Earthquake slip estimation from the scarp geometry of Himalayan Frontal Thrust, western Himalaya: implications for seismic hazard assessment

Geometric and kinematic analyses of minor thrusts and folds, which record earthquakes between 1200 AD and 1700 AD, were performed for two trench sites (Rampur Ghanda and Ramnagar) located across the Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT) in the western Indian Himalaya. The present study aims to re-evaluate the slip estimate of these two trench sites by establishing a link between scarp geometry, displacements observed very close to the surface and slip at deeper levels. As geometry of the active thrust beneath the scarp is unknown, we develop a parametric study to understand the origin of the scarp surface and to estimate the influence of ramp dip. The shortening estimates of Rampur Ghanda trench by line length budget and distance–displacement (D–d) method show values of 23 and 10–15 %, respectively. The estimate inferred from the later method is less than the line length budget suggesting a small internal deformation. Ramnagar trench shows 12 % shortening by line length budget and 10–25 % by the D–d method suggesting a large internal deformation. A parametric study at the trenched fault zone of Rampur Ghanda shows a slip of 16 m beneath the trailing edge of the scarp, and it is sufficient to raise a 8-m-high scarp. This implies that the Rampur Ghanda scarp is balanced with a single event with 7.8-m-coseismic slip in the trenched fault zone at the toe of the scarp, 8–15 % mean deformation within the scarp and 16-m slip at depth along a 30° ramp for a pre-1400 earthquake event. A 16-m slip is the most robust estimate of the maximum slip for a single event reported previously by trench studies along the HFT in the western Indian Himalaya that occurred between 1200 AD and 1700 AD. However, the Ramnagar trenched fault zone shows a slip of 23 m, which is larger than both line length and D–d methods. It implies that a 13-m-high scarp and 23-m slip beneath the rigid block may be ascribed to multiple events. It is for the first time we report that in the south-eastern extent of the western Indian Himalaya, Ramnagar scarp consists of minimum two events (i) pre-1400 AD and (ii) unknown old events of different lateral extents with overlapping ruptures. If the more optimistic two seismic events scenario is followed, the rupture length would be at least 260 km and would lead to an earthquake greater than Mw 8.5.     

2008年汶川地震破裂的滑移向量

估计同震滑移向量对于认识和理解破裂方式和破裂过程具有重要意义。2008年汶川大地震在青藏高原东缘龙门山推覆构造带的中央断裂和前山断裂上各形成了一条长250 km和72 km的地表破裂带。地震发生后至今,已经发表了大量有关同震位错沿破裂带分布的论文和报告,但绝大部分都仅仅是破裂的走向位错和垂直位错,极少有同震滑移向量的报道。这不仅是因为野外难以直接测量到水平缩短量(或拉张量),而且还因为这些走滑位错实际上是视走滑位错,部分或全部来自水平缩短或拉张。因此,仅仅根据视走滑同震位错和垂直同震位错估计的同震总滑移量肯定包含了相当大的误差。尝试利用据不同走向参考线测量到的一组(两个以上)视走滑位错来计算水平滑移向量的这一新方法,获得了中央破裂带上的7个水平同震滑移向量,并结合垂直位错量进一步计算了走滑、倾滑和水平缩短三个同震滑移分量以及断层倾角和破裂面上的同震滑移向量,综合出露破裂面的擦痕所指示的滑移向量,并对比根据矩张量解获得的震源深度的滑移向量,得出以下认识:(1)破裂南段的地表滑移向量的方位角明显小于震源深度滑移向量的方位角,表明在破裂从震源向地表传播过程中破裂面上的滑移向量发生了逆时针旋转;(2)滑移方位角向北东方向逐渐增大,表明地平面上水平滑移向量表现出顺时针旋转的趋势,而且在破裂向北东方向传播过程中近地表的走滑分量逐渐减小而倾滑分量逐渐增大;(3)几乎在每一个观测点倾滑分量都大于走滑分量,表明汶川地震的破裂方式在任何地点都是以逆冲运动为主;(4)破裂面倾角在10.4°～64.7°,平均值为41°,与天然破裂露头和探槽揭示的结果基本一致;(5)滑移向量沿破裂带的分布显示,走滑分量中段大而两端小,倾滑分量则相反,中段小两端大。     

