New advances of seismic tomography and its applications to subduction zones and earthquake fault zones: A review

Abstract There have been significant advances in the theory and applications of seismic tomography in the last decade. These include the refinements in the model parameterization, 3-D ray tracing, inversion algorithm, resolution and error analyses, joint use of local, regional and teleseismic data, and the addition of converted and reflected waves in the tomographic inversion. Applications of the new generation tomographic methods to subduction zones have resulted in unprecedentedly clear images of the subducting oceanic lithosphere and magma chambers in the mantle wedge beneath active arc volcanoes, indicating that geodynamic systems associated with the arc magmatism and back-arc spreading are related to deep processes, such as the convective circulation in the mantle wedge and deep dehydration reactions in the subducting slab. High-resolution tomographic imagings of earthquake fault zones in Japan and California show that rupture nucleation and earthquake generating processes are closely related to the heterogeneities of crustal materials and inelastic processes in the fault zones, such as the migration of fluids. Evidence also shows that arc magmatism and slab dehydration may also contribute to the generation of large crustal earthquakes in subduction regions.     

Determination of the direction and magnitude of recent tectonic stress in the Xianshuihe fault zone using fault slip data

ＤｅｔｅｒｍｉｎａｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅｄｉｒｅｃｔｉｏｎａｎｄｍａｇｎｉｔｕｄｅｏｆｒｅｃｅｎｔｔｅｃｔｏｎｉｃｓｔｒｅｓｓｉｎｔｈｅＸｉａｎｓｈｕｉｈｅｆａｕｌｔｚｏｎｅｕｓｉｎｇｆａｕｌｔｓｌｉｐｄａｔａ谢富仁，李宏Ｆｕ－ＲｅｎＸＩＥａｎｄＨｏｎｇ...     

On the generation of deep focus earthquakes in subduction zones

IntroductionAwidevarietyofexperimentalandobservationaldatashowthatshallowewthquakesaretheresultofeitherbrittleshearfailureduringcreationofafaultorstick-slipfrictiononapreexisting-fault.Themotionstyleofstick-slipalongafaultisbasicallychangedtocreeping...     

龙门山和鲜水河断裂带对区域构造加载作用的动态响应

为了研究汶川地震和鲜水河断裂带上的地震之间是否有触发作用及区域构造加载作用在这些地震发生过程中对应力场的影响.我们以汶川地震和鲜水河断裂带所在区域上的共7次地震为研究对象,区域构造加载作用由GPS速度边界近似,用分裂节点技术模拟上地壳地震的发生,并采用三维黏弹性有限元方法,模拟库仑应力的演化.研究结果表明:鲜水河断裂带上的地震震前积累的库仑应力的17%~38%来自区域构造加载的持续作用,其他的地震形变引起的库仑应力的积累约占49%~67%,故地震触发作用明显(除1948年理塘地震和1973年炉霍地震外);而汶川地震震前1893—1981年发生的地震释放了该区部分库仑应力,不可能对汶川地震有触发作用.汶川地震的库仑应力积累可能主要来自区域构造加载作用,地震发生以后几乎释放了所在区域的所有库仑应力,形成新的格局.     

龙门山断裂带深部构造变形的黏弹性模拟及其与强震活动的关联性探讨

根据龙门山断裂带地区的主要构造特征,建立该地区的有限元模型,同时考虑地下深处的黏弹性蠕动和不同部位间的接触关系,模拟计算了研究区在强震轮回活动中的时间演化历程.模拟结果表明:龙门山断裂带深处的滑动速率比浅表的滑动速率大,龙门山断裂带周围是相对容易发生应变积累的地区,其5~19 km深度也是高应力聚集成核区,随时间推移的应力集中程度加剧而引发强震.本模拟分析证实了重复地震观测所揭示的龙门山断裂带存在深浅活动速率差异的现象,这在一定程度上可以解释出乎预料的汶川MW7.9地震的孕育机理.综合分析研究提出:应充分利用重复地震这一天然的"地下蠕变计(subsurface creepmeter)"来探测深部构造变形的活动,为强震危险性分析提供必要的"原位(in situ)观测"约束信息.     

