Inferring the relative measure of principal stress components

The phase velocity and the attenuation coefficient of compressional seismic waves, propagating in poroelastic, fluid-saturated, laminated sediments, are computed analytically from first principles. The wavefield is found to be strongly affected by the medium heterogeneity. Impedance fluctuations lead to poroelastic scattering; variations of the layer compressibilities cause inter-layer flow (a 1-D macroscopic local flow). These effects result in significant attenuation and dispersion of the seismic wavefield, even in the surface seismic frequency range, 10–100 Hz. The various attenuation mechanisms are found to be approximately additive, dominated by inter-layer flow at very low frequencies. Elastic scattering is important over a broad frequency range from seismic to sonic frequencies. Biot's global flow (the relative displacement of solid frame and fluid) contributes mainly in the range of ultrasonic frequencies. From the seismic frequency range up to ultrasonic frequencies, attenuation due to heterogeneity is strongly enhanced compared to homogeneous Biot models. Simple analytical expressions for the P -wave phase velocity and attenuation coefficient are presented as functions of frequency and of statistical medium parameters (correlation lengths, variances). These results automatically include different asymptotic approximations, such as poroelastic Backus averaging in the quasi-static and the no-flow limits, geometrical optics, and intermediate frequency ranges.     

黄连山自然保护区的土壤及其地理分布规律

本文根据野外调查，土样室内理化分析及对前人工作成果的系统分析结果表明，黄连山自然保护区的土壤及其地理分布规律是；海拔800m以下为砖红壤；海拔800－1100m为砖红壤性红壤；海拔1100—1600m为山地红壤；海拔1600—1900m为山地黄壤；海拔1900m以上为山地黄棕壤。     

自然灾害研究中几个观念问题的讨论

本文从人类生活环境系统的整体观角度讨论了自然灾害的两重性、关连性及人类圈之形成和生态环境保护问题。认为自然灾害从短时间尺度和小范围看是灾变, 从长时间尺度和大范围看是一种自调节、自平衡过程；自然灾害与人类社会存在着双向效应关系；自然灾害的关联性(群发共生现象)是由其同源性、链发性和韵律性决定的；人类圈是地球演化进入新阶段的产物, 它具有进行层次深、作用强度高、活动领域宽和通过信息实现调控的特点。建立上述观念, 对灾害研究、减轻灾害损失, 走可持续发展的道路, 都具有重要意义。     

Hazard mapping based on macroseismic data considering the influence of geological conditions

The object of this study is to consider directly the influence of regional geological conditions on the assessment of seismic hazard. It is assumed that macroseismic data at individual locations contain, in an average way, the influence of geological conditions.A Data Base referring to 199 historical (5) and instrumental (194, in the 1947–1993 period) events with macroseismic information in 1195 locations of Portugal was built. For any given seismic event, whenever macroseismic information was available at a location (town, village, etc.), an EMS-92 intensity value was estimated. To each one of those locations a geological unit, representing the most common type of soil, was assigned, based on the Geological Portuguese Map at a scale 1:500 000; the geological units were grouped into three categories: soft, intermediate and hard soils.The Data Base was used to determine the attenuation laws in terms of macroseismic intensity for the three different geological site conditions, using multiple linear regression analysis. The reasonability of the laws was tested by (i) checking residual distributions and (ii) comparing the map of isoseismals of important earthquakes with the isoseismals generated by the attenuation curves derived for each one of the three different soil classes, taking into consideration the soil class of each site. The main results of attenuation modeling are: high dispersion on macroseismic intensity data; all the models predict intensity values, for short hypocentral distances, lower than the ones observed; and for some important analyzed earthquakes and for the observed range of distances, the models confirm the expectancy that macroseismic intensity increases from hard to soft soil.The approach to obtain the hazard assessment at each location consisted in the use of the attenuation law specifically derived for the class of soil of that particular location. This method, which considers the influence of the regional geology, was illustrated with the mapping of hazard for the country for several return periods. Comparison with previous maps not taking into consideration the regional geological conditions emphasizes the importance of this new parameter. It can be concluded that (i) soil segmentation is clearly the cause for hazard increase in the region to the north of Lisbon, especially at sites with soft and intermediate soils as the ones in lower Tagus valley; the maximum increase on hazard is, in any case, less than one degree; (ii) when geological conditions are disregarded in the attenuation regression analysis, hazard pattern is similar to the one obtained for the case of hard soil everywhere.     

Recent Advances in Prediction and Processing of Strong Ground Motions

We present an overview of our recent results on utilizing small earthquakes in the earthquake engineering practice. Site-specific ground motion time-histories of large earthquakes can be successfully simulated using recordings of small earthquakes which are often referred to as 'empirical Green's functions' in seismology. Another important practical problem is whether and how these observations can be used in seismic risk studies which are based on empirical attenuation relations for ground motion parameters. We study a possibility of extrapolating attenuation relations for small earthquakes, to larger magnitudes using the data from the Garner Valley downhole array in Southern California. Finally we introduce efficient ground motion processing techniques in frequency- and time-domains and apply them to site response estimation.     