Surface Rupture and Co-seismic Displacement Produced by the Ms 8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake of May 12th, 2008, Sichuan, China: Eastwards Growth of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

An earthquake of Ms 8 struck Wenchuan County, western Sichuan, China, on May 12^th, 2008 and resulted in long surface ruptures （〉300 km）. The first-hand observations about the surface ruptures produced by the earthquake in the worst-hit areas of Yingxiu, Beichuan and Qingchuan, ascertained that the causative structure of the earthquake was in the central fault zones of the Longmenshan tectonic belt. Average co-seismic vertical displacements along the individual fault of the Yingxiu-Beiehuan rupture zone reach 2.514 m and the cumulative vertical displacements across the central and frontal Longmenshan fault belt is about 5-6 m. The surface rupture strength was reduced from north of Beichuan to Qingchuan County and shows 2-3 m dextral strike-slip component. The Wenchuan thrust-faulting earthquake is a manifestation of eastward growth of the Tibetan Plateau under the action of continuous convergence of the Indian and Eurasian continents.     

Structural and magnetic fabric studies of recess structures in the western Himalaya: Implications for 1905 Kangra earthquake

Kinematic information from deformation structures and magnetic fabrics are used to infer recent tectonics around Kangra and Dehradun recesses, western Himalaya. Three types of magnetic fabrics (Type I & II, III, and IV) are identified based on the angle between K3 axis and bedding pole. It was observed that Kangra recess shows more mature fabric type IV as compared to Dehradun recess, where orientation of K3 axes and tectonic fabric reveals dominance of superposed deformation. In the vicinity of Dehradun recess, normal faults occur in un-indurated Quaternary fan deposits confirming their recent formation. The observations are in conformity with earlier studies that during the 1905 Kangra earthquake, the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) (or one of its subsidiary thrusts) near Kangra showed thrusting whereas the MBT near Dehradun underwent either normal faulting or post seismic adjustments characteristic of normal faulting. The thrusting could be a result of subsurface processes whereas the normal faulting was a result of prevailing surface strains.     

Fault rupture directivity of large earthquakes in Himalaya

The paper examines the predominant fault rupture directivity during large earthquakes in different sectors of the Himalaya which influences strong ground motion and damage scenario. The nature of the faulting of earthquakes vis-à-vis their rupture directivity has been discussed. It is found that the rupture directivity near the Indo-Eurasian plate boundary varies from place to place i.e. either along the strike direction of the faults or at right angles to it. The secondary meizoseismal areas as observed for 1505 Dharchula, 1803 Uttarakhand, 1905 Kangra earthquakes in the Himalaya and 2001 Bhuj earthquake in stable continental region suggest that they are a fairly good indicator of predominant rupture directivity since the latter accentuates the site response up to a longer distance. The resulting larger ground motions, therefore, need to be incorporated in the design of engineering structures by suitable modifications in the BIS code.     

Morphotectonics and paleoseismology of the eastern end of the Bolnay fault (Mongolia)

The Bolnay (Hangayn) fault is an active shear system which generated the M = 8.2-8.5 Bolnay earthquake of 23 July 1905, one of world’s largest recorded intracontinental event. The fault follows the Mesozoic suture formed during the closure of the Mongolia-Okhotsk ocean. The Late Cenozoic faulting in the region was induced by propagation of strain from the India-Eurasia collision that had reached Mongolia at about 5 ± 3 Ma. The left-lateral strike slip almost all over the fault length is compensated in its western end by Late Quaternary reverse motion. We estimated coseismic slip associated with the event of 1905 and the previous earthquakes in the eastern fault end and checked whether vertical offset compensates the strike slip in this part as well. The 1905 coseismic slip measured from a displaced dry stream bed and pebble bars in the Hasany-Gol river valley was 6.5-7.5 m. The 13 ± 1 m left-lateral displacement of pebble bars in the same valley represents a cumulative slip of two events. Paleoseismological studies across the strike of surface ruptures reveal at least two generations of rupture in two events that postdated the deposition of sediments with a ¹⁴C age of 4689 ± 94 yr. Hypsometry of the alluvial surface in the zone of deformation shows gradual elevation increase toward the mountains, but without abrupt change across the fault. This means the absence of vertical offset and reactivation of the fault as a left-lateral strike slip. The horizontal slip in the eastern extension of the Bolnay fault is compensated rather by parallel fault-bounded pull-apart basins trending northeastward oblique to the principal fault strike. The age of their sedimentary fill suggests no older than middle Pleistocene normal faulting that compensated the Bolnay strike slip.     

