The relationship between seismic deformation and deep-seated gravitational movements during the 1997 Umbria–Marche (Central Italy) earthquakes

This paper re-evaluates the origin of some peculiar patterns of ground deformation in the Central Apennines, observed by space geodetic techniques during the two earthquakes of the Colfiorito seismic sequence on September 26th, 1997. The surface displacement field due to the fault dislocation, as modelled with the classic Okada elastic formulations, shows some areas with high residuals which cannot be attributed to non-simulated model complexities. The residuals were investigated using geomorphological analysis, recognising the geologic evidence of deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSD) of the block-slide type. The shape and direction of the co-seismic ground displacement observed in these areas are correlated with the expected pattern of movement produced by the reactivation of the identified DSGSD. At least a few centimetres of negative “Line of Sight” ground displacement was determined for the Costa Picchio, Mt. Pennino, and Mt. Prefoglio areas. A considerable horizontal component of movement in the Costa Picchio DSGSD is evident from a qualitative analysis of ascending and descending interferograms. The timing of the geodetic data indicates that the ground movement occurred during the seismic shaking, and that it did not progress appreciably during the following months. This work has verified the seismic triggering of DSGSD previously hypothesized by many researchers. A further implication is that in the assessment of DSGSD hazard seismic input needs to be considered as an important cause of accelerated deformation.     

结构面倾角对岩质边坡位移影响的分析

岩体结构面是影响岩质边坡位移及其稳定性的重要因素之一,但是由于数学和力学上的困难,岩体结构面对岩质边坡变形的影响通常难以用理论公式计算得出,目前只能采用数值分析手段。分别针对坚硬岩边坡和软岩边坡中存在软弱结构面的情况,用有限元差分程序FLAC和边坡稳定性系数公式,定量和定性地讨论了岩体结构面倾角对岩质边坡位移的影响。通过计算分析发现,(1)岩体中结构面的存在是影响岩石边坡位移及其稳定性的重要因素之一;(2)随着结构面倾角的增加,边坡的稳定性和边坡的位移可能增加,也可能减小,并不象我们想象的那样随着结构面倾角的增加而增加,必须用定性和定量方法针对具体问题进行具体分析。     

土质边坡中部与顶部抗滑桩动力响应和边坡变形比较

地震作用及其诱发的变形或滑坡常会使抗滑桩受力发生显著变化,为此,研究了地震作用下不同加固位置的抗滑桩的动力响应和边坡变形情况.试验分析表明:中桩位边坡坡顶变形比高桩位边坡坡顶变形大,但中桩位边坡坡脚堆积变形比高桩位边坡坡脚变形较小;在同样条件下中桩位抗滑桩的静力、动力弯矩小于高桩位抗滑桩相应位置的弯矩;地震结束后由于坡体震动残余变形较大,抗滑桩最终承担着震后残余弯矩,但高桩位抗滑桩的承载能力在震后仍然发挥较大.研究结果表明:高桩位加固位置可以有效发挥抗滑桩的抗弯承载能力,但中桩位可以有效抑制坡底坡脚变形.     

大变形有限元法分析边坡稳定性

边坡稳定性分析的重要任务是确定边坡潜在滑面的位置及相应的安全系数,鉴于坡体位移可在现场监测中直接得到,提出边坡潜在滑面确定的位移判据,采用大变形有限元首先计算出边坡的位移场,然后在开挖面的不同高度作塑性区内的水平位移参考线,依次连接参考线上的位移突变点即得到边坡失稳的潜在滑面位置,分析滑面上的应力以及岩体抗剪强度即得到边坡的整体安全系数。     

Gravitational deformation and inherited structural control on slope morphology in the subduction zone of north‐central Chile (ca. 29–33°S)

