日本俯冲带应力产生与传播的数值模拟

用三维有限元模拟了日本地冲带，分析了板块推力、板块拉力、动态闭锁断层和解耦板间地震对上覆板块内部应力状态的贡献，表明大洋板块推力是海沟。岛弧地区挤压应力的主要来源，这种应力仅有小部分传播到上覆板块内部，软流圈的蠕变能促进这个应力传播过程使岛弧区的应力增大，由密度差异引起的板块拉力产生了分散的挤压应力和拉张应力。断层闭锁导致应力局部集中，板间地震的断层错动只对破裂附近小范围的应力状态产生影响     

Possible Mechanism of Precursory Seismic Quiescence: Regional Stress Relaxation due to Preseismic Sliding

—We propose a new model to physically explain the seismic quiescence precursory to a large interplate earthquake. A numerical simulation is performed to quantitatively examine possible stress changes prior to a great interplate earthquake in a subduction zone. In the present study, the frictional force following a laboratory-derived friction law, in which the friction coefficient is dependent on slip rate and slip history, is assumed to act on a dip-slip fault plane of infinite width in a uniform elastic half-space. The values of friction parameters are determined so that the result of numerical simulation may explain some properties of great interplate earthquakes in subduction zones, such as the recurrence interval and the seismic coupling coefficient. The result of simulation reveals that significant quasi-stable sliding occurs prior to a great earthquake and, accordingly, stresses are changed on and around the plate boundary. In a relatively wide area of the overriding continental plate, the compres sional horizontal-stress perpendicular to the trench axis is decreased for a few years before the occurrence of a great earthquake. This decrease in regional compressional stress may account for the appearance of seismic quiescence prior to a great interplate earthquake.     

Interplate Coupling in the Kanto District, Central Japan, and the Boso Peninsula Silent Earthquake in May 1996

— I studied crustal deformation in the Kanto district, central Japan, based on continuous GPS data. Horizontal as well as vertical displacement rate demonstrate significant interaction between the landward Kanto block and the Philippine Sea plate. Although the subduction effect of the Pacific plate is not apparent, it is reasonable to consider the entire Kanto district is displaced westward due to the interaction with the Pacific plate. The GPS velocity data were inverted to estimate the slip deficit distribution on the Sagami Trough subduction zone. The result delineates a strongly coupled region on the plate interface, part of which corresponds to the 1923 Kanto earthquake. The strongly coupled region is located shallower than 20 km. In addition, the plate interaction is laterally heterogeneous even in the same depth range, implying thermal structure is not the only factor controlling interplate coupling. The GPS data also detected a silent earthquake event on the interface of the Philippine Sea slab east of the Boso Peninsula in the middle of May, 1996. The silent rupture propagated over a 50 km * 50 km wide area during about a week. The maximum slip was approximately 50 mm and the released seismic moment was 4.7*10¹⁸Nm (M _w 6.4). There was a small seismicity triggered by this silent event. The silent slip was located in the peripheral of the strongly coupled area, suggesting that frictional properties and/or stress conditions are inhomogeneous on the plate boundary interface.     

Strain and stress changes in the Tokai region of central Japan expected from a 3D subduction model

Using a 3D simulation model with a rate- and state-dependent friction law, Kuroki et al. (2002) discussed a process of a hypothetical great earthquake in the Tokai region, where the Philippine Sea plate subducts beneath the Eurasian plate. One of the main concerns was characteristic changes in volumetric strain and displacement on the ground surface which are caused by the evolution of the coupling between the two plates, i.e. evolution of a strongly coupled region between the plates which results in a preslip of the earthquake.In the present paper we discuss other observable phenomena which might help us to identify the stage of the coupling. The preslip of the earthquake could be more effectively detected by using full information about the change of strain rather than volumetric strain alone; the change in rotation angle of principal strain axes should amount to several tens of degrees while the order of the change in volumetric strain is 10⁻⁸ to 10⁻⁷ for 1 day before the earthquake. The spatial pattern of the displacement field on the ground surface provides us with information on the intermediate-term precursory changes in the plate coupling. Information given by micro-earthquakes is less direct. The seismicity should change considerably when a highly shear-stressed ring on the plate interface passes nearby, and ups and downs of seismicity rate will be estimated by Coulomb failure stress. On the other hand, focal mechanisms are rather insensitive to the progress of plate subduction. The changes may be not significant even at the time of the preslip. The interplate coupling yields a stress field that should produce reverse fault type mechanisms, but the stress field is modulated by a curved shape of the plate interface. Superposition of a regional tectonic stress to this field explains observed spatial distribution of focal mechanisms in the Tokai region which involve large strike-slip components.     

