Modelling of depth phases and source processes of some central Aleutian earthquakes

Short-period synthetic seismograms are computed to determine the relative amplitudes and arrival times of P, pP, pwP (water surface reflection), and sP phases. Except along nodal planes of upgoing p, pwP is of greater amplitude than sP. For central Aleutian earthquakes, pwP dominates over sP and pP at North American stations for thrust mechanisms and modelled crustal structures. The pwP phase is clearly identified in three Aleutian events and can be used to constrain focal depths. Complex fracturing processes are identified in two of the events. In simple events, smaller phases which are consistent from station to station can be identified as sub-surface reflections and used for modelling the structure of the forearc.     

Elevation of the olivine-spinel transition in subducted lithosphere: Seismic evidence

The top of the olivine-spinel phase change in subducted oceanic lithosphere can be located by the travel times of seismic waves which have propagated through the slab. P-wave travel-time residuals from deep earthquakes in the Tonga island are observed at Australian seismic stations are grouped according to the depth of the earthquake. The change in mean residual with a change in earthquake depth is related to the velocity contrast between slab and normal mantle at that depth. The curve mean residual versus earthquake depth displays a region of markedly increased slope between earthquake depths of about 250 and 350 km. The most probable explanation of this observation is an elevation by 100 km of the olivine-spinel phase change within the relatively cooler slab. No evidence was found for vertical displacements within the slab of any deeper phase changes.A temperature contrast between slab and normal mantle of about 1,000°C at 250 km depth is implied. This finding confirms current thermal models for subducted lithosphere but is inconsistent with the global intraplate stress field unless only a few percent of the negative buoyancy force at subduction zones is transmitted to the surface plates.     

Age-dependent subduction of oceanic lithosphere beneath western South America

A recently established relation between the penetration depth of oceanic lithosphere and the lithospheric age appears to be of special interest to the understanding of the South American subduction zone. The main characteristics of this complicated zone, such as the absence of deep-focus earthquakes south of 30°S, the variations in the dip angle of the descending Nazca plate and the gap in seismic activity between depths of approximately 300 and 525 km, can be understood if the spatial and temporal variations in the age of the descending oceanic lithosphere are taken into account. In view of the significance of local aspects of the subduction process the South American-Nazca plate interaction cannot simply be considered as a type-example of the interaction between a continental and an oceanic plate.     

USGS地震目录中4～5级震源深度异常地震可靠性初步研究:以南北地震带若干地震为例

在南北地震带地区,USGS全球地震目录中存在一些震源深度大于30km的地震.这些地震的震源深度是否可靠,对于研究这一地区的孕震机制、岩石圈强度和构造演化等科学问题具有重要意义.本文以南北地震带2012年发生的5个4~5级地震为例,利用区域地震台网的波形数据,基于sPL深度震相、短周期瑞利面波以及CAP等独立方法测定了其震源深度.结果表明:sPL深度震相和CAP方法给出的震源深度比较一致,差别小于2~3km,能够得到比较可靠的震源深度;短周期瑞利面波及其与P波振幅比也确定了地震震源深度较浅的特征.本文研究结果显示:宁夏会宁4.7级、云南富民4.8级和四川会东4.7级地震的震源深度约为8~12km左右,仍为发生于上地壳的地震,USGS地震目录给出的30km甚至更深的震源深度存在明显偏差;对于四川隆昌4.6和4.9级地震,本文给出的震源深度为1~2km,属于极浅源地震,USGS地震目录给出的10km和35km的震源深度结果尚需进一步改进.     

