Focal Fault of the 1999 Datong Ms5.6 Earthquake in Shanxi Province

Several earthquakes with Ms≥5.0 occurred in the Datong seismic region in 1989,1991 and 1999,The precise focus location of the earthquake sequence was made by the records of the remote sensing seismic station network in Datong.Using that data together with macro-intensity distribution and focal mechanism solutions,we analyze the difference among three subsequences.The results show that the focal fault of the 1999 Ms 5.6 earthquake was a NWW-trending left-lateral strike-slip fault.It is 16km long and 12km wide.It developed at the depth of 5km and is nearly vertical in dip.The two previous earthquake subsequences,however,were generated by activity along NNE-trending right-lateral strike-slip fault.It can be found that the rupture directioin of the 1999 earthquake has changed.It is generally found that a rupture zone has more than two directions and has different strength along these two directions.The complicate degree of focal circumstance is related to the type of earthquake sequences.There is the NE-trending Dawangcun fault and the NW-trending Tuanbu fault in the seismic region,but no proof indicates a connection between focal faults and these two tectonic faults.The feature that focal faults of three subsequences are strike-slip is different from that of the two tectonic faults.It is suggested that the 1999 earthquake subsequence was possibly generated by a new rupture.     

Study on Postseismic Impact of Wenchuan Earthquake on the Sichuan-Yunnan Region Based on Three-Dimensional Viscoelastic Finite Element Method

Based on the lateral segmentation and vertical stratification characteristics of the crustal medium in Sichuan-Yunnan region,and the asymmetry of the static dislocations on the coseismic fault plane of the Wenchuan M_S8. 0 earthquake,we built a three-dimensional viscoelastic finite element model of the crust in the Sichuan-Yunnan region. The postseismic impact of the Wenchuan M_S8. 0 earthquake on the Sichuan-Yunnan region was studied.The results show that:① The far-field horizontal deformation caused by the viscoelastic relaxation of the medium in the 10 years after the earthquake is about 0-20 mm within the Sichuan-Yunnan diamond-shaped block,which has a greater influence on north side and smaller on south side.② In the 10 years after the earthquake,the far-field vertical deformation caused by the viscoelastic relaxation effect of the medium is small,and it shows an increase of about 0-4 mm in most areas of the Sichuan-Yunnan diamond-shaped block.③ The Xianshuihe fault and the eastern segment of the East Kunlun fault,which are close to the seismogenic fault,show a high gradient on deformation fields after the earthquake.④ In order to compare with the strong earthquake activity in the SichuanYunnan region after the Wenchuan earthquake, the horizontal stress state and the Coulomb failure stress change of the active block boundary are also calculated. From the spatial distribution of the coseismic and postseismic displacement field,the fault activity characteristics reflected by the stress state and the stress loading of the fault layer reflected by the Coulomb failure stress change,there is a certain correlation with the spatial distribution of strong earthquake activity in this region.     

Numerical simulation of the influence of lower-crustal flow on the deformation of the Sichuan-Yunnan Region

On the basis of distribution of active fault and regional rheological structure, a three-dimensional finite element model of Sichuan-Yunnan region, China, is constructed to simulate contemporary crustal motion and stress distri- bution and discuss the dynamic mechanism of crustal motion and deformation in the Sichuan-Yunnan region. Lin- ear Maxwell visco-elastic model is applied, which includes the active fault zones, the elastic upper crust and vis- cous lower crust and upper mantle. Four different models with different boundary conditions and deep structure are calculated. Some conclusions are drawn through comparison. Firstly, the crustal rotation about the eastern syntaxis of the Himalaya in the Sicuan-Yunnan region may be controlled by the special dynamic boundary condition. The drag force of the lower-crust on the upper crust is not negligible. At the same time, the main active fault zones play an important role in the contemporary crustal motion and deformation in Sichuan-Yunnan region.     

