Source mechanisms of the June 2004 Tabuk earthquake sequence, Eastern Red Sea margin, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

A sequence of earthquakes took place in June 2004 approximately 60 km southeast of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The first felt event (M _W = 3.9) occurred on June 9 and caused minor damage in the epicentral area according to the National Earthquake Information Center and the local reports. Another moderate size event occurred on June 22 (M _W = 5.1) and was followed by a few felt aftershocks without any reported damage. This earthquake sequence caused considerable alarm at Tabuk and highlights the fact that damaging earthquakes can occur in this region away from the major plate boundary in the Red Sea. Being the largest well-recorded event in the area for which the digital and broadband records from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus, and Kuwait are available, it provides an excellent opportunity to study the tectonic process and present day stress field acting on this area. The digital records from these regional networks were used to relocate the largest three events of this sequence. Focal mechanisms were obtained from full waveform inversion and indicate normal faulting mechanisms with two nodal planes oriented NW–SE in parallel to the faults bounding the Tabuk graben and the Red Sea rift axis. These events originated at shallow focal depths of 4–5 km, possibly contributing to the widely felt ground motions. These events offer a unique opportunity to study the active tectonics of the region as well as inform future studies of seismic hazard in northwestern Saudi Arabia, the Gulf of Aqaba, and eastern Egypt.     

福建仙游ML5.0级地震波形分析

2013年9月4日,福建仙游发生ML5.0级地震,这是福建数字地震台网建成以来记录到的该区域最大地震.本文就此次地震的记录波形进行分析,结果表明：仙游ML5.0级地震的震相出现规律符合一般近震记录特征;在波形中分析出sPn震相,并据此测定地震的震源深度为11.1 km,与Hyposat方法测定结果一致;用初至首波估算出震区的地壳厚度约为25.2 km.     

Changes in source parameters of foreshocks and aftershocks of the 2001 Ms=6.0 Yajiang,Sichuan, earthquake

In this paper changes in focal mechanisms) parameters of wave spectra, and stress drops for the Ms=5.0 forcshock and Ms=6.0 mainshock in February 2001 in Yajiang County, Sichuan, and seismicity in cpiccntral region are studied. Comparison of focal mechanisms for the Yajiang earthquakes with distribution patterns of aftcrshocks, the nodal plane Ⅰ, striking in the direction of NEN, of the Yajiang M=5.0 event is chosen as the faulting plane, the nodal plane Ⅱ, striking in the direction of WNW, of the M=6.0 event as the faulting plane. The strikes of the two faulting planes are nearly perpendicular to each other. The level of stress drops in the cpicentral region before the occurrence of the M=6.0 earthquake increases, which is consistent with increase of seismicity in the epicentral region. The rate decay of the Yajiang earthquake sequence, changes in wave spectra for foreshocks and aftershocks,and focal mechanisms are complex.     

The April 1996 Irpinia seismic sequence: Evidence for fault interaction

The analysis of the Irpinia earthquake of 3 April 1996 (ML = 4.9), based on strong motion and short period local data, shows that it was a normal faulting event located within the epicentral area of the MS 6.9, 1980, earthquake. It was located at 40.67° N and 15.42° E at a depth of 8 km. The local magnitude (4.9) has been computed from the VBB stations of the MedNet network. The moment magnitude is Mw = 5.1 and the seismic moment estimated from the ground acceleration spectra is 5.0 1023 dyne cm. Spectral analysis of the strong motion recordings yields a Brune stress drop of 111 bars and a corner frequency of 1 Hz. The source radius associated to these values of seismic moment and stress drop is 1.3 km. The focal mechanism has two nodal planes having strike 297°, dip 74°, rake 290° and strike 64°, dip 25° and rake 220°, respectively. A fault plane solution with strike 295° ± 5°, dip 70° ± 5°, and rake 280° ± 10° is consistent with the S-wave polarization computed from the strong motion data recorded at Rionero in Vulture. We discuss the geometry and the dimensions of the fault which ruptured during the 1996 mainshock, its location and the aftershock distribution with respect to the rupture history of the 1980 Irpinia earthquake. The distribution of seismicity and the fault geometry of the 1996 earthquake suggest that the region between the two faults that ruptured during the first subevents of the 1980 event cannot be considered as a strong barrier (high strength zone), as it might be thought looking at the source model and at the sequence of historical earthquakes revealed by paleoseismological investigations.     