南海瑞雷面波群速度层析成像及其地球动力学意义

南海处于欧亚板块、 菲律宾海板块、 太平洋板块和印度-澳大利亚板块的交汇处, 其地质和构造作用十分复杂．通过面波群速度成像, 给出了南海及邻区的三维横波速度分布并分析了其地球动力学意义．南海西部和南部新布设的地震台站使得利用单台法时路径覆盖比过去更好. 特别是在华南地区, 新的台站分布能够弥补该地区地震少且台站少造成的射线密度不够的缺点． 首先运用多重滤波法得到南海周边48个台站周期为14——130 s范围内的基阶瑞雷波频散曲线图; 接着通过子空间反演得到整个区域在不同周期时的群速度分布; 最后通过阻尼最小二乘反演得到不同深度切片上的横波速度分布及不同纵剖面上的横波速度分布． 结果显示: ① 海盆速度较高, 且速度分布很好地勾勒出海盆的轮廓. 浅层较高的横波速度说明海盆都具有洋壳性质, 而深部较高的横波速度则可能对应扩张中心生成洋壳后残留的高速物质． 不同海盆速度上的差异与它们的热流值和年龄大小一致．海盆下的高速异常在60 km以下消失, 且在一定深度范围内由低速区替代． 在低速区下200 km深度, 在南海海盆观测到一条NE-SW走向的高速异常, 可能与古俯冲带有关. ② 环南海出现明显的高速区, 对应俯冲带特征, 且这些高速区速度差异明显且有间断, 说明俯冲带的非均质性和俯冲角度的差异. ③ 在环南海高速区内侧（向南海侧）观测到不连续的低速区． 在浅层, 这些低速区反映了沉积层和地壳的厚度特征. 在地幔, 这些低速区可能对应于古太平洋俯冲带的地幔楔或者也可能反映了南海海盆停止扩张后残留的地幔熔融物质. ④ 南海海盆岩石圈的厚度为60——85 km．      

利用横波分裂到时差确定北美夏洛特皇后群岛岩石圈各向异性分层参数

本文收集到北美夏洛特皇后群岛VIB和DIB台站2005年1月1日至2014年12月31日2700余条近震三分量横波观测记录.经严格筛选提取到55条35°横波窗内的快慢波到时差值.通过建立到时差与多界面横波分裂路径关系,实现了对横波不同深度分裂界面的可靠识别和深度确定.依据对横波到时差及归一化到时差的分析结果,确认地处俯冲带的夏洛特皇后群岛的地震各向异性分别存在于该地区的上层陆壳、中层洋壳俯冲带及俯冲带底部或下层岩石圈顶部附近.发现除地幔岩石圈外,上两个分层的各向异性强度由北向南减弱,同时向西运动的洋壳俯冲带向南加深.不仅如此,归一化到时差结果显示该地区2012年M7.8强震前后各向异性强度减弱,但在3个各向异性层存在较大差异.无论在分层界面较浅的北部格雷厄姆岛附近还是在分层界面较深的南部莫尔兹比岛附近,强震后最上层的陆壳和最下层地幔岩石圈的各向异性强度均没有变化.M7.8后各向异性减弱全部发生在中层洋壳俯冲带内.并且,距离强震震中越近各向异性强度减弱越大,在一定程度上揭示出强震前后应力变化的空间分布特征.表明该地区洋壳俯冲是引起M7.8强震和现今构造运动的主要动力源.     

Seismological evidence for a lithospheric normal faulting — the Sanriku earthquake of 1933

The focal process of the Sanriku earthquake of March 2, 1933, is discussed in relation to the bending mechanism of the lithosphere. On the basis of the P times obtained at more than 200 stations, it is confirmed that the hypocenter of this earthquake is within the lithosphere beneath the Japan trench. The P wave fault plane solution, the amplitude of long-period (100 s) Love and Rayleigh waves and two near-field observations suggest, almost definitely, that the Sanriku earthquake represents a predominantly normal faulting on a plane dipping 45° towards N 90° W. A fault size of 185 × 100 km², in agreement with the size of the aftershock area, is required to yield a slip dislocation of 3.3 m, a value consistent with the tsunami data. This result suggests that the fracture took place over the entire thickness of the lithosphere, thereby precluding the possibility that the Sanriku earthquake merely represents a surface tensile crack due to the bending of the lithosphere. This large scale lithospheric faulting is presumably due to a gravitational pull exerted by the cold sinking lithosphere. The fracture probably took place on an old fault plane which had once fractured and healed up. The existence of this fracture zone which decouples, to some extent, the oceanic lithosphere from the sinking lithosphere accounts for the sharp bend of the lithosphere beneath oceanic trenches and also the abrupt disappearance of seismic activity across oceanic trenches. The sharp bend of the lithosphere is therefore a result, not the cause, of great earthquakes beneath oceanic trenches.     

F检测算法及其在识别地震地表反射波震相中的初步应用

地震P波波列中地表反射波pP或sP震相的准确识别,对地震震源深度的精确测定具有重要作用.基于新疆和田地震台阵部分地震记录数据,利用F检测算法对震中距分别为22.1°,6.44°和39.62°的3次地震事件进行了地表反射波pP或sP震相检测.结果表明,应用F检测分析新疆和田小孔径地震台阵数据,可以帮助分析人员识别地震的地...     