Seismotectonic Study on the West Part of the Interaction Zone Between Southern Tianshan and Northern Tarim

The interaction zone between southern Tianshan and northern Tarim is located at the northeast side of Pamir. It is a region with high seismicity. We constructed a seismotectonic model for the west part of this zone from geological profiles, deep crust seismic detection and earthquake focal mechanisms data. Based on the synthesized geological features, deep crust structure, and earthquake focal mechanisms, we think that the main regional tectonic feature is that the Tianshan tecto-lithostratigraphic unit overthrusts on the Tarim block. The Tianshan tectonic system includes the Maidan fault and thrust sheets in front of the fault; The Tarim tectonic system includes the underground northern Tarim margin fault, conjugate faults in basement and overthrust fault in shallow. The northern Tarim margin fault is a high angle fault deep in the Tarim crust, adjusting different trending deformation between Tianshan and Tarim. It is a major active fault that can generate large earthquakes. The other faults, such as the Tianshan overthrust system and the Tarim basement faults in this area may generate moderately strong earthquakes with different styles.     

Current Stress State on Part of Active Fault Planes in Southwest China and Its Relationship with Unstable Deformation of Faults

In this paper,a comprehensive analysis was made for Southwest China using the data of in situ stress measurements,the geometric elements of main active faults,the data of micro-displacements and the energy release of Ms≥5.0 earthquakes near those active faults.The result shows that in measuring regions with lower earthquake energy release and smaller micro-displacement of faults,the value would be higher,and vice versa.     

Study on a gravity precursor mode of the Ms=7.0 Lijiang earthquake

To study the seismogeny process or the precursory behavior of the 1976Ms=7.0 Lijiang earthquake,we analyze the repeat gravity data with high precision from the Westem Yunnan Earthquake Prediction Experiment Area(WYEPEA)and the relted results of geology and geophysics survey in this paper.Considering the gross errors caused by observation data and model difference,we have firstly inverted the slip distribution of the main active faults with time based on the robust Bayesian least squares estimation and multi-fault dislocation model.The re-sults show that the slip changes of the faults with time from 1990to 1997obviously reflect the preparation process of the Lijiang earthquake.The images of main precursor mode have the characteristic of main shock-after shock type,which is agreement to the model of coupling movement tetween crust density and crust deformation(DD mode of coupling movement).     

The Relationship Between Strong Earthquake Activity of Ms≥ 7.0 on the Chinese Mainland and the West Kunlun-A＇nye^maqe^n Secondary Arcuate Tectonic Zone

The active and quiet phenomenon of moderate strong earthquakes one year before the earthquakes with Ms ≥ 7.0, the spatial distribution characteristics of the solid tide modulating and triggering earthquakes and the strong earthquake mechanisms on the Chinese continent have been studied. The secondary arcuate tectonic zone composed of the west Kunlun-A‘nye^maqe^n faults is believed to be a very important boundary to characterize strong earthquake activity of Ms ≥ 7.0 on the Chinese continent, that is, a boundary between the seismically active region and the quiet region of moderately strong earthquakes one year before earthquakes with Ms ≥ 7.0, and a boundary of the spatial distributions between the solid tidemodulating strong earthquakes ( Ms ≥ 7.0) and the non-modulating ones. It might be related with the characteristics of spatial distribution of focal mechanism solutions of strong earthquakes on the Chinese Continent.     

The CO2 Discharge in the Boundary Fault Areas of the Sichuan-Yunnan Block and Its Sources

A large number of CO2 springs outcrop along the boundary faults of the Sichuan-Yunnan block and in their neighboring areas.These springs are of a roughly similar distribution as the epicenters of strong earthquakes since 1900.This similarity indicates that the CO2 discharges could be directly related to the modern seismic activity in that area.The evidences of stable carbon and oxygen isotopes indicate that an overwhelming majority of the CO2 released from modern active faults is derived from the deep earth crust.There are 2 main mechanisms of CO2 discharge.Modern active faults are able both to produce directly a lot of CO2 due to thermodynamic metamorphism and to provide passages for the CO2 constituent coming from the lower crust or upper mantle.By continuously monitoring the dynamic changes of CO2 discharges,it would be possible to obtain the information of earthquake precursors that reflect the physical and chemical changes of the earthquake sources.     

