Shear-wave splitting in the southeast of Cathaysia block, South China

This study is focused on Fujing Province in China, southeast of Cathaysia block (SECB). The present work benefits from the data provided by the Fujian Seismic Network (FJSN) to study the seismic anisotropy in the crust. By means of a systematic analysis and adequate software package, we examine shear-wave splitting from data recorded at ten FJSN stations during the period January 1999 to December 2003. The results demonstrate that the average fast wave polarization is N109.4° E ± 42.6°, corresponding to the horizontal principal compressive stress in the test zone, and the average normalized slow wave time delay is 2.5 ± 1.5 ms/km. The predominant polarizations at stations in the eastern part of SECB are in the N–W direction, which suggests that they are related to the regional horizontal principal compressive stress and also to the strikes of faults. In contrast, the predominant polarizations at two stations in the western part of SECB are in the N–E direction. This polarization direction does not coincide with the direction of the horizontal principal compressive stress, but it follows the strikes of near faults, thus suggesting the influence of the local tectonics and a change in the stress field. The results prove that the predominant polarizations are parallel to the strikes of faults whenever the stations are on active faults. At a few stations near the coastal line, some polarizations show a certain amount of scatter which may be caused by crossing faults and irregular topography. Finally, the spatial distribution of time delays depicts strong lateral variations near the coast just where the seismic activity is comparatively bigger, so that the magnitude of anisotropy seems to be consistent with the most seismically active area.