Velocity properties of the lithosphere in the ocean-continent transition zone in the Kamchatka region from seismic tomography data

Arrival times of P and S waves from local earthquakes in the Kamchatka area of the Kurile-Kamchatka Island Arc are used for calculating a spatial model of the elastic wave velocity distribution to a depth of 200 km. The lithosphere is shown to be strongly stratified in its velocity properties and laterally heterogeneous within the mantle wedge and seismic focal zone. A lower velocity layer (an asthenospheric wedge) is identified at depths of 70–130 km beneath the Eastern Kamchatka volcanic belt. The morphology of the Moho interface and the velocity properties of the crust are studied. The main tectonic structures of the region are shown to be closely interrelated with deep velocity heterogeneities. Regular patterns in the statistics of the earthquakes are analyzed in relation to variations in the elastic wave velocities in the focal layer. A mechanism of lithospheric block displacements along weakened zones of the lower crust and upper mantle is proposed.     

The velocity structure of the upper mantle of europe from the ambient noise surface wave tomography

The method for surface wave tomography based on the records of ambient seismic noise (Ambient Noise Tomography, ANT) is applied to the data from the East European and West European stations. In order to reduce the effects of the earthquakes at long periods, the cross correlation functions were calculated for the time interval of 2001–2003, when distinct clusters of the earthquakes were absent. Using the local dispersion curves in the range of 10–100 s, we reconstructed the vertical velocity sections at the nodes of the 3° × 3° grid. On the basis on these curves, we calculated the horizontal distributions of S-velocity variations in the upper mantle in the depth interval of 75–275 km and the vertical velocity sections along the profiles across the Vrancea zone and the region of the Baltic and Ukrainian shields. The velocity distribution in the Vrancea zone confirms the subduction of the ancient oceanic plate from the east westwards and the detachment of its bottom part, as hypothesized by some authors. Beneath the Baltic Shield lithosphere, there is a low-velocity zone, which can be interpreted as the asthenospheric layer. It is noted that the velocity distributions beneath the Baltic and Ukrainian shields are similar, which probably points to the genetic relationship between these two structures.     

中国东北和朝鲜半岛地区地壳Lg波宽频带衰减模型

利用1996年10月至2016年10月间发生在中国东北、朝鲜半岛和日本南部的113个壳内地震在602个宽频带地震台站观测到的波形资料,建立Lg波衰减成像数据集.根据22,551条垂直分量波形,计算Lg波振幅谱,提取单台、双台和双事件数据,采用区域Q值、震源函数和台基响应联合反演方法,建立中国东北和朝鲜半岛地区0.05~10.0 Hz的宽频带衰减模型.模型显示火山岩山脉地区如大兴安岭和长白山具有弱衰减特征,沉积盆地衰减相对较强,海水覆盖区域如渤海、黄海和日本海等衰减最强.日本海具有较薄的海洋地壳,对地壳Lg波传播有阻挡作用.通过较大地震事件的跨海记录调查Lg波的传播,强衰减特征最为显著.     

Occurrences of damaging earthquakes between the Himachal and Darjeeling Himalayas: Tectonic implications

Detailed analysis of intensity for ten damaging historical earthquakes in the central arcuate belt between the Himachal and Darjeeling Himalayas was carried out in the backdrop of isoseismal eccentricity, source depth and Indian plate obliquity. Results indicate that the elongated axes of the isoseismals and strike of ruptures for shallow earthquakes are almost parallel with strike of the Himalayan arc, and clearly conformable with the obliquity. An empirical power law relationship between eccentricity and focal depth established under the present study illustrates that the deeper events are more influenced by the bending of the penetrating Indian lithosphere, whereas the shallower events are principally controlled by the obliquity. A positive correlation between eccentricities and obliquity obviously supports this inference. The present study further reveals that the constant decrease in Indian plate obliquity from Himachal to Nepal-Bihar Himalaya is well compatible with the graben structures and horizontal shearing along this arcuate segment.     