Estimation of Coda Wave Attenuation for the National Capital Region, Delhi, India Using Local Earthquakes

Attenuation of seismic waves is very essential for the study of earthquake source parameters and also for ground-motion simulations, and this is important for the seismic hazard estimation of a region. The digital data acquired by 16 short-period seismic stations of the Delhi Telemetric Network for 55 earthquakes of magnitude 1.5 to 4.2, which occurred within an epicentral distance of 100 km in an area around Delhi, have been used to estimate the coda attenuation Q_c. Using the Single Backscattering Model, the seismograms have been analyzed at 10 central frequencies. The frequency dependence average attenuation relationship Q_c = 142f ^1.04 has been attained. Four Lapse-Time windows from 20 to 50 seconds duration with a difference of 10 seconds have been analyzed to study the lapse time dependence of Q_c. The Q_c values show that frequency dependence (exponent n) remains similar at all the lapse time window lengths. While the change in Q₀ values is significant, change in Q₀ with larger lapsetime reflects the rate of homogeneity at the depth. The variation of Q_c indicates a definitive trend from west to east in accordance with the geology of the region.     

Development of Long-period Ground Motions from the Nankai Trough, Japan, Earthquakes: Observations and Computer Simulation of the 1944 Tonankai (Mw 8.1) and the 2004 SE Off-Kii Peninsula (Mw 7.4) Earthquakes

Strong ground motions recorded in central Tokyo during the 1944 Tonankai Mw8.1 earthquake occurring in the Nankai Trough demonstrate significant developments of very large (>10 cm) and prolonged (>10 min) shaking of long-period (T > 10–12 s) ground motions in the basin of Tokyo located over 400 km from the epicenter. In order to understand the process by which such long-period ground motions developed in central Tokyo and to mitigate possible future disasters arising from large earthquakes in the Nankai Trough, we analyzed waveform data from a dense nation wide strong-motion network (K-NET and KiK-net) deployed across Japan for the recent SE Off-Kii Peninsula (Mw 7.4) earthquake of 5 September 2004 that occurred in the Nankai Trough. The observational data and a corresponding computer simulation for the earthquake clearly demonstrate that such long-period ground motion is primarily developed as the wave propagating along the Nankai Trough due to the amplification and directional guidance of long-period surface waves within a thick sedimentary layer overlaid upon the shallowly descending Philippine Sea Plate below the Japanese Island. Then the significant resonance of the seismic waves within the thick cover of sedimentary rocks of the Kanto Basin developed large and prolonged long-period motions in the center of Tokyo. The simulation results and observed seismograms are in good agreement in terms of the main features of the long-period ground motions. Accordingly, we consider that the simulation model is capable of predicting the long-period ground motions that are expected to occur during future Nankai Trough M 8 earthquakes.     

Changes in source parameters of foreshocks and aftershocks of the 2001 M_S=6.0 Yajiang, Sichuan, earthquake

Introduction An MS=6.0 earthquake occurred on February 23, 2001 in Yajiang county, Sichuan Province. The earthquake is located on the east of the southeast segment of the Litang-Dewu fault with strike of NW. Before the event, on February 14, an MS=5.0 earthquake took place nearly in the same place. In 1948 an MS=7.3 earthquake occurred on the northwestern segment of the Litang fault. The length of the surface rupture belt caused by the earthquake is 70 km, which extended from Litang to…     

