Explaining the physical origin of Båth's law

Båth's law is one of the three well-known scaling laws for earthquakes. It states that the difference in magnitudes of the mainshock and its largest aftershock is approximately constant, independent of the magnitude of the mainshock. Despite the progress in understanding the nature of Båth's law, the question of whether this law has a physical basis, or is simply a consequence of basic statistical features of aftershock sequences, has remained controversial. In this article we show that Båth's law can be derived within the Cosserat continuum theory from equations describing fault interaction. Our equations can describe both (1) the interacting mainshocks and aftershocks, and (2) the interacting foreshocks and mainshocks. We also derive (1) spatial extension of Båth's law to the normalized distance between the locations of the interacting mainshocks and aftershocks (or foreshocks and mainshocks), and (2) temporal extension of Båth's law to the difference between the time of the interacting mainshocks and aftershocks (or foreshocks and mainshocks).     

Structural evidence for superposition of transtension on transpression in the Zagros collision zone: Main Recent Fault,Piranshahr area,NW Iran

The Main Recent Fault of the Zagros Orogen is an active major dextral strike-slip fault along the Zagros collision zone, generated by oblique continent–continent collision of the Arabian plate with Iranian micro-continent. Two different fault styles are observed along the Piranshahr fault segment of the Main Recent Fault in NW Iran. The first style is a SW-dipping oblique reverse fault with dextral strike-slip displacement and the second style consists of cross-cutting NE-dipping, oblique normal fault dipping to the NE with the same dextral strike-slip displacement. A fault propagation anticline is generated SW of the oblique reverse fault. An active pull-apart basin has been produced to the NE of the Piranshahr oblique normal fault and is associated with other sub-parallel NE-dipping normal faults cutting the reverse oblique fault. Another cross-cutting set of NE–SW trending normal faults are also exist in the pull-apart area. We conclude that the NE verging major dextral oblique reverse fault initiated as a SW verging thrust system due to dextral transpression tectonic of the Zagros collision zone and later it has been overprinted by the NE-dipping oblique normal fault producing dextral strike-slip displacement reflecting progressive change of transpression into transtension in the collision zone. The active Piranshahr pull-apart basin has been generated due to a releasing damage zone along the NW segment of the Main Recent Fault in this area at an overlap of Piranshahr oblique normal fault segment of the Main Recent Fault and the Serow fault, the continuation of the Main Recent Fault to the N.     

Folding of a detachment and fault – Modified detachment folding along a lateral ramp,southwestern Montana,USA

The inversion of the Middle Proterozoic Belt sedimentary basin during Late Cretaceous thrusting in Montana produced a large eastwardly-convex salient, the southern boundary of which is a 200 km-long oblique to lateral ramp subtended by a detachment between the Belt rocks and Archean basement. A 10 km-long lateral ramp segment exposes the upper levels of the detachment where hanging wall Belt rocks have moved out over the Paleozoic and Mesozoic section. The hanging wall structure consists of a train of high amplitude, faulted, asymmetrical detachment folds. Initial west-east shortening produced layer parallel shortening fabrics and dominantly strike slip faulting followed by symmetrical detachment folding. “Lock-up” of movement on the detachment surface produced regional simple shear and caused the detachment folds to become asymmetrical and faulted. Folding of the detachment surface after lock-up modified the easternmost detachment folds further into a southeast-verging, overturned fold pair with a ramp-related fault along the base of the stretched mutual limb.     

准噶尔盆地腹部陆梁油田侏罗系-白垩系成藏模拟研究

为明确陆梁油田储集层排驱压力对油气成藏及分布的影响作用,基于油田地质条件及成藏模式,设计实验模型,运用成藏物理模拟方法,模拟断层输导下的油气成藏过程,观察现象、 分析结果,揭示了陆梁油田不同储盖组合成藏性能受排驱压力控制,即在注入一定压力下,与断层对接储集层排驱压力较小的储盖组合优先成藏,且含油饱和度较高;与断层对接排驱压力较大的储盖组合成藏较晚难度较大,含油饱和度较低。未与断层对接的储集层,无论其排驱压力大小,均难以成藏。物理模拟实验再现了陆梁油田侏罗系-白垩系成藏过程。     

蒙古戈壁天山断裂带晚新生代构造变形与构造地貌研究

跨越中蒙边境线的戈壁天山断裂带是一条大型左旋走滑断裂带,东西展布约700 km。通过解译分析Landsat ETM卫星遥感影像和SRTM数字高程模型(DEM)数据,对戈壁天山断裂带晚新生代构造活动及其地貌特征进行了研究。结果表明,沿戈壁天山断裂带发育了一系列断层陡坎、系统的水系错位、挤压脊等典型的走滑构造地貌类型。遥感影像解译结果还显示3处系统水系错位,均受戈壁天山断裂左旋走滑运动的影响,表现出系统的左旋水平位错。结合历史地震数据、先存的基底构造和断层系统,本区地震活动性呈现出不可预测性和复杂性。此外,发育在断裂带上的3个大型挤压脊构造中:Karlik Tagh和Gurvan Sayhan就位于走滑断裂的终端,其走滑分量减弱并逐渐转为以逆冲分量为主的构造特征。Nemegt Uul位于2条不连续的走滑断裂的汇合和叠置部位。走滑断层均穿过了挤压脊构造,同时伴随有逆冲作用分量,造成了挤压脊沿走向和垂直走向上的构造地貌生长,显示了是陆内造山带演化的重要过程。     