Precise Location of Earthquakes at the Eastern Boundaries of the Sichuan-Yunnan Rhombic Block

Based on the seismic station data sets from Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, we employed a multi-step seismic location method (Hypo2000 + Velest + HypoDD) to precisely locate the 7,787 earthquakes that occurred during 2010-2015 along the eastern boundaries of the Sichuan-Yunnan rhombic block, namely from southern Dawu to the Qiaojia segment. The final results show that location precision is greatly advanced and epicenter distribution exhibits good consistency with the linear distribution of the seismic faults. Earthquake distribution is quite intensive at the intersection region in the southern segment of the Xianshuihe fault, the Anninghe fault zone, the Xiaojinhe fault zone and the Daliangshan fault zone to the east. The depth profile of seismicity shows a clear stepwise activity along the active seismic fault zones. The profile crossing the faults of the Xianshuihe, Anninghe, and Daliangshan presents a complex interaction among faults near the multiple faults intersection region, Shimian, where the earthquakes are obviously divided into two groups in depth. Earthquakes are very rare at the depth of 15km-20km, which is consistent with the region of the plastic rheology between 14km-19km calculated by Zhu Ailan et al.,(2005).     

Anomalies of Precursory Group and Grouped Strong Earthquakes in the Sichuan-Yunnan Region

Three methods of extracting the information of anomalies of a precursory group are put forward, i.e., the mathematical analyses of the synthetic information of earthquake precursors(S), the inhomogeneous degree of precursory groups ( ID ) and the values of short-term and impending anomaly in near-source area (NS). Using these methods, we calculate the observational data of deformation, underground fluid and hydrochemical constituents obtained from different seismic stations in the Sichuan-Yunnan region and conclude that the synthetic precursory anomalies of a single strong earthquake with Ms6.0 differ greatly from those of the grouped strong earthquakes, for the anomalous information of precursory groups are more abundant. The three methods of extracting the synthetic precursory anomaly and the related numerical results can be applied into the practice of prediction to the grouped strong earthquakes in the Sichuan-Yunnan region. Inhomogeneons degree (ID) of synthetic precursory anomaly can be identified automatically because it takes the threshold of distributive characteristics of the anomalies of precursory group as its criterion for anomaly.     

Examination of Historical Data of the 1125 Lanzhou M7.0 Earthquake and Analysis of Seismogenic Structure

Detailed examination of historical data of earthquakes and field investigations of loess landslide caused by the earthquake and tracing of active faults in Lanzhou area indicate that the Yijitanpu town,one of six towns of Jincheng city,was devastated by the 1125 Lanzhou earthquake.The citly is now located in the Vinylon Factory south of Hekou(River Mouth)in the Xigu distict of Lanzhou city.We delermined that the six old towns mentioned in historical records lie in an area stretching from the south of Xigu district to Hekou in Lanzhou.This is consistent with the distibution of loess landslides caused by the earthquake,the extension of Holocene active faults,and the distribution of traces of the seismic rupture zone.A comprehensive analysis shows that the seismogenic structure for the 1125 Lanzhou M7.0 earthquake should be the Xianshuigou fault segment at the western termination of the north-border active fault zone of the Maxianshan Mountains which are located in south of Lanzhou city with the distance of only 4km.     

Discussion of Some Problems in the Research into the Seismotectonics of Strong Earthquakes on the North China Plain

The tectonic characteristics and research problems of five earthquakes with M≥7.0 on the North China Plain over the last 300 years are addressed in the paper, including the cognition that there were no ground fractures in the 1966 Xingtai earthquake, the question caused by the thrust activity of the seismic fault of the Tangshan Earthquake and the discussion of the seismotectonic environment of the 1830 Cixian earthquake and the 1937 Heze earthquake. The author thinks that the main reason for the problems in research of strong earthquake tectonics in the region is that the status of activity of the main tectonics during the Late Quaternary are unknown. This affects the founding of discrimination criteria for seismotectonics of strong earthquakes on the North China Plain. Discriminating the Holocene active faults from the large number of faults is the most effective method for seismic hazard assessment in the area in future.     

A Study on the Tectonic Characteristics of Shallow Faults in the East of Zhengzhou City

Study on fault activity is a fundamental part of earthquake prediction and earthquake relief in big cities.In the active fault exploration in Zhengzhou,the spatial distribution,geological features and activity of the Huayuankou fault,the Shangjie fault and the Xushui fault were determined using the seismic prospecting method.New understanding about the characteristics of the faults was gained.This provides reliable basic data for future earthquake forecast and earthquake relief work in Zhengzhou.In addition,we proposed some ways to identify fault activity through analyzing the characteristics of the activity of a fault and raised an effective method for exploring active faults in big cities and exploring concealed faults in regions covered with thick overburdens.     