Subduction zones provide direct insight into plate boundary deformation and by studying these areas we better understand tectonic processes and variability over time. We studied the structure of the offshore subduction zone system of the Pampean flat‐slab segment (ca. 29–33°S) of the Chilean margin using seismic and bathymetric constraints. Here, we related and analysed the structural styles of the offshore and onshore western fore‐arc. Overlying the acoustic top of the continental basement, two syn‐extensional seismic sequences were recognised and correlated with onshore geological units and the Valparaíso Forearc Basin seismic sequences: (SII) Pliocene‐Pleistocene and (SI) Miocene‐Pliocene (Late Cretaceous (?) to Miocene‐Pliocene) syn‐extensional sequences. These sequences are separated by an unconformity (i.e. Valparaíso Unconformity). Seismic reflection data reveal that the eastward dipping extensional system (EI) recognised at the upper slope can be extended to the middle slope and controlled the accumulation of the older seismic package (SI). The westward dipping extensional system (EII) is essentially restricted to the middle slope. Here, EII cuts the eastward dipping extensional system (EI), preferentially parallel to the inclination of the older sequences (SI), and controlled a series of middle slope basins which are filled by the Pliocene‐Pleistocene seismic sequence (SII). At the upper slope and in the western Coastal Cordillera, the SII sequence is controlled by eastward dipping faults (EII) which are the local reactivation of older extensional faults (EI). The tectonic boundary between the middle (eastern outermost forearc block) and upper continental slope (western coastal block) is a prominent system of trenchward dipping normal fault scarps (ca. 1 km offset) that resemble a major trenchward dipping extensional fault system. This prominent structural feature can be readily detected along the Chilean erosive margin as well as the two extensional sets (EI and EII). Evidence of slumping, thrusting, reactivated faults and mass transport deposits, were recognised in the slope domain and locally restricted to some eastern dipping faults. These features could be related to gravitational effects or slope deformation due to coseismic deformation. The regional inclination of the pre‐Pliocene sequences favoured the gravitational collapse of the outermost forearc block. We propose that the structural configuration of the study area is dominantly controlled by tectonic erosion as well as the uplift of the Coastal Cordillera, which is partially controlled by pre‐Pliocene architecture.     

Local and regional components of western Aegean deformation extracted from 100 years of geodetic displacement measurements

Our objectives are as follows. First, we wish to develop a methodology to recover the long-term component of deformation from any set of distributed, time-averaged geodetic strain measurements that were subject to seismic disturbance, given a catalogue of local seismicity that occurred during the measurement period. Second, using seismic and geodetic data sets that span approximately 100 years, we apply this technique in the western Aegean to assess the role of local seismicity in regional deformation. The methodology is developed using a model for crustal deformation constructed from a long-term, smooth regional strain field combined with instantaneous, local perturbations from upper-crustal earthquakes approximated by static elastic dislocations. By inverting geodetic displacements for the smooth field while simultaneously floating influential but uncertain earthquake source parameters, an estimate of the regional component of deformation that is approximately independent of the seismicity can be made. In the western Aegean we find that the horizontal component of regional deformation can be described with minor inaccuracy by a quadratic relative displacement field. The principal horizontal extensional axes calculated from the regionally smooth displacement field agree in orientation with the T-axes of earthquakes in the region. These observations indicate that the instantaneous elastic strain of the 10 km thick seismogenic layer is driven by a stress field that is smooth on the scale of the geodetic network as a whole, 200-300 km.     

不稳定斜坡危险度的判别

为判别不稳定斜坡的危险度,在斜坡表面的变形迹象、斜坡本身的内部条件及外界的触发因素中,分出12项定性定量判别指标,它们各自有因子判别值Xj(i为判别指标的编号,1—12;j为因子判别值等级编号,1—6)。把各判别指标的因子判别值Xj叠加并予以综合后,便得叠加因子判别值Y=sum from 1 to N(Xj/N)(N为判别指标的数目,至少取6个),再查表13,定出不稳定斜坡危险度D。     

藏东南高山区沿河公路路基水毁防护工程对策--以川藏公路中坝段为例

藏东南山高坡陡、水流湍急、河床粗砾多,公路水毁现象十分严重。针对水毁这一问题,本文提出在高山区沿河公路路基防护工程中,采用浆砌片石护墙(以预制混凝土板或巨砾锚固为基础) 沉箱式或巨砾锚固式护坦的设计方案,对解决高山区沿河公路路基防护工程中基础处理的关键问题作出了有益的探索。     

Structure of the Central North Aegean Trough: an active strike-slip deformation zone

Detailed interpretation of marine seismic data shows the presence of an extending, active, dextral strike-slip fault zone at the south edge of the Mount Athos Peninsula. The zone is over 100 km long and has both transtensional and transpressive features observable on the seismic lines. We suggest that dextral strike-slip displacement along the zone is on the order of 5–7 km. The structure and fault patterns of Recent deformation in the Central North Aegean Trough is typical of strike-slip tectonism.     