Rock Damage Structure of the South Longmen-Shan Fault in the 2008 M8 Wenchuan Earthquake Viewed with Fault-Zone Trapped Waves and Scientific Drilling

This article is to review results from scientific drilling and fault-zone trapped waves(FZTWs) at the south Longman-Shan fault(LSF) zone that ruptured in the 2008 May 12 M8 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan, China. Immediately after the mainshock, two Wenchuan Fault Scientific Drilling(WFSD) boreholes were drilled at WFSD-1 and WFSD-2 sites approximately 400 m and 1 km west of the surface rupture along the Yinxiu-Beichuan fault(YBF), the middle fault strand of the south LSF zone. Two boreholes met the principal slip of Wenchuan earthquake along the YBF at depths of 589-m and 1230-m, respectively. The slip is accompanied with a 100-200-m-wide zone consisting of fault gouge, breccia, cataclasite and fractures. Close to WFSD-1 site, the nearly-vertical slip of ~4.3-m with a 190-m wide zone of highly fractured rocks restricted to the hanging wall of the YBF was found at the ground surface after the Wenchuan earthquake. A dense linear seismic array was deployed across the surface rupture at this venue to record FZTWs generated by aftershocks. Observations and 3-D finite-difference simulations of FZTWs recorded at this cross-fault array and network stations close to the YBF show a distinct low-velocity zone composed by severely damaged rocks along the south LSF at seismogenic depths. The zone is several hundred meters wide along the principal slip, within which seismic velocities are reduced by ~30–55% from wall-rock velocities and with the maximum velocity reduction in the ~200-m-wide rupture core zone at shallow depth. The FZTW-inferred geometry and physical properties of the south LSF rupture zone at shallow depth are in general consistent with the results from petrological and structural analyses of cores and well log at WFSD boreholes. We interpret this remarkable low-velocity zone as being a break-down zone during dynamic rupture in the 2008 M8 earthquake. We examined the FZTWS generated by similar earthquakes before and after the 2008 mainshock and observed that seismic velocities within fault core zone was reduced by ~10% due to severe damage of fault rocks during the M8 mainshock. Scientific drilling and locations of aftershocks generating prominent FZTWs also indicate rupture bifurcation along the YBF and the Anxian-Guangxian fault(AGF), two strands of the south LSF at shallow depth. A combination of seismic, petrologic and geologic study at the south LSF leads to further understand the relationship between the fault-zone structure and rupture dynamics, and the amplification of ground shaking strength along the low-velocity fault zone due to its waveguide effect.     

云南金平长安金矿断裂控矿作用浅析

长安金矿矿体呈似层状、透镜状产于NE陡倾F6断层破碎带的东亚带砂泥质构造岩中,成矿期发生近EW向断裂的构造叠加,成矿之后又遭受到近EW向小断裂的破坏.F6断层破碎带西亚带具导矿作用,东亚带起到容矿的作用,成矿期叠加的EW向断裂（F7、F8、F9等）兼具导矿和容矿作用,侵入于F6断裂带中的细晶正长岩、煌斑岩、辉绿岩等岩浆活动所带来的成矿流体促使矿质富集,形成工业矿体,成矿期后近EW向断裂（F10-1、F10-2）和NNW、NE向小断裂（f）为破矿构造.据此把长安金矿断裂构造演化和成矿初步分为主控矿断裂成矿、叠加断裂成矿和后期断裂破矿三个演化阶段.     

云南勐腊龙巴河小红桥组构造角砾岩型铜矿

矿体赋存于中侏罗统小红桥组（花开左组下部）上段近东西向断裂破碎带中.已圈定V1、V2两个矿体,分别受F1、F2断裂控制,伴生Pb、Zn、Ag、Co、Ni,矿石以辉铜矿、黑黝铜矿为主,应属受断裂破碎带控制的构造角砾岩热液型铜矿床.     

西双版纳勐海西定破碎带蚀变岩型金矿

金矿体赋存于澜沧群惠民组上段中下部F2断层破碎带中,构造角砾岩、碎裂岩、碎斑岩是主要含金岩类.氧化矿石,金包裹于褐铁矿及绢云母中、少量自然金,属中低温破碎带蚀变岩型金矿.     

瞬变电磁法在查明断层陷落柱含导水性中的应用--以山西长治李村煤矿首采Ⅰ区为例

煤系地层中断层、陷落柱等构造不仅破坏了煤层的完整性,减少了可采储量,而且影响了煤矿的生产安全,给煤矿开采带来了严重的危害。在煤矿开采初期查明勘探区内断层、陷落柱等构造的空间分布及其含导水性对指导煤矿安全生产具有重要的意义。在充分收集李村煤矿首采Ⅰ区地质、水文及物探资料的基础上,利用瞬变电磁技术对区内断层、陷落柱等构造的含导水性进行勘查,取得了良好的效果,给煤矿的开采设计施工提供了参考依据,并有效的预防了煤矿开采过程中安全事故的发生。