Development of regional simulation of seismic ground‐motion and induced liquefaction enhanced by GPU computing

Much research has been conducted for physics‐based ground‐motion simulation to reproduce seismic response of soil and structures precisely and to mitigate damages caused by earthquakes. We aimed at enabling physics‐based ground‐motion simulations of complex three‐dimensional (3D) models with multiple materials, such as a digital twin (high‐fidelity 3D model of the physical world that is constructed in cyberspace). To perform one case of such simulation requires high computational cost and it is necessary to perform a number of simulations for the estimation of parameters or consideration of the uncertainty of underground soil structure data. To overcome this problem, we proposed a fast simulation method using graphics processing unit computing that enables a simulation with small computational resources. We developed a finite‐element‐based method for large‐scale 3D seismic response analysis with small programming effort and high maintainability by using OpenACC, a directive‐based parallel programming model. A lower precision variable format was introduced to achieve further speeding up of the simulation. For an example usage of the developed method, we applied the developed method to soil liquefaction analysis and conducted two sets of simulations that compared the effect of countermeasures against soil liquefaction: grid‐form ground improvement to strengthen the earthquake resistance of existing houses and replacement of liquefiable backfill soil of river wharves for seismic reinforcement of the wharf structure. The developed method accelerates the simulation and enables us to quantitatively estimate the effect of countermeasures using the high‐fidelity 3D soil‐structure models on a small cluster of computers.     

Contributions of slab fluid and sediment melt components to magmatism in the Mariana Arc–Trough system: Evidence from geochemical compositions and Sr,Nd, and noble gas isotope systematics

This study presents new major and trace element, mineral, and Sr, Nd, and noble gas isotope geochemical analyses of basalts, gabbro, and clinopyroxenite from the Mariana Arc (Central Islands and Southern Seamount provinces) including the forearc, and the Mariana Trough (Central Graben and Spreading Ridge). Mantle source compositions beneath the Mariana Arc and the Mariana Trough indicate a mantle source that is depleted in high field strength elements relative to MORB (mid‐oceanic ridge basalt). Samples from the Mariana Arc, characterized by high ratios of Ba/Th, U/Th, ⁸⁴Kr/⁴He and ¹³²Xe/⁴He, are explained by addition of fluid from the subducted slab to the mantle wedge. Correlations of noble gas data, as well as large ion lithophile elements, indicate that heavy noble gases (Ar, Kr, and Xe) provide evidence for fluid fluxing into the mantle wedge. On the other hand, major elements and Sr, Nd, He, and Ne isotopic data of basalts from the Mariana Trough are geochemically indistinguishable from MORB. Correlations of ³He/⁴He and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar in the Mariana Trough samples are explained by mixing between MORB and atmosphere. One sample from the Central Graben indicates extreme enrichment in ²⁰Ne/²²Ne and ²¹Ne/²²Ne, suggesting incorporation of solar‐type Ne in the magma source. Excess ¹²⁹Xe is also observed in this sample suggesting primordial noble gases in the mantle source. The Mariana Trough basalts indicate that both fluid and sediment components contributed to the basalts, with slab‐derived fluids dominating beneath the Spreading Ridge, and that sediment melts, characterized by high La/Sm and relatively low U/Th and Zr/Nb, dominate in the source region of basalts from the Central Graben.     

Slip-Weakening Models of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake and Constraints on Stress Drop and Fracture Energy

We present 2D dynamic rupture models of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake based on linear slip-weakening friction. We use different types of available observations to constrain our model parameters. The distribution of stress drop is determined by the final slip distribution from slip inversions. As three groups of along-dip slip distribution are suggested by different slip inversions, we present three slip-weakening models. In each model, we assume uniform critical slip distance eastward from the hypocenter, but several asperities with smaller critical slip distance westward from the hypocenter. The values of critical slip distance are constrained by the ratio of deep to shallow high-frequency slip-rate power inferred from back projection source imaging. Our slip-weakening models are consistent with the final slip, slip rate, rupture velocity and high-frequency power ratio inferred for this earthquake. The average static stress drop calculated from the models is in the range of 4.5–7 MPa, though large spatial variations of static stress drop exist. To prevent high-frequency radiation in the region eastward from the hypocenter, the fracture energy needed there is in the order of 10 MJ/m², and the average up-dip rupture speed cannot exceed 2 km/s. The radiation efficiency calculated from our models is higher than that inferred from seismic data, suggesting the role of additional dissipation processes. We find that the structure of the subduction wedge contributes significantly to the up-dip rupture propagation and the resulting large slip at shallow depth.     

