate. The eastward movement of upper and middle crustal material is also obstructed by the rigid Yangtze Block, resulting in the stress concentrated and accumulated along the LMFZ. When the stress releases sharply, the Wenchuan M _s8.0 earthquake occurs. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40334041, 40774037) and Joint Foundation of Earthquake Science (Grant No. 1040062)     

Focal depths for moderate-sized aftershocks of the Wenchuan <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>S</Subscript>8.0 earthquake and their implications

Sliding-window cross-correlation method is firstly adopted to identify sPn phase, and to constrain focal depth from regional seismograms, by measuring the time separation between sPn and Pn phases. We present the focal depths of the 17 moderate-sized aftershocks (M _S⩾5.0) of the Wenchuan M _S8.0 earthquake, using the data recorded by the regional seismic broadband networks of Shaanxi, Qinghai, Gansu, Yunnan and Sichuan. Our results show focal depths of aftershocks range from 8 to 20 km, and tend to cluster at two average depths, separate at 32.5°N, i.e., 11 km to the south and 17 km to the north, indicating that these aftershocks are origin of upper-to-middle crust. Combined with other results, we suggest that the Longmenshan fault is not a through-going crustal fault and the Pingwu-Qingchuan fault may be not the northward extension of the Longmenshan thrust fault. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40604009 and 40574040) and Special Project for the Fundamental R & D of Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration (Grant No.DQJB08B20)     

Preliminary analysis on the source properties and seismogenic structure of the 2017 <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>s</Subscript>7.0 Jiuzhaigou earthquake

At GMT time 13:19, August 8, 2017, an M_s7.0 earthquake struck the Jiuzhaigou region in Sichuan Province, China, causing severe damages and casualties. To investigate the source properties, seismogenic structures, and seismic hazards, we systematically analyzed the tectonic environment, crustal velocity structure in the source region, source parameters and rupture process, Coulomb failure stress changes, and 3-D features of the rupture plane of the Jiuzhaigou earthquake. Our results indicate the following: (1) The Jiuzhaigou earthquake occurred on an unmarked fault belonging to the transition zone of the east Kunlun fault system and is located northwest of the Huya fault. (2) Both the mainshock and aftershock rupture zones are located in a region where crustal seismic velocity changes dramatically. Southeast to the source region, shear wave velocity at the middle to lower crust is significantly low, but it rapidly increases northeastward and lies close to the background velocity across the rupture fault. (3) The aftershock zone is narrow and distributes along the northwest-southeast trend, and most aftershocks occur within a depth range of 5–20 km. (4) The focal mechanism of the Jiuzhaigou earthquake indicates a left-lateral strike-slip fault, with strike, dip, and rake angles of 152°, 74° and 8°, respectively. The hypocenter depth measures 20 km, whereas the centroid depth is about 6 km. The co-seismic rupture mainly concentrates at depths of 3–13 km, with a moment magnitude (M_w) of 6.5. (5) The co-seismic rupture also strengthens the Coulomb failure stress at the two ends of the rupture fault and the east segment of the Tazang fault. Aftershocks relocation results together with geological surveys indicate that the causative fault is a near vertical fault with notable spatial variations: dip angle varies within 66°–89° from northwest to southeast and the average dip angle measures ~84°. The results of this work are of fundamental importance for further studies on the source characteristics, tectonic environment, and seismic hazard evaluation of the Jiuzhaigou earthquake.     

