Use of Potential Foreshocks to Estimate the Short-term Probability of Large Earthquakes, Tohoku, Japan

This study seeks to construct a hazard function for earthquake probabilities based on potential foreshocks. Earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 and larger that occurred between 1976 and 2000 in an offshore area of the Tohoku region of northeast Japan were selected as events for estimating probabilities. Later occurrences of multiple events and aftershocks were omitted from targets. As a result, a total of 14 earthquakes were employed in the assessment of models. The study volume spans 300 km (East-West) × 660 km (North-South) × 60 km in depth. The probability of a target earthquake occurring at a certain point in time-space depends on the number of small earthquakes that occurred per unit volume in that vicinity. In this study, we assume that the hazard function increases geometrically with the number of potential foreshocks within a constrained space-time window. The parameters for defining potential foreshocks are magnitude, spatial extent and lead time to the point of assessment. The time parameter is studied in ranges of 1 to 5 days (1-day steps), and spatial parameters in 20 to 100 km (20-km steps). The model parameters of the hazard function are determined by the maximum likelihood method. The most effective hazard function examined was the following case: When an earthquake of magnitude 4.5 to 6.5 occurs, the hazard for a large event is increased significantly for one day within a 20 km radius surrounding the earthquake. If two or more such earthquakes are observed, the model expects a 20,000 times greater probability of an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 or greater than in the absence of such events.     

震兆信息的遥联性讨论

在2004年12月26日印尼苏门答腊以北近海发生MS8.7两次大地震之前,华北地区小震日频次演变出现了类似震兆的信息。采用“震情三分律”的方法处理了华北地区小震活动的数据,分析认为成组震兆的出现与大震之间的遥联性绝不只是一种小区域性的现象,而是一种大范围的普遍现象,大地震是全球性的震动,其震动遥联性的显示,就必然是跨越全球性的。讨论这种现象的物理意义目的在于识别和判断这种震兆的特性,对本区今后的地震活动趋势预测工作有所借鉴。     

FEATURES OF EARTHQUAKE CLUSTERING FROM CALCULATION OF COULOMB STRESS AROUND THE BAYAN HAR BLOCK,TIBETAN PLATEAU

Since 1997, several major earthquakes occurred around the Bayan Har block in the Tibetan plateau, providing an opportunity to further understanding the mechanism of intraplate earthquakes. What is the effect of interactions among these events on the earthquake occurrence pattern is an issue to be addressed. In this article, we use the visco-elastic Coulomb stress changes model to calculate the stress interactions among the historical events close to or large than M_S7.0 since 1893 in the Bayan Har block. We apply the relationships between the slip rate and stress accumulation rate to transform the Coulomb stress changes into the influenced time. Then we remove such influence time from the occurrence years, and analyze the effects of the earthquake interactions on the clustering patterns of the historical earthquakes in the Bayan Har block. The results show that the major earthquakes in the Bayan Har block are characterized by a quasi-period of about 16 years from 1893 to 1973 and a clustering occurrence time period from 1997 to present following a relatively long quiescence period. The Bayan Har block is still in the active period with high probabilities of major quakes. We calculate the conditional probabilities of the rupture segments that did not rupture since 1893 of the boundary faults of the Bayan Har block in the next 30 years. The following faults or fault sections seem to be of major risk:The Maqin segment and the Maqu fault of the East Kunlun fault zone, the Awanang fault, the Luocha segment of the Tazhong fault, the Moxi segment of the Xianshuihe fault, and the Dangjiang fault. Other Fault segments in the Bayan Har block without seismic events since 1893 probably also have hazard of M_S7 earthquakes in the future.     

青藏高原东北缘地震时空迁移的有限元数值模拟

地震在大陆内部断层系统中的时空迁移和丛集的基本力学机制一直是地球科学家关注的重要问题.青藏高原东北缘地震活动频繁,其地震时空迁移和地震丛集现象显著,是研究这个问题的重要区域.我们建立了一个三维黏弹塑性有限元模型,模拟了青藏高原东北缘主要活动断层系统的地震循环和地震时空迁移;计算了断层系统的应力演化;并探讨了断层之间的相互作用及地震时空迁移和地震丛集的原因.模拟结果显示断层之间的相互作用通过增加或降低断层上的库仑应力,加速或延缓了地震发生,使得区域地震可以在短时间内集中发生,从而形成地震丛集;另外,区域经过多个地震循环的长期演化,一些孕震断层上的应力状态恰好都达到屈服的临界状态附近,从而也可以导致这些断层上的地震在短期内集中发生,因此产生地震丛集和地震迁移.我们发现当区域经历地震丛集之后,该区域的应力大大释放,区域进入地震平静期;随着构造加载的持续,区域应力逐渐恢复,为下一次地震丛集或地震序列累积应力和能量;上述过程可以重复发生.因此地震丛集期与平静期交替出现.我们还统计了各个断层的大地震相互迁移的模拟结果,结果显示青藏高原东北缘下一次大地震有很大的概率会发生在海原断层上.     

