Statistics of major Chilean earthquakes recurrence

In this work, we consider historical earthquakes registered in Chile (from 1900 up to 2010) with epicenters located between 19 and 40°S latitude, in order to evaluate the probabilities of the occurrence of strong earthquakes along Chile in the near future. Applying Gumbel??s technique of first asymptotic distribution, Wemelsfelder??s theory and Gutenberg?CRichter relationship, we estimate that during the next decade strong earthquakes with Richter magnitudes larger than 8.7?C8.9 could occur along Chile. According to our analysis, probabilities for the occurrence of such a strong earthquake range between 64 and 46% respectively. Particularly in the very well known ??seismic gap?? of Arica, a convergence motion between Nazca and South American plates of 77?C78?mm/year represents more than 10?m of displacement accumulated since the last big interplate subduction earthquake in this area over 134?years ago. Therefore, this area already has the potential for an earthquake of magnitude >8.     

Long-period ground motion in the epicentral area of major earthquakes

In view of the potential importance of long-period ground motion in the design of large structures, near-field ground displacement is computed by the elastic dislocation theory for several earthquake fault models. The validity of such computations is confirmed by comparing the computed seismogram with the observed long-period seismogram of the 1923 Kanto earthquake. The ground motions are computed for three hypothetical earthquakes, a hypothetical Kanto earthquake, Tokai earthquake and Nemuro-Oki earthquake. The location and the nature of the faulting of these earthquakes are predicted by plate tectonics and precise earthquake mechanism studies. Major conclusions are: Tokyo may suffer, in the hypothetical Kanto earthquake, ground motions about half as large as those experienced in the 1923 Kanto earthquake; Hamamatsu, a large city on the Tokai coast, may experience in the hypothetical Tokai earthquake ground motions which are as large as, or even larger than, those experienced in the epicentral area of the 1923 Kanto earthquake; the hypothetical Nemuro-Oki earthquake may cause ground motions as large as those experienced in the 1968 Tokachi-Oki earthquake on the coastal cities in Hokkaido.     

Influence of south-to-north water diversion on major cones of depression in North China Plain

The developments of cones of depression in the North China Plain (NCP) were studied to determine the possible impact of the proposed South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP) on groundwater levels. In the past five decades, the exploitation of groundwater in the NCP has been excessive. Numerous hydrological and hydrogeological problems were caused by the gradual decline of the water table in the NCP. In order to protect groundwater resources and alleviate hydrogeological problems, the SNWDP was proposed to progressively solve the shortage of water resources in northern China. In this paper, the development of cones of depression was studied to determine the possible impact of the hydrological engineering, the SNWDP. In the study, a numerical model for regional groundwater flow was created using MODFLOW. The results showed that the SNWDP is beneficial for groundwater recovery in the NCP. The area of cones of depression will be reduced to varying degrees. Some immense groundwater cones will gradually shrink. However, it will take a long time to recover groundwater environment in the NCP.     

A Study of Occurrences of Ag in Pb-Zn-Cu Ore Deposits in China

A systematic study of occurrences of silver in 156 Pb-Zn-Cu ore deposits indicates that silver mainly occurs in nonferrous metal ore deposits in forms of association and paragenesis. It occurs mainly as independent minerals in nature and occasionally as ion adsorption, isomorphous or amorphous silver minerals. Nearly 190 silver minerals have been discovered in China. Their shapes, constituents, textures, grain sizes, embedded types, distribution patterns, mineral assemblages and metallogenic series suggest that these characteristics are closely related to geneses of deposits and dependent of ore-forming conditions. Pb, Zn and Cu sulphides are the main carrier minerals of silver. The partition of silver in ore is constrained by the mineralization intensity, grain size and embedded form of silver minerals and mineral assemblages.     

