Nonlinear changes in seismic scaling before the Iceland earthquake of June 17, 2000

The multifractal fields modeling the spatial distribution of the epicenters and temporal behavior of weak seismicity before the earthquake that occurred on June 17, 2000 in Iceland (M = 6.6) are analyzed. It is shown that the main shock of this event was preceded by the broadening of the f(a) spectra of the proxy fields of both the spatial distribution of the epicenters and the temporal behavior of weak seismicity. The physical interpretation of this effect is presented.     

Intraplate seismicity of the Pacific Basin, 1913–1988

We establish here a comprehensive database of intraplate seismicity in the Pacific Basin. Relocation and analysis of 894 earthquakes yield 403 reliable intraplate earthquakes during 1913–1988. These numbers do not include earthquake swarms, which account for another 838 events. Most of the remainder (304 events) are actually plate boundary earthquakes that have been erroneously located in intraplate regions. A significant number occur in recent years when location capabilities should have guarded against this situation. Relocations involve a careful linear inversion ofP andS arrivals, accompanied by a Monte Carlo statistical analysis. We have also attentively removed the high number of clerical errors and nuclear tests that exist in epicenter bulletins.A geographical examination of the relocated epicenters reveals several striking features. There are three NW-SE lineaments north of the Fiji Plateau and in Micronesia; diffuse seismicity and incompatible focal mechanisms argue against the southernmost, discussed byOkal et al. (1986) andKroenke andWalker (1986), as the simple relocation of the Solomon trench to the North. Besides another striking lineament, along the 130°W meridian, there is also a strong correlation between seismicity and bathymetry in certain parts of the Basin. In the Eastcentral Pacific and Nazca plates there are many epicenters on fracture zones and fossil spreading ridges, and hot spot traces like the Louisville, Nazca and Cocos Ridges also display seismicity.     

Simulated precipitation fields with variance-consistent interpolation

Abstract

Gridded meteorological data are available for all of Norway as time series dating from 1961. A new way of interpolating precipitation in space from observed values is proposed. Based on the criteria that interpolated precipitation fields in space should be consistent with observed spatial statistics, such as spatial mean, variance and intermittency, spatial fields of precipitation are simulated from a gamma distribution with parameters determined from observed data, adjusted for intermittency. The simulated data are distributed in space, using the spatial pattern derived from kriging. The proposed method is compared to indicator kriging and to the current methodology used for producing gridded precipitation data. Cross-validation gave similar results for the three methods with respect to RMSE, temporal mean and standard deviation, whereas a comparison on estimated spatial variance showed that the new method has a near perfect agreement with observations. Indicator kriging underestimated the spatial variance by 60–80% and the current method produced a significant scatter in its estimates.

Citation Skaugen, T. & Andersen, J. (2010) Simulated precipitation fields with variance-consistent interpolation. Hydrol. Sci. J. 55(5), 676–686.     

Seismicity in the Vogtland/Western Bohemia Earthquake Region Between 1962 and 1998

The Vogtland/Western Bohemia region is part of the Saxothuringian Earthquake Province. It is an isolated area of active intraplate seismicity. Observations of the seismicity between 1962 and 1998 are summarized. More than 17000 earthquakes have been detected microseismically with M _L reaching from about –1.5 to 4.6. In the considered time interval, the catalogue of Vogtland events can be regarded as complete for magnitudes larger than 1.8. The region is well known for the occurrence of earthquakes clustered contemporarily in time and space. In this study, altogether 82 clusters are defined. Among them, clusters with swarm properties are distinguished from clusters with main shock accompanied by fore- and aftershocks, and from single events. 48 swarms are detected.The magnitude-frequency distribution of the maximum magnitudes of the clusters is studied. In the magnitude range 1.8  M _L  3.1, a bimodal character of the magnitude-frequency distribution is detected for both swarms and nonswarm-like events. The slope is greater for larger magnitudes than in the small-magnitude range. A gap in the magnitude-frequency distribution of clusters is observed for maximum magnitudes between 3.1 and 4.3. Furthermore, clusters themselves are characterized by the b-values of their magnitude-frequency distributions. Swarms show b-values greater than 0.7. Epicenters of swarms are confined to a few subregions. Epicenters of nonswarm-like events are distributed over a larger region than epicenters of swarms but hypocenters of swarms and nonswarm-like clusters may be located close to each other.The envelope of the distribution of magnitudes as a function of time is investigated. In the considered time interval, a statistically significant recurrence of strong events of about 72 months is discovered by a frequency analysis. Comparing the seismicity between 1897 and 1908 with the seismicity between 1962 and 1998 temporal variations in the recurrence become obvious. The Nový Kostel zone is discussed in more detail. The average hypocenters of swarms are located on a SW-dipping fault segment that intersects the Eger Rift in NNW-SSE direction.Discussing properties of the seismicity in the Vogtland/Western Bohemia region it is concluded that the increased seismicity may be explained by the presence of fluids on deep reaching faults. The occurrence of swarms, their variability as well as the small distances between hypocenters of swarms and nonswarm-like events point to strong lateral and possibly temporal changes of the properties of the fault system.     

