The crustal structure of the eastern Marmara region, Turkey by teleseismic receiver functions

We study the crustal structure of eastern Marmara region by applying the receiver function method to the data obtained from the 11 broad-band stations that have been in operation since the 1999 İzmit earthquake. The stacked single-event receiver functions were modelled by an inversion algorithm based on a five-layered crustal velocity model to reveal the first-order shear-velocity discontinuities with a minimum degree of trade-off. We observe crustal thickening from west (29–32 km) to east (34–35 km) along the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ), but we observe no obvious crustal thickness variation from north to south while crossing the NAFZ. The crust is thinnest beneath station TER (29 km), located near the Black Sea coast in the west and thickest beneath station TAR (35 km), located inland in the southeast. The average crustal thickness and S -wave velocity for the whole regions are  31 ± 2  km and  3.64 ± 0.15 km s⁻¹  , respectively. The eastern Marmara region with its average crustal thickness, high heat flow value (101 ± 11 mW m⁻²) and with its remarkable extensional features seems to have a Basin and Range type characteristics, but the higher average shear velocities (∼3.64 km s⁻¹) and crustal thickening from 29 to 35 km towards the easternmost stations indicate that the crustal structure shows a transitional tectonic regime. Therefore, we conclude that the eastern Marmara region seems to be a transition zone between the Marmara Sea extensional domain and the continental Anatolian inland region.     

Simulations of strong ground motion in SW Iberia for the 1969 February 28 (Ms= 8.0) and the 1755 November 1 (M∼ 8.5) earthquakes – II. Strong ground motion simulations

This is the second paper of a series of two concerning strong ground motion in SW Iberia due to earthquakes originating from the adjacent Atlantic area. The aim of this paper is to use the velocity model that was proposed and validated in the companion paper for seismic intensity modelling of the 1969 ( M _s= 8.0) and 1755 ( M = 8.5–8.7) earthquakes.
First, we propose a regression to convert simulated values of Peak Ground Velocity (PGV) into Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) in SW Iberia, and using this regression, we build synthetic isoseismal maps for a large ( M _s= 8.0) earthquake that occurred in 1969. Based on information on the seismic source provided by various authors, we show that the velocity model effectively reproduces macroseismic observations in the whole region. We also confirm that seismic intensity distribution is very sensitive to a small number of source parameters: rupture directivity, fault strike and fault dimensions. Then, we extrapolate the method to the case of the great ( M = 8.5–8.7) 1755 earthquake, for a series of hypotheses recently proposed by three authors about the location of the epicentral region. The model involving a subduction-related rupture in the Gulf of Cádiz results in excessive ground motion in northern Morocco, suggesting that the source of the 1755 earthquake should be located further west. A rupture along the western coast of Portugal, compatible with an activation of the passive western Iberian margin, would imply a relatively low average slip, which, alone, would could not account for the large tsunami observed in the whole northern Atlantic ocean. A seismic source located below the Gorringe Bank seems the most likely since it is more efficient in reproducing the distribution of high intensities in SW Iberia due to the 1755 earthquake.     

中国城市标度律及标度因子时空特征

城市标度律刻画了城市系统中城市要素与人口数量之间的规模缩放关系,但标度律在中国城市系统中的适用性和意义尚不明确。本文采用中国275个地级及以上城市数据,探究不同城市要素与人口规模的标度关系,并从时空维度探究标度因子的时空演化规律。结果表明：作为典型的快速城市化发展中国家,中国城市发展符合标度律,且呈现出与发达国家不同的特征：中国城市人口集聚带来的经济产出集聚效应显著,而土地利用、基础设施与公共服务的规模经济效应还有待增强。部分基础设施、生活设施要素与人口规模呈超线性或线性关系,与预期的次线性相悖,基础教育、医疗等要素的标度因子则远低于发达国家的次线性阈值,反映了公共资源向大城市聚集、不同规模城市发展不平衡等快速城镇化进程中城市系统的独特性。标度因子的区域分异反映城市发展协调程度差异,其中东北地区不同规模城市差异最为显著。主要城市要素标度因子随时间的变化表明,中国大城市的经济产出集聚效应在2009年最为显著,而后略有下降;中国大城市土地扩张总体上自2000年以来持续加速,2008年以后仍维持在较高水平,管控城市特别是大城市的外延式扩张、提高土地利用效率具有紧迫性。中国城市标度律研究有助于认知快速城市化地区城市系统特征和演化规律,为实现区域协调发展与落实新型城镇化发展战略提供支持。     