Interplate Earthquake Fault Slip During Periodic Earthquake Cycles in a Viscoelastic Medium at a Subduction Zone

--A 2-D finite-element-method (FEM) numerical experiment of earthquake cycles at a subduction zone is performed to investigate the effect of viscoelasticity of the earth on great interplate earthquake fault slip. We construct a 2-D viscoelastic FEM model of northeast Japan, which consists of an elastic upper crust and a viscoelastic mantle wedge under gravitation overlying the subducting elastic Pacific plate. Instead of the dislocation model prescribing an amount of slip on a plate interface, we define an earthquake cycle, in which the plate interface down to a depth is locked during an interseismic period and unlocked during coseismic and postseismic periods by changing the friction on the boundary with the master-slave method. This earthquake cycle with steady plate subduction is periodically repeated to calculate the resultant earthquake fault slip.¶As simulated in a previous study (Wang, 1995), the amount of fault slip at the first earthquake cycle is smaller than the total relative plate motion. This small amount of fault slip in the viscoelastic medium was considered to be one factor explaining the small seismic coupling observed at several subduction zones. Our simulation, however, shows that the fault slip grows with an increasing number of repeated earthquake cycles and reaches an amount comparable to the total relative plate motion after more than ten earthquake cycles. This new finding indicates that the viscoelasticity of the earth is not the main factor in explaining the observed small seismic coupling. In comparison with a simple one-degree-of-freedom experiment, we demonstrate that the increase of the fault slip occurs in the transient state from the relaxed initial state to the stressed equilibrium state due to the intermittent plate loading in a viscoelastic medium.     

Coupling of tectonic loading and earthquake fault slips at subduction zones

Because of the viscoelastic behaviour of the earth, accumulation of elastic strain energy by tectonic loading and release of such energy by earthquake fault slips at subduction zones may take place on different spatial scales. If the lithospheric plate is acted upon by distant tectonic forces, strain accumulation must occur in a broad region. However, an earthquake releases strain only in a region comparable to the size of the rupture area. A two-dimensional finite-element model of a subduction zone with viscoelastic rheology has been used to investigate the coupling of tectonic loading and earthquake fault slips. A fault lock-and-unlock technique is employed so that the amount of fault slip in an earthquake is not prescribed, but determined by the accumulated stress. The amount of earthquake fault slip as a fraction of the total relative plate motion depends on the relative sizes of the earthquake rupture area and the region of tectonic strain accumulation, as well as the rheology of the rock material. The larger the region of strain accumulation is compared to the earthquake rupture, the smaller is the earthquake fault slip. The reason for the limited earthquake fault slip is that the elastic shear stress in the asthenosphere induced by the earthquake resists the elastic rebound of the overlying plate. Since rapid permanent plate shortening is not observed at subduction zones, there must be either strain release over a large region or strain accumulation over a small region over earthquake cycles. The former can be achieved only by significant aseismic fault slip between large subduction earthquakes. The most likely mechanism for the latter is the accumulation of elastic strain around isolated locked asperities of the fault, which requires significant aseismic fault slip between asperities.     

Quantitative estimates of interplate coupling inferred from outer rise earthquakes

Interplate coupling plays an important role in the seismogenesis of great interplate earthquakes at subduction zones. The spatial and temporal variations of such coupling control the patterns of subduction zone seismicity. We calculate stresses in the outer rise based on a model of oceanic plate bending and coupling at the interplate contact, to quantitatively estimate the degree of interplate coupling for the Tonga, New Hebrides, Kurile, Kamchatka, and Marianas subduction zones. Depths and focal mechanisms of outer rise earthquakes are used to constrain the stress models. We perform waveform modeling of body waves from the GDSN network to obtain reliable focal depth estimates for 24 outer rise earthquakes. A propagator matrix technique is used to calculate outer rise stresses in a bending 2-D elastic plate floating on a weak mantle. The modeling of normal and tangential loads simulates the total vertical and shear forces acting on the subducting plate. We estimate the interplate coupling by searching for an optimal tangential load at the plate interface that causes the corresponding stress regime within the plate to best fit the earthquake mechanisms in depth and location.We find the estimated mean tangential load over 125–200 km width ranging between 166 and 671 bars for Tonga, the New Hebrides, the Kuriles, and Kamchatka. This magnitude of the coupling stress is generally compatible with the predicted shear stress at the plate contact from thermal-mechanical plate models byMolnar andEngland (1990), andVan den Buekel andWortel (1988). The estimated tectonic coupling,F _tc , is on the order of 10¹²–10¹³ N/m for all the subduction zones.F _tc for Tonga and New Hebrides is about twice as high as in the Kurile and Kamchatka arcs. The corresponding earthquake coupling forceF _ec appears to be 1–10% of the tectonic coupling from our estimates. There seems to be no definitive correlation of the degree of seismic coupling with the estimated tectonic coupling. We find that outer rise earthquakes in the Marianas can be modeled using zero tangential load.     