Structure and late quaternary activity of the northern Owens valley fault zone, Owens valley, California

The Fish Springs fault is a primary strand in the northern end of the Owens Valley fault zone (OVFZ). The Fish Springs fault is the northwest strand in a 3-km-wide left echelon step of the OVFZ which bounds the Poverty Hills bedrock high. The Fish Springs fault strikes approximately north-south, dips steeply to the east, and is marked by a prominent east-facing scarp. No other faults in the OVFZ have prominent east-facing scarps at the latitude of Fish Springs, which indicates that the Fish Springs fault has accommodated virtually all of the local late Quaternary vertical displacement on the OVFZ.

The Fish Springs fault exhibits normal dip slip with no measurable lateral slip. Vertical displacements of a Late Pleistocene (0.314 ± 0.036 Ma, 2σ) cinder cone and of an overlying Tahoe-age (0.065–0.195 m.y.) alluvial fan are 76±8 m and 31±3 m, respectively. The maximum vertical 3.3. m. Two nearly equal vertical displacements of the active stream channel in the Tioga-age fan total 2.2. m. Vertical displacement of a stream terrace incised into the cinder cone is 1.2 ± 0.3 m. The minute amount of incision into that terrace indicates that uplift of the terrace probably occurred during the 1872 Owens Valley earthquake.

Three displacements of 1.1 ± 0.2 m each apparently have occurred at the Tioga-age fan since the midpoint of the Tioga interval, allowing an average recurrence interval of 3500 to 9000 years. Based on the age and displacement of the cinder cone, the average late Quaternary vertical displacement rate is 0.24 ± 0.04 mm/yr (2σ). At this rate, and assuming an average vertical displacement of 1.1 ± 0.2 m per event, the average recurrence interval would be 4600 ± 1100 years (2σ). The recurrence interval for the Fish Springs fault is similar to that for a strand in the southern part of the OVFZ which also ruptured in 1872.

Right-lateral, normal oblique slip characterizes the OVFZ. The location of the Poverty Hills bedrock high at a left step in the north-northwest-striking fault zone is consistent with the style of slip of the zone. The pure normal slip on the north-striking Fish Springs fault and the alignment of local cinder cones along north-striking normal faults indicate that the late Quaternary maximum horizontal compression has been oriented north-south at the north end of the OVFZ. Data from southern Owens Valley indicate a similar stress regime there. Late Quaternary slip on the OVFZ is consistent with north-south maximum horizontal compression.     

Tikhonov's regularization for deconvolution in the empirical Green function method and vertical directivity effect

Application of Tikhonov's technique, using input errors for the parameter of regularization estimation, enhances the accuracy and stability of the reconstruction of a source time function (STF) by the empirical Green function (EGF) method that gives us an opportunity to use simultaneously for analysis body and surface waves data, and to estimate the horizontal and vertical directivity effects. Knowledge of the last is particularly useful for the choice of an active nodal plane of earthquakes with the dip slip fault orientation that allows us to classify these earthquakes to the interplate or intraplate types and thereby to reach the better understanding of tectonic processes in the region of interest.By way of illustration, an attempt to estimate average parameters of faulting in a first approximation is made herein for two Russian Far East large events with opposite types of focal mechanism orientation, strike slip and dip slip. The former is not a matter of interest in the context of vertical directivity effect but enables us to test the method.The directivity analysis of pulse durations and inverse amplitudes of the relative source time functions (RSTFs) restored at eight globally distributed stations IRIS indicates that the destruction in the source of the Neftegorsk earthquake (05/27/1995 M_W=7.1) propagated roughly horizontally in the direction 8±11° during 19.2±0.4 s along the rupture extending 35.5±4.9 km. The calculated slip distribution along the rupture coincides within the error with the results of field geological measurements on the causal surface fault that proves that the Neftegorsk earthquake source is well described by the model of the linear unilateral fault and gives a good assessment of the method applied.The average parameters of faulting in the Kamchatka earthquake (03/08/1999 M_W=6.9) have been determined from data of 13 station IRIS. It was shown that the destruction in its source propagated downward at an angle of about 60° with horizon, in the direction about S156° E, during 13.4±0.2 s, along the rupture totaling 25.5±2.3 km in length. Therefore, the nodal plane, steeply dipped to the SE, was active and this event can be regarded as an intraplate type. Two asperities can be selected; the first with the maximum slip 3.3 m located at a distance of about 7 km from the onset of rupture, and the second with the maximum slip about 0.9 m centered at approximately 19 km from that.     

