Seismicity acceleration model and its application to several earthquake regions in China

With the theory of subcritical crack growth, we can deduce the fundamental equation of regional seismicity acceleration model. Applying this model to intraplate earthquake regions, we select three earthquake subplates: North China Subplate, Chuan-Dian Block and Xinjiang Subplate, and divide the three subplates into seven researched regions by the difference of seismicity and tectonic conditions. With the modified equation given by Sornette and Sammis (1995), we analysis the seismicity of each region. To those strong earthquakes already occurred in these region, the model can give close fitting of magnitude and occurrence time, and the result in this article indicates that the seismicity acceleration model can also be used for describing the seismicity of intraplate. In the article, we give the magnitude and occurrence time of possible strong earthquakes in Shanxi, Ordos, Bole-Tuokexun, Ayinke-Wuqia earthquake regions. In the same subplate or block, the earthquake periods for each earthquake region are similar in time interval. The constant αin model can be used to describe the intensity of regional seismicity, and for the Chinese Mainland, α is 0.4 generally. To the seismicity in Taiwan and other regions with complex tectonic conditions, the model does not fit well at present.     

Faulting Processes of Historic (1917–1962) M = 6.0 Earthquakes Along the North-central Caribbean Margin

—The plate boundary along the north-central Caribbean margin is geologically complex. Our understanding of this complexity is hampered by the fact that plate motions are relatively slow (1 to 2 cm/yr), so that recent seismicity often does not provide a complete picture of tectonic deformation. Studies of the faulting processes of instrumentally recorded earthquakes occurring prior to 1962 thus provide important information regarding the nature and rate of seismic deformation within the region, and are essential for a comprehensive assessment of seismic hazard. We have conducted body waveform modeling studies of eight earthquakes which occurred along the north-central Caribbean plate margin, extending from southeastern Cuba to the Swan Island fracture zone (75 to 83°W). None of these earthquakes has been previously studied and several occurred in regions where no recent (post-1962) seismicity has been recorded. The plate margin in the western portion of our study area is characterized by a transform fault-spreading center system. In the central and eastern portions of our study area the plate margin is a complex, diffuse region of deformation that couples transform motion in the Cayman trough to subduction along the Lesser Antilles arc. Our results show that the western portion of the study area has only experienced large strike-slip earthquakes. Off southeastern Cuba two earthquakes appear to have occurred on high angle, northward dipping, reverse faults with south to southeastward directed slip vectors. An earthquake in northern Jamaica in 1957 shows pure strike-slip faulting, most likely along an east-west trending fault. Finally, an unusual sequence of events located in the Pedro Bank region ~70 km southwest of Jamaica has a mainshock with a reverse-oblique mechanism, suggesting continuity of the plate interface stress field well south of the northern Caribbean margin.     

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.     

Mechanisms of seismic quiescences

In the past decade there have been major advances in understanding the seismic cycle in terms of the recognition of characteristic patterns of seismicity over the entire tectonic loading cycle. The most distinctive types of patterns are seismic quiescences, of which three types can be recognized:post-seismic quiescence, which occurs in the region of the rupture zone of an earthquake and persists for a substantial fraction of the recurrence time following the earthquake,intermediate-term quiescences, which appear over a similar region and persist for several years prior to large plate-rupturing earthquakes, andshort-term quiescences, which are pronounced lulls in premonitory swarms that occur in the hypocentral region hours or days before an earthquake. Although the frequency with which intermediate-term and short-term quiescences precede earthquakes is not known, and the statistical significance of some of the former has been challenged, there is a need, if this phenomena is to be considered a possibly real precursor, to consider physical mechanisms that may be responsible for them.The characteristic features of these quiescences are reviewed, and possible mechanisms for their cause are discussed. Post-seismic quiescence can be readily explained by any simple model of the tectonic loading cycle as due to the regional effect of the stress-drop of the previous principal earthquake. The other types of quiescence require significant modification to any such simple model. Of the possibilities considered, only two seem viable in predicting the observed phenomena, dilatancy hardening and slip weakening. Intermediate-term quiescences typically occur over a region equal to or several times the size of the rupture zone of the later earthquake and exhibit a relationship between the quiescence duration and size of the earthquake: they thus involve regional hardening or stress relaxation and agree with the predictions of the dilatancy-diffusion theory. Short-term quiescences, on the other hand, are more likely explained by fault zone dilatancy hardening and/or slip weakening within a small nucleation zone. Because seismicity is a locally relaxing process, seismicity should follow a behaviour known in rock mechanics as the Kaiser effect, in which only a very slight increase in strength, due to dilatancy hardening or decrease in stress due to slip weakening, is required to cause quiescence. This is in contrast to other precursory phenomena predicted by dilatancy, which require large dilatant strains and complete dilatancy hardening.Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory     

