Source mechanism of intermediate and deep earthquakes in southern Spain

Focal mechanisms of 10 intermediate-depth earthquakes (30相似文献   

Subduction zone earthquakes and stress in slabs

Summary The pattern of seismicity as a function of depth in the world, and the orientation of stress axes of deep and intermediate earthquakes, are explained using viscous fluid models of subducting slabs, with a barrier in the mantle at 670 km. 670 km is the depth of a seismic discontinuity, and also the depth below which earthquakes do not occur. The barrier in the models can be a viscosity increase of an order of magnitude or more, or a chemical discontinuity where vertical velocity is zero. LongN versus depth, whereN is the number of earthquakes, shows (1) a linear decrease to about 250–300 km depth, (2) a minimum near that depth, and (3) an increase thereafter. Stress magnitude in a subducting slab versus depth, for a wide variety of models, shows the same pattern. Since there is some experimental evidence thatN is proportional toe , where is a constant and is the stress magnitude, the agreement is encouraging. In addition, the models predict down-dip compression in the slab at depths below 400 km. This has been observed in earlier studies of earthquake stress axes, and we have confirmed it via a survey of events occurring since 1977 which have been analysed by moment tensor inversion. At intermediate depths, the models predict an approximate but not precise state of down-dip tension when the slab is dipping. The observations do not show an unambiguous state of down-dip tension at intermediate depths, but in the majority of regions the state of stress is decidedly closer to down-dip tension than it is to down-dip compression. Chemical discontinuities above 670 km, or phase transitions with an elevation of the boundary in the slab, predict, when incorporated into the models, stress peaks which are not mirrored in the profile of seismicity versus depth. Models with an asthenosphere and mesosphere of appropriate viscosity can not only explain the state of stress observed in double Benioff zones, but also yield stress magnitude profiles consistent with observed seismicity. Models where a nonlinear rheology is used are qualitatively consistent with the linear models.     

Triggered earthquakes and deep well activities

Earthquakes can be triggered by any significant perturbation of the hydrologic regime. In areas where potentially active faults are already close to failure, the increased pore pressure resulting from fluid injection, or, alternatively, the massive extraction of fluid or gas, can induce sufficient stress and/or strain changes that, with time, can lead to sudden catastrophic failure in a major earthquake. Injection-induced earthquakes typically result from the reduction in frictional strength along preexisting, nearby faults caused by the increased formation fluid pressure. Earthquakes associated with production appear to respond to more complex mechanisms of subsidence, crustal unloading, and poroelastic changes in response to applied strains induced by the massive withdrawal of subsurface material. As each of these different types of triggered events can occur up to several years after well activities have begun (or even several years after all well activities have stopped), this suggests that the actual triggering process may be a very complex combination of effects, particularly if both fluid extraction and injection have taken place locally. To date, more than thirty cases of earthquakes triggered by well activities can be documented throughout the United States and Canada. Based on these case histories, it is evident that, owing to preexisting stress conditions in the upper crust, certain areas tend to have higher probabilities of exhibiting such induced seismicity.     

Reevaluation of the earthquakes of 10 March and 19 May 1951 in southern Spain

Damage and parameters of the earthquakes of 10 March and 19 May 1951 in southern Spain have been reevaluated. Data available do not allow accurate depth determinations and previous estimates of larger depths are not confirmed, so depths have been fixed at 30 km for both shocks. Magnitudes (Ms) have been determined as 5.4 and 5.6, respectively. Intensities estimated at 22 and 29 sites from contemporary documentary sources give maximum values of VI–VII and VI (EMS Scale), lower than previous estimates. The focal mechanism for the May shock is right-lateral strike-slip with a normal component of motion, with planes with strikes 273° and 169°; seismic moment 1.9 × 10¹⁶ Nm and dimension 6 km (radius of circular fault). Shocks are located near the boundary between the Iberian plateau and the Guadalquivir Basin and may be related to faults connected with this boundary.     

On the generation of deep focus earthquakes in subduction zones

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

Seismic Sources on the Iberia-African Plate Boundary and their Tectonic Implications