Seismic hazard analysis of Lucknow considering local and active seismic gaps

The Himalayas are one of very active seismic regions in the world where devastating earthquakes of 1803 Bihar–Nepal, 1897 Shillong, 1905 Kangra, 1934 Bihar–Nepal, 1950 Assam and 2011 Sikkim were reported. Several researchers highlighted central seismic gap based on the stress accumulation in central part of Himalaya and the non-occurrence of earthquake between 1905 Kangra and 1934 Bihar–Nepal. The region has potential of producing great seismic event in the near future. As a result of this seismic gap, all regions which fall adjacent to the active Himalayan region are under high possible seismic hazard due to future earthquakes in the Himalayan region. In this study, the study area of the Lucknow urban centre which lies within 350 km from the central seismic gap has been considered for detailed assessment of seismic hazard. The city of Lucknow also lies close to Lucknow–Faizabad fault having a seismic gap of 350 years. Considering the possible seismic gap in the Himalayan region and also the seismic gap in Lucknow–Faizabad fault, the seismic hazard of Lucknow has been studied based on deterministic and the probabilistic seismic hazard analysis. Results obtained show that the northern and western parts of Lucknow are found to have a peak ground acceleration of 0.11–0.13 g, which is 1.6- to 2.0-fold higher than the seismic hazard compared to the other parts of Lucknow.     

Analysis of the Wenchuan Ms8.0 Earthquake’s Co-seismic Stress and Displacement Change by Using the Finite Element Method

The variation of in situ stress before and after earthquakes is an issue studied by geologists. In this paper, on the basis of the fault slip dislocation model of Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake, the changes of co-seismic displacement and the distribution functions of stress tensor around the Longmen Shan fault zone are calculated. The results show that the co-seismic maximum surface displacement is 4.9 m in the horizontal direction and 6.5 m in the vertical direction, which is almost consistent with the on-site survey and GPS observations. The co-seismic maximum horizontal stress in the hanging wall and footwall decreased sharply as the distance from the Longmen Shan fault zone increased. However, the vertical stress and minimum horizontal stress increased in the footwall and in some areas of the hanging wall. The study of the co-seismic displacement and stress was mainly focused on the long and narrow region along the Longmen Shan fault zone, which coincides with the distribution of the earthquake aftershocks. Therefore, the co-seismic stress only affects the aftershocks, and does not affect distant faults and seismic activities. The results are almost consistent with in situ stress measurements at the two sites before and after Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake. Along the fault plane, the co-seismic shear stress in the dip direction is larger than that in the strike direction, which indicates that the faulting mechanism of the Longmen Shan fault zone is a dominant thrust with minor strike-slipping. The results can be used as a reference value for future studies of earthquake mechanisms.     

Characteristics of the 1912 co-seismic rupture along the North Anatolian Fault Zone (Turkey): implications for the expected Marmara earthquake

Evidence of right‐lateral offsets associated with the 1912 earthquake (M_w 7.4) along the North Anatolian Fault (Gaziköy–Saros segment) allow us to survey (using DGPS) the co‐seismic and cumulative slip distribution. The damage distribution and surface breaks related with the earthquake show an elongated zone of maximum intensity (X MSK) parallel to the fault rupture on land but this may extend offshore to the north‐east and south‐west. Detailed mapping of the fault using topographic maps and aerial photographs indicates the existence of pull‐apart basins and pressure ridges. At several localities, the average 1912 offset along strike is 3.5–4 m and cumulative slip is 2–6 times that of individual movement. The fault rupture geometry and slip distribution suggest the existence of three subsegments with a combined total length of 110–120 km, a fault length and maximum slip similar to those of the 1999 Izmit earthquake. The amount of slip at the north‐easternmost section and in the coastal region of the Sea of Marmara reaches an average 4 m, thereby implying the offshore extension of the 1912 rupture. The results suggest that the 1912 event generated up to 150 km of surface faulting, which would imply a M_w 7.2–7.4 earthquake and which, added with rupture lengths of the 1999 earthquakes, help to constrain the remaining seismic gap in the Sea of Marmara.     