Synthetic seismic intensity for historic earthquakes in the North China Plain: implications for the regional seismic hazard

Multiple approaches are used to study the potential seismic hazard in the North China Craton (NCC, or North China Plain), where approximately 15 % of the Chinese population resides and under which active faults are located. In this study, we develop a new modified Mercalli intensity (MMI) attenuation relationship for the NCC using intensity data from 10 instrumentally recorded events. We then utilize this relationship to infer the magnitude and epicentral location of historic events based on the method proposed by Bakun and Wentworth (Bull Seismol Soc Am 87(6):1502–1521, 1997). In addition, a modified stochastic finite fault model is employed to simulate the strong ground motions caused by these historic events. The simulated peak ground accelerations and velocities are then converted into regional MMI distributions through empirical relationships, and these synthetic MMI maps are compared to field observations. The resultant MMI attenuation versus distance models of the 1976 M _w 7.6 Tangshan event and the 1679 M 8.0 Sanhe-Pinggu event are consistent with the empirical attenuation relationships, and the location and size of the meizoseismal area (>VIII) are consistent with observations. The successful modeling of these historic events indicates that a stochastic finite fault model constrained by the regional MMI attenuation relationship can be used to evaluate a wide range of scenarios based on modern computational simulations. These findings may also provide useful information for the estimation and mitigation of potential seismic hazards in this region.     

“钉合岩体”与新疆北部主要缝合带的形成时限

本文介绍了钉合岩体的概念,强调钉合岩体在造山带研究中具有重要的大地构造意义。在科迪勒拉增生造山带中,钉合岩体是在增生事件之后形成的;而在喜马拉雅碰撞造山带中,钉合岩体是在碰撞事件之后形成的。因此可以区分后增生和后碰撞两类钉合岩体,它们可以为限定增生或碰撞事件的时间上限提供年代学约束。特别是在缝合带被钉合岩体侵入的情况下,缝合带的形成时限(即增生或碰撞事件的起止时间)可以根据缝合带中最年轻的蛇绿岩质岩石和最老的钉合岩体给予严格限定。应用这种方法,能够限定新疆北部的主要缝合带(如额尔齐斯-斋桑缝合带、北天山缝合带和南天山缝合带等,东准噶尔和西准噶尔的蛇绿岩带)最晚是在晚石炭世形成的。西准噶尔增生杂岩也是在在晚石炭世形成的,但当时是否存在洋壳俯冲还需要进一步研究。目前的资料显示,虽然新疆北部各主要缝合带的形成时限存在一定差异,但没有三叠纪形成的缝合带。特别是南天山缝合带内发育的钉合岩体不但有效地限定了缝合带的时间上限,而且还从地质上约束了受到质疑的晚二叠世放射虫化石的可靠性和高压-超高压变质岩中三叠纪锆石U-Pb年龄的解释的合理性。     

Elastic and inelastic triggering of earthquakes in the North Anatolian Fault zone

Deformation models used to explain the triggering mechanism often assume pure elastic behaviour for the crust and upper mantle. In reality however, the mantle and possibly the lower crust behave viscoelastically, particularly over longer time scales. Consequently, the stress field of an earthquake is in general time-dependent. In addition, if the elastic stress increase were enough to trigger a later earthquake, this triggered event should occur instantaneously and not many years after the triggering event. Hence, it is appropriate to include inelastic behaviour when analysing stress transfer and earthquake interaction.In this work, we analyse a sequence of 10 magnitude M_s > 6.5 events along the North Anatolian Fault between 1939 and 1999 to study the evolution of the regional Coulomb stress field. We investigate the triggering of these events by stress transfer, taking viscoelastic relaxation into account. We evaluate the contribution of elastic stress changes, of post-seismic viscoelastic relaxation in the lower crust and mantle, and of steady tectonic loading to the total Coulomb stress field. We analyse the evolution of stress in the region under study, as well as on the rupture surfaces of the considered events and their epicentres. We study the state of the Coulomb stress field before the 1999 İzmit and Düzce earthquakes, as well as in the Marmara Sea region.In general, the Coulomb stress failure criterion offers a plausible explanation for the location of these events. However, we show that using a purely elastic model disregards an important part of the actual stress increase/decrease. In several cases, post-seismic relaxation effects are important and greater in magnitude than the stress changes due to steady tectonic loading. Consequently, viscoelastic relaxation should be considered in any study dealing with Coulomb stress changes.According to our study, and assuming that an important part of the rupture surface must be stressed for an earthquake to occur, the most likely value for the viscosity of the lower crust or mantle in this region is 5 · 10¹⁷–10¹⁸ Pa · s. Our results cannot rule out the possibility of other time-dependent processes involved in the triggering of the 1999 Düzce event. However, the stress increase due to viscoelastic relaxation brought 22% of the 1999 Düzce rupture area over the threshold value of Δσ_c ≥ 0.01 MPa (0.1 bar), and took the whole surface closer to failure by an average of 0.2 MPa. Finally, we argue that the Marmara Sea region is currently being loaded with positive Coulomb stresses at a much faster rate than would arise exclusively from steady tectonic loading on the North Anatolian Fault.     