昆明周边地区活动断层滑动与现代构造应力场

昆明盆地是一个受南北向活动断裂控制的新生代断陷盆地. 昆明盆地及其周边地区共有8条主要断裂带, 野外地震地质调查和断裂滑动观测表明, 南北向和北东向活动断裂以左旋走滑为主, 北西向活动断裂以右旋走滑为主. 采用野外观测取得的22个测点共706条活断层擦痕数据, 利用断层滑动资料反演构造应力张量的方法, 计算获得了研究区现代构造应力场主要特征: 昆明盆地及其周边地区现代构造应力场以北北西——南南东向挤压、 北东东——南西西向拉张为特征, 其最大主压应力（sigma;1）方向为333deg;——2deg;, 平均倾角21deg;; 最小主压应力（sigma;3）方向为44deg;——93deg;, 平均倾角14deg;; 中间主应力（sigma;2）倾角较陡, 近垂直. 应力结构均为走滑型. 断层滑动反演结果与震源机制解资料分析结果基本一致.      

Large earthquake doublets and fault plane heterogeneity in the northern Solomon Islands subduction zone

In the Solomon Islands and New Britain subduction zones, the largest earthquakes commonly occur as pairs with small separation in time, space and magnitude. This doublet behavior has been attributed to a pattern of fault plane heterogeneity consisting of closely spaced asperities such that the failure of one asperity triggers slip in adjacent asperities. We analyzed body waves of the January 31, 1974,M _w =7.3, February 1, 1974,M _w =7.4, July 20, 1975 (1437)M _w =7.6 and July 20, 1975 (1945),M _w =7.3 doublet events using an iterative, multiple station inversion technique to determine the spatio-temporal distribution of seismic moment release associated with these events. Although the 1974 doublet has smaller body wave moments than the 1975 events, their source histories are more complicated, lasting over 40 seconds and consisting of several subevents located near the epicentral regions. The second 1975 event is well modeled by a simple point source initiating at a depth of 15 km and rupturing an approximate 20 km region about the epicenter. The source history of the first 1975 event reveals a westerly propagating rupture, extending about 50 km from its hypocenter at a depth of 25 km. The asperities of the 1975 events are of comparable size and do not overlap one another, consistent with the asperity triggering hypothesis. The relatively large source areas and small seismic moments of the 1974 doublet events indicate failure of weaker portions of the fault plane in their epicentral regions. Variations in the roughness of the bathymetry of the subducting plate, accompanying subduction of the Woodlark Rise, may be responsible for changes in the mechanical properties of the plate interface.To understand how variations in fault plane coupling and strength affect the interplate seismicity pattern, we relocated 85 underthrusting earthquakes in the northern Solomon Islands Are since 1964. Relatively few smaller magnitude underthrusting events overlap the Solomon Islands doublet asperity regions, where fault coupling and strength are inferred to be the greatest. However, these asperity regions have been the sites of several previous earthquakes withM _s 7.0. The source regions of the 1974 doublet events, which we infer to be mechanically weak, contain many smaller magnitude events but have not generated any otherM _s 7.0 earthquakes in the historic past. The central portion of the northern Solomon Islands Arc between the two largest doublet events in 1971 (studied in detail bySchwartz et al., 1989a) and 1975 contains the greatest number of smaller magnitude underthrusting earthquakes. The location of this small region sandwiched between two strongly coupled portions of the plate interface suggest that it may be the site of the next large northern Solomon Islands earthquake. However, this region has experienced no known earthquakes withM _s 7.0 and may represent a relatively aseismic portion of the subduction zone.     

Do trench sediments affect great earthquake occurrence in subduction zones?

Seismic energy release is dominated by the underthrusting earthquakes in subduction zones, and this energy release is further concentrated in a few subduction zones. While some subduction zones are characterized by the occurrence of great earthquakes, others are relatively aseismic. This variation in maximum earthquake size between subduction zones is one of the most important features of global seismicity. Previous work has shown that the variation in maximum earthquake size is correlated with the variation in two other subduction zone properties: age of the subducting lithosphere and convergence rate. These two properties do not explain all the variance in maximum earthquake size. I propose that a third subduction zone property, trench sediments, explains part of the remaining variance in maximum earthquake size. Subduction zones are divided into two groups: (1) those with excess trench sediments, and (2) those with horst and graben structure at the trench. Thirteen of the 19 largest subduction zone events, including the three largest, occur in zones with excess trench sediments. About half the zones with excess trench sediments are characterized by great earthquake occurrence. Most of the other zones with excess trench sediments but without great earthquakes are predicted to have small earthquakes by the age-rate correlation. Two notable exceptions are the Oregon-Washington and Middle America zones. Overall, the presence of excess trench sediments appears to enhance great earthquake occurrence. One speculative physical mechanism that connects trench sediments and earthquake size is that excess trench sediments are associated with the subduction of a coherent sedimentary layer, which at elevated temperature and pressure, forms a homogeneous and strong contact zone between the plates.     

