Focal Mechanism and Focal Depth of the May 22, 2016 MS4.6 Earthquake in Chaoyang, Liaoning

An earthquake with M_S4.6 occurred at 17:08 p.m., May 22, 2016 in Chaoyang County, Liaoning Province. We used the P-wave first motion method, TDMT method, and CAP method to determine the focal mechanisms and the PTD method and sPn-Pn method to determine the focal depth. The focal mechanism results of the three methods are consistent. The depth results of the CAP method, PTD method and sPn-Pn method are close. We used the double difference location method to relocate earthquakes in 2009-2016, and obtained the strikes and dip angles of the small earthquake distributions with the help of simulated annealing algorithm and gauss Newton algorithm fitting. According to the focal mechanism results, the depth results, the characteristics of small earthquake distributions and the structural characteristics of the source area, the seismogenic fault strike is NEE and the main pressure force direction is NNW. The earthquake focal mechanism is for a normal fault type with a little left-lateral strike slip motion.     

Study on the Moment Magnitude of Small and Moderate Earthquakes Located in the Inner Mongolia Region

Based on digital seismic waveform data from Inner Mongolia Digital Seismic Network, the source spectrum parameters of 182 small and moderate earthquakes from January, 2009 to September, 2016 are derived, and the seismic moment M₀ and moment magnitude M_W of the earthquakes are calculated. The M_L-M_W relationship and the relationship between stress drop and magnitude are obtained using the linear regression method. It is clear that incorporating the moment magnitude into the seismic quick report catalog and the official earthquake catalog can enrich earthquake observation report content, thus providing better service for earthquake emergency and earthquake scientific research.     

Spatiotemporal variations of suspended sediment transport in the upstream and midstream of the Yarlung Tsangpo River (the upper Brahmaputra), China

The Yarlung Tsangpo River, which flows from west to east across the southern part of the Tibetan Plateau, is the longest river on the plateau and an important center for human habitation in Tibet. Suspended sediment in the river can be used as an important proxy for evaluating regional soil erosion and ecological and environmental conditions. However, sediment transport in the river is rarely reported due to data scarcity. Results from this study based on a daily dataset of 3 years from four main stream gauging stations confirmed the existence of great spatiotemporal variability in suspended sediment transport in the Yarlung Tsangpo River, under interactions of monsoon climate and topographical variability. Temporally, sediment transport or deposition mainly occurred during the summer months from July to September, accounting for 79% to 93% of annual gross sediment load. This coincided with the rainy season from June to August that accounted for 51% to 80% of annual gross precipitation and the flood period from July to September that accounted for approximately 60% of annual gross discharge. The highest specific sediment yield of 177.6 t/km²/yr occurred in the upper midstream with the highest erosion intensity. The lower midstream was dominated by deposition, trapping approximately 40% of total sediment input from its upstream area. Sediment load transported to the midstream terminus was 10.43 Mt/yr with a basin average specific sediment yield of 54 t/km²/yr. Comparison with other plateau‐originated rivers like the upper Yellow River, the upper Yangtze River, the upper Indus River, and the Mekong River indicated that sediment contribution from the studied area was very low. The results provided fundamental information for future studies on soil and water conservation and for the river basin management. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

3D P-WAVE VELOCITY STRUCTURE AT THE NORTHEASTERN MARGIN OF ORDOS BLOCK

Using the 7 100 absolute first arrivals of P waves and 91 513 relative P arrival times of 726 events at the northeastern margin of the Ordos block since 2009, the 3D fine structure of P wave velocity within the depth of 15km in the crust was inverted by the double difference seismic tomography method. The results show that there exist obvious high-speed continuous bodies in the northwest of the study area, and their lateral areas increase gradually with depth, while the velocity of east and south is relatively low. The velocity inhomogeneity exists and differs at different depths. The lateral differences of velocity are related to seismicity and faults. The 5~15km depth profile shows that earthquakes tend to occur in the area with relatively high velocity or high speed transition zones, which to some extent reflects the fragility of regional crustal media and the strong differential movement of faults in vertical and horizontal directions where the crust body is easy to absorb and store strain energy and generate major earthquakes. A "Y"-shape low-velocity channel is present in the lower crust around Liangcheng, corresponding to the NW-trending Heilaoyao-Shahukou fault set, which may reveal the migration path of the Late Tertiary-Quaternary basalt eruption. The Helingeer M6.2 earthquake in 1976 was related to the formation of the locking section of the thermal welding in this area. The three-dimensional fine structure of P wave velocity presented in this paper provides intuitive seismological evidence for physical and chemical properties of crustal media and the deep tectonic environment of earthquake preparation.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of stable water isotopes along the Yangtze River during two drought years