强震前大范围地震活动性参数的时空扫描

在大地震发生之前, 伴随着应力的集中加强及其在震源附近区域引起的非弹性变形, 区域地震活动性可能呈现某些异常特征.本文选择一些有明显物理意义并得到岩石破裂实验支持的地震活动性参数, 例如有震面积数 A、平均释放能量E、地震累加频度 N 和大小地震比例系数 b 值等, 采用扫描方法在大范围内搜索, 识别孕育强震的危险地区, 并对假想孕震区进一步做时间扫描计算, 寻找并判断大震前由中期异常过渡到中短期异常的阶段, 在对华北、西南及东北若干强震资料扫描计算的基础上, 着重剖析唐山地震前华北地区区域地震活动异常变化的一些特征.讨论了上述地震活动性参数在强震中期预报中的不同效能, 认为这种时空扫描方法, 特别是 b 值扫描应用于强震的中期预报是有一定意义的.      

印尼8.7、 8.5级巨震对云南地区地震活动的远震触发分析

在收集整理印尼8.7、 8.5级巨震活动特点基础上, 分析了这两次巨震对云南地区地震活动的远震触发特征。 依据腾冲、 昆明两个台站的数字波形资料, 对这两次巨震的触发特点进行了分析。 认为云南地区2004年12月26日后地震活动的显著增强, 是由印尼8.7级巨震的长周期面波触发引起的。 8.5级地震后, 云南地区地震活动没有引起触发, 主要原因是8.7级地震已引起相关地震活动, 短期内断层不足以积累使其破裂的能量所致。 远震触发的地区与高热流地区一致。     

大同—阳高6.1级地震活动背景

本文从较大时空范围研究了１９８９年大同－阳高６．１级地震的地震活动性背景，认为大同－阳高地震不是一次孤立的地震事件，是大同盆地历史６级以上地震活动的继续和必然。在时间进程中它们受华北地震区和山西地震带强震活动周期的制约，空间上与北三省交汇区中强地震成丛活动密切相关。大同－阳高６．１级、５．８级地震以及此期间的侯马４．９级、析州５．１级地震是山西地震带中强地震即将活跃的一个迹象，也是华北区域应力场增     

Searching for an Earthquake Precursor—A Case Study of Precursory Swarm as a Real Seismic Pattern Before Major Shocks

A long-range correlation between earthquakes is indicated by some phenomena precursory to strong earthquakes. Most of the major earthquakes show prior seismic activity that in hindsight seems anomalous. The features include changes in regional activity rate and changes in the pattern of small earthquakes, including alignments on unmapped linear features near the (future) main shock. It has long been suggested that large earthquakes are preceded by observable variations in regional seismicity. Studies on seismic precursors preceding large to great earthquakes with M ≥ 7.5 were carried out in the northeast India region bounded by the area 20°–32°N and 88°–100°E using the earthquake database from 1853 to 1988. It is observed that all earthquakes of M ≥ 7.5, including the two great earthquakes of 1897 and 1950, were preceded by abnormally low anomalous seismicity phases some 11–27 years prior to their occurrence. On the other hand, precursory time periods ranged from 440 to 1,768 days for main shocks with M 5.6–6.5 for the period from 1963 to 1988. Furthermore, the 6 August, 1988 main shock of M 7.5 in the Arakan Yoma fold belt was preceded by well-defined patterns of anomalous seismicity that occurred during 1963–1964, about 25.2 years prior to its occurrence. The pattern of anomalous seismicity in the form of earthquake swarms preceding major earthquakes in the northeast India region can be regarded as one of the potential seismic precursors. Database constraints have been the main barrier to searching for this precursor preceding smaller earthquakes, which otherwise might have provided additional information on its existence. The entire exercise indicates that anomalous seismicity preceding major shocks is a common seismic pattern for the northeast India region, and can be employed for long-range earthquake prediction when better quality seismological data sets covering a wide range of magnitudes are available. Anomalous seismic activity is distinguished by a much higher annual frequency of earthquake occurrence than in the preceding normal and the following gap episodes.     