Deep-seated failure propagation in a fractured rock slope over 10,000 years: The La Clapière slope, the south-eastern French Alps

The “La Clapière” area (Tinée valley, Alpes Maritimes, France) is a typical large, complex, unstable rock slope affected by Deep Seated Gravitational Slope Deformations (DGSD) with tension cracks, scarps, and a 60 × 10⁶ m³ rock slide at the slope foot that is currently active. The slope surface displacements since 10 ka were estimated from ¹⁰Be ages of slope gravitational features and from morpho-structural analyses. It appears that tensile cracks with a strike perpendicular to the main orientation of the slope were first triggered by the gravitational reactivation of pre-existing tectonic faults in the slope. A progressive shearing of the cracks then occurred until the failure of a large rock mass at the foot of the slope. By comparing apertures, variations and changes in direction between cracks of different ages, three phases of slope surface displacement were identified: 1) an initial slow slope deformation, spreading from the foot to the top, characterized by an average displacement rate of 4 mm yr^− 1, from 10–5.6 ka BP; 2) an increase in the average displacement rate from 13 to 30 mm yr^− 1 from the foot to the middle of the slope, until 3.6 ka BP; and 3) development of a large failure at the foot of the slope with fast displacement rates exceeding 80 mm yr^− 1 for the last 50 years. The main finding of this study is that such a large fractured slope destabilization had a very slow displacement rate for thousands of years but was followed by a recent acceleration. The results obtained agree with several previous studies, indicating that in-situ monitoring of creep of a fractured rock slope may be useful for predicting the time and place of a rapid failure.     

用强度折减法和FLAC^3D计算边坡的安全系数

对采用强度折减法和FLAC^3D计算边坡的安全系数问题进行了研究。对边坡破坏的判断标准、边坡滑面位置的确定及计算参数对安全系数计算结果的影响进行了分析。结果表明，用FLAC计算时，边坡的破坏可以通过节点最大不平衡力突变、节点最大速度突变、特定点位移的不收敛等特征进行判断，同时边坡破坏的滑面也可以由速度等值线图等方法表示出来。另外，通过分析发现，弹性常数、剪胀角等参数对安全系数计算结果的影响不大。     

Roadbed, embankment, tower support and culvert stability problems on permafrost

The history of railway and highway construction in permafrost zones in Russia, the United States, Canada, and China spans more than 110 years. Nonetheless, no railway track or highway has yet been built in such area that is impervious to deformation caused by subsidence resulting from the thawing of ice-rich subgrade soils. This paper presents data on the roadbed states of the Transbaikalian and the Baikal-Amur Railways as well as the Russian "AMUR" Chita-Khabarovsk Highway. It also discusses the feasibility of roadbed stability maintenance using methods based on the reduction of the mean annual ground temperature and roadbed preservation in a permafrost state by means of the natural cooling and heating factors ratio regulation resulting in a reduction of the heat generation in the roadbed and the adjoining area accompanied by an increase of heat consumption with help of the sun-precipitation protective sheds (awnings), rock covers, dolomite powder (reflective paint), cooling tube and thermosyphons as well as tower supports and corrugated pipe culverts stability.     

3D seismic interpretation of slump complexes: examples from the continental margin of Israel

This paper uses three‐dimensional (3D) seismic data from the continental margin of Israel (Eastern Mediterranean) to describe a series of slump deposits within the Pliocene and Holocene succession. These slumps are linked to the dynamics of subsidence and deformation of the transform margin of the eastern Mediterranean. Repeated slope failure occurred during the post‐Messinian, when a clay‐dominated progradational succession was forming. This resulted in large‐scale slump deposits accumulating in the mid‐lower slope region of the basin at different stratigraphic levels. It is probable that the slumps were triggered by a combination of slope oversteepening, seismic activity and gas migration. The high spatial resolution provided by the 3D seismic data has been used to define a spectrum of internal and external geometries within slump deposits. Importantly, we recognise two main zones for many of the slumps on this margin: a depletion zone and an accumulation zone. The former is characterised by extension and translation, and the latter by complex imbricate thrusts and fold systems. Volume‐based seismic attribute analysis reveals transport directions within the slump deposits, which are predominately downslope, but with subtle variations particularly at the lateral margins. Basal shear surfaces are observed to ramp both up and down stratigraphy. Slump evolution occurs both by retrogressive upslope failure, and by downslope propagation (out‐of‐sequence) failure. Slump anatomy and the combination of factors responsible for slump failure and transport are relatively poorly understood, mainly because of the limited 3D of outcrop control; hence, this subsurface study is an example of how improved understanding of the mechanisms and products can be obtained using this 3D seismic methodology in unstable margin areas.     