Study of main body element of crustal strain and its relationship with moderate-strong earthquakes

In this paper, progress in strain study of blocks and faults by GPS data are discussed, and the concept that active structures between blocks are the main body of crustal strain is clarified. By energy transfer principle of elastic mechanics, the relation between strain around faults and tectonic force on fault surfaces is set up and main body element model of crustal strain is constructed. Finally, the relation between mechanical evolution of model and seismogenic process of Kunlun earthquake （Ms=8.1） is discussed by continuous GPS data of datum stations. The result suggests that the relatively relaxed change under background of strong compressing and shearing may help to trigger moderate-strong earthquakes.     

GPS-constrained inversion of present-day slip rates along major faults of the Sichuan-Yunnan region, China

A linked-fault-element model is employed to invert for contemporary slip rates along major active faults in the Sichuan-Yunnan region (96°-108°E, 21°-35°N) using the least squares method. The model is based on known fault geometry, and constrained by a GPS-derived horizontal velocity field. Our results support a model attributing the eastward extrusion of the Tibetan Plateau driven mainly by the north-northeastward indentation of the Indian plate into Tibet and the gravitational collapse of the plateau. Resisted by a relatively stable south China block, materials of the Sichuan-Yunnan region rotate clockwise around the eastern Himalayan tectonic syntaxis. During the process the Garzê-Yushu, Xianshuihe, Anninghe, Zemuhe, Daliangshan, and Xiaojiang faults, the southwest extension of the Xiaojiang fault, and the Daluo-Jinghong and Mae Chan faults constitute the northeast and east boundaries of the eastward extrusion, with their left slip rates being 0.3-14.7, 8.9-17.1, 5.1 ± 2.5, 2.8 ± 2.3, 7.1 ± 2.1, 9.4 ± 1.2, 10.1 ± 2.0, 7.3 ± 2.6, and 4.9 ± 3.0 mm/a respectively. The southwestern boundary consists of a widely distributed dextral transpressional zone other than a single fault. Right slip rates of 4.2 ± 1.3, 4.3 ± 1.1, and 8.5 ± 1.7 mm/a are detected across the Nanhua-Chuxiong-Jianshui, Wuliangshan, and Longling-Lancang faults. Crustal deformation across the Longmenshan fault is weak, with short-ening rates of 1.4 ± 1.0 and 1.6 ± 1.3 mm/a across the Baoxing-Beichuan and Beichuan-Qingchuan segments. Northwest of the Longmenshan fault lies an active deformation zone (the Longriba fault) with 5.1±1.2 mm/a right slip across. Relatively large slip rates are detected across a few faults within the Sichuan-Yunnan block: 4.4±1.3 mm/a left slip and 2.7±1.1 mm/a shortening across the Litang fault, and 2.7±2.3 mm/a right-lateral shearing and 6.7±2.3 mm/a shortening across the Yunongxi fault and its surrounding regions. In conclusion, we find that the Sichuan-Yunnan region is divided into more than a dozen active micro-blocks by a large number of faults with relatively slow slip rates. The eastward extrusion of the Tibetan Plateau is absorbed and adjusted in the region mainly by these faults, other than a small number of large strike-slip faults with fast slip rates.     

1991—2004年GPS观测的中国大陆地壳动态变形特征

Based on GPS data from 1991- 2004 and the least-squares collocation method,we analyze the crustal deformation in the Chinese mainland. The results show that the first-order crustal deformation is unchanged in different periods in the Chinese mainland,which reflects the background of regional tectonic activity. The strain rate is much higher in Western China,especially in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Sichuan-Yunnan area. The variations in different periods are related with seismicity of strong earthquakes during the same time. The GPS data after 2004 shows the post-seismic deformation of the 2001 Kunlun Mountains M S8. 1 earthquake.     

Characteristics of Energy Accumulation and Release of Seismogenic Tectonics and Seismic Risk Analysis in Some Areas in the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang

Comparative analysis between the quantitative data of active faults and seismicity reveals that a complete earthquake recurrence cycle includes the characteristic earthquake and the submaxima earthquakes in-between. The magnitude of the sub-maxima events is correlated with the elapsed time of the characteristic earthquake and the slip rate of the fault. The fault displacement includes the major stick-slip generated by the characteristic earthquakes and the minor stick-slip by the sub-maxima ones. The magnitude-frequency relationship still works in the complete recurrence cycle. The energy accumulation in the cycle is divided approximately into four phases, and the seismicity differs at each phase. The relation of the maximum displacement with the average displacement of the characteristic earthquake suggests the partitioning of deformation between the characteristic and the sub-maxima earthquakes. Based on the above analysis, relevant mathematical equations are put forward for the quantitative assessment of the potential magnitude and earthquake risk of seismogenic tectonics. Tentative study has been carried out in this aspect in some areas of Tianshan.     