西北太平洋俯冲带及其深震活动

俯冲带是理解地球内部物质循环和能量交换、大陆岩石圈演化、地震和火山活动及矿产资源分布等的重要环节.本文聚焦于西北太平洋俯冲带,通过汇集多种地震观测研究结果,清晰地揭示了由日本海沟至中国东北的俯冲板片整体活动图像,即整个西北太平洋俯冲板片的主压应力轴一致地稳定在俯冲方向上,俯冲板片上深浅部的显著地震活动存在密切的关联性;俯冲板片深处的亚稳态橄榄岩楔形区及其周边是深源地震多发区,深源地震可能是由亚稳态橄榄岩楔形区内的相变断层开始破裂的;在410~660 km深的地幔过渡带内处观测到的俯冲板片上下界面,揭示了俯冲板片的层状组分结构和板块下侧的高含水量.为更好地约束日本海下方的俯冲板片结构和深入探讨西太平洋的俯冲动力作用,有待于在全球罕有的大陆深部不断发生深震的西北太平洋俯冲区,开展海陆联合的地球物理探测及岩石高温高压实验和地球动力学模拟等研究.

     

The rupture process and tectonic implications of the great 1964 Prince William Sound earthquake

We have determined the rupture history of the March 28, 1964, Prince Williams Sound earthquake (M _w=9.2) from long-period WWSSNP-wave seismograms. Source time functions determined from the long-periodP waves indicate two major pulses of moment release. The first and largest moment pulse has a duration of approximately 100 seconds with a relatively smooth onset which reaches a peak moment release rate at about 75 seconds into the rupture. The second smaller pulse of moment release starts at approximately 160 seconds after the origin time and has a duration of roughly 40 seconds. Because of the large size of this event and thus a deficiency of on-scale, digitizableP-wave seismograms, it is impossible to uniquely invert for the location of moment release. However, if we assume a rupture direction based on the aftershock distribution and the results of surface wave directivity studies we are able to locate the spatial distribution of moment along the length of the fault. The first moment pulse most likely initiated near the epicenter at the northeastern down-dip edge of the aftershock area and then spread over the fault surface in a semi-circular fashion until the full width of the fault was activated. The rupture then extended toward the southwest approximately 300 km (Ruff andKanamori, 1983). The second moment pulse was located in the vicinity of Kodiak Island, starting at 500 km southwest of the epicenter and extending to about 600 km. Although the aftershock area extends southwest past the second moment pulse by at least 100 km, the moment release remained low. We interpret the 1964 Prince William Sound earthquake as a multiple asperity rupture with a very large dominant asperity in the epicentral region and a second major, but smaller, asperity in the Kodiak Island region.The zone that ruptured in the 1964 earthquake is segmented into two regions corresponding to the two regions of concentrated moment release. Historical earthquake data suggest that these segments behaved independently during previous events. The Kodiak Island region appears to rupture more frequently with previous events occurring in 1900, 1854, 1844, and 1792. In contrast, the Prince William Sound region has much longer recurrence intervals on the order of 400–1000 years.     

Brecciation processes in fault zones: Inferences from earthquake rupturing

Surface-rupture patterns and aftershock distributions accompanying moderate to large shallow earthquakes reveal a residual brittle infrastructure for established crustal fault zones, the complexity of which is likely to be largely scale-invariant. In relation to such an infrastructure, continued displacement along a particular master fault may involve three dominant mechanical processes of rock brecciation: (a)attrition brecciation, from progressive frictional wear along principal slip surfaces during both seismic and aseismic sliding, (b)distributed crush brecciation, involving microfracturing over broad regions when slip on the principal slip surfaces is impeded by antidilational jogs or other obstructions, and (c)implosion brecciation, associated with the sudden creation of void space and fluid-pressure differentials at dilational fault jogs during earthquake rupture propagation. These last, high-dilation breccias are particularly favorable sites for hydrothermal mineral deposition, forming transitory low-pressure channels for the rapid passage of hydrothermal fluids. Long-lived fault zones often contain an intermingling of breccias derived from all three processes.     