内蒙古敖汉旗震群的微震匹配定位及其发震断层研究

内蒙古敖汉旗地区在2018—2019年间曾发生多次小震丛集活动,不同地震事件的波形记录易相互交叠,导致地震目录缺失。针对以上问题,采用匹配定位（Match&Locate）方法,对台网遗漏地震进行识别、检测与定位,并通过CAP方法反演敖汉旗震群最大地震的震源机制解,利用匹配定位后的小震分布定量地拟合发震断层面参数,从而综合判定敖汉旗震群的发震断层面几何形态和发震构造。结果显示：通过匹配定位方法共识别、定位405个小震事件,是原有地震目录事件的5.4倍,震群主体沿NW-SE向展布于红山—八里罕断裂与赤峰—开源断裂相交区域的东侧,震源深度集中于8—10 km。断层拟合结果和最大地震震源机制解表明敖汉旗震群的发震构造应是一条左旋走滑型隐伏正断层,断层面走向为157°,倾角为84°。综合分析红山—八里罕断裂和赤峰—开源断裂的断层性质和活动特征,认为敖汉旗震群的发震断层可能是这两条深大断裂在不断活动中相互作用而形成。     

Stress Correlation Function Evolution in Lattice Solid Elasto-dynamic Models of Shear and Fracture Zones and Earthquake Prediction

--It has been argued that power-law time-to-failure fits for cumulative Benioff strain and an evolution in size-frequency statistics in the lead-up to large earthquakes are evidence that the crust behaves as a Critical Point (CP) system. If so, intermediate-term earthquake prediction is possible. However, this hypothesis has not been proven. If the crust does behave as a CP system, stress correlation lengths should grow in the lead-up to large events through the action of small to moderate ruptures and drop sharply once a large event occurs. However this evolution in stress correlation lengths cannot be observed directly. Here we show, using the lattice solid model to describe discontinuous elasto-dynamic systems subjected to shear and compression, that it is for possible correlation lengths to exhibit CP-type evolution. In the case of a granular system subjected to shear, this evolution occurs in the lead-up to the largest event and is accompanied by an increasing rate of moderate-sized events and power-law acceleration of Benioff strain release. In the case of an intact sample system subjected to compression, the evolution occurs only after a mature fracture system has developed. The results support the existence of a physical mechanism for intermediate-term earthquake forecasting and suggest this mechanism is fault-system dependent. This offers an explanation of why accelerating Benioff strain release is not observed prior to all large earthquakes. The results prove the existence of an underlying evolution in discontinuous elasto-dynamic systems which is capable of providing a basis for forecasting catastrophic failure and earthquakes.     

岷县M_S6.6地震震源机制及构造应力研究

利用甘肃省测震台网观测到的主震波形记录的初动符号求解了2013年7月22 日岷县Ms6.6地震主震的震源机制,并与哈佛及usgs发布的震源机制进行了对比,对这一地区过去发生过的若干次Mb4.5以上的地震也利用初动符号求解了震源机制,发现与Ms6.6地震的震源机制形态较为相似.进而利用2010年至2011年甘东南宽频带流动台阵的大量近震资料,对在震中距50 km范围内,并且接近岷县Ms6.6地震发震断裂临潭-宕昌断裂的中小地震进行了检索,对检索到的地震进行初动识别后得到初动数目大于10个、并且对震源包络良好的中小地震31个,利用小震的震源机制解求解了该区域的区域应力场.结果表明这一区域的主压力方向为NEE方向.     