Precursory seismic quiescence in the Mudurnu Valley, North Anatolian fault zone, Turkey

The seismicity rate in the Mudurnu Valley of Turkey was studied using an earthquake catalogue that reports events homogeneously down to magnitude 2.3 for the years 1985–1989, and covers the area between latitudes 40.2° and 41.0°N, and longitudes 30.0° and 31.5°E. During this period the only two main shocks, M = 4.0 and M = 4.3, occurred on 1988 September 6 and 1988 December 9 within about 30km of each other. A highly significant seismic quiescence is evident in the area surrounding these main shocks, while the seismicity rate in the rest of the area covered by the catalogue remains constant. the quiescence becomes more pronounced the smaller the area around the main shocks that is studied. the smallest areas that can be studied contain about 60 earthquakes and have dimensions of approximately 25km on each side. the decreases in seismicity rates are 50–80 per cent depending on the volume and period used for defining the quiescence. the quiescence started in 1988 January and lasted about seven months, with approximately 4.5 months of normal activity separating it from the main shock of December. the precursor time of 12 months for an M = 4.3 main shock is similar to those observed in California. It is concluded that it is possible to resolve precursory quiescence before moderate and large earthquakes in the Mudurnu area with the existing seismograph network.     

Modelling of ground motion in the Higashinada (Kobe) area for an aftershock of the 1995 January 17 Hyogo-ken Nanbu, Japan, earthquake

We model the ground motion from an aftershock of the 1995 January 17 Hyogo-ken Nanbu (Kobe) earthquake to investigate basin edge effects on wave propagation in Higashinada ward, downtown Kobe. Point-source finite-difference seismograms calculated using a double-couple solution and a 2-D basin structure are compared with the ground-motion velocity seismograms recorded in a small station array deployed at sites within and outside the heavily damage zone in Higashinada ward. The comparison suggests that in the frequency range 0.1-2 Hz that was analysed, the observed spatial amplitude variation of the aftershock ground motion is attributable mainly to the basin edge effects. We found that the basin edge effect, caused by the superposition of the direct S wave and the basin-edge-diffracted waves, amplified the ground motion in a narrow zone that is offset by about 0.7 km from the basin edge.     

Microseismicity and structure of the Germencik area, western Turkey

Microseismicity at the boundary between two segments of the Büyük Menderes active normal fault zone, western Turkey, was monitored for two weeks during 1990 April and May, using a dense network of six portable seismographs with spacing ∼1–2 km. Extension rate across this fault zone is investigated by three independent methods; our preferred estimate is 1.2 ± 0.4 mm yr⁻¹. The area contains a geothermal field, but microseismicity appears unrelated to geothermal well positions and was thus lower than expected; six local events were recorded, none larger than magnitude 2. Microearthquakes in this size range contribute negligibly to local tectonic deformation. However, frequency of occurrence of these and local magnitude 7 events both satisfy the standard Gutenberg-Richter relationship. The local geomorphology includes an example of river capture associated with elevation changes accompanying changing patterns of slip on individual fault segments, which appears to have occurred less than 1 Myr ago.     

Holocene Lake Evolution in the Elmali Basin,Southwest Turkey

The spatial coverage of paleoecological research from southwestern Turkey is expanded by reporting on a ca. 12,690 ¹⁴C yr BP (14,935 cal yr BP) proxy record recovered from the Elmali basin. Four AMS radiocarbon age determinations, the litho-stratigraphic analysis of a lake bed core, and the analysis of subsurface sediment samples from 15 shallow auger holes across the basin document sedimentation patterns during the Holocene. Based on the widespread occurrence of Chara gyrogonite, and several species of ostracoda and gastropoda, the Elmali basin was dominated by lacustrine and palustrine environments but was continually influenced by alluvial fan sedimentation. Contrasting stratigraphy in the Kara Göl and Avlan Gölü sub-basins is a result of basin morphology, and possibly hydrologic control by karst features, and sub-basin isolation due to alluvial fan development. The cyclical deposition of marl/lime mud, gyttja, and peat in the Kara Göl core is indicative of periodic fluctuations in water level across a broad shallow basin, whereas the continuous clay record observed at Avlan Gölü implies deep-water sedimentation within a plugged former karst collapse feature. Calcareous clay deposited between 14,935 and 11,180 cal yr BP signals the growth and expansion of paleo Lake Elmali, which at its peak during the late Pleistocene, may have inundated over half of the of the 180 km² Elmali basin.