云南地区地壳中上部横波速度结构研究

根据云南地区的基阶瑞利波相速度频散资料，用面波层析成像方法反演得到该区域中上地壳S波速度结构. 给出了研究区域内在4个深度上的S波速度水平分布图像和沿100.5°E、24°N、25°N、26°N及27°N的S波速度-深度剖面图. 结果表明：在小江断裂与红河断裂围成的川滇菱形块体内，26～30km深度处的速度明显低于周边地区，其南段从地表到15km深度均为明显的低速区域. 云南地区的强震（M＞6.0）震中位置与S波速度分布图像具有明显的相关性，主要分布于高速与低速的过渡区域.     

A comparison of the estimated effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere using terrestrial and satellite-derived data in Iran

The effective elastic thickness of the lithosphere has an important role in constraining compositional structure, geothermal gradient and tectonic forces within the lithosphere and the thickness of this layer can be used to evaluate the earthquakes’ focal depth. Hence, assessment of the elastic thickness of the lithosphere by gravitational admittance method in Iran is the main objective of this paper. Although the global geopotential models estimated from the satellite missions and surface data can portray the Earth’s gravity field in high precision and resolution, there are some debates about using them for lithosphere investigations. We used both the terrestrial data which have been provided by NCC (National Cartographic Center of Iran) and BGI (Bureau Gravimetrique International), and the satellite-derived gravity and topography which are generated by EIGEN-GL04C and ETOPO5, respectively. Finally, it is concluded that signal content of the satellite-derived data is as rich as the terrestrial one and it can be used for the determination of the lithosphere bending.     

地震作用下预应力混凝土管桩运动响应三维数值分析

基于黏弹性人工边界,建立上部结构-桩-土的共同作用三维有限元模型,分析地震作用下预应力混凝土管桩的运动响应特性。分别针对预应力混凝土管桩的桩径、双层软硬土剪切波速比值、上覆土层厚度、上部结构荷载等影响因素进行数值计算。参数分析表明:在地震作用下,桩径的增大会导致桩身整体弯矩相应增加,特别是桩身土层分界面处增大明显;软硬土层剪切波速比及上覆土层厚度的增加,引起土层分界面处桩身峰值弯矩增加;固定桩头条件下,桩头与桩身软硬土层分界面处均会产生较大的运动弯矩;上部结构的惯性荷载对固定桩头的内力有着较大影响,对桩身深处段弯矩影响较小。本文研究结论可为预应力混凝土管桩抗震设计提供有益的理论参考。     

Why the Sacramento Delta area differs from other parts of the great valley: Numerical modeling of thermal structure and thermal subsidence of forearc basins

Data on present-day heat flow, subsidence history, and paleotemperature for the Sacramento Delta region, California, have been employed to constrain a numerical model of tectonic subsidence and thermal evolution of forearc basins. The model assumes an oceanic basement with an initial thermal profile dependent on its age subjected to refrigeration caused by a subducting slab. Subsidence in the Sacramento Delta region appears to be close to that expected for a forearc basin underlain by normal oceanic lithosphere of age 150 Ma, demonstrating that effects from both the initial thermal profile and the subduction process are necessary and sufficient. Subsidence at the eastern and northern borders of the Sacramento Valley is considerably less, approximating subsidence expected from the dynamics of the subduction zone alone. These results, together with other geophysical data, show that Sacramento Delta lithosphere, being thinner and having undergone deeper subsidence, must differ from lithosphere of the transitional type under other parts of the Sacramento Valley. Thermal modeling allows evaluation of the rheological properties of the lithosphere. Strength diagrams based on our thermal model show that, even under relatively slow deformation (10⁻¹⁷ s⁻¹), the upper part of the delta crystalline crust (down to 20–22 km) can fail in brittle fashion, which is in agreement with deeper earthquake occurrence. Hypocentral depths of earthquakes under the Sacramento Delta region extend to nearly 20 km, whereas, in the Coast Ranges to the west, depths are typically less than 12–15 km. The greater width of the seismogenic zone in this area raises the possibility that, for fault segments of comparable length, earthquakes of somewhat greater magnitude might occur than in the Coast Ranges to the west. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