Ergodicity examined by the Thirumalai-Mountain metric for Taiwanese seismicity

Ergodicity is a behavior generally limited to equilibrium states and is here defined as the equivalence of ensemble and temporal averages. In recent years, effective ergodicity is identified in simulated earthquakes generated by numerical fault models and in real seismicity of natural fault networks by using the Thirumalai-Mountain metric. Although the effective ergodicity is already reported for Taiwanese seismicity, an immediate doubt is the unrealistic gridded sizes for discretizing the seismic data. In this study, we re-examined the effective ergodicity in Taiwanese seismicity by using reasonable gridded sizes which corresponded with the location errors in the real earthquake catalogue. Initial time and magnitude cut-off were examined for the validity of ergodic behavior. We found that several subsets extracted from Taiwanese seismicity possessed effectively ergodic intervals and all terminations of these ergodic intervals temporally coincided with the occurrences of large earthquakes (M _L < 6.5). We thus confirm the ergodicity in the crustal seismicity by using the Thirumalai-Mountain metric.     

Magma intrusion as a driving mechanism for the seismic clustering following the 9 May 1989 earthquake swarms at the Canary Islands

On 9 May 1989 a M _L = 5.2 earthquake struck a region between the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria. We investigated the time-spatial evolution of seismic patterns affecting the Canary Islands region during 1989–1995, using a quantitative spatial fractal analysis method. This method allows quantitative investigation of subtle trends in seismicity distribution through time. The fractal analysis indicates that epicenters clustered around a large zone during the May 1989 sequence affected narrow zones during 1991–1993, but then larger zones during 1993–1995 with an overall trend to shallower focal depths. The spatial localisation of seismic data and its time evolution appear to be related to magmatic rather than tectonic activity. Spatial clustering properties of seismicity are consistent with a major intrusive episode in 1989, followed by a period of quiescence and renewed deep intrusive activity from 1993 onwards. This interpretation suggests an increasing probability of future volcanic hazard in the region investigated.     

Temporal variations in the fractal properties of seismicity in the North Anatolian Fault Zone between 31°E and 41°E

We investigate the nature of temporal variations in the statistical properties of seismicity associated with the North Anatolian Fault Zone between longitudes 31°–41°E during the instrumental period 1900–1992. Temporal variations in the seismicb value and the fractal (correlation) dimensionD _c of earthquake epicenters are examined for earthquakes of magnitudeM _S 4.5, using sliding windows of 100 consecutive events.b varies temporally between 0.6 and 1.0, andD _c between 0.6 and 1.4, both representing significant fluctuations above the errors in measurement technique. A strong negative correlation (r=–0.85) is observed betweenb andD _c , consistent with previous observation of seismicity in Japan and southern California. Major events early in this century (M _S 7) are associated with lowb and highD _c , respectively consistent with greater stress intensity and greater spatial clustering of epicenters—both implying a greater degree of stress concentration at this time.     

2021年青海玛多7.4级地震前地震活动异常特征分析

结合青海玛多7.4级地震前日常跟踪工作中出现的地震活动异常,系统梳理羌塘块体6级地震成组、中国大陆5级地震低频活动、青藏高原东北缘中等地震活动显著增强以及青藏高原东北缘地区震群活动的时空异常特征,总结多项指标的预测意义,并对部分重要指标做了预测效能评估。同时,通过研究碌曲震群的时空分布特征,认为碌曲地区是一个应力敏感区域,对周边地区中强地震的发生有较好的预测意义,在后续震情监视过程中应该作为重要指标来跟踪。     

Multifractal of spatial distribution of seismicity in Liaoning area

Making use of multifractal theory and corresponding computational method and according to the feature of evolution of spatial distribution with respect to seismicity by earthquake data in Liaoning area, earthquake activity of the area has been studied in detail. The results show that the evolution of increase in seismicity and distributive process in space are a multifractal structure. Whole characteristic of evolution in fractal increasing process of seismicity is described by obvious variation in regard toτ(q)-q curve,f(α) spectrum and other parameters before and after moderate and strong earthquakes.     