汶川地震破裂带白沙河段同震水平缩短量的估算

同震位移向量由垂直、走滑和水平缩短(或拉张)三分量构成,合理估计各分量是全面认识地震地表变形特征的基础。汶川地震后的现场调查,获得了大量的同震位移数据,但是绝大部分是垂直和走滑两个分量,水平缩短(或拉张)分量十分缺乏,这必然导致我们对汶川地震破裂特征认识的偏差。本文通过对变形的天然地貌面和人工建筑的测量和复原,获得了白沙河破裂段8个观察点水平缩短量数据。同震水平缩短量在白沙河段的分布显示出了其由南西向北东逐渐减小的趋势,它与其他研究获得的垂直和走滑同震位移的分布基本一致。此外,同震水平缩短与同震垂直位移量在该破裂段上的分布,表现为峰、谷互补,可能暗示了地震破裂面倾角沿该破裂段的变化过程： 南段为高角度,中段逐渐转变为低角度,最后在北段再次转为高角度。     

Surface Rupture and Co-seismic Displacement Produced by the Ms 8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake of May 12th, 2008, Sichuan, China： Eastwards Growth of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

An earthquake of Ms 8 struck Wenchuan County,western Sichuan,China,on May 12~(th), 2008 and resulted in long surface ruptures (>300 km).The first-hand observations about the surface ruptures produced by the earthquake in the worst-hit areas of Yingxiu,Beichuan and Qingchuan, ascertained that the causative structure of the earthquake was in the central fault zones of the Longmenshan tectonic belt.Average co-seismic vertical displacements along the individual fault of the Yingxiu-Beichuan rupture zone reach 2.5-4m and the cumulative vertical displacements across the central and frontal Longmenshan fault belt is about 5-6 m.The surface rupture strength was reduced from north of Beichuan to Qingchuan County and shows 2-3 m dextral strike-slip component.The Wenchuan thrust-faulting earthquake is a manifestation of eastward growth of the Tibetan Plateau under the action of continuous convergence of the Indian and Eurasian continents.     

The rupture process during the 1999 Düzce, Turkey, earthquake from joint inversion of teleseismic and strong-motion data

Teleseismic and strong-motion data are inverted to determine the rupture process during the November 1999 Düzce earthquake in NW Turkey. The fault geometry, rise time and rupture velocity are determined from the aftershock distribution and preliminary inversions of the teleseismic data. Joint inversion of the teleseismic and strong-motion data is then carried out for the slip distribution. We obtain the strike 264°, dip 64°, rake −172°, seismic moment 5.0×10¹⁹ N m (M_w 7.1), and average stress drop 7 MPa. This earthquake was characterized by bilateral fault rupture and asymmetric slip distribution. Two asperities (areas of large slip) are identified, the eastern one being 1.5 times larger than the western one. The derived slip distribution is consistent with the aftershock distribution, surface rupture and damage. The point of rupture initiation in this Düzce earthquake coincided with the eastern tip of the aftershock distribution of the August 1999 Izmit earthquake.     

Why does the co-seismic slip of the 1999 Chi-Chi (Taiwan) earthquake increase progressively northwestward on the plane of rupture?

The Chi-Chi 1999 earthquake ruptured the out-of-sequence Chelungpu Thrust Fault (CTF) in the fold-and-thrust belt in Western Central Taiwan. An important feature of this rupture is that the calculated slip increases approximately linearly in the SE–NW convergence plate direction from very little at its deeper edge to a maximum near the surface. We propose here a new explanation for this co-seismic slip distribution based on the study of both stress and displacement over the long-term as well as over a seismic cycle. Over the last 0.5 My, the convergence rate in the mountain front belt is accommodated by the frontal Changhua Fault (Ch.F), the CTF and the Shuangtung Fault (Sh.F). Based on previously published balanced cross sections, we estimate that the long-term slip of the Ch.F and of the CTF accommodate 5–30% and 30–55% of the convergence rate, respectively. This long-term partitioning of the convergence rate and the modeling of inter-seismic and post-seismic displacements suggest that the peculiar linear co-seismic slip distribution is accounted for by a combination of the effect of the obliquity of the CTF to the direction of inter-seismic loading, and of increasing aseismic creep on the deeper part of the Ch.F and CTF. Many previous interpretations of this slip distribution have been done including the effects of material properties, lubrication, site effect, fault geometry and dynamic waves. The importance of these processes with respect to the effects proposed here is still unknown. Taking into account the dip angle of the CTF, asperity dynamic models have been proposed to explain the general features of co-seismic slip distribution. In particular, recent works show the importance of heterogeneous spatial distribution of stress prior to the Chi-Chi earthquake. Our analysis of seismicity shows that previous large historic earthquakes cannot explain the amplitude of this heterogeneity. Based on our approach, we rather think that the high stress in the northern part of the CTF proposed by Oglesby and Day [Oglesby, D.D., Day, S.M., 2001. Fault geometry and the dynamics of the 1999 Chi-Chi (Taiwan) earthquake. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am. 91, 1099–1111] reflects the latitudinal variation of inter-seismic coupling due to the obliquity of the CTF.     