Long-range Automaton Models of Earthquakes: Power-law Accelerations,Correlation Evolution,and Mode-switching

—?We introduce a conceptual model for the in-plane physics of an earthquake fault. The model employs cellular automaton techniques to simulate tectonic loading, earthquake rupture, and strain redistribution. The impact of a hypothetical crustal elastodynamic Green's function is approximated by a long-range strain redistribution law with a r ^?p dependance. We investigate the influence of the effective elastodynamic interaction range upon the dynamical behaviour of the model by conducting experiments with different values of the exponent (p). The results indicate that this model has two distinct, stable modes of behaviour. The first mode produces a characteristic earthquake distribution with moderate to large events preceeded by an interval of time in which the rate of energy release accelerates. A correlation function analysis reveals that accelerating sequences are associated with a systematic, global evolution of strain energy correlations within the system. The second stable mode produces Gutenberg-Richter statistics, with near-linear energy release and no significant global correlation evolution. A model with effectively short-range interactions preferentially displays Gutenberg-Richter behaviour. However, models with long-range interactions appear to switch between the characteristic and GR modes. As the range of elastodynamic interactions is increased, characteristic behaviour begins to dominate GR behaviour. These models demonstrate that evolution of strain energy correlations may occur within systems with a fixed elastodynamic interaction range. Supposing that similar mode-switching dynamical behaviour occurs within earthquake faults then intermediate-term forecasting of large earthquakes may be feasible for some earthquakes but not for others, in alignment with certain empirical seismological observations. Further numerical investigation of dynamical models of this type may lead to advances in earthquake forecasting research and theoretical seismology.     

2014年鲁甸MS6.5地震前后地震活动性

2014年 8月3日在云南省鲁甸县发生M_S6.5地震,造成了巨大的人员伤亡和财产损失.关于鲁甸地震的起因,特别是鲁甸地震与溪洛渡水库之间的关系存在一些争议.分析中强地震前后地震活动性的变化可以为判断主震起源提供一定的依据.然而,由于鲁甸地震震中附近固定台站数目少、台站距离震中远及主震后尾波干扰等因素的影响,会造成地震目录的缺失,从而可能影响地震活动性的可靠分析.为了获得更加完备的地震目录,本文采用模板匹配方法对鲁甸地震前后小地震进行了搜索和识别.以台网目录中的541个事件作为模板,在主震之前33天到主震后5天的连续波形中识别出991个未在目录中列出的地震,使余震的完备震级从1.8降低到1.3.根据检测目录得到主震前33天内的b值为1.04±0.18,余震的b值在震后5天内由0.5左右逐渐上升至0.9附近并保持稳定;根据2009年到主震发生前的台网目录得到该区域的背景b值为0.93±0.04.即鲁甸地震前后区域地震活动b值均与背景b值接近,这与典型水库诱发的中强震具有的b值特征不相符.同时通过进一步分析台网目录,未发现溪洛渡水库蓄水前后研究区域内的地震活动性存在明显变化,这也与典型水库诱发地震区域的地震活动性特征不相符.综合以上结果,我们认为2014年鲁甸M_S6.5地震不具有典型水库诱发地震的特征.     

区域近震直达纵波走时变化和小震活动规律

以震报震是我们测震学预报地震方法中的一种。各个区域每年发生的小地震事件较多,了解区域小震与小震之间的联系规律,对于今后发生的地震,我们可以通过近期发生的地震,找出未来应力变化的区域,对潜在震源区提前做出预判,也为今后大震发生找出点研究线索。本文通过对区域直达纵波走时的变化来研究地下应力的变化,从而了解区域地震与地震之间的活动规律。     

Long aftershock sequences in North China and Central US: implications for hazard assessment in mid-continents

Because seismic activity within mid-continents is usually much lower than that along plate boundary zones, even small earthquakes can cause widespread concerns, especially when these events occur in the source regions of previous large earthquakes. However, these small earthquakes may be just aftershocks that continue for decades or even longer. The recent seismicity in the Tangshan region in North China is likely aftershocks of the 1976 Great Tangshan earthquake. The current earthquake sequence in the New Madrid seismic zone in central United States, which includes a cluster of M ~ 7.0 events in 1811–1812 and a number of similar events in the past millennium, is believed to result from recent fault reactivation that releases pre-stored strain energy in the crust. If so, this earthquake sequence is similar to aftershocks in that the rates of energy release should decay with time and the sequence of earthquakes will eventually end. We use simple physical analysis and numerical simulations to show that the current sequence of large earthquakes in the New Madrid fault zone is likely ending or has ended. Recognizing that mid-continental earthquakes have long aftershock sequences and complex spatiotemporal occurrences are critical to improve hazard assessments.     