安宁河-则木河-小江带的强震构造环境和运动速率

研究了安宁河——则木河一小江断裂带的强震构造环境和展源力学机制；据该带历史强震计算分析了地震短张量年速率；据该带跨断层形变观测资料分析了断裂带水平和垂直形变年速率；并就潜在地展危险性进行了讨论.     

磁县断裂带的构造和地震活动特征

磁县断裂带是华北地震区中重要的断裂之一,1830年该断裂带发生了M7级地震.从分析该带的构造特征和地震活动特征出发,在结合历史地震活动和现今地震活动基础上,利用震级-时间模型对磁县断裂带未来强震活动进行预测,结果表明,未来该段中南的总体活动水平维持在5级左右.     

长白山天池火山的地质构造背景

用地质学、地球物理学和地震学相结合的途径分析表明,长白山天池火山处于活动构造背景中,西太平洋板块自日本海沟向我国大陆的持续俯冲作用是长白山天池火山喷溢的主要诱发机制,天池火山的未来喷发可能受北西西向走滑机制的控制。     

The Late Pleistocene activity of the eastern part of east Kunlun fault zone and its tectonic significance

The nearly EW-trending East Kunlun fault zone is the north boundary of the Bayan Har block.The activity characteristics and the position of the eastern end of its eastward extension are of great significance to probing into the dynamic mechanism of formation of the east edge of the Tibetan Plateau,and also lay the foundation for seismic risk assessment of the fault zone.The following results are obtained by analysis based on satellite image interpretation of landforms,surface rupture survey,terrace scarp deformation survey,and terrace dating data on the eastern part of the East Kunlun fault zone:(1)the Luocha segment is a Holocene active fault,where a reverse L-shape paleoearthquake surface rupture zone of about 50 km long is located;(2)the Luocha segment is characterized by left-lateral slip movement under the compression-shear condition since the later period of the Late Pleistocene,with a rate of 7.68–9.37 mm/a and a vertical slip rate of 0.7–0.9 mm/a,which are basically in accord with the activity rate of segments on its west side.The results indicate that it is a part of eastward extension of the East Kunlun fault zone;(3)the high-speed linear horizontal slip of the nearly EW-trending East Kunlun fault zone is blocked by the South China block at east,and transforms into the vertical movement of the nearly SN-NNE trending Minjiang fault zone and the Longmenshan fault zone,and the uplift of Longmenshan and Minjiang.The area where transform of the two tectonic systems occurred confines the position of the east end;(4)Luocha segment and Maqu segment constitute the"Maqu seismic gap",so,seismic risk at Maqu segment is higher than that at Luocha segment,which should attract more attention.     

汶川8.0级地震前龙门山断裂带的地震活动性和构造应力场特征

研究了2008年5月12日汶川8.0级地震前龙门山断裂带及其附近地区的地震活动.利用区域地震台网和流动测震台的数字地震波资料,测定了震源机制解.结果表明,震中所在的龙门山断裂带震前地震活动平稳,未出现显著异常增强或平静现象.根据汶川8.0级地震前地震活动求出的震源机制解,其主压应力P轴方位为WNE——ESE向,震源断层面呈NE向与NW 向两组节面走向.其中NE向节面呈N50deg;——70deg;E,断面倾角均陡,达60deg;——70deg;,震源力学作用方式多呈逆倾型,少部分呈走滑型．震前地震活动呈现的主压应力方位、震源断面走向及其错动类型,与汶川8.0级地震给出的解是一致的.巨大地震发生前沿龙门山断裂带微破裂呈现的平均应力场与主震一致．起始破裂区东侧20km内是紫坪铺水库水域区,这一区域发生小震活动增加的现象处于水库放水的卸载阶段.本文研究了汶川8.0级地震起始破裂区附近的小震活动,其震源参数表明,震源位于8.0级地震之上的5——14km深度,其震源参数与8.0级地震给出的解也是一致的．      

The seismicity and tectonic stress field characteristics of the Longmenshan fault zone before the Wenchuan M_S8.0 earthquake

The seismicity of Longmenshan fault zone and its vicinities before the 12 May 2008 Wenchuan MS8.0 earthquake is studied.Based on the digital seismic waveform data observed from regional seismic networks and mobile stations, the focal mechanism solutions are determined.Our analysis results show that the seismicities of Longmenshan fault zone before the 12 May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake were in stable state.No obvious phenomena of seismic activity intensifying appeared.According to focal mechanism solutions of ...     