—The plate boundary between Iberia and Africa has been studied using data on seismicity and focal mechanisms. The region has been divided into three areas: A; the Gulf of Cadiz; B, the Betics, Alboran Sea and northern Morocco; and C, Algeria. Seismicity shows a complex behavior, large shallow earthquakes (h < 30 km) occur in areas A and C and moderate shocks in area B; intermediate-depth activity (30 < h < 150 km) is located in area B; the depth earthquakes (h 650 km) are located to the south of Granada. Moment rate, slip velocity and b values have been estimated for shallow shocks, and show similar characteristics for the Gulf of Cadiz and Algeria, and quite different ones for the central region. Focal mechanisms of 80 selected shallow earthquakes (8 m_b 4) show thrust faulting in the Gulf of Cadiz and Algeria with horizontal NNW-SSE compression, and normal faulting in the Alboran Sea with E-W extension. Focal mechanisms of 26 intermediate-depth earthquakes in the Alboran Sea display vertical motions, with a predominant plane trending E-W. Solutions for very deep shocks correspond to vertical dip-slip along N-S trends. Frohlich diagrams and seismic moment tensors show different behavior in the Gulf of Cadiz, Betic-Alboran Sea and northern Morocco, and northern Algeria for shallow events. The stress pattern of intermediate-depth and very deep earthquakes has different directions: vertical extension in the NW-SE direction for intermediate depth earthquakes, and tension and pressure axes dipping about 45 ° for very deep earthquakes. Regional stress pattern may result from the collision between the African plate and Iberia, with extension and subduction of lithospheric material in the Alboran Sea at intermediate depth. The very deep seismicity may be correlated with older subduction processes.     

Lateral structure of the subducting pacific plate beneath the Hokkaido corner from intermediate and deep earthquakes

We present a study of the lateral structure and mode of deformation in the transition between the Kuril and Honshu subduction zones. We begin by examining the source characteristics of the January 19, 1969, intermediate depth earthquake north of Hokkaido in the framework of slab-tearing, which for the December 6, 1978 event has been well documented by previous studies. We use a least-squares body wave inversion technique, and find that its focal mechanism is comparable to the 1978 event. To understand the cause of these earthquakes, which in the case of the 1978 event occurred on a vertical tear fault but does not represent hinge faulting, we examine the available International Seismological Centre [ISC] hypocenters and Harvard centroid-moment tensor [CMT] solutions to determine the state of stress, and lateral structure and segmentation in the Kuril and northern Honshu slabs. These data are evaluated in the framework of two models. Model (A) requires the subducting slab at the Hokkaido corner to maintain surface area. Model (B) requires slab subduction to be dominated by gravity, with material subducting in the down-dip direction. The distribution of ICS hypocenters shows a gap in deep seismicity down-dip of the Hokkaido corner, supporting model (B). From the CMT data set we find that three types of earthquake focal mechanisms occur. The first (type A) represents dip-slip mechanisms consistent with down-dip tension or compression in the slab in a direction normal to the strike of the trench. These events occur throughout the Honshu and Kuril slabs with focal mechanisms beneath Hokkaido showing NNW plungingP andT axes consistent with the local slab geometry. The second (type B) occurs primarily at depths over 300 km in the southern part of the Kuril slab with a few events in the northern end of the Honshu deep seismicity. These earthquakes have focal mechanisms with P axes oriented roughly E-W, highly oblique to the direction of compression found in the type A events, with which they are spatially interspersed. The third (type C) group of earthquakes are those events which do not fit in either of the first two groups and consist of either strike-slip focal mechanisms, such as the tearing events, or oddly oriented focal mechanisms. Examination of the stress axes orientations for these three types reveals that the compressional axes of the type C events are consistent with those of type B. The slab tearing events are just differential motion reflecting the E-W compressive states of stress which is responsible for the type B family of events. There is no need to invoke down-dip extension which does not fit the slab geometry. We conclude that these two states of stress can be explained as follows: 1) The type A events and the seismicity distribution support model (B). 2) The type B and C events upport model (A). The solution is that the slab subducts according to model (B), but the flow in the mantle maintains a different trajectory, possibly induced by the plate motions, which produces the second state of E-W compressive stress.     

深源地震处理软件开发

为解决东北深震区的深震定位问题开发了相应软件,通过对东北地区以往深震处理的结果来看。效果较好。本文对该软件的开发和使用情况进行了介绍。     

Undead earthquakes

This short communication deals with the problem of fake earthquakes that keep returning into circulation. The particular events discussed are some very early earthquakes supposed to have occurred in the U.K., which all originate from a single enigmatic 18th century source.     

2011年5月中国东北Mw5.7深震的非同寻常震源机制：区域波形反演与成因探讨

本研究利用中国区域宽频地震台的波形数据,应用gCAP (generalized Cut And Paste)方法反演了2010年2月18日和2011年5月10日中国东北中俄边界附近发生的两个深震的矩张量解,与全球地震矩张量测定机构的结果对比分析,证实了2011年5月深震具有显著的补偿线性单力偶矢量(CLVD)成分,表明基于区域波形资料的gCAP反演可获得较可靠的深震震源机制结果.结合研究区1977-2010年的深震震源机制数据反演确定的日本俯冲带前缘的区域应力场方向,分析认为2011年5月深震的非同寻常震源机制,可能是由于日本东北近海M_w9.0地震造成南东东向拉张应力的变化而造成的,属于日本俯冲带动力作用过程中的响应活动.     