Recent seismicity in Northeast India and its adjoining region

Recent seismicity in the northeast India and its adjoining region exhibits different earthquake mechanisms – predominantly thrust faulting on the eastern boundary, normal faulting in the upper Himalaya, and strike slip in the remaining areas. A homogenized catalogue in moment magnitude, M _W, covering a period from 1906 to 2006 is derived from International Seismological Center (ISC) catalogue, and Global Centroid Moment Tensor (GCMT) database. Owing to significant and stable earthquake recordings as seen from 1964 onwards, the seismicity in the region is analyzed for the period with spatial distribution of magnitude of completeness m _t, b value, a value, and correlation fractal dimension D _C. The estimated value of m _t is found to vary between 4.0 and 4.8. The a value is seen to vary from 4.47 to 8.59 while b value ranges from 0.61 to 1.36. Thrust zones are seen to exhibit predominantly lower b value distribution while strike-slip and normal faulting regimes are associated with moderate to higher b value distribution. D _C is found to vary from 0.70 to 1.66. Although the correlation between spatial distribution of b value and D _C is seen predominantly negative, positive correlations can also be observed in some parts of this territory. A major observation is the strikingly negative correlation with low b value in the eastern boundary thrust region implying a possible case of extending asperity. Incidentally, application of box counting method on fault segments of the study region indicates comparatively higher fractal dimension, D, suggesting an inclination towards a planar geometrical coverage in the 2D spatial extent. Finally, four broad seismic source zones are demarcated based on the estimated spatial seismicity patterns in collaboration with the underlying active fault networks. The present work appraises the seismicity scenario in fulfillment of a basic groundwork for seismic hazard assessment in this earthquake province of the country.     

Earthquake activity in the Aswan region,Egypt

The November 14, 1981 Aswan earthquake (M _L= 5.7), which was related to the impoundment of Lake Aswan, was followed by an extended sequence of earthquakes, and is investigated in this study. Earthquake data from June 1982 to late 1991, collected from the Aswan network, are classified into two sets on the basis of focal depth (i.e., shallow, or deeper than 10 km). It is determined that (a) shallow seismicity is characterized by swarm activity, whereas deep seismicity is characterized by a foreshock-main shock-aftershock sequence; (b) the b value is equal to 0.77 and 0.99 for the shallow and deep sequences, respectively; and (c) observations clearly indicate that the temporal variations of shallow seismic activity were associated with a high rate of water-level fluctuation in Lake Aswan; a correlation with the deeper earthquake sequence, however, is not evident. These features, as well as the tomographic characteristics of the Aswan region (Awad andMizoue, this issue), imply that the Aswan seismic activity must be regarded as consisting of two distinct earthquake groups.We also relocated the largest 500 earthquakes to determine their seismotectonic characteristics. The results reveal that the epicenters are well distributed along four fault segments, which constitute a conjugate pattern in the region. Moreover, fault-plane solutions are determined for several earthquakes selected from each segment, which, along with the 14 November 1981 main shock, demonstrate a prominent E-W compressional stress.     

Research on the diffusion of pore fluid and in-situ hydraulic diffusivity in the epicentral region of Xinfengjiang reservoir earthquakes

According to the fact that the Xinfengjiang reservoir earthquakes are caused mainly by water seepage, this paper using the data ofM _s⩾2. 0 earthquakes, studies the hydraulic diffusivity of the mainshock zone by the expansion of the distribution area of epicenters. It is indicated thatin-situ hydraulic diffusivity during the preshock activity of the Xinfengjiang reservoir region was about 6. 2 m²/s. However, after the main shock, thein-situ hydraulic diffusivity in the main shock region increased by fifty percent, that is to say, to 9. 7 m²/s. During the long period after main shock occurrence thein-situ hydraulic diffusivity was affected by significant anisotropy of the medium and fluctuation of water level. No regularity can be found. In addition, we compare the diffusivity found by experiment with rock samples collected with thein-situ hydraulic diffusivity estimated. It is shown that the diffusivity of rock samples with fractures is about the same as the diffusivity estimatedin-situ. However, the diffusivity of whole rock samples is 3 orders of magnitudes smaller than that estimatedin-situ. Finally, we discuss the limits on the method by the expansion of distribution area of epicenters in the study of reservoir induced seismicity. The Chinese version of this paper appeared in the Chinese edition ofActa Seismologica Sinica,13, 364–371, 1991. This subject is sponsored by the Chinese Joint Seismological Science Foundation.     