Changes in the level of the Yangtze River caused by anthropogenic water regulation have major effects on the hydrological processes and water cycle in surrounding lakes and rivers. In this study, we obtained isotopic evidence of changes in the water cycle of Yangtze River during the two drought years of 2006 and 2013. Isotopic evidence demonstrated that the δ¹⁸O and δD levels in Yangtze River exhibited high spatial heterogeneity from the upper to lower reaches, which were controlled by atmospheric precipitation, tributary/lake water mixing, damming regulation, and water temperature. Both the slope and intercept of Yangtze River evaporative line (δD = 7.88 δ¹⁸O + 7.96) were slightly higher than those of local meteoric water line of Yangtze River catchment (δD = 7.41 δ¹⁸O + 6.01). Most of the river isotopic values were located below the local meteoric water line, thereby implying that the Yangtze River water experienced a certain degree of evaporative enrichment on isotopic compositions of river water. The high fluctuations in the isotopic composition (e.g., deuterium excess [d‐excess]) in the middle to lower reaches during the initial stage of operation for the Three Gorges Dams (2003–2006) were due to heterogeneous isotopic signatures from the upstream water. In contrast to the normal stage (after 2010) characterized by the maximum water level and largest water storage, a relatively small variability in the deuterium excess was found along the middle to lower reaches because of the homogenization of reservoir water with a longer residence time and complete mixing. The effects of water from lakes and tributaries on the isotopic compositions in mainstream water were highlighted because of the high contributions of lakes water (e.g., Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake) efflux to the Yangtze River mainstream, which ranged from 21% to 85% during 2006 and 2013. These findings suggest that the retention and regulation of the Three Gorges Dams has greatly buffered the isotopic variability of the water cycle in the Yangtze catchment, thereby improving our understanding of the complex lake–river interactions along the middle to lower reaches in the future.     

山东地磁台网受宁东高压直流输电干扰预处理质量分析

为进一步提高山东地磁台网受高压直流输电干扰的预处理质量,通过中国地震前兆数据处理系统中相对差值检测和预处理检测功能,对山东地磁台网多年来受宁东高压直流输电干扰预处理情况进行了总结分析。结果表明,经过数据预处理,宁东高压直流输电干扰基本被去除,但仍然存在高压直流输电干扰误判、起止时间错判、干扰幅度计量不精确等问题。针对上述问题,对数据进行复核和校对,应用"缓变台阶"功能重新处理,并加强对H、D分量干扰特征的研究。     

2015年内蒙古阿拉善左旗5.8级地震序列震源深度对比分析

选取2015年阿拉善左旗5.8级地震发生后,中国地震科学台阵探测-南北地震带北段项目、中国地震局地球物理研究所中国地震科学探测台阵数据中心及内蒙古测震台网记录到此次地震序列的78次地震波形资料,采用单纯型法、Hyposat法、双差定位方法、确定性方法（PTD方法）、CAP地震矩张量反演法重新测定深度,并将所获深度值进行对比分析,结果发现,确定性方法（PTD方法）和双差定位方法较符合震源区构造特征的深度测定,单纯型法、Hyposat法效果不佳,CAP法适用于较大地震;地震序列平均震源深度为（15.54±8）km。     

吉林测震台网地震记录仿真前后震级对比分析

选取2013-2017年吉林测震台网记录的部分地震,按测震台网运行管理细则对地震编目的要求,需对地震波形进行WA仿真处理后测量震级。对比仿真前后震级,发现仿真后量取的震级普遍较大,偏差在0.3以内。因此,地震编目需严格按照细则执行,地震速报使用仿真震级更加准确,而且掌握震级偏差可为新旧震级资料的连续性提供参考依据。     

From the editors

正Dear Members of the Editorial Board,Contributors and Friends of EEEV,To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake disaster,the journal of Earthquake Erngineering and Engineering Vibratiorn will publish special sections with invited papers in 2018.We sincerely appreciate the contributions from the following experts:Professor Akira WADA,and Professor Kuo-Chun CHANG.     

Sedimentary and geochemical evidence of Eocene climate change in the Xining Basin,northeastern Tibetan Plateau

The northeastern Tibetan Plateau began to grow during the Eocene and it is important to understand the climatic history of Asia during this period of so-called ‘doubthouse' conditions. However, despite major advances in the last few decades,the evolutionary history and possible mechanisms of Eocene climate change in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau remain unclear.The Xining Basin in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau contains a continuous sequence of Early to Late Eocene non-marine sediments which provides the opportunity to resolve long-term climate changes during this period. In this study, we report the results of analyses of lithofacies, sediment color and geochemistry of bulk samples collected from the Xijigou section of the Xining Basin. An abrupt lithofacies change between the Early(~52–40 Ma) and Late Eocene(~40–34 Ma) indicates a change in the depositional environment from a shallow lake to a playa lake in response to a significant climatic shift. During ~52–40 Ma,higher values of sediment redness(a*), redness/lightness(a*/L*) and higher modified Chemical Index of Weathering(CIW′)indicate a relatively warm and humid climate, while from ~40–34 Ma the lower values of a*, a*/L*and lower CIW′ imply subhumid to semi-arid climatic conditions. The paleoclimatic records indicate a long-term(~52–34 Ma) trend of decreasing chemical weathering, consistent with global climate change. An abrupt sharp excursion of the proxy records during ~42–40 Ma suggests a relatively brief warm interval, corresponding to the Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum(MECO). We suggest that global cooling substantially reduced humidity in inner Asia, resulting in sub-humid to semi-arid climatic conditions after 40 Ma in the Xining Basin, which may have been responsible for the long-term trend of decreasing chemical weathering during the Eocene.