On the applicability of a universal elastic trench profile

Using thin elastic plate theory and neglecting horizontal applied forces, a universal deflection profile applicable to many oceanic trenches is derived. This theoretical profile is compared with bathymetric profiles from the central Aleutian, Kuril, Bonin, and Mariana trench-outer rise regions. The profiles were corrected for sediment thickness and age variation of the lithosphere. Good agreement between theory and observation is found. The distance from the first point of zero deflection seaward of the trench to the point of maximum height of the outer rise is directly related to the flexural rigidity of the lithosphere. The thickness of the elastic lithosphere is found to vary between 20 and 29 km for the trench profiles considered. The good agreement obtained shows that horizontal forces may be neglected and that the bending lithosphere behaves elastically in the cases considered. The analysis shows that only unreasonably large horizontal forces would affect the universal deflection curve. It is concluded that although the near-surface lithosphere may be subject to brittle fracture, the deeper lithosphere is capable of transmitting elastic stresses as high as 9 kbar.     

青海大柴旦地方震波形特征分析

利用双差定位法对2009—2015年大柴旦M 0.5以上地震重新进行精确定位,并绘制区域地震震源深度频数直方图。根据地震精定位结果,选取地震波形记录较好的事件进行特征分析。结果发现,重新定位后,大柴旦地区约65%的地震震源深度分布在6—10 km,震源深度较浅,地震波列衰减快,经过滤波,在直达波后观测到新的震相,初步推测为康拉德界面反射波。     

Volcanoes and regional geophysical trends

Active volcanoes occur in at least two fundamentally different tectonic settings. Taphrogenic volcanoes are aligned along the mid-ocean fracture system which is characterized by a broad ridge of rugged relief, «tensional» horizontal stress components perpendicular to the ridge, shallow earthquakes in a zone vertically beneath the ridge crest, thin to normal occanic crust and low to normal seismic velocities in the uppermost mantle, positive free-air gravity anomalies, and high heat flow. Orogenic volcanoes are aligned along the mobile Pacific rim and Indonesian archipelago which are characterized by double or single arcuate ridges with a deep oceanic trench on the convex side, compressional horizontal stress components perpendicular to the arcs, shallow to deep earthquakes in a zone dipping from the trench to beneath the volcanoes and beyond, transitional crustal thicknesses and seismic velocities, parallel belts of negative and positive free-air gravity anomalies from the trench to the volcanic arc, and low heat flow from the trench. The diverse nature of most geophysical lineaments associated with volcanism suggests that magma generation is independent of these phenomena. The remaining correlation of shallow earthquakes with taphrogenic volcanocs and intermediate depth earthquakes with orogenic volcanoes suggests that active fracture systems reaching these depths can tap latent magma sources. Seismic evidence for a low velocity layer beginning 100 km beneath continents and 60 km beneath oceans gives independent support to this hypothesis.     

Subduction zone seismicity and the thermo-mechanical evolution of downgoing lithosphere

In this paper we discuss characteristic features of subduction zone seismicity at depths between about 100 km and 700 km, with emphasis on the role of temperature and rheology in controlling the deformation of, and the seismic energy release in downgoing lithosphere. This is done in two steps. After a brief review of earlier developments, we first show that the depth distribution of hypocentres at depths between 100 km and 700 km in subducted lithosphere can be explained by a model in which seismic activity is confined to those parts of the slab which have temperatures below a depth-dependent critical valueT _cr.Second, the variation of seismic energy release (frequency of events, magnitude) with depth is addressed by inferring a rheological evolution from the slab's thermal evolution and by combining this with models for the system of forces acting on the subducting lithosphere. It is found that considerable stress concentration occurs in a reheating slab in the depth range of 400 to 650–700 km: the slab weakens, but the stress level strongly increases. On the basis of this stress concentration a model is formulated for earthquake generation within subducting slabs. The model predicts a maximum depth of seismic activity in the depth range of 635 to 760 km and, for deep earthquake zones, a relative maximum in seismic energy release near the maximum depth of earthquakes. From our modelling it follows that, whereas such a maximum is indeed likely to develop in deep earthquake zones, zones with a maximum depth around 300 km (such as the Aleutians) are expected to exhibit a smooth decay in seismic energy release with depth. This is in excellent agreement with observational data. In conclusion, the incoroporation of both depth-dependent forces and depth-dependent rheology provides new insight into the generation of intermediate and deep earthquakes and into the variation of seismic activity with depth.Our results imply that no barrier to slab penetration at a depth of 650–700 km is required to explain the maximum depth of seismic activity and the pattern of seismic energy release in deep earthquake zones.