2001年四川雅江6级地震的前震与余震震源参数的变化h

研究了2001年2月四川省雅江县发生的MS5.0前震、MS6.0主震及序列地震的震源机制、波谱参数及应力降的变化过程与震区地震活动．根据雅江地震的震源机制解，并结合余震空间分布图象分析，选雅江5.0级的节面Ⅰ为推测的地震断层，走向NNE；选雅江6.0级地震的节面Ⅱ为推测的地震断层，走向WNW，分析前震与主震的断层面走向是斜交的．雅江6.0级地震发生前震区应力降水平有所增加，这一现象与震区地震活动的增加是一致的．雅江地震序列的衰减起伏过程, 前、余震波谱变化, 以及震源力学错动机制等均呈现复杂特征．      

ICEARRAY: the first small-aperture, strong-motion array in Iceland

A small-aperture, strong-motion array, the ICEARRAY, has been deployed in South Iceland, a region with a history of destructive earthquakes, some exceeding magnitude 7. The array’s purpose is: (1) monitoring future significant events in the region, (2) quantifying spatial variability of strong-motion over short distances and (3) shedding light on earthquake source processes. The number of array stations and their arrangement were based on an optimisation of the shape of the corresponding array transfer function (ATF). The optimal ICEARRAY configuration comprises 14 stations, has an aperture of ~1.9 km and a minimum interelement distance of ~50 m and possesses a near-azimuthally independent ATF with a sharp main lobe, negligible sidelobes and a wavenumber range of 1.5–24 rad/km. Accordingly, the ICEARRAY has the intended capabilities of capturing seismic waves in the frequency range of 1–20 Hz, which is of main interest to earthquake engineering and engineering seismology applications.     

Ground motions observed during the 15 August 2007 Pisco, Peru, earthquake

A M_w 7.9 earthquake event occurred on 15 August 2007 off the coast of central Peru, 60 km west of the city of Pisco. This event is associated with subduction processes at the interface of the Nazca and South American plates, and was characterised by a complex source mechanism involving rupture on two main asperities, with unilateral rupture propagation to the southeast. The rupture process is clearly reflected in the ground motions recorded during this event, which include two separate episodes of strong shaking. The event triggered 18 accelerographic stations; the recordings are examined in terms of their characteristics and compared to the predictions of ground-motion prediction equations for subduction environments, using the maximum-likelihood-based method of Scherbaum et al. (Bull Seismol Soc Am 94(6):2164–2185, 2004). Additionally, macroseismic observations and damage patterns are examined and discussed in the light of local construction practices, drawing on field observations gathered during the post-earthquake reconnaissance missions.     

Shallow seismicity, triggered seismicity, and ambient noise tomography at the long-dormant Uturuncu Volcano, Bolivia

Using a network of 15 seismometers around the inflating Uturuncu Volcano from April 2009 to 2010, we find an average rate of about three local volcano-tectonic earthquakes per day, and swarms of 5–60 events a few times per month with local magnitudes ranging from −1.2 to 3.7. The earthquake depths are near sea level, more than 10 km above the geodetically inferred inflation source and the Altiplano Puna Magma Body. The Mw 8.8 Maule earthquake on 27 February 2010 triggered hundreds of earthquakes at Uturuncu with the onset of the Love and Rayleigh waves and again with the passage of the X2/X3 overtone phases of Rayleigh waves. This is one of the first incidences in which triggering has been observed from multiple surface wave trains. The earthquakes are oriented NW–SE similar to the regional faults and lineaments. The b value of the catalog is 0.49, consistent with a tectonic origin of the earthquakes. We perform ambient noise tomography using Love wave cross-correlations to image a low-velocity zone at 1.9 to 3.9 km depth below the surface centered slightly north of the summit. The low velocities are perhaps related to the hydrothermal system and the low-velocity zone is spatially correlated with earthquake locations. The earthquake rate appears to vary with time—a seismic deployment from 1996 to 1997 reveals 1–5 earthquakes per day, whereas 60 events/day were seen during 5 days using one seismometer in 2003. However, differences in analysis methods and magnitudes of completeness do not allow direct comparison of these seismicity rates. The rate of seismic activity at Uturuncu is higher than at other well-monitored inflating volcanoes during periods of repose. The frequent swarms and triggered earthquakes suggest the hydrothermal system is metastable.     