我国东北火山地震的特征及成因探讨

火山地震是一种特殊的地震类型。它的发生和发展与地质构造相关,与火山活动有着直接的关系。世界上火山地震占地震总数的7%左右。它在火山爆发前后都能发生。可是研究者不多,探索不够深入。本文拟探讨我国东北火山地震的特征及其成因。     

Horizontal motions and the generation of strong earthquakes in the North Sakhalin interiors

The recent geodynamics of Sakhalin Island is best described by the convergence of the Eurasian and North American (Sea of Okhotsk) lithospheric plates, which is manifested in the high seismic activity of the island. In North Sakhalin, the plate boundary is thought to correspond to a system of roughly N-S-trending faults, which belong to the North Sakhalin deep fault, and the Upper-Piltun fault; the latter was ruptured by the 1995 M 7.2 Neftegorsk earthquake. This study first confirmed that the stationary motion of the Sea of Okhotsk plate is retarded on this fault to form with time a series of drag folds and stress field anomalies. The latter are released during the subsequent (in a 400⦒o 1000-year period) strong earthquakes by seismic sliding on the flanks of the Upper Piltun fault. The 2003–2006 GPS observations revealed the free state of this fault zone with relative slip rates of 5–6 mm/yr.     

Review of soil liquefaction characteristics during major earthquakes of the twenty-first century

Liquefaction, which can be defined as a loss of strength and stiffness in soils, is one of the major causes of damage to buildings and infrastructure during an earthquake. To overcome a lack of comprehensive analyses of seismically induced liquefaction, this study reviews the characteristics of liquefaction and its related damage to soils and foundations during earthquakes in the first part of the twenty-first century. Based on seismic data analysis, macroscopic phenomena of liquefaction (e.g., sand boiling, ground cracking, and lateral spread) are summarized, and several new phenomena related to earthquakes from the twenty-first century are highlighted, including liquefaction in areas with moderate seismic intensity, liquefaction of gravelly soils, liquefaction of deep-level sandy soils, re-liquefaction in aftershocks, liquid-like behavior of unsaturated sandy soils. Additionally, phenomena related to damage in soils and foundations induced by liquefaction are investigated and discussed.     

Eclogite Occurrences in the Southern Tianshan High-Pressure Belt,Xinjiang, Western China

Eclogite pods and layers of eclogites in mafic blueschists are the most prominent witnesses of eclogite facies metamorphism in the southern Tianshan high-pressure belt of Western China. The P-T evolution was deciphered in order to understand the geotectonic framework of these rocks. Geothermobarometric evaluation for matrix assemblages reveals peak metamorphic condition between 14 and 21 kbar at 500 to 600°C. Prograde growth zoning and mineral inclusions in garnet are evidence for a clockwise P-T path. The presence of intimate eclogite/metabasic blueschist interlayering and the high P-T estimates suggest that the eclogite-facies rocks from the southern Tianshan high-pressure belt formed in a tectonic regime similar to the Franciscan type. Therefore the southern Tianshan high-pressure belt is most important in order to resolve the Paleozoic tectonic evolution of central Asia.     

Climate implications of major geochemical elements in the Holocene sediments of the North and East China monsoonal regions

