Earthquake Triggering along the Xianshuihe Fault Zone of Western Sichuan,China

Western Sichuan is among the most seismically active regions in southwestern China and is characterized by frequent strong (M 6.5) earthquakes, mainly along the Xianshuihe fault zone. Historical and instrumental seismicity show a temporal pattern of active periods separated by inactive ones, while in space a remarkable epicenter migration has been observed. During the last active period starting in 1893, the sinistral strike–slip Xianshuihe fault of 350 km total length, was entirely broken with the epicenters of successive strong earthquakes migrating along its strike. This pattern is investigated by resolving changes of Coulomb failure function (CFF) since 1893 and hence the evolution of the stress field in the area during the last 110 years. Coulomb stress changes were calculated assuming that earthquakes can be modeled as static dislocations in an elastic halfspace, and taking into account both the coseismic slip in strong (M 6.5) earthquakes and the slow tectonic stress buildup associated with major fault segments. The stress change calculations were performed for faults of strike, dip, and rake appropriate to the strong events. We evaluate whether these stress changes brought a given strong earthquake closer to, or sent it farther from, failure. It was found that all strong earthquakes, and moreover, the majority of smaller events for which reliable fault plane solutions are available, have occurred on stress–enhanced fault segments providing a convincing case in which Coulomb stress modeling gives insight into the temporal and spatial manifestation of seismic activity. We extend the stress calculations to the year 2025 and provide an assessment for future seismic hazard by identifying the fault segments that are possible sites of future strong earthquakes.     

InSAR-DEM analyses integrated with geologic field methods for the study of long-term seismogenic fault behavior: Applications in the axial zone of the central Apennines (Italy)

The integration of terrain computer modeling with field methods may provide a powerful mechanism for understanding active faults geometry, kinematics and long-term fault behavior. Radar interferometry was used on ERS tandem images to create a geocoded DEM (InSAR-DEM) with a nominal 20-m spatial-resolution of the central Apennines axial zone, a seismically active area characterized by historical destructive earthquakes with M 7. The potential was tested of InSAR-DEM application to the Fucino and Sulmona basin boundary faults, which have well-defined seismological, paleoseismological and/or geological evidence for their having seismogenic sources. In particular, slope maps extracted from the InSAR-DEM were used for fault scarps detection, whether on carbonate bedrock (fault scarp type 2) or affecting continental deposits within the basin (fault scarp type 1), and compared with the available geological and new field data. In order to assess the DEM accuracy and to evaluate morphometric parameters related to the long-term slip-rates of the faults, a set of topographic profiles was extracted from the InSAR-DEM and compared with analogous profiles derived from the available topographic map (i.e., 1/25,000, with 25 m contour interval). In particular, the use of InSAR-DEM analyses showed its better results, with respect to the standard topography, for urban/agricultural gently sloped areas where fault scarps affected unconsolidated and particularly soft sediments (e.g., Fucino basin fault systems), while in severely sloped carbonate ridge and forested areas low coherences and layover effects made InSAR-DEM application problematic. A maximum value of 1.1 ± 0.2 mm yr^–1 slip-rate was obtained for the Fucino boundary fault. Finally, the recognized en-échelon pattern of the Sulmona basin boundary fault, provided a segmentation model for this structure corroborated by geological-structural field data.     

地下介质和物流运移的综合成像方案

目的：借鉴描述冷暖气流等多科参数(气压、温度和湿度、风速、风向、水蒸汽密度等)的动态三维显示,初步解决了暴雨和天气预报的难题,促进了天气预报的成功,在地球科学中起到了示范作用。从而联想到在地下介质和物流运移过程的综合成像。资料和方法本文总结了地面和地下探测手段的多样性,列举了天然地震CT的精度已能达到l～5km的量级,地震人工曝破作勘探可以达到10～20米的成像分辨率,地下电阻率和电磁成像可以分辨到l—2米的量级;将磁共振(MRI)用于地下成像可得到地下水分布的动态观测深度,概括了这三方面的前沿性进展,并与震源的空间分布和地应力相结合,进而设计出综合性的观测系统。发展地下水、岩浆、地应力和活断层结构和地震破裂面等多种参数的动态显示,设计出一套观测系统,并阐述言的科学意义。结果和结论：将以上三方面的观测方法综合起来;可在有火山喷发危险的区域,具有诱发地震危险的大型水库地区,和在发生了强烈地震的地区,为了抗震救灾,有必要同时进行以上三个系统的观测,引入可视化数字科技,便于了解地下水和岩浆的过移过程及相关参数的变化,并配合当前已有的综合监测系统（震源空间分布、地震应力和其他前兆等）,服务于保障大型水库的安全、促进强震预测,及对火山喷发、矿井塌陷、突出的监测预报。     

Four-dimensional transform fault processes: progressive evolution of step-overs and bends