Fracture Characters and Seismogenic Fault of the Yajiang Earthquake Sequence with Ms6.0 in Sichuan in 2001

The Yajiang earthquake sequence in 2001, with the major events of Ms5.1 on Feb. 14 and of Ms6.0 on Feb.23, are significant events in the Sichuan region during the last 13 years. Eighty-eight earthquakes in the sequence with at least 5 distinct onset parameters for each recorded by the Sichuan Seismic Network in the period of Jan. 1 through June 30,2001 were chosen for this study. The events are relocated and the focal mechanism is derived from P-wave onsets for 13 events with relatively larger magnitudes. The focal depth of all earthquakes fall between a range of 2km to 16km, with dominant distribution between 9km to 11km. Theforeshocks, the Ms5.1 earthquake and the Ms6.0 earthquake and their aftershocks are all located close to the Zihe fault and the dominant epicentral distribution is in NW direction, identical to that of the fault. The fracture surface of the focal mechanism is determined in accordance to the mass transfer orientation in the recent earth deformation field in the Yajiang region. The P axes of the principal compressive stress in focal mechanism solutions of the 13 events show bigger vertical components, and the horizontal projection trending SE. The earthquakes are of left-lateral, strike-slip normal, and normal strike-slip types. The rupture surface of most earthquakes strike NW-SE, dipping SW. Based on the above information, we conclude that the Zihe fault that crosses the earthquake area, striking NW and dipping SW, is the seismogenic fault for the Yajiang earthquake sequence.     

Study on Integrated Recurrence Behaviors of Strong Earthquakes Along Entire Active Fault Zones in the Sichuan-Yunnan Region, China

Based on historical earthquake data, we use statistical methods to study integrated recurrence behaviors of strong earthquakes along 7 selected active fault zones in the Sichuan-Yunnan region. The results show that recurrences of strong earthquakes in the 7 fault zones display near-random, random and clustering behaviors. The recurrence processes are never quasiperiodic, and are neither strength-time nor time-strength dependent. The more independent segments for strong earthquake rupturing a fault zone has, the more complicated the corresponding recurrence process is. And relatively active periods and quiescent periods for earthquake activity occur alternatively. Within the active periods, the distribution of recurrence time intervals between earthquakes has relatively large discretion, and can be modelled well by a Weibull distribution. The time distribution of the quiescent periods has relatively small discretion, and can be approximately described by some distributions as the normal. Both the durations of the active periods and the numbers of strong earthquakes within the active periods vary obviously cycle by cycle, leading to the relatively active periods having never repeated quasi-periodically. Therefore, the probabilistic assessment for middle- and longterm seismic hazard for entireties of active fault zones based on data of historical strong earthquakes on the fault zones still faces difficulty.     

The North-South Seismic Belt:Vertical Deformation Velocity Gradient Research

The vertical deformation gradient can reflect the rate of vertical change in unit distance, and the vertical deformation velocity gradient can reflect the strength of the earth''s crust tectonic activities. In this paper, using long period leveling data combined with GPS data, the vertical deformation gradient values are calculated. Leveling data and GPS data are two different means of monitoring deformation, but the result is approximately the same vertical deformation gradient. The results show that the spatial distribution of the vertical deformation velocity gradient and tectonic distribution has an obvious correlation. The most significant gradient anomalies along the North-South Seismic Belt are Xianshuihe fault, Longmenshan fault and Xiaojiang-Zemuhe fault, while the second gradient anomalies in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan plateau are Zhuanglanghe fault and Lenglongling fault. The Menyuan M_S6.4 earthquake in 2016 occurred in this abnormal area. However, according to the vertical deformation high gradient area distribution, there is also the possibility of an earthquake occurrence in the Tianzhu and Jingtai area. The area of convergence of three major fault zones is the strongest tectonically active region of the North-South Seismic Belt.