Seismic Interevent Time: A Spatial Scaling and Multifractality

The optimal scaling problem for the time t(L × L) between two successive events in a seismogenic cell of size L is considered. The quantity t(L × L) is defined for a random cell of a grid covering a seismic region G. We solve that problem in terms of a multifractal characteristic of epicenters in G known as the tau-function or generalized fractal dimensions; the solution depends on the type of cell randomization. Our theoretical deductions are corroborated by California seismicity with magnitude M ≥ 2. In other words, the population of waiting time distributions for L = 10–100 km provides positive information on the multifractal nature of seismicity, which impedes the population to be converted into a unified law by scaling. This study is a follow-up of our analysis of power/unified laws for seismicity (see Pure and Applied Geophysics 162 (2005), 1135 and GJI 162 (2005), 899).     

A non-extensive statistical physics view to the spatiotemporal properties of the June 1995, Aigion earthquake (M6.2) aftershock sequence (West Corinth rift,Greece)

In the present study, the spatiotemporal properties of the Aigion earthquake (15 June 1995) aftershock sequence are being studied using the concept of non-extensive statistical physics (NESP). The cumulative distribution functions of the inter-event times and the inter-event distances are being estimated for the data set which is assumed to be complete and the analysis yielded the thermodynamic q parameter to be qT = 1.58 and q _r = 0.53 for the two distributions, respectively. The results fit rather well to the inter-event distances and times distributions, implying the complexity of the spatiotemporal properties of seismicity and the usefulness of NESP in investigating such phenomena. The temporal structure is also being discussed using the complementary to NESP approach of superstatistics, which is based on a superposition of ordinary local equilibrium statistical mechanics. The result indicates that very low degrees of freedom describe the temporal evolution of the Aigion earthquake aftershock seismicity.     

渭河断陷及邻近地区震源空间分布规律探讨

选取１０３°～１１３°Ｅ,３１°～３９°Ｎ范围内陕西、山西、河南、湖北、甘肃、宁夏等省（区）共７９个地震观测台站１９８４—１９９３年的观测资料,对于被４个以上台站所记录到的地震,根据其直达横波与纵波的到时差,采用鲍威尔（Ｐｏｗｅｌ）搜索法重新进行了定位,测定了震源深度,共得到２０５１个可定震中的地震的震源深度数据．作出了渭河断陷及邻近地区现代地震的震中分布图、震源空间分布图、震源深度的平均等值线分布图、震源深度的经向剖面图和纬向剖面图．根据这些资料对震源空间分布规律进行了初步探讨．结果表明,渭河断陷及邻近地区震源的空间分布是不均匀的,与该地区大地构造的差异性及地壳速度结构的非均匀性密切相关．     

Temporal and spatial variability of annual and seasonal rainfall over Ethiopia

Abstract

Characterization of the seasonal and inter-annual spatial and temporal variability of rainfall in a changing climate is vital to assess climate-induced changes and suggest adequate future water resources management strategies. Trends in annual, seasonal and maximum 30-day extreme rainfall over Ethiopia are investigated using 0.5° latitude?×?0.5° longitude gridded monthly precipitation data. The spatial coherence of annual rainfall among contiguous rainfall grid points is also assessed for possible spatial similarity across the country. The correlation between temporally coinciding North Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) index and annual rainfall variability is examined to understand the underlying coherence. In total 381 precipitation grid points covering the whole of Ethiopia with five decades (1951–2000) of precipitation data are analysed using the Mann-Kendall test and Moran spatial autocorrelation method. Summer (July–September) seasonal and annual rainfall data exhibit significant decreasing trends in northern, northwestern and western parts of the country, whereas a few grid points in eastern areas show increasing annual rainfall trends. Most other parts of the country exhibit statistically insignificant trends. Regions with high annual and seasonal rainfall distribution exhibit high temporal and spatial correlation indices. Finally, the country is sub-divided into four zones based on annual rainfall similarity. The association of the AMO index with annual rainfall is modestly good for northern and northeastern parts of the country; however, it is weak over the southern region.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Associate editor S. Uhlenbrook

Citation Wagesho, N., Goel, N.K., and Jain, M.K. 2013. Temporal and spatial variability of annual and seasonal rainfall over Ethiopia. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (2), 354–373.     