Fracture characteristics of the 1997 Jiashi, Xinjiang, China, earthquake swarm inferred from source spectra

Broadband P and S waves source spectra of 12 MS5.0 earthquakes of the 1997 Jiashi, Xinjiang, China, earthquake swarm recorded at 13 GDSN stations have been analyzed. Rupture size and static stress drop of these earthquakes have been estimated through measuring the corner frequency of the source spectra. Direction of rupture propagation of the earthquake faulting has also been inferred from the azimuthal variation of the corner frequency. The main results are as follows: ①The rupture size of MS6.0 strong earthquakes is in the range of 10～20 km, while that of MS=5.0～5.5 earthquakes is 6～10 km.② The static stress drop of the swarm earthquakes is rather low, being of the order of 0.1 MPa. This implies that the deformation release rate in the source region may be low. ③ Stress drop of the earthquakes appears to be proportional to their seismic moment, and also to be dependent on their focal mechanism. The stress drop of normal faulting earthquakes is usually lower than that of strike-slip type earthquakes. ④ For each MS6.0 earthquake there exists an apparent azimuthal variation of the corner frequencies. Azimuthally variation pattern of corner frequencies of different earthquakes shows that the source rupture pattern of the Jiashi earthquake swarm is complex and no uniform rupture expanding direction exists.     

Podhale,Poland, earthquake of November 30, 2004

Earthquake of November 30, 2004, in Podhale region, southern Poland, was of unexpectedly big size in this area of weak seismicity. As Poland is considered a country of low seismicity, the earthquake has caused concern about seismic hazard in Poland, especially since it took place shortly after the even more unexpected Kaliningrad Region, Russia, earthquakes of September 21, 2004, that inflicted minor damage in northern Poland. The paper presents the findings on the Podhale earthquake which reached macroseismic intensity up to 7 and magnitude 4.7 (m _b ; ISC). The event was felt up to a distance of about 100 km and inflicted slight damage to buildings in its narrow epicentral area, thus evidencing its relatively shallow depth. The quake has been located near the village of Skrzypne, about 15 km west-southwest of the district capital Nowy Targ. The source mechanism has been found to be of dip slip normal fault type, although a problem remains of association of this mechanism with known tectonic dislocations in the region. The earthquake has been followed by a long series of aftershocks. Their distribution in time is also studied and the biggest aftershocks have been located.     