Correlation of earthquake occurrence rates in the Baikal region and mongolia: Episodes of synchronism

Variations in annual numbers of earthquakes (the earthquake occurrence rate) that hit the Baikal region and Mongolia during the period from 1964 through 2001 are studied in this work. Correlation analysis of the different-length series of annual numbers N of earthquakes of representative energy classes makes it possible to reveal the effects of synchronous changes in the earthquake occurrence rate in seven regions and eleven areas in the Mongolia-Baikal region, located far apart. The analysis of the shock occurrence rate revealed episodes of short-period synchronization of seismic processes in the Mongolia-Baikal region at the end of the 1960s, early in the 1980s, and in the middle of the 1990s. The episode of synchronization in the earthquake occurrence rate in the early 1980s is observed in all the territories under study, but the episode at the end of the 1960s is less distinctly seen in Mongolia and is revealed mainly in the data series with a length of three years. The synchronization in the seismicity in Mongolia and in the southern PreBaikal region in 1995 requires further investigations, involving the dynamic parameters of the earthquake sources. The observed synchronism in the annual number of earthquakes indicates that the seismic processes become active nearly simultaneously over the huge territory of the Mongolia-Baikal region and produce a short-term coherent change in the shock occurrence rate in the spatial-temporal distribution of the seismicity. The observed spatial and temporal correlation in the seismicity is a sign of the seismogenic link between the Baikal region and Mongolia.     

龙门山断裂带上“破裂空段”的发震概率研究

本文采用分层粘弹性介质模型计算了汶川地震对芦山震中产生的库仑应力加载的影响,进而结合Dieterich(1994)提出的速率状态摩擦定律给出芦山附近区域6级地震累积发震概率随时间的变化。结果显示,2013年芦山7.0级地震时其累积发震概率达18%,说明汶川地震产生的应力扰动加速了芦山地震的发生。本文还计算了汶川、芦山2次地震对其间"破裂空段"处产生的累积库仑应力扰动的影响,结合背景地震发生率,给出了"破裂空段"处6级地震累积发震概率变化。虽然计算结果可能受到大邑地震、介质模型参数的选取和背景地震发生概率等因素影响而存在一定误差,但"破裂空段"在2次强震应力加载下累积发震概率是不断增大的,因此我们认为"破裂空段"处发生中强地震的紧迫性不断增强。     

A sequence of seismic activity in the Kanto area precursory to the 1923 Kanto earthquake

The Kanto earthquake (M=7.9) that occurred along the Sagami Trough in the Sagami Bay on 1 September 1923 was one of the most disastrous earthquakes in Japanese history. The Kanto area includes Metropolitan Tokyo and Yokohama which are densely populated, and hence it has been a matter of great concern, from the viewpoints of earthquake prediction and disaster prevention, whether or not the 1923 Kanto earthquake was preceded by precursory seismicity. A study using the most complete lists of earthquakes catalogued recently by Utsu and the Japan Meteorological Agency reveals that seismic activity in the Kanto area was appreciably higher before and after the Kanto earthquake, and that the Kanto earthquake was preceded by a sequence of anomalous seismic activity, quiescence, and foreshocks. Such higher activity before and after the Kanto earthquake is contrasted with low seismicity during the recent 30-year period. A model is proposed to explain the precursory seismic activity, subsequent quiescence, and foreshocks for the Kanto earthquake. In the model, the transition from precursory seismic activity to quiescence is ascribed to time-dependent fracture due to stress-aided corrosion. Foreshocks are related to an acceleration of premonitory slip shortly before the mainshock slip.     

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.     

Characteristics of seismic activity before the MS8.0 Wenchuan earthquake

The characteristics of spatio-temporal seismicity evolution before the Wenchuan earthquake are studied. The results mainly involve in the trend abnormal features and its relation to the Wenchuan earthquake. The western Chinese mainland and its adjacent area has been in the seismically active period since 2001, while the seismic activity shows the obvious quiescence of M≥?7.0, M≥?6.0 and M?≥5.0 earthquakes in Chinese mainland. A quiescence area with M?≥7.0 has been formed in the middle of the North-South seismic zone since 1988, and the Wenchuan earthquake occurred just within this area. There are a background seismicity gap of M?≥5.0 earthquakes and a seismogenic gap of M_L?≥4.0 earthquakes in the area of Longmenshan fault zone and its vicinity prior to the Wenchuan earthquake. The seismic activity obviously strengthened and a doughnut-shape pattern of M?≥4.6 earthquakes is formed in the middle and southern part of the North-South seismic zone after the 2003 Dayao, Yunnan, earthquake. Sichuan and its vicinity in the middle of the doughnut-shape pattern show abnormal quiescence. At the same time, the seismicity of earthquake swarms is significant and shows heterogeneity in the temporal and spatial process. A swarm gap appears in the M4.6 seismically quiet area, and the Wenchuan earthquake occurred just on the margin of the gap. In addition, in the short term before the Wenchuan earthquake, the quiescence of earthquake with M_L≥?4.0 appears in Qinghai-Tibet block and a seismic belt of M_L?≥3.0 earthquakes, with NW striking and oblique with Longmenshan fault zone, is formed.     