Source mechanism of the Alaskan earthquake of 1964 from amplitudes of free oscillations and surface waves — comments

Recently Ben-Menahem et al. (1972) (hereafter abbreviated to B.R.I.) proposed, on the basis of long-period surface-wave and free-oscillation data, a steeply dipping fault model for the Alaskan earthquake of 1964. This result differs from that obtained by Kanamori (1970) (hereafter abbreviated to K.70) who also used long-period Love and Rayleigh waves, but preferred a low-angle fault model. I would like to make several comments on this difference.     

Resistivity mapping using the VLF-MT method around surface fault ruptures of the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake, Japan

Abstract Distinctive fault ruptures, the Nojima Fault and Ogura Fault, appeared along the northwestern coast of Awaji Island at the time of the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake (Kobe earthquake). In order to delineate the shallow resistivity structures around the faults just after they formed, Very Low Frequency Magnetotelluric (VLF-MT) surveys were made at five sites along the Nojima Fault and at one site along the Ogura Fault. Fourteen transects were made at the one site on the Ogura Fault, and another transect covers the area between the two faults. Changes in apparent resistivity or phase, or both, commonly occur when crossing the surface location of one of the faults, except for the northern transects at OGR-0 on the Ogura Fault. Apparent resistivity values of less than 100 Ωm were observed for Tertiary and Quaternary sediments and values larger than 200 Ωm for granitic rocks. The resistivity structures are related to the morphological characteristics of the fault ruptures. Remarkably conductive zones (less than 10 Ωm in apparent resistivity and 30–40 m in width) were found where the surface displacement is distinct and prominent along a single fault plane. If remarkably conductive zones were formed at the time of the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake, the results provide a good constraint on the dimensions of a conductive zone near the surface that was made by one earthquake. Alternatively, if characteristic resistivity structures existed prior to the earthquake, the conductive zone was probably formed by some tens of earthquakes in relatively modern times. In this case, this phenomenon is inferred to be a concentration of fracturing in a narrow zone and is associated with the formation of clay minerals, which enhance rock conductivity.     

东海与黑潮海水中宇宙射线成因核素10Be的研究

讨论了中日东海MASFLEX合作计划中调查的东海及冲绳海槽海水中溶解态10Be浓度水平及垂直剖面的结果，在这个海区，影响10Be浓度的因素主要有生物生产力，悬浮颗粒物的再溶解，以及长江水与黑潮水的混合程度。在样品采集期间（夏季和秋季），东海水柱呈分层状态，通常10Be的垂直剖面可以分成三层，即表面混合层，10Be释放层和底层，表层水10Be的浓度众长江口到黑潮逐渐增大，在黑潮的边缘则剧烈增大，10Be的垂直分布表明，在夏季10Be富集在长江口附近和大陆架中部的底层水中，这两个富集海区是分开的，很可能是由大陆沿岸水所隔开，在秋季，10Be在底层水中的富集仅仅出现在东海大陆架的西部，这个现象是和受季风影响的东海海流的变化相一致的，黑潮分支在台湾东北外海向东海南部侵入对10Be的影响要比黑潮主干流本身更加重要显著，由箱式模型所得到的10Be质量平衡计算结果表明，来自黑潮的10Be输入要比长江及大气沉降的输入更为重要，输入东海的10Be大约81％进入到沉积物中，而19％的10Be则通过海流和水交换流出东海，在东海的10Be沉积通量是10Be全球平均大气生产率的5倍左右，因而东海是10Be的一个重要汇集地。     

Paleomagnetic evidence for post-Cretaceous internal deformation of the Chuan Dian Fragment in the Yangtze block: a consequence of indentation of India into Asia