The Southern Region of Peru Earthquake of June 23rd, 2001

The western border of South America is one of the most important seismogenic regions in the world. In this region the most damaging earthquake ever recorded occurred. In June 23rd, 2001, another very strong earthquake (Mw = 8.1–8.2) occurred and produced death and damages in the whole southern region of Peru. This earthquake was originated by a friction process between Nazca and South American plates and affected an area of about 300 km × 120 km defined by the distribution of more than 220 aftershocks recorded by a local seismic network that operated 20 days. The epicenter of the main shock was localized in the northwestern extremity of the aftershock area, which suggests that the rupture propagated towards the SE direction. The modeling of P-wave for teleseismic distances permitted to define a focal mechanism of reverse type with NW-SE oriented nodal planes and a possible fault plane moving beneath almost horizontally in NE direction. The source time function (STF) suggests a complex process of rupture during 85 sec with 2 successive sources. The second one of greater size, and located approximately 100–120 km toward the SE direction was estimated to have a rupture velocity of about 2 km/sec on a 28°-dipping plane to the SE (N135°). A second event happened 45 sec after the first one with an epicenter 130km farther to the SE and a complex STF. This event and the second source of the main shock caused a Tsunami with waves from 7 to 8 meters that propagated almost orthogonally to the coast line, by affecting mainly the Camaná area.Three of all the aftershocks presented magnitudes greater or equal to Mw = 6.6, two of them occurred in front of the cities of Ilo and Mollendo (June 26th and July 7th) with focal mechanisms similar to the main seismic event. The aftershock of July 5th shows a normal mechanism at a depth of 75 km, and is therefore most likely located within the subducting Nazca plate and not in the coupling. The aftershocks of June 26th (Mw = 6.6) and July 5th (Mw = 6.6) show simple short duration STF. The aftershock of July 7th (Mw = 7.5) with 27-second duration suggests a complex process of energy release with the possible occurrence of a secondary shock with lower focal depth and focal mechanism of inverse type with a great lateral component. Simple and composed focal mechanisms were elaborated for the aftershocks and all have similar characteristics to the main earthquake.The earthquake of June 23rd caused major damages in the whole southern Peru. The damage in towns of Arequipa, Moquegua allow to consider maximum intensities from 6 to 7 (MSK79). In Alto de la Alianza and Ciudad Nueva zones from Tacna, the maximum intensity was of 7⁻ (MSK79).     

Liquefaction record of the great 1934 earthquake predecessors from the north Bihar alluvial plains of India

The great 1934 Himalayan earthquake of moment magnitude (Mw) 8.1 generated a large zone of ground failure and liquefaction in north Bihar, India, in addition to the earthquakes of 1833 (Mw ~7.7) and 1988 (Mw 6.7) that have also impacted this region. Here, we present the results of paleoliquefaction investigations from four sites in the plains of north Bihar and one in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The liquefaction features generated by successive earthquakes were dated at AD 829–971, 886–1090, 907–1181, 1130–1376, 1112–1572, 1492–1672, 1733–1839, and 1814–1854. One of the liquefaction events dated at AD 829–971, 886–1090, and 907–1181 may correlate with the great earthquake of AD ~1100, recognized in an earlier study from the sections across the frontal thrust in central eastern Nepal. Two late medieval liquefaction episodes of AD 1130–1376 and 1492–1672 were also exposed in our sites. The sedimentary sections also revealed sandblows that can be attributed to the 1833 earthquake, a lesser magnitude event compared to the 1934. Liquefactions triggered by the 1934 and 1988 earthquakes were evident within the topmost level in some sections. The available data lead us to conjecture that a series of temporally close spaced earthquakes of both strong and large types, not including the infrequent great earthquakes like the 1934, have affected the Bihar Plains during the last 1500 years with a combined recurrence interval of 124?±?63 years.     

Topographic site effects of Xishan Park ridge in Zigong city,Sichuan considering epicentral distance

Ground motion amplification induced by topography plays a vital role in engineering seismology. A topographic array of 8 accelerographs has been operating along the ridge in Xishan Park since 2007. The topographic site effects in Zigong city are studied based on the strong motion data of 2008 M_s 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake (the epicentral distance?=?225 km) and 2019 M_s 5.2 Zizhong earthquake (the epicentral distance?=?29 km). We compare the peak ground acceleration (PGA) of the two earthquakes and find that the PGA of Station 7#, which locates on a relatively steep slope, is amplified by 4.41 times comparing with the reference station in Zizhong earthquake, while this value is only 1.62 in Wenchuan earthquake. Fourier amplitude spectrum shows that the high frequency content of Zizhong earthquake is more abundant because of its smaller epicentral distance. By using the standard spectral ratio (SSR) method, we conclude that the amplification occurs because high-frequency ground motion is likely to resonate at small-scale features. Finally, the 3D numerical simulations are used to verify these conclusions. Our work indicates that more sophisticated numerical models need to be established for more accurate topographic site effects quantification. In addition, the influence of nearby topographic features should be considered when selecting reference stations.