Many bends or step-overs along strike–slip faults may evolve by propagation of the strike–slip fault on one side of the structure and progressive shut-off of the strike–slip fault on the other side. In such a process, new transverse structures form, and the bend or step-over region migrates with respect to materials that were once affected by it. This process is the progressive asymmetric development of a strike–slip duplex. Consequences of this type of step-over evolution include: (1) the amount of structural relief in the restraining step-over or bend region is less than expected; (2) pull-apart basin deposits are left outside of the active basin; and (3) local tectonic inversion occurs that is not linked to regional plate boundary kinematic changes. This type of evolution of step-overs and bends may be common along the dextral San Andreas fault system of California; we present evidence at different scales for the evolution of bends and step-overs along this fault system. Examples of pull-apart basin deposits related to migrating releasing (right) bends or step-overs are the Plio-Pleistocene Merced Formation (tens of km along strike), the Pleistocene Olema Creek Formation (several km along strike) along the San Andreas fault in the San Francisco Bay area, and an inverted colluvial graben exposed in a paleoseismic trench across the Miller Creek fault (meters to tens of meters along strike) in the eastern San Francisco Bay area. Examples of migrating restraining bends or step-overs include the transfer of slip from the Calaveras to Hayward fault, and the Greenville to the Concord fault (ten km or more along strike), the offshore San Gregorio fold and thrust belt (40 km along strike), and the progressive transfer of slip from the eastern faults of the San Andreas system to the migrating Mendocino triple junction (over 150 km along strike). Similar 4D evolution may characterize the evolution of other regions in the world, including the Dead Sea pull-apart, the Gulf of Paria pull-apart basin of northern Venezuela, and the Hanmer and Dagg basins of New Zealand.     

Analysis of the 1997 Zirkuh (Ghean-Birjand) aftershock sequence in east-central Iran

IntroductionThesouthernpartofKhorasanProvinceineast-centralIranisoneoftheseismicallyactiveregionsintheMiddleeast.Historicalreportsindicatedseveralearthquakeshavecausedseveredestructionsandhumanlossinthisregionduringthepastcenturies(Ambraseys,Melville,1982).Theinstrumentallyrecordedearthquakesaswellastheexistenceofseveralactivefaultsalsosug-gestedthattheregionhadahighpotentialofseismicactivities.OnMay10,1997at07:57:29.6GMT,12:27:29.6localtime,ashallowdestructiveearthquakewithoutanyfeltfores…     

个旧锡矿高松矿田断裂构造多期活动特征研究

通过对高松矿田内主要断裂构造结构面、破碎带、旁侧派生伴生构造及其蚀变矿化等特征的系统深入观察研究，构造应力场分析，推断该矿田自中生代以来经历了印支期→燕山中晚期→喜山早期→晚近期的四期构造活动，其中燕山中晚期的构造活动为成矿构造；印支期活动为成矿前构造，其对成矿有一定的控制作用；后两期则为成矿后构造，其起到破坏矿体的作用。     

南水北调西线工程区活动断裂构造遥感研究

根据断裂构造的判读标志,在南水北调西线工程区共存在NW,NE,SN和EW向四组断裂近200条,NW向断裂为区域性的断裂构造,控制工程区地貌、水系等的发育。其中,有22条断裂规模较大,对输水线路存在相对较大的影响。野外考察结果表明,区内有5条全新世时期的活动断裂和12条晚更新世时期的主干和区域性大断裂。通过综合分析发现,5条全新世时期的活动断裂因为离输水线路较远或未穿越输水线路,而12条晚更新世时期的断裂构造则因全新世以来没有活动,因而它们对工程区的影响总体上还是有限的,工程区处于一个相对稳定的区域,而区域构造分析的结果也说明工程区位于一个相对的安全岛内。     

GPS time-series and its response to M S=8.1 Kunlunshan earthquake

In this paper, observation data in 25 GPS reference stations of China have been analyzed by calculating GPS position coordinate time-series with GIPSY. Result shows there is an obvious trend variation in such time-series. The trend variations of time series along the longitude and latitude coordinate reflect the motion of each position in the global-plate, in which the trend variation in the vertical direction reveals some large-scale construction information or reflects the local movement around the positions. The analysis also shows that such time-series have a variation cycle of nearly 1.02 a, but the reason still remains to be further studied. At the end of this paper, response of the time-series of M _S=8.1 Kunlunshan earthquake was analyzed, and the seismogenic process of M _S=8.1 Kunlunshan earthquake, according to the time proceeding and the feature of anomaly, was divided into 3 phases—changes in blocks with forces, strain accumulation, quick accumulation and slow release of energy. At the initial stage of seismogenic process of M _S=8.1 earthquake and at the imminent earthquake, coseismic process as well as during the post earthquake recovery, anomaly in vertical direction is always in a majority. The anomalous movement in vertical direction at the initial stage resulted in a blocking between faults, while at the middle stage of seismogenic process, the differential movement between blocks are in a majority, which is the major reason causing energy accumulating at the blocking stage of faults. Foundation item: National Natural Science Foundation of China (40074024 and 40304002).     

Fault population investigation and estimating magnitude of extension in Guma Graben, Central Afar, Ethiopia

Extension in the Afar depression occurs on steeply dipping normal faults of many scales. An estimate for cumulative extension can be derived by summing the heave of these faults using digital topographic data, supplemented by field observations of fault dip. If it can be established that the distribution of faults exhibits self-similarity, an estimate of the contribution from faults too small to appear on the digital imagery can be incorporated into the integrated estimate for cumulative extension. A field study of faulting was undertaken within the Dobe and Guma grabens of Central Afar. A fractal dimension of 0.48 was obtained for the measured population of fault throws (n = 92) in 3 traverses totaling 42 km, a value interpreted to represent the dominant contribution to extension from faults with large throw. The local extension rate across Guma graben is estimated to be between 0.06 and 0.24 mm/year. The higher topographic position of the floor of Guma graben, relative to the sediment filled, adjacent floors of Dobe and Immino grabens is perhaps an indication of a slower rate of extension across Guma graben as compared to Dobe and Immino grabens, assuming they all initiated at the same time.