Physical criterion to evaluate seismic activity associated with the seismic cycle of great interplate earthquakes

A new criterion is introduced to judge if the vicinity of the source region of a great interplate earthquake is in an active period. It is based on the stress change caused by the great earthquake. A region is regarded as being in an active period of seismicity if the occurrence rate of earthquakes on faults in the stress shadow of the great earthquake is significantly higher than in the early stage of the seismic cycle, and if the stressing rate of these faults is sufficiently low. This criterion was applied to the seismicity in the central part of southwest Japan before and after the 1944 Tonankai and 1946 Nankai earthquakes. The results show that before the 1944 Tonankai earthquake, the region was in an active period from at least 1927.The region was in a quiet period for almost50 years after the 1946 Nankai earthquake.Data after 1995 show that the region is once more in an active period of seismicity preceding the next great interplate earthquakes along the Nankai trough,although the total number of earthquakes has not yet significantly increased. Our results indicate that earthquake probability in the central part of southwest Japan will become high in the coming decades until the next great interplate earthquakes along the Nankai trough.     

The Variation of Stresses due to Aseismic Sliding and its Effect on Seismic Activity

— Numerical simulation of recurring large interplate earthquakes in a subduction zone is conducted to explore the effects of aseismic sliding on the variation of stresses and the activity of small earthquakes. The frictional force obeying a rate- and state-dependent friction law is assumed to act on the plate interface in a 2-D model of uniform elastic half-space. The simulation results show that large earthquakes repeatedly occur at a constant time interval on a shallow part of the plate interface and that aseismic sliding migrates from the upper aseismic zone as well as from the lower aseismic zone into the central part of the seismogenic zone before the occurrence of a large interplate earthquake. This spatiotemporal variation of aseismic sliding significantly perturbs the stresses in the overriding plate and in the subducting oceanic plate, leading to the precursory seismic quiescence in the overriding plate and the activation of the intermediate-depth earthquakes of down-dip tension type. After the occurrence of a large interplate earthquake, the activity of the intermediate-depth earthquakes of down-dip compression type in the subducting slab is expected to increase and migrate downward. This is because the downward propagation of postseismic sliding causes the downward migration of compressional-stress increase in the down-dip direction of the plate interface. The simulation result further indicates that episodic events of aseismic sliding may occur when the spatial distributions of friction parameters are significantly nonuniform. The variation of stresses due to episodic sliding is expected to cause seismicity changes.     

The stress change of the major activity faults in the Weihe Graben after the Wenchuan earthquake

The seismicity of small earthquakes in the Weihe Graben has changed after the Wenchuan earthquake. In detail,the seismicity around the Qishan-Mazhao fault in the western Weihe Graben decreased, while the seismicity in Gaoling and Jingyang Counties in the middle portion of the Weihe Graben and that in the area between Hancheng and Yuncheng Cities in eastern Weihe Graben increased. In this paper, the stress loading on the major activity faults in the Weihe Graben induced by the Wenchuan earthquake is discussed based on the Coulomb stress theory.The results show that the Wenchuan earthquake has exerted an unloading effect in the western Weihe Graben and a loading effect in the middle and eastern Weihe Graben. The spatially varied Coulomb stress is consistent with the seismicity distribution, indicating that the seismicity change is closely associated with the stress loading caused by the Wenchuan earthquake.     

