Effects of lateral velocity heterogeneity under the Nevada Test Site on short-periodP wave amplitudes and travel times

Short-period teleseismicP waves from the Nevada Test Site (NTS) show systematic variations in amplitudes and travel times, with low amplitudes corresponding to fast travel times, suggesting elastic focussing-defocussing effects. Also, the azimuthal amplitude and travel time patterns for events at the Pahute Mesa subsite are systematically different from those at the Yucca Flat subsite, indicating the presence of a near-source component in both the amplitude and travel-time variations. This component is isolated by removing the mean station pattern for all of NTS from the observations. A very-near-source component in the Pahute Mesa observations is also isolated by removing subsite station means from the measurements, whereas the Yucca Flat observations exhibited no coherent very-near-source component. These anomalies are back-projected through laterally homogeneous structure to form thin lens models at various depths. Travel-time delays are predicted from the amplitude variations using the equation for wavefront curvature. The long-wavelength components of the predicted and observed time delays correlate well, at depths of 25 km for the very-near-source component under Pahute Mesa and 160 km for the regional component under NTS. The time delay surfaces predicted by the amplitudes at these depths are mapped into warped velocity discontinuities suitable for the calculation of synthetic seismograms using the Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral formulation. Both the intersite (near-source) and intrasite (very-near-source) differences in amplitudes are qualitatively predicted very well, although the range of variation is somewhat underpredicted. This deficiency is likely due to the destructive interference of anomalies inherent in back-projection to a single layer.     

Preface to the special memorial issue for Professor Donald V. Helmberger

Donald Vincent Helmberger,Ph.D.and Smits Family Professor of Geophysics Emeritus at Caltech(Figure 1),one of the primary founders of seismic waveform modeling,w...     

从2014年4月1日智利地震认识前震

<正>最近一些大地震如2014年4月1日智利地震之前的地震活动分析结果揭示,一些大地震是有可能被预测的。大地震之前是否有可测量的、明显的前兆异常来警示我们?一直以来,前震被认为是地震预测最有希望的指标。至少一半以上的大地震有前震,但这些前震很难从非前兆地震活动中区分出来。2014年4月1日智利地震及近期其他大地震的前震活动表明,大地震前可能存在可观测的前兆异常。地震相互作用的统计模型表明,当区域     

快速演变的三板块边界上的一次大地震破裂

2007年4月1日,一次大海啸地震(MW8.1)使得所罗门群岛俯冲带在一个三联点处破裂。在这个三联点上,澳大利亚板块、所罗门海-伍德拉克盆地板块在不同滑动方向上同时向太平洋板块俯冲。大地震过程中,相关的滑动方向突变使得太平洋板块上部收敛滞弹性变形,这就产生了Simbo俯冲断层之上弧前的局部隆起,潜在地放大了局地海啸振幅。地震周期过程中的弹性形变似乎主要通过上冲的太平洋弧前来调节。这次地震显示了极其年轻的俯冲大洋岩石圈的孕震潜力和横贯坚实地质边界的破裂能力,也显示了引起隆起和海啸的复杂同震滑动的后果。     

2009年萨摩亚—汤加特大地震触发的两次大震

特大地震(≥8.0级的地震)一般都含有构造板块之间边界岩体的突然滑动。这种板间的破裂通常出现在俯冲带特大逆冲事件的海沟斜坡区,会产生动态及静态应力变化,从而激活周边的板内余震(Christensen and Ruff,1988;Dmowskaetal,1988;Layetal,1989;Ammonetal,2008)。本文研究的地震序列展示一少见的例子———特大海沟斜坡的一次板内地震触发了广泛的板间断层活动,颠倒了典型的活动模式,从而广泛地扩大了地震和海啸灾害。2009年9月29日,在汤加俯冲带北端的外海沟斜坡发生矩震级8.1的正断层地震事件,该震开始破裂后的2分钟内,发生了总地震矩等于矩震级8.0级的第二个特大地震,它由两次(矩震级均为7.8级)板间下插逆冲大地震组成,导致了周边俯冲带巨型逆断层的破裂。联合的断层作用引发了海啸,局部地区抬升约12m,导致萨摩亚、美属萨摩亚和汤加192人死亡。地震信号的重叠掩盖了这样的事实:相隔约50km的性质不同的断层发生了不同几何形状的破裂,这些被触发的逆冲断层滑动只有通过详细的地震波分析才能揭示出来。在汤加北部俯冲带的大部分区域内,激活了广泛的板间和板内余震活动。     

