Vp/Vs Anisotropy and Implications for Crustal Composition Identification and Earthquake Prediction

Abstract: The ratio of P- to S-wave velocities (Vp/Vs) is regarded as one of the most diagnostic properties of natural rocks. It has been used as a discriminant of composition for the continental crust and provides valuable constraints on its formation and evolution processes. Furthermore, the spatial and temporal changes in Vp/Vs before and after earthquakes are probably the most promising avenue to understanding the source mechanics and possibly predicting earthquakes. Here we calibrate the variations in Vp/Vs in dry, anisotropic crustal rocks and provide a set of basic information for the interpretation of future seismic data from the Wenchuan earthquake Fault zone Scientific Drilling (WFSD) project and other surveys. Vp/Vs is a constant (Ф0) for an isotropic rock. However, most of crustal rocks are anisotropic due to lattice-preferred orientations of anisotropic minerals (e.g., mica, amphibole, plagioclase and pyroxene) and cracks as well as thin compositional layering. The Vp/Vs ratio of an anisotropic rock measured along a selected pair of propagation-vibration directions is an apparent value (Фij) that is significantly different from the value for its isotropic counterpart (Ф0). The usefulness of apparent Vp/Vs ratios as a diagnostic of crustal composition depends largely on rock seismic anisotropy. A 5% of P- and S-wave velocity anisotropy is sufficient to make it impossible to determine the crustal composition using the conventional criteria (Vp/Vs≤1.756 for felsic rocks, 1.7561.944 fluid-filled porous/fractured or partially molten rocks) if the information about the wave propagation-polarization directions with respect to the tectonic framework is unknown. However, the variations in Vp/Vs measured from borehole seismic experiments can be readily interpreted according to the orientations of the ray path and the polarization of the shear waves with respect to the present-day principal stress directions (i.e., the orientation of cracks) and the frozen fabric (i.e., foliation and lineation).     

The spatial and temporal changes inV p /V s before strong earthquakes in Kamchatka

A method was developed to obtain from a signal station the spatial and temporal distribution ofV _p /V _s ratios before earthquakes of magnitude>6. It was shown thatV _p /V _s values strongly depend upon the relative positions of the stations, the future large earthquake and the foci of the smaller earthquakes used forV _p /V _s determination. The appearance of a zone of anomalousV _p /V _s values with linear dimensions of the order of 100 km was noted at least 4 years before a deep earthquake of magnitude 7. Similar size anomalous zones were detected one year before some magnitude 6 earthquakes. V _p /V _s values decreased by a small but distinct amount during this time. Additionally, local short term minima inV _p /V _s ratios were observed some months before the major event. The epicenters of the large earthquakes were located within the 100 km size zone where the gradients of theV _p /V _s field were largest.     

The varve-related ice-dammed lake events in Glen Roy and vicinity: a new interpretation

This paper presents a new interpretation of the sequence of events in Glen Roy and vicinity during the Loch Lomond Stadial that can be inferred from a detailed varve record constructed by Palmer et al. (2010). 300 years of Younger Dryas glacier advance in the Scottish Highlands are recorded by very thin varves formed in an ice-dammed lake up to 35 km long. At a varve site now occupied by Loch Laggan the lake stood permanently at 260 m, but in Glen Roy varves were also laid down in a lake at 325 m and, later, 350 m caused by glacier advance. Initial ice retreat recorded by a gradual increase in varve thickness was soon followed by much thicker varves. The varve sequences are interrupted by a sand bed caused by sudden drainage of the 350 m lake. The major varves of the Glen Roy sequence show that storminess was still increasing in intensity at least 160 years after glacier retreat had begun. At the Loch Laggan site 15 cm of deformed sediments register an earthquake that produced 3 m faulted uplift of all three Glen Roy shorelines, a response to the abrupt removal of 5 km³ of water when the 260 m lake was catastrophically drained by jökulhlaup. The deformed sediments are immediately followed by varves deposited in a local lake, ice-dammed lake sedimentation now having ceased, having lasted more than 460 years.     