Sources of Tsunami and Tsunamigenic Earthquakes in Subduction Zones

—We classified tsunamigenic earthquakes in subduction zones into three types earth quakes at the plate interface (typical interplate events), earthquakes at the outer rise, within the subducting slab or overlying crust (intraplate events), and "tsunami earthquakes" that generate considerably larger tsunamis than expected from seismic waves. The depth range of a typical interplate earthquake source is 10–40km, controlled by temperature and other geological parameters. The slip distribution varies both with depth and along-strike. Recent examples show very different temporal change of slip distribution in the Aleutians and the Japan trench. The tsunamigenic coseismic slip of the 1957 Aleutian earthquake was concentrated on an asperity located in the western half of an aftershock zone 1200km long. This asperity ruptured again in the 1986 Andreanof Islands and 1996 Delarof Islands earthquakes. By contrast, the source of the 1994 Sanriku-oki earthquake corresponds to the low slip region of the previous interplate event, the 1968 Tokachi-oki earthquake. Tsunamis from intraplate earthquakes within the subducting slab can be at least as large as those from interplate earthquakes; tsunami hazard assessments must include such events. Similarity in macroseismic data from two southern Kuril earthquakes illustrates difficulty in distinguishing interplate and slab events on the basis of historical data such as felt reports and tsunami heights. Most moment release of tsunami earthquakes occurs in a narrow region near the trench, and the concentrated slip is responsible for the large tsunami. Numerical modeling of the 1996 Peru earthquake confirms this model, which has been proposed for other tsunami earthquakes, including 1896 Sanriku, 1946 Aleutian and 1992 Nicaragua.     

Comparison of Depth Dependent Fault Zone Properties in the Japan Trench and Middle America Trench

—Spatial variations in mechanical properties of the interplate thrust faults along the Japan and Middle America subduction zones are examined using teleseismic broadband earthquake recordings. Moment-normalized source duration is used to probe rigidity variations along the interface. We invert body waves to estimate source depth and source duration for 40 events in the Japan subduction zone and 38 events in the Middle America subduction zone. For both areas, there is a systematic decrease in source duration with increasing depth along the subduction zone interface. This is most likely a result of variation in properties of sediments on the plate contact. Variations in source duration are greatly reduced at depths greater than 18 km in both regions. Enhanced spatial heterogeneity at shallow depth may reflect variations in plate roughness, sediment distribution, permeability of the fault zone, and stress.     

Microseismicity around rupture area of the 1944 Tonankai earthquake from ocean bottom seismograph observations

Along the Nankai trough, southwestern Japan, the Philippine Sea plate (PSP) is subducting beneath the Eurasian plate, and large interplate earthquakes have occurred repeatedly with a recurrence interval of about 100-200 years. The most recent large thrust event in the eastern Nankai trough off Kii Peninsula was the 1944 Tonankai earthquake. In this region, current seismicity is very low and hypocenters are not determined accurately by the land seismic network. We conducted microseismicity observations around the rupture area of the 1944 Tonankai earthquake using ocean bottom seismographs (OBSs). Hypocenters were determined using a 2-D seismic velocity structure model based on an airgun-OBS seismic survey. Results obtained show that the seismicity was relatively active near the trough axis. These earthquakes may relate to deformation of the subducting Philippine Sea plate. On the other hand, microseismicity in the rupture area of the 1944 Tonankai earthquake was very low. This low-level seismic activity in the co-seismic rupture area of the 1944 Tonankai earthquake likely relates to a single large asperity off Kii Peninsula.     

Seismic coupling and structure of the Hellenic subduction zone in the Ionian Islands region

The western Hellenic arc has been commonly considered as a largely aseismic subduction zone, from the comparison of a small rate of shortening derived from the seismic moment release, with a large rate of convergence inferred from geology. Complete seismic coupling would instead be expected from models that consider a control by plate tectonic forces, because of the trenchward velocity of the Hellenic–Aegean upper plate now confirmed with GPS measurements. In the region of the Ionian Islands, a subduction interplate boundary has been recently imaged and its seismogenic downdip width suggested to be moderate, from reflection seismic profiling and local earthquake tomography. In the appropriate model for such an earthquake source region, which considers a single interplate fault and takes into account these features, the moderate seismic moment release is found consistent with complete seismic coupling of this subduction. The shallow downdip limit of the seismogenic zone can be interpreted as due to the interplate boundary being overlain there by the ductile deeper crust of the orogenically thickened Hellenides.     