中尼公路雪害及防灾对策

本文在大量野外实地调查基础上，通过对中尼公路沿线吹雪、积雪和雪崩成因背景的分析，揭示了中尼公路雪灾的分布规律和形成机制，并提出各类雪灾的防治对策。对康山桥特大雪崩灾害进行了深入研究，提出了可供实施的整治方案及进一步工作的建议，对中尼公路整治必建工程具有重要的指导意义。     

Active foreland deformation evidenced by shallow folds and faults affecting late Quaternary shelf–slope deposits (Adriatic Sea, Italy)

A succession of depositional sequences, recording middle-late Pleistocene and Holocene glacial–interglacial cycles, documents the impact of short-term tectonic deformation on the western Adriatic margin. The western Adriatic margin is part of the Apennine foreland which was intensely, though variably, deformed during the Meso-Cenozoic evolution of the Adriatic region from a passive margin to a foreland basin. The study area extends offshore Gargano Promontory, an uplifted sector of the Adriatic foreland, and includes three major deformation belts located along or cross-strike to the margin: (1) the NW-SE Gallignani-Pelagosa ridge, (2) the WSW-ENE Tremiti-Pianosa high (both located north of Gargano) and (3) the W-E to NW-SE Gondola fault deformation belt (in the south Adriatic). Long-term deformation along these tectonic lineaments is documented on conventional low-frequency seismic profiles by regional folds and faults affecting Eocene–Miocene units overlain by dominantly draping Plio-Quaternary deposits. At this scale of observation, only north of Gargano Promontory there is some evidence of Plio-Quaternary units thinning against structural highs, thus suggesting that tectonic deformation was protracted through this interval. Based on new high-resolution seismic data, we show that deformation along these pre-existing tectonic structures continued during the Quaternary, affecting middle-late Pleistocene and even Holocene units on the shelf and upper slope north and south of Gargano Promontory. These recent deformations consist of gentle folds and high-angle faults, locally producing topographic relief that affects the stratigraphy and thickness of syn-tectonic deposits. We interpret the small-scale, shallow faults and gentle folds affecting middle-late Pleistocene and Holocene deposits, north and south Gargano Promontory, as the evidence of ongoing foreland deformation along inherited regional fold and fault systems.     

Structure and evolution of mass transport deposits in the South Caspian Basin,Azerbaijan

The Quaternary to late Pliocene sedimentary succession along the margin of the South Caspian Basin contains numerous kilometre‐scale submarine slope failures, which were sourced along the basin slope and from the inclined flanks of contemporaneous anticlines. This study uses three‐dimensional (3D) seismic reflection data to visualise the internal structure of 27 mass transport deposits and catalogues the syndepositional structures contained within them. These are used to interpret emplacement processes occurring during submarine slope failure. The deposits consist of three linked structural domains: extensional, translational and compressive, each containing characteristic structures. Novel features are present within the mass transport deposits: (1) a diverging retrogression of the headwall scarp; (2) the absence of a conventional headwall scarp around growth stratal pinch outs; (3) restraining bends in the lateral margin; (4) a downslope increase in the throw of thrust faults. The results of this study shed light on the deformation that occurred during submarine slope failure, and highlight an important geological process in the evolution of the South Caspian Basin margin.     

Point Sources of Elastic Deformation: Elementary Sources, Static Displacements

Summary. We construct a catalogue of all possible elementary point sources for static deformation in an elastic solid. the familiar double-couples, CLVD's, centres of compression and dilatation, etc., are all members of the complete catalogue. the sources are classified according to the rank of the seismic moment tensor, and according to the weight (or order) of the irreducible tensor representation of the 3-D rotation group. These sources can be classified as belonging to one of three general classes. the static excitation functions are calculated for an infinite, homogeneous, isotropic medium for all these sources. We show that, except for sources belonging to these three general classes, all other sources — which are numerous for the tensors of high rank — are null static sources. That is, sources that do not produce any static displacement outside of the source region. Due to the presence of null sources, an inversion of the static deformation data is non-unique. the expansion of the equivalent-force tensors and the stress glut tensors (or seismic moment tensors) into a set of the symmetric trace-free source tensors is proposed. the sources corresponding to seismic moment tensors of the second, third and fourth ranks are considered in more detail. We identify the third-rank sources with rotational dislocations or disclinations.     