Two Holocene sediment cores were retrieved respectively from the enclosed Lake Daihai in the monsoon/arid transition zone of North China and the Taihu Lake coast in the monsoonal area of the Yangtze delta, Eastern China. Distribution of major geochemical elements and their ratios were employed to reveal the characteristics of Holocene climate and associated environmental implications in the two regions. It is suggested that the temporal distribution of major elements serve as a useful indicator to denote the variations of monsoon effective precipitation for the enclosed lake area. High values of resistant elements such as Al₂O₃, SiO₂, TiO₂, (FeO + Fe₂O₃), MnO in the lake sediments correspond to the depressed chemical weathering and weakened mon-soon effective precipitation, while the highs of mobile and easy soluble elements such as MgO, CaO, Na₂O reflect the enhanced chemical weathering and increased monsoon effective precipitation in the lake basin. In comparison, the behaviors of the major elements in sediments of the Taihu Lake coast were largely controlled by the changes both in sea transgression in the different Holocene time periods and the monsoon precipitation. The relatively highs of Al₂O₃, TiO₂, (FeO + Fe₂O₃), in marine-influenced sediments suggest relatively strong coastal hydrodynamics and chemical weathering, and vice versa. Meanwhile, the lows of SiO₂, Na₂O and CaO in the non-marine-influenced sediments also denote relatively strong hydrodynamics and chemical weathering due to enhanced monsoon precipitation, and vice versa. Sedimentary environment should be taken into account when achieving a full understanding of their climate implications.     

内蒙千里山太古代蒸发岩：常量元素、微量元素及硫同位素证据

华北内蒙千里山铁矿的方柱石透辉石岩非常发育,根据与国外其他太古代同类岩石对比可知,这种岩石是太古代变质蒸发岩。无论岩石类型,矿物组合还是岩石化学与矿物化学成分都与已知的太古代蒸发岩相吻合。用微量元素Ba-Sr判别泥质岩属于半咸水沉积。特别是含矿岩系的S同位素成分分析更证明千里山铁矿是蒸发岩成因。其黄铁矿样品中δ^34S最大值为5．7‰,最小值为－1．3‰,平均值为1．4‰,方柱石样品δ^34S最大值为2．3‰,最小值为2．1‰平均值为2．2‰。两种样品的δ^34S相差不大,而且都接近0值。接近原始海洋S同位素成分。这也从另一侧面证明了千里山铁矿是太古代蒸发岩成因。     

Strong-motion observation of water-induced earthquakes at Hsinfengkiang reservoir in China

The case history and the research work in regard to the water-induced earthquakes at Hsinfengkiang reservoir, 160 km. northeast of Canton, have been reported elsewhere.^[1] The installation of strong-motion seismograph system at the dam site is a component part of the comprehensive scientific program for studying the water-induced earthquakes at this place. The system was in operation after the occurrence of the main shock (Ms= 6.1) in 1962. Since 1966, a number of accelerograms have been obtained, for the aftershocks, on exposed bedrock in the dam site and at different positions on the dam proper, providing useful data for studying the characteristics and the effects of water-induced earthquakes. This paper, as a supplement to the previous report, gives a presentation of such data with preliminary analysis.     

Occurrences and distributions of branched alkylbenzenes in the Dongsheng sedimentary uranium ore deposits,China

A series of branched alkylbenzene ranging from C₁₅ to C₁₉ with several isomers (2–5) at each carbon number were identified in sediments from the Dongsheng sedimentary uranium ore deposits, Ordos Basin, China. The distribution patterns of the branched alkylbenzenes show significant differences in the sample extracts. The branched alkylbenzenes from organic-rich argillites and coals range from C₁₅ to C₁₉ homologues, in which the C₁₇ or C₁₈ dominated. On the other hand, the C₁₉ branched alkylbenzenes dominated in the sandstone/siltstone extracts. The obvious differences of the branched alkylbenzene distributions between the uranium-host sandstones/siltstones and the interbedded barren organic-rich mudstones/coals probably indicate their potential use as biological markers associated with particular depositional environments and/or maturity diagenetic processes. Possible origins for these branched alkylbenzenes include interaction of simple aromatic compounds with, or cyclization and aromatization reactions of, these linear lipid precursors such as fatty acids, methyl alkanoates, wax esters or alkanes/alkenes that occur naturally in carbonaceous sediments. The possible simple aromatic compounds may include substituted benzenes, functionalized compounds such as phenols that are bound to kerogen at the benzyl position, and phenols that are decomposition products derived from aquatic and terrestrial sources. The distributions of methyl alkanoates and n-alkanes were found to be different between organic-rich mudstone/coal and sandstone/siltstone. From this result, it can be concluded that such differences of the alkylbenzene distributions were mainly resulting from the differences of organic precursors, although maturity effect and radiolytic alteration cannot be completely excluded.     