Seismicity at the convergent plate boundary offshore Crete,Greece, observed by an amphibian network

We investigate microseismic activity at the convergent plate boundary of the Hellenic subduction zone on- and offshore south-eastern Crete with unprecedented precision using recordings from an amphibian seismic network. The network configuration consisted of up to eight ocean bottom seismometers as well as five temporary short-period and six permanent broadband stations on Crete and surrounding islands. More than 2,500 local and regional events with magnitudes up to M _L = 4.5 were recorded during the time period July 2003–June 2004. The magnitude of completeness varies between 1.5 on Crete and adjacent areas and increases to 2.5 in the vicinity of the Strabo trench 100 km south of Crete. Tests with different localization schemes and velocity models showed that the best results were obtained from a probabilistic earthquake localization using a 1-D velocity model and corresponding station corrections obtained by simultaneous inversion. Most of the seismic activity is located offshore of central and eastern Crete and interpreted to be associated with the intracrustal graben system (Ptolemy and Pliny trenches). Furthermore, a significant portion of events represents interplate seismicity along the NNE-ward dipping plate interface. The concentration of seismicity along the Ptolemy and Pliny trenches extends from shallow depths down to the plate interface and indicates active movement. We propose that both trenches form transtensional structures within the Aegean plate. The Aegean continental crust between these two trenches is interpreted as a forearc sliver as it exhibits only low microseismic activity during the observation period and little or no internal deformation. Interplate seismicity between the Aegean and African plates forms a 100-km wide zone along dip from the Strabo trench in the south to the southern shore-line of Crete in the north. The seismicity at the plate contact is randomly distributed and no indications for locked zones were observed. The plate contact below and north of Crete shows no microseismic activity and seems to be decoupled. The crustal seismicity of the Aegean plate in this area is generally confined to the upper 20 km in agreement with the idea of a ductile deformation of the lower crust caused by a rapid return flow of metamorphic rocks that spread out below the forearc. In the region of the Messara half-graben at the south coast of central Crete, a southward dipping seismogenic structure is found that coalesces with the seismicity of the Ptolemy trench at a depth of about 20 km. The accretionary prism south of Crete indicated by the Mediterranean Ridge showed no seismic activity during the observation period and seems to be deforming aseismically.     

GeoFEM Kinematic Earthquake Cycle Simulation in Southwest Japan

— We construct a viscoelastic FEM model with 3-D configuration of the subducting Philippine Sea plate in Southwest Japan to simulate recent 300-year kinematic earthquake cycles along the Nankai-Suruga-Sagami trough, based on the kinematic earthquake cycle model. This 300-year simulation contains a series of three great interplate earthquakes. The inclusion of viscoelasticity produces characteristic velocity field during earthquake cycles regardless of the assumed constant plate coupling throughout the interseismic period. Just after the occurrence of interplate earthquakes, the viscoelastic relaxation creates the seaward motion in the inland region. In the middle period, the seaward motion gradually decreases, and the resultant velocity field is similar to the elastic one. Later, just before the next interplate earthquake, displacements due to the interplate coupling in the viscoelastic material are distributed more broadly in the forearc region than in the purely elastic one, since the viscoelastic relaxation due to the previous earthquake mostly disappears. The effects of such interplate earthquake cycles on five major inland faults in southwest Japan, where large intraplate earthquakes occurred during this period, are quantitatively evaluated using the Coulomb failure function (CFF). The calculated change in CFF successfully predicts the occurrence of the 1995 Kobe earthquake (M～7). The occurrence of other inland earthquakes, however, cannot be explained by the calculated changes in CFF, and especially the 1891 Nobi earthquake (M～8), the largest inland earthquake in Japan, which occurred at the time close to the local minimum of CFF. This implies that further improvements are necessary for our FEM modeling, such as the modeling of steady east-west compressive force and stress interactions between the inland faults.     