     

重庆地震台地倾斜观测资料分析

分析了重庆地震台地倾斜观测资料,结合重庆辖区内10多年来的地震活动,提取地倾斜观测异常,为地震预测提供前兆参考。资料分析认为:对于发生在震中距为80~120km的5.0级以下地震,地倾斜观测地震异常少;5.0级以上的地震,地倾斜观测有异常记录,地震中期异常往往表现为震前几个月倾斜量的较大幅度变化,短期异常多数表现为震前差分值的低值变化(在均值附近变化,幅值较小,持续时间20d左右),部分表现为差分值震前突跳,临震异常主要是震前几天短周期波动变化。     

Crustal thickness in Vrancea area,Romania from S to P converted waves

Crustal thickness (CT) in Vrancea region (Romania) and adjacent area is investigated using 1294 S to P converted waves from the Moho discontinuity. A total of 269 local earthquakes in the depth range 99.8 to 171.1 km and recorded by 76 permanent and 46 temporary stations of the Romanian Seismological Network are used. Time difference between the converted wave and the direct P phase is corrected to a first order for epicentral distance and for the errors in focal depth, being finally inverted to CT. Greatest values for the Moho depth are observed for stations located in the Carpathians molasse foredeep and smaller values are observed in the Southern part of the Moesian Platform, for stations in the eastern part of Moldavian (East-European) Platform and in Dobrogea area, close to the Black Sea shoreline. In Vrancea epicentral area, an important CT variation is observed, from 42 km at MLR and 41.8 km at SIR, stations placed in the south-western part of the epicentral area, to 30.9 km at VRI, located above north-eastern part of the seismogenic volume. Stations CVO and OZU, placed in Transylvanian Basin in the proximity of the epicentral area, have CT values of 32.1 and 24.1 km, respectively. The results seem to support that a mantle delamination process is responsible for Vrancea intermediate depth seismicity.     

The Event of 26th of December 2004 – The Biggest Earthquake in the World in the Last 40 years

A great earthquake occurred at 00:58:49 (UTC) on Sunday, December 26, 2004 off the northwest coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Its revised moment magnitude was M 9.3 making it in the top four largest earthquakes in the world since 1900 and the largest since the Alaskan 1964 event. The earthquake caused tsunami waves which killed more than 300,000 people in Southern Asia and Africa. There were 31 earthquakes with magnitudes between 5.5 and 7.3 in the 48-h period after the main event, and it seemed that seismicity migrated northwards along the 1200 km fault (http: //www.ga.gov.au). Similar size events occurred in that location off Sumatra in the 19th century, but no evidence of written records of their tsunami effects in Australia is found. The devastating megathrust earthquake of 26 December 2004 occurred on the interface of the Indo-Australian and Euro-Asian plates where the first plate subducts beneath the overriding second plate and the Indo-Australian plate begins its descent into the mantle. In the epicentral region, the Indo-Australian plate moves toward the northeast at a rate of about 7 cm/year relative to the Euro-Asian plate resulting in oblique convergence and partitioning into thrust-faulting. From the size of the earthquake, it is likely that the displacement on the fault plane was up to fifteen meters. As with the recent event, megathrust earthquakes often generate large tsunamis that cause damage over a much wider area than is directly affected by ground shaking near the earthquake’s rupture. The subduction zone continues further south of the Indonesian archipelago and that area is also a potential risk of producing a megathrust event that may affect coastal parts of northwest Australia. The tragic events of Boxing Day 2004 highlighted the importance of establishing a tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean like the one for the Pacific. Issues like more and better instrumentation, and a long-term program to educate people in the region about the dangers of tsunamis, were identified as priorities. Of particular interest is the time for identifying and issuing alerts for such devastating earthquakes with possibility to reduce it in future for warning purposes.