Source Parameters of the 8 October, 2005 M<Subscript>w</Subscript>7.6 Kashmir Earthquake

During the last six years, the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad has established a semi-permanent seismological network of 5 broadband seismographs and 10 accelerographs in the Kachchh seismic zone, Gujarat, with the prime objective to monitor the continued aftershock activity of the 2001 M_w7.7 Bhuj mainshock. The reliable and accurate broadband data for the M_w 7.6 (8 Oct., 2005) Kashmir earthquake and its aftershocks from this network, as well as from the Hyderabad Geoscope station, enabled us to estimate the group velocity dispersion characteristics and the one-dimensional regional shear-velocity structure of peninsular India. Firstly, we measure Rayleigh- and Love-wave group velocity dispersion curves in the range of 8 to 35 sec and invert these curves to estimate the crustal and upper mantle structure below the western part of peninsular India. Our best model suggests a two-layered crust: The upper crust is 13.8-km thick with a shear velocity (Vs) of 3.2 km/s; the corresponding values for the lower crust are 24.9 km and 3.7 km/sec. The shear velocity for the upper mantle is found to be 4.65 km/sec. Based on this structure, we perform a moment tensor (MT) inversion of the bandpass (0.05–0.02 Hz) filtered seismograms of the Kashmir earthquake. The best fit is obtained for a source located at a depth of 30 km, with a seismic moment, Mo, of 1.6 × 10²⁷ dyne-cm, and a focal mechanism with strike 19.5°, dip 42°, and rake 167°. The long-period magnitude (M_A ~ M_w) of this earthquake is estimated to be 7.31. An analysis of well-developed sPn and sSn regional crustal phases from the bandpassed (0.02–0.25 Hz) seismograms of this earthquake at four stations in Kachchh suggests a focal depth of 30.8 km.     

Constraints on rupture speed of the 2001 <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript>S</Subscript> 8.1 West Kunlun Mountain Pass earthquake by co-seismic surface rupture slip displacements based on the slip-weakening mechanism with frictional undershoot involved

With co-seismic surface rupture slip displacements provided by the field observation for the 2001 M_S8.1 West Kunlun Mountain Pass earthquake, this paper estimates the rupture speed on the main faulting segment with a long straight fault trace on the surface based on a simple slip-weakening rupture model, in which the frictional overshoot or undershoot are involved in consideration of energy partition during the earthquake faulting. In contrast to the study of Bouchon and Vallée, in which the rupture propagation along the main fault could exceed the local shear-wave speed, perhaps reach the P-wave speed on a certain section of fault, our results show that, under a slip-weakening assumption combined with a frictional undershoot (partial stress drop model), average rupture speed should be equal to or less than the Rayleigh wave speed with a high seismic radiation efficiency, which is consistent with the result derived by waveform inversion and the result estimated from source stress field. Associated with the surface rupture mechanism, such as partial stress drop (frictional undershoot) associated with the apparent stress, an alternative rupture mechanism based on the slip-weakening model has also been discussed.     

Seismotectonic environment of occurring the February 3, 1996 Lijiang <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis>=7.0 earthquake,Yunnan province

Lijiang-Daju fault, the seismogenic fault of the 1996 Lijiang M=7.0 earthquake, can be divided into Lijiang-Yuhu segment in the south and Yuhu-Daju segment in the north. The two segments show clear difference in geological tectonics, but have the similar dynamic features. Both normal dip-slip and sinistral strike-slip coexist on the fault plane. This kind of movement started at the beginning of the Quaternary (2.4–2.5 Ma B.P.). As to the tectonic types, the detachment fault with low angle was developed in the Early Pleistocene and the normal fault with high angle only after the Mid-Pleistocene (0.8 Ma B.P.). Based on the horizontal displacements of gullies and the vertical variance of planation surfaces cross the Lijiang-Daju fault at east piedmont of Yulong-Haba range, the average horizontal and vertical slip rates are calculated. They are 0.84 mm/a and 0.70 mm/a since the Quaternary and 1.56 mm/a and 1.69 mm/a since the Mid-Pleistocene. The movements of the nearly N-S-trending Lijiang-Daju fault are controlled not only by the regional stress field, but also by the variant movement between the Yulong-Haba range and Lijiang basin. The two kinds of dynamic processes form the characteristics of seismotectonic environment of occurring the 1996 Lijiang earthquake.