日本海沟俯冲带MW9.0地震震源区应力场演化分析

于2011年3月11日发生在日本东北部的M_W9.0级逆冲型板间地震是日本有地震记录以来震级最大的一次地震.本研究基于NIED F-net矩张量解目录中的震源机制解,选取两个长轴相互垂直的矩形区域进行应力场2D反演,获取了日本海沟俯冲带地区应力场的空间及时间分布图像.结果表明：主震前,俯冲带地区应力状态在空间上大体趋于一致,即应力轴（P轴、σ₁轴及S_Hmax轴）系统性地倾向板块汇聚方向,P轴、σ₁轴倾角整体偏缓（<30°）,且远离震源区及日本海沟东侧区域内的应力轴倾角普遍大于主震震源区内应力轴倾角;主震前,受2003年5月26日在宫城县北部发生的M_W7.0地震影响,位于M_W9.0地震震源区西北侧的应力场出现明显扰动,σ₁轴倾向顺时针偏转150°~180°,并于之后大体恢复至震前状态,同期其他地区没有明显变化,这种情况可能和主震断层局部（深部）的前兆性滑动有关;主震后,距离震源区较远处应力场变化不大,主震震源区内应力场发生显著改变,P轴及σ₁轴均以大角度（>60°）倾伏于板块汇聚方向,S_Hmax轴顺时针偏转60°~90°且在日本海沟附近普遍平行于海沟轴.这项研究以时空图像的方式展示了大地震前应力场变化的特点,反映了大地震孕震过程中构造与地震的相互作用,对于理解大地震孕震过程有重要意义.     

GPS-derived Deformation of the Central Andes Including the 1995 Antofagasta Mw = 8.0 Earthquake

—In order to study both the interplate seismic loading cycle and the distribution of intraplate deformation of the Andes, a 215 site GPS network covering Chile and the western part of Argentina was selected, monumented and observed in 1993 and 1994. A dense part of the network in northern Chile and northwest Argentina, comprising some 70 sites, was re-observed after two years in October/November, 1995. The M _w = 8.0 Antofagasta (North Chile) earthquake of 30th July, 1995 took place between the two observations. The city of Antofagasta shifted 80 cm westwards by this event and the displacement still reached 10 cm at locations 300 km from the trench. Three different deformation processes have been considered for modeling the measured displacements (1) interseismic accumulation of elastic strain due to subduction coupling, (2) coseismic strain release during the Antofagasta earthquake and (3) crustal shortening in the Sub-Andes.¶Eastward displacement of the sites to the north and to the south of the area affected by the earthquake is due to the interseismic accumulation of elastic deformation. Assuming a uniform slip model of interseismic coupling, the observed displacements at the coast require a fully locked subduction interface and a depth of seismic coupling of 50 km. The geodetically derived fault plane parameters of the Antofagasta earthquake are consistent with results derived from wave-form modeling of seismolog ical data. The coseismic slip predicted by the variable slip model reaches values of 3.2 m in the dip-slip and 1.4 m in the strike-slip directions. The derived rake is 66°. Our geodetic results suggest that the oblique Nazca–South American plate convergence is accommodated by oblique earthquake slip with no slip partitioning. The observed displacements in the back-arc indicate a present-day crustal shortening rate of 3–4 mm/year which is significantly slower than the average of 10 mm/year experienced during the evolution of the Andean plateau.     

中国大陆强震活动与其周缘强震活动的相关性

板块内部的应力主要来自于相邻板块的挤压,因而,我国大陆板块内部的地震活动与周围几大板块的运动紧密相关。板块边缘的强震活动是板块运动的明显标志。本文研究了板块边缘强震活动与大陆内部强震活动在时间、空间和强度上的相关性。从中总结出估计大陆内部地震形势的方法和指标,并且运用这些指标对我国大陆未来的地震形势作出了具体的推测。     

西北太平洋和汤加俯冲地区深震特殊聚簇的特性及成因探究

对比研究了具有不同热参数、不同俯冲形态的西北太平洋俯冲地区和汤加俯冲地区的深震特殊聚簇的地震学特性和成因.利用单键群方法探测到两个特殊的深震聚簇G1N和G1T.聚簇G1N位于地震空区下方,具有极低的b值（~0.54）,完全不同于具有高b值（~1.04）的汤加俯冲地区聚簇G1T.通过对聚簇地区板块形态、地震主应力轴、地震深度分布特征的分析,以及和汤加典型的板片折曲处地震活动性的对比,我们认为深震聚簇G1N附近的板块表现出板片折曲的特征,板块俯冲到地幔过渡带底部受到下地幔的黏性阻力,板片局部向上凸起发生折曲,产生局部的拉张应力,叠加在俯冲造成的压缩构造背景上,应力状态发生改变,从而影响该深震聚簇的地震活动性.汤加地区G1T聚簇深震的成因则完全不同,没有体现出板片折曲、应力变化的特征;相反,这些深震发生在较冷的Vitiza-Fiji俯冲板块上,该板块在5~8 Ma年前先行俯冲到G1T区域并与Tonga板块发生拆离,G1T聚簇深震就发生在这些温度依然很低、滞留于~500 km深度处的高速板片残留体上.