2020年3月23日新疆拜城5.0级和7月13日霍城5.0级地震总结

2020年3月23日和7月13日,新疆天山中部地区分别发生拜城5.0级和霍城5.0级地震,其中拜城5.0级地震发生在南天山地震带中段,霍城5.0级地震发生在北天山地震带西段.系统总结2次地震前出现的地震活动和地球物理观测异常,结果表明:①拜城5.0级地震:震前主要存在5级地震成组和尼勒克钻孔应变中短期异常;②霍城5.0...     

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.     

Prognostic anomalies of induced seismicity in the region of the Koyna-Warna water reservoirs, West India

In 2000, the region of the Koyna-Warna water reservoirs in West India was hit by two strong earthquakes, which occurred six months apart and had magnitudes M > 5. The Koyna-Warna seismic zone is a typical region of induced seismicity with a pronounced correlation between seismicity and water level variations in the reservoirs. This indicates that the stress level in the region is close to critical; thus, insignificant variations in stress caused by the variations in the water level may trigger a strong earthquake. In order to study the preparatory processes in the sources of the induced earthquakes, in this paper we analyze the seismic catalogue for the Koyna-Warna region before a pair of strong earthquakes of 2000. The induced seismicity is found to exhibit prognostic variations, which are typical of preparation of tectonic earthquakes and indicative of the formation of metastable source zones of future earthquakes. Based on the obtained results, we suggest that initiation of failure in these metastable zones within the region of induced seismicity could have been caused by the external impacts associated with water level variations in the reservoirs and by the internal processes of avalanche unstable crack propagation.     

Tomographic determination of the upper crustal structure in the Jiashi strong earthquake swarm region

IntroductionBetween January and April of 1997, 7 earthquakes with M(6.0 occurred successively in Jiashi, Xinjiang. The continual occurrence of strong earthquakes within such a small area and in such a short period of time is exceptional for intraplate earthquakes. The Jiashi earthquake swarm took place on the northeast side of the Pamirs, where the Tarim basin, South Tianshan and West Karakoram meet (HU, et al, 1989). This is also a place where a number of active faults develop, so it is…     

Updating the Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Values of Northern Algeria with the 21 May 2003 <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis> 6.8 Algiers Earthquake Included

The occurrence of the Algiers earthquake (M 6.8) of May 21, 2003, has motivated the necessity to reassess the probabilistic seismic hazard of northern Algeria. The fact that this destructive earthquake took place in an area where there was no evidence of previous significant earthquakes, neither instrumental nor historical, strongly encourages us to review the seismic hazard map of this region. Recently, the probabilistic seismic hazard of northern Algeria was computed using the spatially smoothed seismicity methodology. The catalog used in the previous computation was updated for this review, and not only includes information until June 2003, but also considers a recent re-evaluation of several historical earthquakes. In this paper, the same methodology and seismicity models are utilized in an effort to compare this methodology against an improved and updated seismic catalog. The largest mean peak ground acceleration (PGA) values are obtained in northernmost Algeria, specifically in the central area of the Tell Atlas. These values are of the order of 0.48 g for a return period of 475 years. In the City of Algiers, the capital of Algeria, and approximately 50 km from the reported epicenter of this latest destructive earthquake, a new mean PGA value of 0.23 g is obtained for the same return period. This value is 0.07 g greater than that obtained in the previous computation. In general, we receive greater seismic hazard results in the surrounding area of Algiers, especially to the southwest. The main reason is not this recent earthquake by itself, but the significant increase in the m_max magnitude in the seismic source where the city and the epicenter are included.     

青藏块体8级左右地震前中强地震 活动图像的相似性演化

2008年5月12日,四川汶川发生8.0级特大地震.汶川地震前,青藏块体曾出现与2001年11月昆仑山口西8.1级特大地震前相似的大规模中强地震活动图像.为了探讨8级左右地震前的中强地震活动规律,本文研究了1900年以来中国大陆地区8级左右地震前中强地震的时空分布特征,认为①青藏块体8级左右地震前一般会出现中强地震活动图像的两阶段演化,第一阶段主要表现为中强地震沿印度板块与青藏块体接触带附近分布、青藏块体内部平静,第二阶段主要表现为中强地震向青藏块体内部扩展,形成大规模中强地震条带,未来主震一般发生在大规模中强地震主条带或者多组条带的交汇处.②该演化规律可能反映了印度板块作用于欧亚板块(尤其是青藏块体)产生的大区域地壳运动与构造应力场的动态变化过程,对预测青藏块体8级左右地震(尤其是8级以上特大地震)有一定意义,对预测新疆块体8级左右地震有参考价值,但尚不适用于中国大陆东部地区.③从更大范围考察中强地震活动图像的演化,有可能发现大地震前的场兆信息,对分析、预测未来的8级左右地震是一个有意义而且可行的方向.本文还对汶川地震的孕震过程和大规模中强地震条带的形成机理作了初步的探讨.