Environmental Effect Caused by Over-exploitation of Deep Groundwater in North China

Based on the formation and development analysis of the environmental geological disaster of land subsidence, earth fissures and other geological disasters in the North China, it showed these disasters caused a very serious problem in some areas of the North China, such as the deep groundwater exploitation cone, which is accumulated with great damage and loss and is hard to be controlled, therefore, great attention should be paid. It is considered that the formation of the deep groundwater cone is the root of various geological environmental problems, and the groundwater cone recovery is the key to solve other environmental problems     

华北克拉通基底主要构造单元变质作用演化及其若干问题讨论

华北克拉通基底可分为三个太古宙微陆块(东部陆块、阴山陆块和鄂尔多斯陆块)和三个早元古宙活动带(孔兹岩带、华北中部带和胶-辽-吉带)。这些构造单元具有不同的变质作用时间和P-T 演化特征。东部陆块和阴山陆块晚太古宙基底岩系的变质作用发生在~2.5Ga,变质演化以等压冷却(IBC)逆时针P-T 轨迹为特征,反映变质作用的成因与大规模地幔岩浆底侵有关。孔兹岩带主期变质作用发生在~1.95Ga,变质演化以近等温减压(ITD)顺时针P-T 轨迹为特征,反映阴山陆块与鄂尔多斯陆块碰撞形成西部陆块的热构造过程。华北中部带变质作用发生在~1.85Ga,变质演化同样以近等温减压(ITD)顺时针P-T 轨迹为特征,反映了西部陆块和东部陆块最终碰撞形成统一的华北克拉通基底的构造过程。早元古宙胶-辽-吉带变质作用表现‘双变质带’特征: 西北带的北辽河群、老岭群和粉子山群的变质作用以中压顺时针P-T 轨迹为特征,而东南带的南辽河群、吉安群和荆山群的变质作用以低压逆时针P-T 演化为特征。华北克拉通基底变质作用演化地质图能更好地反映上述不同构造单元的变质作用演化特征。尽管岩浆弧、大陆裂谷和地幔柱模式都能解释东部陆块晚太古宙基底变质作用所具有的近等压冷却(IBC)逆时针P-T 演化特征,地幔柱模式能够更合理解释东部陆块所存在的宽达800 千米而时代近于相同的晚太古代火成岩带、大量科马提质超镁铁质岩石和双峰式火山岩、广泛发育的穹窿构造等。华北克拉通变质基底中具有石榴石-单斜辉石-斜长石-石英组合的高压基性麻粒岩和具有蓝晶石-钾长石组合的高压泥质麻粒岩的出露只局限在早元古宙华北中部带的北段和胶-辽-吉带的南端; 这些高压麻粒岩形成在俯冲和陆-陆碰撞的构造环境中。西部陆块孔兹岩带含假蓝宝石麻粒岩是碰撞后(~1.92Ga)拉伸引发地幔岩浆底侵导致局部地带发生超高温(UHT)变质作用的产物。     

Site formation processes at Donggutuo: a major Early Pleistocene site in the Nihewan Basin,North China

Understanding site formation processes is crucial for interpreting archaeological context patterns and hominin behaviour as these affect the preserved condition of a site and the integrity of archaeological remains. The fluvio‐lacustrine sequences in the Nihewan Basin of North China are rich sources of early Pleistocene archaeological sites, which offer an important opportunity to investigate human evolution and adapted behaviours in East Asia. Although many Palaeolithic sites have been reported from the Nihewan Basin, North China, few of them focus on site formation processes before interpreting the hominin behaviour patterns. Here, we present a site formation study of four archaeological layers (Layers 6D, 6C, 6B and 6A) in Trench 1 from the Donggutuo (namely DGT‐T1) site in the Nihewan Basin with an age of 1.1 Ma. Through the study of sedimentary contexts, spatial distributions of artefacts and fossils, intra‐assemblage category ratios, debitage size distributions, lithic abrasion, artifact orientation and planar dip, our results show that all the layers had been disturbed by low‐energy sheet wash across the lake shore setting, but to differing extents. The post‐depositional disturbance caused by water decreased from the lower to the upper layers, from Layer 6D to Layer 6A. This indicates that the archaeological remains in DGT‐T1 have not been subject to significant natural modifications and are thus suitable for studying early hominin behaviour in North China. Copyright © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.