Large earthquakes in the macquarie ridge complex: Transitional tectonics and subduction initiation

While most aspects of subduction have been extensively studied, the process of subduction initiation lacks an observational foundation. The Macquarie Ridge complex (MRC) forms the Pacific-Australia plate boundary between New Zealand to the north and the Pacific-Australia-Antarctica triple junction to the south. The MRC consists of alternating troughs and rises and is characterized by a transitional tectonic environment in which subduction initiation presently occurs. There is a high seismicity level with 15 large earthquakes (M>7) in this century. Our seismological investigation is centered on the largest event since 1943: the 25 MAY 1981 earthquake. Love, Rayleigh, andP waves are inverted to find: a faulting geometry of right-lateral strike-slip along the local trend of the Macquarie Ridge (N30°E); a seismic moment of 5×10²⁷ dyn cm (M _w=7.7) a double event rupture process with a fault length of less than 100km to the southwest of the epicenter and a fault depth of less than 20km. Three smaller thrust earthquakes occurred previous to the 1981 event along the 1981 rupture zone; their shallow-dipping thrust planes are virtually adjacent to the 1981 vertical fault plane. Oblique convergence in this region is thus accommodated by a dual rupture mode of several small thrust events and a large strike-slip event. Our study of other large MRC earthquakes, plus those of other investigators, produces focal mechanisms for 15 earthquakes distributed along the entire MRC; thrust and right-lateral strike-slip events are scattered throughout the MRC. Thus, all of the MRC is characterized by oblique convergence and the dual rupture mode. The true best-fit rotation pole for the Pacific-Australia motion is close to the Minster & Jordan RM2 pole for the Pacific-India motion. Southward migration of the rotation pole has caused the recent transition to oblique convergence in the northern MRC. We propose a subduction initiation process that is akin to crack propagation; the 1981 earthquake rupture area is identified as the crack-tip region that separates a disconnected mosaic of small thrust faults to the south from a horizontally continuous thrust interface to the north along the Puysegur trench. A different mechanism of subduction initiation occurs in the southernmost Hjort trench region at the triple junction. newly created oceanic lithosphere has been subducted just to the north of the triple junction. The entire MRC is a soft plate boundary that must accommodate the plate motion mismatch between two major spreading centers (Antarctica-Australia and Pacific-Antarctica). The persistence of spreading motion at the two major spreading centers and the consequent evolution of the three-plate system cause the present-day oblique convergence and subduction initiation in the Macquarie Ridge complex.     

2014年盈江双震的破裂历史

2014年5月24日在云南省盈江县发生Ms5.6级地震(主震A), 于5月30日在其附近再次发生Ms6.1级地震(主震B). 我们挑选云南省地震台网记录的数字波形资料, 借助于经验格林函数技术提取了这两次地震的震源时间函数,获得了其破裂历史. 为了利用经验格林函数技术提取震源时间函数,我们首先利用优选的速度模型,采用逆时成像技术重新确定了主震A和B以及挑选的6次较大余震的震源位置,并利用双差定位技术确定了主震与余震之间的相对位置;然后利用广义极性振幅技术反演了这些事件的震源机制;最后,根据主震和余震的相对位置以及震源机制特征挑选最优台站记录,提取了两个主震的震源时间函数. 结果表明,主震A持续时间约3.5 s, 分两个阶段,第一阶段0~1.3 s, 第二阶段1.3~3.5 s;主震B持续时间约5.0 s, 其过程比A复杂,至少可以分为五个阶段,第一阶段0~0.7 s, 第二阶段0.7~1.6 s, 第三阶段1.6~2.5 s,第四阶段2.5~3.8 s,第五阶段3.8~5.0 s.     

Focal mechanisms of intraplate earthquakes in Bolivia,South America

Intraplate seismic activity in Bolivia is mainly located in the central region (16°–19°S, 63°–67°W) which includes the East Andean Cordillera and the Sub-Andean Sierras. At this region there is a bend in the trend of the main geological structures from NW-SE in the north to N-S in the south. Focal mechanisms have been calculated for 10 earthquakes of magnitudes 4.9–5.6, using first motionP-waves from long period instruments. Their solutions correspond to reverse faulting, some with a large component of strike-slip motion. Their solutions can be grouped into two types; one with pure reverse faulting on planes with azimuth NW-SE and the other with a large strike-slip component on planes with azimuths nearly N-S or WNW-ESE. The maximum stress axis (P-axis) is practically horizontal (dipping less than 5°) oriented in a mean N56°E direction. This orientation may be related with the direction of compression resulting from the collision of the Nazca plate against the western margin of the South American continent. Wave-form analysis of long-periodP-waves for one event restricts the focal depth to 8 km in the Sub-Andean region. Seismic moments and source dimensions determined from spectra of Rayleigh waves are in the range of 10¹⁶–10¹⁷Nm and 17–24 km, respectively. The Central Bolivia region can be considered as a zone of intraplate deformation situated between the Bolivian Altiplano and the Brazil shield.     