The Natural Probability Distribution of Load and Unload Response Ratio

In this paper,the Gutenberg-Richter model is used to generate seismic events.The events that satisfy the random distribution are also generated.With those events,the natural probability distribution of Load and Unload Response Ratio(LURR),which measures quantitatively the degree of instability of a nonlinear system,is discussed.The study is based on stress energy release,which is chosen as the response of nonlinear system F3.The comparative results from the observation catalogue and generating data are also studied.It is revealed that the natural probability of LURR is mostly stable when the sample number is sufficient.The lower the natural probability of LURR,the more the precursory is information it may contain.The influence of Y3 resulting from the sample number and the magnitude range of events is also discussed.     

Attenuation differences in layer 2A in intermediate- and slow-spreading oceanic crust

In situ seismic attenuationQ⁻¹logs are derived from borehole velocity profiles and reveal sharp boundaries between morphologies of the extrusive volcanic layers in intermediate- and slow-spreading oceanic crust.Q⁻¹logs are calculated from the scattering attenuation associated with vertical velocity heterogeneity in Ocean Drilling Program Holes 504B and 896A and in Hole 395A, located in 5.9–7.3 Ma crust on the Pacific and Atlantic plates, respectively. Our results strongly tie crustal properties to seismic measurables and observed geological structures: we find that the scattering attenuation can be used to identify the extrusive volcanic sequence because it is closely related to changes in the degree of vertical heterogeneity. We interpret a distinct decrease in the Q⁻¹log at the transition below the extrusive volcanic layer to correspond with the seismic layer 2A/2B boundary. The boundary is located at 465 m depth below the sea floor in both Hole 395A and 504B, although this is likely to be a coincidence of the sediment thickness at these sites. Layer 2A is estimated to be approximately 150 m thick in Hole 504B and > 300 m thick in Hole 395A. Cyclic sequences of high-porosity pillows and low-porosity massive units in the uppermost 100 m of volcanics in Hole 395A result in large velocity heterogeneities which cause > 5 times more attenuation in this layer than in Hole 504B. In Hole 896A, by contrast, fewer pillows, more massive flows, and a greater volume of carbonate veins decrease the velocity heterogeneity and attenuation significantly over only 1 km distance from Hole 504B. We conclude that the attenuation in the extrusive volcanics of the ocean crust is largely controlled by variation in local heterogeneity and morphology as well as by subsequent hydrothermal alteration. The observed differences inQ⁻¹profiles and layer 2A thickness at these sites may be attributed to variations in the volume and duration of volcanic activity at mid-ocean spreading centers for these Pacific and Atlantic ridge segments.     

地—空界面天然中子辐射场的扰动及其环境意义

介绍了地—空界面天然中子流的来源和轻便型天然中子流测量仪器。论述了地—空界面天然中子辐射场的扰动。理论与长期观测表明,在地—空界面上天然中子流注量率随高程的增加而呈指数规律增加,而在近地表(20m内)却随距地面高度的增加而呈指数规律减少;天然中子流注量率与大气压力呈负相关关系,气压系数为(-0.060～-0.064)中子计数/30min/kPa;地—空界面天然中子流的纬度效应与高空中更显著;天然中子流注量率异常与气象的变化密切相关;地表介质的含水率增高,则地—空界面上升快中子流明显降低。通过对地一空界面天然中子流测量,可以揭示气象的瞬态变化、确定地表介质的含水率的关系,以及在地震预报与环境电离辐射评价方面具有重要的科学意义与实用价值。     

On the Incorporation of the Effect of Crustal Structure into Empirical Strong Ground Motion Estimation

This article has two purposes. Firstly, a validation exercise of the modal summation technique for the computation of synthetic strong-motion records is performed for two regions of Europe (Umbria-Marche and south Iceland), using a variety of region specific crustal structure models, by comparing the predicted ground motion amplitudes with observed motions. It is found that the rate of decay of ground motions is well predicted by the theoretical decay curves but that the absolute size of the ground motions is underpredicted by the synthetic time-histories. This is thought to be due to the presence of low-velocity surface layers that amplify the ground motions but are not included in the crustal structure models used to compute the synthetic time-histories. Secondly, a new distance metric based on the computed theoretical decay curves is introduced which should have the ability to model the complex decay of strong ground motions. The ability of this new distance metric to reduce the associated scatter in empirically derived equations for the estimation of strong ground motions is tested. It is found that it does not lead to a reduction in the scatter but this is thought to be due to the use of crustal structure models that are not accurate or detailed enough for the regions studied. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.