Multi-Methods Combined Analysis of Future Earthquake Potential

Prior to an earthquake, natural seismicity is correlated across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Many studies have indicated that an earthquake is hard to accurately predict by a single time-dependent precursory method. In this study, we attempt to combine four earthquake prediction methods, i.e. the Pattern Informatics (PI), Load/Unload Response Ratio (LURR), State Vector (SV), and Accelerating Moment Release (AMR) to estimate future earthquake potential. The PI technique is founded on the premise that the change in the seismicity rate is a proxy for the change in the underlying stress. We first use the PI method to quantify localized changes surrounding the epicenters of large earthquakes to objectively quantify the anomalous areas (hot spots) of the upcoming events. Next, we delineate the seismic hazard regions by integrating with regional active fault zones and small earthquake activities. Then, we further evaluate the earthquake potential in the seismic hazard regions using the LURR, SV and AMR methods. Retrospective tests of this new approach on the large earthquakes (M > 6.5) which have occurred in western China over the last 3 years show that the LURR and SV time series usually climb to an anomalously high peak months to years prior to occurrence of a large earthquake. And, the asymptote time, t _c, “predicted” by the AMR method correspond to the time of the actual events. The results may suggest that the multi-methods combined approach can be a useful tool to provide stronger constraints on forecasts of the time and location of future large events.     

Seismic zoning of the southern slope of Greater Caucasus from the fractal parameters of the earthquakes, stress state, and GPS velocities

By complex analysis of GPS velocities, seismicity, fractal dimensions of the spatial distribution of seismic epicenters, focal mechanisms of the earthquakes, and stress state of the Earth’s crust, four seismic zones (Balaken-Zagatala, Sheki-Gabala, Shamakhy-Ismailly, and Absheron) are revealed within the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus. The suggested method can be used as a criterion in seismotectonic zoning; it could also be useful in the assessment of seismic hazards in the collision zones.     

2022年泸定M6.8地震前地震活动参数变化研究

2022年9月5日四川泸定发生M6.8地震,为研究泸定地震孕震区的应力变化,选取b值、小震调制比和丛集率这3个参数,对泸定地震前的区域地震活动状态进行计算研究。结果显示:泸定及周边区域几次强震发生前,区域地震活动均存在持续时间较长的低b值时段,且在低b值状态下震前短期内出现小震高丛集、高调制比的现象;鲜水河断裂带的地震活动状态分析显示,此次泸定地震前该断裂带存在持续时间近10个月的低b值状态,且短期内出现丛集率升高、调制比高值现象。通过对比分析,认为泸定地震是鲜水河断裂带构造运动的结果。综合分析认为,结合应力场背景和构造条件研究地震活动b值、固体潮调制比和丛集率的时空变化有助于理解大地震的孕育演化过程。     

Space-time migration of earthquakes along the North Anatolian fault zone and seismic gaps

The North Anatolian fault is a well-defined tectonic feature extending for 1400 km across Northern Turkey. The space-time distribution of seismicity and faulting of this zone has been examined with a particular emphasis on the identification of possible seismic gaps. Results suggest several conclusions with respect to the temporal and spatial distribution of seismicity. First, the earthquake activity appears not to be stationary over time. Periods of high activity in 1850–1900 and 1940 to the present bracket a period of relatively low activity in 1910–39. Second, there appears to have been a two-directional migration of earthquake epicenters away from a central region located at about 39°E longitude. The migration to the west has a higher velocity (>50 km/yr) than the migration to the east (10km/yr). The faulting associated with successive earthquakes generally abuts the previous rupture. Some existing gaps were filled by later earthquakes.At present there are two possible seismic gaps along the North Anatolian fault zone. One is at the western end of the fault, from about 29° to 30°E. Unless this is a region of ongoing aseismic creep, it could be the site of a magnitude 6 or greater earthquake. The other possible gap is at the eastern end, from about 42° to 43°E, to the west of the unexpected M=7.3 event of 24 November 1976.