The 1997 Umbria-Marche earthquakes (Italy): relation between the surface tectonic breaks and the area of deformation

We classified the most outstanding rupturesof the 1997 Umbria-Marche seismic sequence assecondary tectonic effects that occur within the zoneof deformation induced by the deep displacement on theseismogenic structure. The trend of the surfacedeformation is homogeneous within the entire area ofinterest and consistent with NE-oriented extensionevidenced by CMT focal solutions of the three mainshocks. We extrapolate the discontinuous sites ofbreak measurements and suggest that the localdeformation concentrates along four narrow bands.Location and direction of these bands are locallycontrolled by pre-existing structures. The comparisonbetween our data with the seismological data – such asmain rupture planes and spatial aftershockdistribution – highlights that three bands mark partof the boundaries of the NW-SE elongated aftershocksarea and the fourth occurs where this area is widest.Moreover, the analysis of the structural setting ofthe area suggests that N-S shear zones have stronglycontrolled the extension of the main rupture segmentsand the aftershock distribution. The surface rupturesare located within the area of coseismic deformationresulting from DInSAR data; we propose that theyrepresent the localized response to the verticalground deformation of the area. Finally, we discussthe contribution of the pattern of the 1997 surfacebreaks to the characterization of the seismogenicsource.     

Regional stresses along the Eurasia-Africa plate boundary derived from focal mechanisms of large earthquakes

The focal mechanism solutions of 83 European earthquakes withM>6, selected from a total of 140, have been used to derive the directions of the principal axes of stress along the plate boundary between Eurasia and Africa from the Azores islands to the Caucasus mountains. Along most of the region, the horizontalP-axes are at an angle of 45° to 90° with the trend of the plate boundary. HorizontalT-axes are concentrated in central Italy and northern Greece in association with normal faulting. Large strike-slip motion of right-lateral character takes place at the center of the Azores-Gibraltar fault and the North Anatolian fault. From Gibraltar to the Caucasus the boundary is complicated by the presence of secondary blocks and zones of extended deformations with earthquakes spread over wide areas. Intermediate and deep earthquakes are present at four areas with arc-like structure, namely, Gibraltar, Sicily-Calabria, Hellenic arc and Carpathians.     

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.

     

2-D elastic FEM simulation on stress state in the deep part of a subducted slab

Introduction Geoscientists concern the explanation of deep focus earthquakes greatly. As a great progress in understanding the formation of deep focus earthquakes, Sung and Burns (1976a, b) proposed that olivine could exist in transition zone in metastable form in the core of some cold subducting slabs, which have got supports from laboratory studies (Rubie, Ross, 1994). Iidaka and Suetsugu (1992) used the seismic data recorded by the dense seismograph networks in Japan to study the travelti…     

2-D viscoelastic FEM simulation on stress state in the deep part of a subducted slab

Introduction It is found that there are some relationships between the thermal structures of subduction zones and the deep seismicity, while the mechanism relates the thermal structure and the deep seismicity is still unsure (Helffrich, Brodholt, 1991; Furukawa, 1994; Kirby, et al, 1996). From 1980s, geoscientists have constituted a series of numerical simulations on the stress states of subduction slabs. Based on the kinetic computation of Sung and Burns (1976a, b), Goto, et al (1983, 1987…     

Source mechanism of earthquakes in Peru

The source mechanism of 19 earthquakes that occurred in Peru (1990–1996) is studied using broad band data. Focal mechanisms are obtained using polarities of P wave and body wave form inversion. Shallow earthquakes show complex source time functions, intermediate and deep depth shocks have simpler ones. Stress distributions have been obtained from focal mechanisms estimated in this study and previous studies. Shallow earthquakes show reverse faulting with an ENE-WSW to E-W oriented pressure axes. Intermediate depth shocks indicate horizontal extension on E-W direction, normal to the Peru-Chilean trench. Earthquakes with foci at very deep depth show horizontal extension in the E-W direction in Peru-Brazil and N-S in Peru-Bolivia borders. This difference in stress orientation may indicate a different origin for deep activity at each region.     

A new model on the cause of Tangshan earthquakes in 1976

Introduction The Tangshan earthquake sequence in 1976 is one of most important events in North China. Although nearly thirty years passed and there are some researches on its cause, it is far from the end. Here we introduce two explanations for the cause of Tangshan earthquakes and point out their defects. One is that there is a diamond block in NEE direction in Tangshan region, which is shaped by cutting action of NingheChangli fault, FengtaiYejituo fault, Luanxian fault and Jiyunhe fau…