Earthquake doublets in the Solomon Islands

Large, shallow, thrust earthquakes in the Solomon Islands region tend to occur in closely related pairs. Two recent sequences are July 14, 1971 (M_S = 7.9) and July 26, 1971 M(_S = 7.9) and 14^h37^m, July 20, 1975 (M_S = 7.9) and 19^h54^m, July 20, 1975 (M_S = 7.7). The mechanism of these seismic doublets has important bearing on the triggering mechanism of earthquakes in subduction zones. Detailed analysis of the seismic body waves and surface waves were performed on the 1971, 1974, and 1975 doublets, providing a better understanding of: (1) the mechanics of seismic triggering, (2) the state of stress on the fault plane, and (3) the nature of subduction between the Pacific and Indian plates. The results indicate that although the geometry of the subduction zone in the Solomon Islands is complicated by the presence of several sub-plates, the slip direction of the Indian plate with respect to the Pacific plate is relatively uniform over the entire region. The large seismic moments of the 1971 sequence (1.2 · 10²⁸ and 1.8 · 10²⁸ dyne cm) indicate that these events directly represent the underthrusting of the Indian and Solomon plates beneath the Pacific plate. The body waves from these doublets, recorded on the WWSSN long-period seismograms, are remarkably impulsive and simple compared with those from events of comparable seismic moment in other subduction zones. In addition, the source dimensions of the body waves are 30–70 km in length, substantially smaller than the overall rupture surfaces radiating the surface waves which are 100–300 km in length. These facts suggest the existence of relatively large, isolated high-stress zones on the fault plane. This type of stress distribution is distinct from other regions which have more heterogeneous stress distribution on the fault plane, and this is proposed as the principal characteristic of this region responsible for the occurrence of the doublets and for the apparent efficiency of triggering in the Solomon trench. Prior to the 1971 sequence, similar sequences have occurred in the same area in 1919–1920 and 1945–1946. From the amount of slip (1.3 m) determined for the 1971 sequence and the apparent recurrence interval of 25 years, a seismic slip rate of 5 cm yr^?1 is determined. This value is a significant portion of the convergence rate between the Indian and Pacific plates indicating that the plate motion here is taken up largely by seismic slip.     

Uptake and transfer of14C-simetryne through the laboratory freshwater food chain

This paper deals with the bioconcentration of¹⁴C-simetryne from water by aquatic test organisms: green algae—Monoraphidium minutum, rotifers—Brachionus rubens, daphnids—Daphnia magna, and fish—Brachydanio rerio. The chemical was bioconcentrated rapidly in all test species during the first 48 hours of experiment. The BCF values (bioconcentration factor) from all uptake studies show that simetryne has higher accumulation in algae than in rotifers, daphnids and zebra fish. The logarithm of the n-octanol/water partition coefficient of simetryne measured as 2.06±0.05 was correlated with the BCFs in the organisms as based on the lipid contents. ¹⁴C-simetryne uptake via the food-chain amounted to only 22% to 42% of the bioconcentration from water. Clearance of¹⁴C-derived residues from fish was rapid with a half-life of 2.1 days. This project is a part of a cooperation program between the Institute of Hydrobiology, Academia Sinica, Wuhan, and the Institut fur Okologische Chemie, GSF, F. R. Germany, and is supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Academia Sinica.     

A graduate student experience with Professor Donald V. Helmberger

A year after the passing of Don Helmberger,it is remarkable how memories of interactions with him over my entire professional career continue to spark affection...