Asperity distribution of the 1964 Great Alaska earthquake and its relation to subsequent seismicity in the region

The 1964 Alaska earthquake was the second largest seismic events in the 20th century. The aim of this work is the use of surface deformation data to determine asperity and slip distributions on the fault plane of the Alaska earthquake: these distributions are calculated by a Monte Carlo method. To this aim, we decompose the fault plane in a large number of small square asperity units with a side of 25 km; this allows us to obtain plane surfaces with an irregular shape. In the first stage, each asperity unit is allowed to slip a constant amount or not to slip at all, providing the geometry of the dislocation surface that best reproduces the observed displacements. To this purpose, a large number of slip distributions have been tried by the use of the Monte Carlo method. The slip amplitude is the same for all the asperities and is equal to the average fault slip inferred from the seismic moment. In the second stage, we evaluate the slip distribution in the dislocation area determined by the Monte Carlo inversion: in this case, we allow unit cells to undergo different values of slip in order to refine the initial dislocation model. The results confirm the previous finding that the slip distribution of the great Alaska earthquake was essentially made of two dislocation areas with a higher slip, the Prince William Sound and the Kodiak asperities. Analysis of the post-1964 seismicity in the rupture region shows a strong correlation between the larger earthquakes (M_w≥6) and the distribution of locked asperities following the 1964 event, which can be considered as an independent test of the validity of the model. We do not find slip values higher than 25 m for any of the patches, and we determine two separate high-slip zones: one correspondent to the Prince William Sound asperity, and one (18 m slip) to the Kodiak asperity. The slip distribution connected with the 1964 shock appears to be consistent with the following seismicity in the region.     

Active normal faulting during the 1997 seismic sequence in Colfiorito,Umbria: Did slip propagate to the surface?

In order to determine whether slip during an earthquake on the 26th September 1997 propagated to the surface, structural data have been collected along a bedrock fault scarp in Umbria, Italy. These collected data are used to investigate the relationship between the throw associated with a debated surface rupture (observed as a pale unweathered stripe at the base of the bedrock fault scarp) and the strike, dip and slip-vector. Previous studies have suggested that the surface rupture was produced either by primary surface slip or secondary compaction of hangingwall sediments. Some authors favour the latter because sparse surface fault dip measurements do not match nodal plane dips at depth. It is demonstrated herein that the strike, dip and height of the surface rupture, represented by a pale unweathered stripe at the base of the bedrock scarp, shows a systematic relationship with respect to the geometry and kinematics of faulting in the bedrock. The strike and dip co-vary and the throw is greatest where the strike is oblique to the slip-vector azimuth where the highest dip values are recorded. This implies that the throw values vary to accommodate spatial variation in the strike and dip of the fault across fault plane corrugations, a feature that is predicted by theory describing conservation of strain along faults, but not by compaction. Furthermore, published earthquake locations and reported fault dips are consistent with the analysed surface scarps when natural variation for surface dips and uncertainty for nodal plane dips at depth are taken into account. This implies that the fresh stripe is indeed a primary coseismic surface rupture whose slip is connected to the seismogenic fault at depth. We discuss how this knowledge of the locations and geometry of the active faults can be used as an input for seismic hazard assessment.     