Along‐strike structural linkage and interaction in an active thrust fault system: A case study from the western Sichuan foreland basin,China

Along‐strike structural linkage and interaction between faults is common in various compressional settings worldwide. Understanding the kinematic history of fault interaction processes can provide important constraints on the geometry and evolution of the lateral growth of segmented faults in the fold‐and‐thrust belts, which are important to seismic hazard assessment and hydrocarbon trap development. In this study, we study lateral structural geometry (fault displacement and horizon shortening) of thrust fault linkages and interactions along the Qiongxi anticline in the western Sichuan foreland basin, China, using a high‐resolution 3D seismic reflection dataset. Seismic interpretation suggests that the Qiongxi anticline can be related to three west‐dipping, hard‐linked thrust fault segments that sole onto a regional shallow detachment. Results reveal that the lateral linkage of fault segments limited their development, affecting the along‐strike fault displacement distributions. A deficit between shortening and displacement is observed to increase in linkage zones where complex structural processes occur, such as fault surface bifurcation and secondary faulting, demonstrating the effect of fault linkage process on structural deformation within a thrust array. The distribution of the geometrical characteristics shows that thrust fault development in the area can be described by both the isolated fault model and the coherent fault model. Our measurements show that new fault surfaces bifurcate from the main thrust ramp, which influences both strain distribution in the relay zone and along‐strike fault slip distribution. This work fully describes the geometric and kinematic characteristics of lateral thrust fault linkage, and may provide insights into seismic interpretation strategies in other complex fault transfer zones.     

Slope basins, headless canyons, and submarine palaeoseismology of the Cascadia accretionary complex

A combination of geomorphological, seismic reflection and geotechnical data constrains this study of sediment erosion and deposition at the toe of the Cascadia accretionary prism. We conducted a series of ALVIN dives in a region south of Astoria Canyon to examine the interrelationship of fluid flow and slope failure in a series of headless submarine canyons. Elevated head gradients at the inflection point of canyons have been inferred to assist in localized failures that feed sediment into a closed slope basin. Measured head gradients are an order of magnitude too low to cause seepage-induced slope failure alone; we therefore propose transient slope failure mechanisms. Intercanyon slopes are uniformly unscarred and smooth, although consolidation tests indicate that up to several metres of material may have been removed. A sheet-like failure would remove sediment uniformly, preserving the observed smooth intercanyon slope. Earthquake-induced liquefaction is a likely trigger for this type of sheet failure as the slope is too steep and short for sediment flow to organize itself into channels. Bathymetric and seismic reflection data suggest sediment in a trench slope basin between the second and third ridges from the prism's deformation is derived locally. A comparison of the amounts of material removed from the slopes and that in the basin shows that the amount of material removed from the slopes may slightly exceed the amount of material in the basin, implying that a small amount of sediment has escaped the basin, perhaps when the second ridge was too low to form a sufficient dam, or through a gap in the second ridge to the south. Regardless, almost 80% of the material shed off the slopes around the basin is deposited locally, whereas the remaining 20% is redeposited on the incoming section and will be re-accreted.
     

Scaling relations of earthquakes and aseismic deformation in a damage rheology model

We perform analytical and numerical studies of scaling relations of earthquakes and partition of elastic strain energy between seismic and aseismic components using a thermodynamically based continuum damage model. Brittle instabilities occur in the model at critical damage level associated with loss of convexity of the strain energy function. A new procedure is developed for calculating stress drop and plastic strain in regions sustaining brittle instabilities. The formulation connects the damage rheology parameters with dynamic friction of simpler frameworks, and the plastic strain accumulation is governed by a procedure that is equivalent to Drucker–Prager plasticity. The numerical simulations use variable boundary forces proportional to the slip-deficit between the assumed far field plate motion and displacement of the boundary nodes. These boundary conditions account for the evolution of elastic properties and plastic strain in the model region. 3-D simulations of earthquakes in a model with a large strike-slip fault produce scaling relations between the scalar seismic potency, rupture area, and stress drop values that are in good agreement with observations and other theoretical studies. The area and potency of the simulated earthquakes generally follow a linear log–log relation with a slope of 2/3, and are associated with stress drop values between 1 and 10 MPa. A parameter-space study shows that the area-potency scaling is shifted to higher stress drops in simulations with parameters corresponding to lower dynamic friction, more efficient healing, and higher degree of seismic coupling.