Impact of tectonic erosion by subduction processes on intensity of arc volcanism

Abstract According to new estimates, more than 2 km³ of terrestrial material is transported every year with the subducting lithospheric plates to depths greater than 20-30 km. A comparable amount of subducted material is partly restored to the nearby margins through underplating, diapirism or forearc volcanism; partly rejuvenated through arc and back-arc magmatism; and the rest is recycled into the deep mantle. This study emphasizes the connection between the consumption of some arcs and the intensity of arc volcanism. In many cases (Japan, Peru, Izu-Bonin, Guatemala), interruption in tectonic erosion of the margin is followed by a hiatus of arc volcanism. The delay between the presumed cause (i.e. absence of subducted arc-type crust) and the response (i.e. lack of explosive volcanism) corresponds to the time required for the subducting slab to reach the melting depth (i.e. 2-4 million years). Alternately, intense tectonic erosion of the margin is followed by paroxysms of arc volcanism. Crustal contamination of volcanic rocks may be caused directly by magma sources which may contain arc material derived from the subcrustal erosion of the margin.     

The seismogenic zone of subduction thrust faults

Abstract Subduction thrust faults generate earthquakes over a limited depth range. They are aseismic in their seaward updip portions and landward downdip of a critical point. The seaward shallow aseismic zone, commonly beneath accreted sediments, may be a consequence of unconsolidated sediments, especially stable-sliding smectite clays. Such clays are dehydrated and the fault may become seismogenic where the temperature reaches 100--150°C, that is, at a 5--15 km depth. Two factors may determine the downdip seismogenic limit. For subduction of young hot oceanic lithosphere beneath large accretionary sedimentary prisms and beneath continental crust, the transition to aseismic stable sliding is temperature controlled. The maximum temperature for seismic behavior in crustal rocks is ～ 350°C, regardless of the presence of water. In addition, great earthquake ruptures initiated at less than this temperature may propagate with decreasing slip to where the temperature is ～ 450°C. For subduction beneath thin island arc crust and beneath continental crust in some areas, the forearc mantle is reached by the thrust shallower than the 350°C temperature. The forearc upper mantle probably is aseismic because of stable-sliding serpentinite hydrated by water from the underthrusting oceanic crust and sediments. For many subduction zones the downdip seismogenic width defined by these limits is much less than previously assumed. Within the narrowly defined seismic zone, most of the convergence may occur in earthquakes. Numerical thermal models have been employed to estimate temperatures on the subduction thrust planes of four continental subduction zones. For Cascadia and Southwest Japan where very young and hot plates are subducting, the downdip seismogenic limit on the subduction thrust is thermally controlled and is shallow. For Alaska and most of Chile, the forearc mantle is reached before the critical temperature, and mantle serpentinite provides the limit. In all four regions, the seismogenic zones so defined agree with estimates of the extent of great earthquake rupture, and with the downdip extent of the interseismic locked zone.     

青藏高原东南缘滇缅地块NE向走滑断裂带的新构造活动与大地震危险性

2008年汶川大地震发生以来,位于青藏高原东南缘实皆断裂带和红河断裂系之间滇缅地块发生了一系列MS5.5以上中强地震,该地区未来是否可能发生MS7.0以上大地震的危险性,十分令人关注.本研究以滇缅地块内部最长的NE向走滑断裂带--南汀河断裂带为例,结合遥感图像、数字高程模型(DEM)和1:20万地质图,对断裂带附近的水系系统拐弯地貌特征和大型地质体单元位错信息进行提取分析,并根据这些断裂带左旋走滑起始年代(5 Ma),推算其长期走滑速率.研究结果表明研究区NE向断裂带自上新世以来,具有2 mm·a-1的长期走滑速率;此外,根据发生在断裂带上及其周边地区的历史地震、大震复发周期和区内现代构造应力场的分布分析发现,沿这些NE向大型左旋走滑断裂带未来具有MS7.0以上大地震发生的危险性.