西藏安多最新史前大地震的地质证据及其年龄

在西藏安多地区进行活动断裂研究过程中,进行地表调查和探槽开挖,证实错那－安多地堑北缘主边界断裂上的最新地表断层陡坎实际是该区史前大地震的地表遗迹。根据地表观察和实地测量结果可知,该区最新古地震断坎的延伸范围可达 26～36km,平均垂直位移量达 1.0～1.4m。相关地层－地貌体的年代学测试结果和古地震破裂参数表明,最新的古地震发生在距今约 10.0～8.1ka期间,估计当时的古地震震级介于 6.9～7.3级之间,当时的极震区烈度可能≥Ⅸ度。此古地震破裂的发现表明,青藏高原中部正断层型大地震之后的沉寂时间可以长达近万年,明显长于藏南裂谷带上的正断层型古地震活动间隔。由于安多地区最新大地震之后的离逝时间已足以积累类似强度的大地震,因此,该区未来的大地震危险性较高。     

Ground Surface Ruptures and Near‐Fault,Large‐Scale Displacements Caused by the Wenchuan Ms8.0 Earthquake Derived from Pixel Offset Tracking on Synthetic Aperture Radar Images

The 12 May 2008 Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake produced surface displacements along the causative fault, the Yingxiu–Beichuan Fault, which are up to several meters near the fault. Because of the large gradient, satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometric data are strongly incoherent; the usual SAR interferometry method does not allow such displacements to be measured. In the present study, we employed another approach, the technique based on pixel offset tracking, to solve this problem. The used image data of six tracks are from the Advanced Land Observing Satellite, Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS/ PALSAR) dataset of Japan. The results show that the entire surface rupture belt is 238 km long, extending almost linearly in a direction of 42° north–east. It is offset left laterally by a north–west-striking fault at Xiaoyudong, and turns at Gaochuan, where the rupture belt shifts toward the south by 5 km, largely keeping the original trend. In terms of the features of the rupture traces, the rupture belt can be divided into five sections and three types. Among them, the Beichuan–Chaping and Hongkou–Yingxiu sections are relatively complex, with large widths and variable traces along the trend. The Pingtong–Nanba and Qingping–Jingtang sections appear uniform, characterized by straight traces and small widths. West of Yingxiu, the rupture traces are not clear. North of the rupture belt, surface displacements are 2.95 m on average, mostly 2–3.5 m, with 7–9 m the maximum near Beichuan. South of the rupture belt, the average displacement is 1.75 m, dominated by 1–2 m, with 3–4 m at a few sites. In the north, the displacements in the radar line of sight are of subsidence, and in the south, they are uplifted, in accordance with a right-slip motion that moves the northern wall of the fault to the east, and the southern wall to the west, respectively. Along the Guanxian–Jiangyou Fault, there is a uplift zone in the radar line of sight, which is 66 km long, 1.5–6 km wide, and has vertical displacements of approximately 2 m, but no observable rupture traces.     

Co-seismic displacements, folding and shortening structures along the Chelungpu surface rupture zone occurred during the 1999 Chi-Chi (Taiwan) earthquake

A nearly 100-km-long surface rupture zone, called Chelungpu surface rupture zone, occurred mostly along the pre-existing Chelungpu fault on the northwestern side of Taiwan, accompanying the 1999 Chi-Chi Ms 7.6 earthquake. The Chelungpu surface rupture zone can be divided into four segments based on the characteristics of co-seismic displacements, geometry of the surface ruptures and geological structures. These segments generally show a right-step en echelon form and strike NE–SW to N–S, and dip to the east with angles ranging from 50 to 85°. The co-seismic flexural-slip folding structures commonly occurred in or near the surface rupture zone from a few meters to a few hundreds of meters in width, which have an orientation in fold axes parallel or oblique to the surface rupture zone. The displacements measured in the southern three segments are approximately 1.0–3.0 m horizontally and 2.0–4.0 m vertically. The largest displacements were measured in the northern segment, 11.1 m horizontally and 7.5 m vertically, respectively. The amount of co-seismic horizontal shortening caused by flexural-slip folding and reverse faulting in the surface rupture zone is generally less than 3 m. It is evident that the co-seismic displacements of the surface rupture zone are a quantitative surface indicator of the faulting process in the earthquake source fault. The relations between the geometry and geomorphology of the surface rupture zone, dips of the co-seismic faulting planes and the striations on the main fault planes generated during the co-seismic displacement, show that the Chelungpu surface rupture zone is a reverse fault zone with a large left-lateral component.