龙池乡高位滑坡抛射机理分析

5.12汶川大地震龙门山地区发育地震高位滑坡,通常发生在10~11度的极震区,这种灾害难预测,发生速度快,容易造成惨重的生命和财产损失。本文通过在龙池乡川主坪的实地调查,对典型地震抛射滑坡形成的抛射堆积体进行剖析,探究地震加速度受地形放大效应的影响效应及崩塌被抛射的运动程式。     

Holocene beach deposits for assessing coastal uplift of the northeastern Boso Peninsula, Pacific coast of Japan

This paper presents a case study that assessed spatial variations in the tectonic uplift rates of beach deposits in the relict Kujukuri strand plain, situated on the northeastern coast of the Boso Peninsula, eastern Japan. The southern Boso Peninsula is tilted downward to the northeast due to plate subduction along the Sagami Trough. However, the cause of the northeastern coast uplift creating the relict strand plain is unclear, due to the absence of a Holocene raised marine terrace sequence. Elevations and ages of beach deposits were collected from drilled cores and ground-penetrating radar profiles along three shore-normal sections in the southern Kujukuri strand plain. From this, alongshore variations in the relative sea level since the mid-Holocene could be seen. These corresponded to north-to-northeast downward tilting at a rate of 0.4 m/ka for an interval 10 km and are concordant with the longer term tilting of the last interglacial marine terrace surrounding the plain. Although it is difficult to assess shore-normal variations of uplift based on the present dataset, the recognized tilting apparently continues to the tilting of the southern Boso Peninsula, implying the Sagami Trough probably affects the uplift of the Kujukuri coast.     

SOURCE RADIATION AND RESPONSES OF WAVE PROPAGATION

Recordings of seismic waves propagating from earthquake source to a station at the earth's surface are a system response function.The convolution operator in time domain can be simplified as a multiplication operator in frequency domain.We discuss in frequency domain the separation of source,path and site effects for global scaling of earthquake source radiation.Also discussed are source scaling model,faulting mechanism,and the H/V inversion problems with crustal and near surface structures.Gross features of apparent source spectra appear to be not much region-dependent although there may be difference between tectonic styles within a region of tectonic mixture for which we need further study as data accumulate.Vertical spectra may be a better approach to approximate source radiation,as it has less crustal amplification effects than horizontal spectra.The H/V ratio is evidently a comprehensive indicator of amplification effects from near surface to deep structure.This gives it potential as an inversion tool to deduce site crustal structure.     

北京地震前的异常次声波

观测并研究了2011年10月12日发生在北京海淀区的一次小地震前4天,五个次声监测站点接收到的异常次声波信号.这五路信号的波形一致,均为"N"形脉冲波,且持续时间基本一致,约在一个小时左右.基于Wigner-Ville分布方法对信号进行时频分析发现次声波能量主要集中在0.025 Hz的频率以下.五路信号间的相关系数均高达0.8左右.采用波束形成方法对信号源进行成像定位研究,其结果表明:该地震前异常次声波源的位置与地震发生时震中的位置相差约5 km.本文的分析结果说明了地震前可能有低频大气次声波的产生,研究这类次声波可能为地震的预测提供一种有价值的信息.     

强震人员损失回归预测方法

在回顾近年对地震人员损失预测的研究工作的基础上,根据USGS的PAGER系统中地震人员损失回归模型,利用发生在1970-2008年间的128条地震现场调查灾害记录建立了我国东、西部区域适用的地震人员损失预测模型;并利用发生在1980-2007年间的234条地震损失记录建立了地震人员重伤数与人员死亡数的回归关系;最后利用模型对2008年四川汶川地震的人员损失进行评估计算,得到了与实际震害损失相接近的评估结果。     

浅谈地震灾害符号体系构建的理论框架

地震灾害符号的研究已经成为地震应急工作的一项重要内容,本文借助于符号学及传播学的方法论,在分析地震灾害符号的符号学内涵、使用人群和传播内容的基础上,探讨了地震灾害符号体系的特点及构建原则。地震本身的特殊性和破坏性决定了地震灾害符号体系的特殊性和时间性,本文在遵循实用性、主次性及概括性三个原则的前提下,提出了一套地震灾害符号体系构建的理论框架,可为地震灾害符号体系的构建和深入研究提供参考。     

新疆地震应急卫星网络常见问题处理

从新疆地震局应急卫星网络的实际工作出发,介绍了新疆地震应急卫星网络的构成,运行过程中经常出现的问题,给出了常见问题的解决方案,总结了卫星网络运行维护经验,为应急系统类似设备提供案例以及分析方法。