一种确定大小地震比例的新方法及其在地震预报中的应用

本利用贝叶斯判别准则,提出了一种确定大小地震比例的新方法,并以１９８９年山西阳高地震和１９８３年山东荷泽地震为例,说明了此方法在震预报中应用的可能性,并说明对弱地震活动地区,本方法具有明显的可行性。     

Uncertainty in recurrence rates of large magnitude events due to short historic catalogs

Seismic hazard analysis requires knowledge of the recurrence rates of large magnitude earthquakes that drive the hazard at low probabilities of interest for seismic design. Earthquake recurrence is usually determined through studies of the historic earthquake catalogue for a given region. Reliable historic catalogues generally span time periods of 100–200 years in North America, while large magnitude events (M?≥?7) have recurrence rates on the order of hundreds or thousands of years in many areas, resulting in large uncertainty in recurrence rates for large events. Using Monte Carlo techniques and assuming typical recurrence parameters, we simulate earthquake catalogues that span long periods of time. We then split these catalogues into smaller catalogues spanning 100–200 years that mimic the length of historic catalogues. For each of these simulated “historic” catalogues, a recurrence rate for large magnitude events is determined. By comparing recurrence rates from one historic-length catalogue to another, we quantify the uncertainty associated with determining recurrence rates from short historic catalogues. The use of simulations to explore the uncertainty (rather than analytical solutions) allows us flexibility to consider issues such as the relative contributions of aleatory versus epistemic uncertainty, and the influence of fitting method, as well as lending insight into extreme-event statistics. The uncertainty in recurrence rates of large (M?>?7) events is about a factor of two in regions of high seismicity, due to the shortness of historic catalogues. This uncertainty increases greatly with decreasing seismic activity. Uncertainty is dependent on the length of the catalogue as well as the fitting method used (least squares vs. maximum likelihood). Examination of 90th percentile recurrence rates reveals that epistemic uncertainty in the true parameters may cause recurrence rates determined from historic catalogues to be uncertain by a factor greater than 50.     

Probability of earthquake recurrence with nonuniform stress rates and time-dependent failure

Current methods for calculation of long-term probabilities for the recurrence of large earthquakes on specific fault segments are based upon models of the faulting process that implicitly assume constant stress rates during the interval separating earthquakes and instantaneous failure at a critical stress threshold. However, observations indicate that the process of stress recovery following an earthquake involves rate variations at all time scales in addition to stress steps caused by nearby earthquakes. Additionally, the existence of foreshocks, aftershocks and possible precursory processes suggest that there may be significant time dependence of the earthquake nucleation process. A method for determining the conditional probabilities for earthquake occurrence under conditions of irregular stressing is developed that could be useful at all time scales including those pertinent to short-and intermediate-term prediction. Used with models for earthquake occurrence at a stress threshold, the addition of variable stressing introduces a simple scaling of the conditional probabilities by stress level and stress rate. A model for the time-dependent nucleation of earthquake slip has been proposed recently that is based upon laboratory observations of fault strength. This failure criterion results in large but relatively short duration changes in the probability of earthquake recurrence particularly following stress steps. Applied to populations of earthquakes the models predicts a 1/t decay of seismicity following stress steps as observed for aftershocks and for frequency of foreshock-mainshock pairs. The model suggests that variations of seismicity rates of small earthquakes in the nucleation zone of the expected earthquake directly indicate variations in probability of recurrence of the large earthquake.     

漳州-华安“地震窗”及其机制

漳州-华安是一个中强地震活动区,现今小震活动频繁。本文分析该区历史和现今地震活动特点,发现该区地震活动性涨落与闽台强震活动存在一定的相关性,因而得出该区是一个“地震窗”的认识。进而对“地震窗”的形成条件进行讨论,认为该区“地震窗”的形成是与其深部热作用所产生的向上垂直作用力紧密相关     

青藏块体东北缘中强地震前小震频度异常研究

1980年以来青藏块体东北缘共发生26次M_S5.0以上地震,其中22次在时间和空间上相对独立。 通过系统研究这22次中强地震前其邻区小震活动的增强现象,发现有17次中强地震前存在比较明显的小震增强现象。 虽然小震增强现象在多数中强地震前存在,但是利用小震活动的增强对未来中强地震的预测比较困难。 文中结合青藏块体东北缘小震活动的特点,尝试提出根据小震活动空间格局是否改变统计小震频度的方法,并且进行了初步的应用。 结果表明: 利用新方法统计小震的频度更能突出中强地震前的小震频度异常,并且中强地震前的小震频度异常幅度受空间范围大小的影响不大,能够有效的提取青藏块体东北缘中强地震前的中短期异常指标。     