Paleomagnetic samples of Paleocene–Eocene red sandstones were collected at 36 sites from the Jiangdihe-4 and Zhaojiadian formations around the Yongren (26.1°N, 101.7°E) and Dayao areas (25.7°N, 101.3°E). These areas are located in the Chuxiong basin of the Chuan Dian Fragment, southwestern part of the Yangtze block. After stepwise thermal demagnetization, a high-temperature component with unblocking temperature of about 680 °C is isolated from 26 sites. The primary nature of this magnetization is ascertained through positive fold and reversal tests at 95% confidence level. The tilt-corrected mean paleomagnetic directions for the Yongren and Dayao areas are D=17.2°, I=26.6° with α₉₅=5.8° and D=16.5°, I=31.1° with α₉₅=4.8, respectively. Easterly deflected declinations from this study are consistent with those reported from other areas of the Chuxiong basin, indicating its wide presence in the Cretaceous–Eocene formations of the said basin. Comparison with declination values expected from the Cretaceous–Eocene APWP of Eurasia indicates that the magnitude of clockwise rotation systematically increases toward the southeast within the Chuxiong basin as well as in the Chuan Dian Fragment. This trend of the differential tectonic rotation in the Chuan Dian Fragment is consistent with curvature of the Xianshuihe–Xiojiang fault system. Deformation of the Chuxiong basin can fairly be associated with the formation of eastward bulge in the southern part of the Chuan Dian fragment. During southward displacement, the Chuan Dian Fragment was probably subjected to tectonic stresses as a result interaction with the Yangtze and Indochina blocks, which resulted into east–west extension and north–south shortening.     

Deep-sea coral geochemistry: Implication for the vital effect

Deep-sea corals hold a great potential as a key to important aspects of paleoceanography for at least two reasons, 1) they offer temporal high resolution records of deep-sea environment, because they have growth banding structures, 2) and they are well suited for studying vital effects, because the deep-sea environment does not change over short time scales. However, the relationship between the chemical composition of deep-sea coral skeletons and environmental factors is not well understood. In this study, the chemical composition of deep-sea corals was measured in bulk individuals and along skeletal micro-structures. Among the bulk individuals, δ¹⁸O value and Sr / Ca ratio show a negative but weak correlation with ambient temperature. On the other hand, the Mg / Ca ratio has a positive, weak correlation with the temperature. Large variations were found among samples collected from similar temperature. The variation is up to 3.8‰ for δ¹⁸O, 0.9 mmol/mol for Sr / Ca ratios, and 0.78 mmol/mol for Mg / Ca ratios among samples with ambient average temperature within 1 °C. This variation may be due to a large vital effect. The centers of calcification (COCs), which were formed at high calcification rate, have lower Sr / Ca, U / Ca and higher Mg / Ca ratios than surrounding fasciculi. This chemical distribution supports the model that elemental incorporation depends on calcification rate. This suggests that calcification rate is a very important factor for the chemical composition in deep-sea corals and is one of the most significant mechanisms of the vital effect. Because of this large vital effect, further investigations are essential to use the deep-sea coral as a temperature proxy.     

Changes in the hypsometric curve through mountain building resulting from concurrent tectonics and denudation

The stages of geomorphic development of mountains have sometimes been explained based on Strahler's diagram of hypsometric curves. Although the Japanese mountains are young, they do not follow his diagram. Hypsometric curves, simulated using empirical laws deduced from the Japanese mountains, indicate that mountain building resulting from concurrent tectonics and denudation does not produce convex curves but concave and/or s-shaped curves. The hypsometric curve of a mountain changes from a concave curve to an s-shaped curve in accordance with the increase in mountain altitude. The succession of the hypsometric curve during concurrent tectonics and denudation is the reverse of Strahler's diagram. The hypsometric integral increases with the advance in stage which is evaluated based on the change in mountain altitude. It has a relatively good correlation with the stage. However, the sequence of change in the hypsometric integral is different according to the extent of the terrain examined, whether the terrain is restricted to the interior of a mountain or pertains to the whole mountain, and whether it includes newly emerged land. The stage should be evaluated based on the course of change in the integral characteristics for the extent of the mountain examined.