Memory effect in M ≥ 6 earthquakes of South-North Seismic Belt, Mainland China

The M?≥?6 earthquakes occurred in the South–North Seismic Belt, Mainland China, during 1901–2008 are taken to study the possible existence of memory effect in large earthquakes. The fluctuation analysis technique is applied to analyze the sequences of earthquake magnitude and inter-event time represented in the natural time domain. Calculated results show that the exponents of scaling law of fluctuation versus window length are less than 0.5 for the sequences of earthquake magnitude and inter-event time. The migration of earthquakes in study is taken to discuss the possible correlation between events. The phase portraits of two sequent magnitudes and two sequent inter-event times are also applied to explore if large (or small) earthquakes are followed by large (or small) events. Together with all kinds of given information, we conclude that the earthquakes in study is short-term correlated and thus the short-term memory effect would be operative.     

地震的"序列归属"问题与ETAS模型——以唐山序列为例

历史上发生过强震地区的余震活动可能持续较长时间,而余震序列在何时可被看作正常的"背景地震活动",即"序列归属"问题在地球动力学和地震物理中有重要意义.时-空"传染型余震序列"(ETAS)模型可分离"背景"地震和"丛集"地震,并用概率形式表示作为相应事件的可能性,为考察此问题提供了可能.本文以1976年唐山M_S7.8地震序列为例,对唐山地区1970年以来的M_L4.0以上地震进行了时-空ETAS模型拟合,并以2010年以来发生的3次M_S4.0以上地震为例讨论了它们的"序列归属"问题.研究结果显示,3次M_S4.0以上地震的背景地震概率分别为0.72、0.88和0.76,表明它们作为1976年唐山M_S7.8的余震的可能性较低,更可能为背景地震.     

Discrimination of earthquakes and quarry blasts in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey

In recent years, a large number of quarry blasts have been detonated in the eastern Black Sea region. When these blasts are recorded by seismic stations, they contaminate the regional earthquake catalog. It is necessary to discriminate quarry blast records from the earthquake catalogs in order to determine the real seismicity of the region. Earthquakes and quarry blasts can be separated through different methods. These methods should be applied concurrently in order to safely distinguish these events. In this study, we discriminated quarry blasts from earthquakes in the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. We used 186 seismic events recorded by the Karadeniz Technical University and Bogaziçi University Kandilli Observatory Earthquake Research Institute stations which are Trabzon, Espiye, Pazar, Borçka, Ayd?ntepe, and Gümü?hane between years of 2002 and 2010. For the discrimination of quarry blasts from earthquakes, we used both, statistical methods (calculation of the maximum ratio of S to P waves (S/P), complexity (C)) and spectral methods (spectrogram calculation). These methods included measuring the maximum amplitude S/P, C, spectral ratio, and time-frequency analysis. We especially relied on two-dimensional time-frequency analysis methods to discriminate quarry blasts from earthquakes in Turkey. As a result of this study, 68 % of the examined seismic events were determined to be quarry blasts and 32 % to be earthquakes. The earthquakes occurring on land are related to small faults and the blasts are concentrated in large quarries. Nearly 40 % of the earthquakes occurred in the Black Sea, most of them are related to the Black Sea thrust belt, where the largest earthquake was observed in the time period studied. The areas with the largest earthquake potential in the eastern Black Sea region are in the sea.     

Statistical analysis on energy field of seismicity in Ningxia and its neighborhood region

IntroductionOneofnotablefeaturesofseismicityistherandomoccurrenceofearthquakesinspaceandtime.Oneessentialelementofseismicityisthatearthquakereleasedenergycanbetakenastherandomfunctionsofspatialandtemporalcoordinates.Therandomfunctioncanbecalledseismicityenergystochasticfieldorearthquakeenergyfield.Sincetheseismicityisrelatedinspaceandtime,usingtheconceptofstochasticfield,thetotalfeatureofregionalseismicactivitycanbeconsidered,ratherthanthestatisticsofasingleearthquakeinthepast.Therefore,thefe…