A great earthquake doublet and seismic stress transfer cycle in the central Kuril islands

Temporal variations of the frictional resistance on subduction-zone plate boundary faults associated with the stick-slip cycle of large interplate earthquakes are thought to modulate the stress regime and earthquake activity within the subducting oceanic plate. Here we report on two great earthquakes that occurred near the Kuril islands, which shed light on this process and demonstrate the enhanced seismic hazard accompanying triggered faulting. On 15 November 2006, an event of moment magnitude 8.3 ruptured the shallow-dipping plate boundary along which the Pacific plate descends beneath the central Kuril arc. The thrust ruptured a seismic gap that previously had uncertain seismogenic potential, although the earlier occurrence of outer-rise compressional events had suggested the presence of frictional resistance. Within minutes of this large underthrusting event, intraplate extensional earthquakes commenced in the outer rise region seaward of the Kuril trench, and on 13 January 2007, an event of moment magnitude 8.1 ruptured a normal fault extending through the upper portion of the Pacific plate, producing one of the largest recorded shallow extensional earthquakes. This energetic earthquake sequence demonstrates the stress transfer process within the subducting lithosphere, and the distinct rupture characteristics of these great earthquakes illuminate differences in seismogenic properties and seismic hazard of such interplate and intraplate faults.     

The M S7.1 Yushu earthquake surface rupture and large historical earthquakes on the Garzê-Yushu Fault

As revealed by field investigations, the co-seismic surface rupture zone of the 2010 M_S7.1 Yushu earthquake, Qinghai is a char-acteristic sinistral strike-slip feature consisting of three distinct sinistral primary ruptures, with an overall strike of 310°–320° and a total length of 31 km. In addition, an approximately 2-km-long en-echelon tensile fissure zone was found east of Longbao Town; if this site is taken as the north end of the rupture zone, then the rupture had a total length of ~51 km. The surface rupture zone is composed of a series of fissures arranged in an en-echelon or alternating relationship between compressive bulges and tensile fissures, with a measured maximum horizontal displacement of 1.8 m. The surface rupture zone extends along the mapped Garzê-Yushu Fault, which implicates it as the seismogenic fault for this earthquake. Historically, a few earthquakes with a magnitude of about 7 have occurred along the fault, and additionally traces of paleoearthquakes are evident that characterize the short-period recurrence interval of large earthquakes here. Similar to the seismogenic process of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, the Yushu earthquake is also due to the stress accumulation and release on the block boundaries resulting from the eastward expansion of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. However, in contrast with the Wenchuan earthquake, the Yushu earthquake had a sinistral strike-slip mechanism resulting from the uneven eastward extrusion of the Baryan Har and Sichuan-Yunnan fault blocks.     

Fine three-dimensional P-wave velocity structure beneath the capital region and deep environment for the nucleation of strong earthquakes

A detailed 3-D P-wave velocity model of the crust and uppermost mantle under the capitol region is determined with a spatial resolution of 25 km in the horizontal direction and 4-17 km in depth. We used 48750 precise P-wave arrival time data from 2973 events of local crustal earthquakes, controlled seismic explosions and quarry blasts. These events were recorded by 123 seismic stations. The data are analyzed by using a 3-D seismic tomography method. Our tomographic model provides new information on the geological structure and complex seismotectonics of this region. Different patterns of velocity structures show up in the North China Basin, the Taihangshan and the Yanshan Mountainous areas. The velocity images of the upper crust reflect well the surface geological, topographic and lithological features. In the North China Basin, the depression and uplift areas are imaged as slow and fast velocity belts, respectively, which are oriented in NE-SW direction. The trend of velocity anomalies is the same as that of major structure and tectonics. Paleozoic strata and Pre-Cambrian basement rocks outcrop widely in the Taihangshan and Yanshan uplift areas, which exhibit strong and broad high-velocity anomalies in our tomographic images, while the Quaternary intermountain basins show up as small low-velocity anomalies. Most of large earthquakes, such as the 1976 Tangshan earthquake (M 7.8) and the 1679 Sanhe earthquake (M 8.0), generally occurred in high-velocity areas in the upper to middle crust. However, in the lower crust to the uppermost mantle under the source zones of the large earthquakes, low-velocity and high-conductivity anomalies exist, which are considered to be associated with fluids, just like the 1995 Kobe earthquake (M 7.2) and the 2001 Indian Bhuj earthquake (M 7.8). The fluids in the lower crust may cause the weakening of the seismogenic layer in the upper and middle crust and thus contribute to the initiation of the large crustal earthquakes.     

Three-dimensional deformation caused by the Bam, Iran, earthquake and the origin of shallow slip deficit

Our understanding of the earthquake process requires detailed insights into how the tectonic stresses are accumulated and released on seismogenic faults. We derive the full vector displacement field due to the Bam, Iran, earthquake of moment magnitude 6.5 using radar data from the Envisat satellite of the European Space Agency. Analysis of surface deformation indicates that most of the seismic moment release along the 20-km-long strike-slip rupture occurred at a shallow depth of 4-5 km, yet the rupture did not break the surface. The Bam event may therefore represent an end-member case of the 'shallow slip deficit' model, which postulates that coseismic slip in the uppermost crust is systematically less than that at seismogenic depths (4-10 km). The InSAR-derived surface displacement data from the Bam and other large shallow earthquakes suggest that the uppermost section of the seismogenic crust around young and developing faults may undergo a distributed failure in the interseismic period, thereby accumulating little elastic strain.     

Earthquake nucleation by transient deformations caused by the M = 7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake

The permanent and dynamic (transient) stress changes inferred to trigger earthquakes are usually orders of magnitude smaller than the stresses relaxed by the earthquakes themselves, implying that triggering occurs on critically stressed faults. Triggered seismicity rate increases may therefore be most likely to occur in areas where loading rates are highest and elevated pore pressures, perhaps facilitated by high-temperature fluids, reduce frictional stresses and promote failure. Here we show that the 2002 magnitude M = 7.9 Denali, Alaska, earthquake triggered widespread seismicity rate increases throughout British Columbia and into the western United States. Dynamic triggering by seismic waves should be enhanced in directions where rupture directivity focuses radiated energy, and we verify this using seismic and new high-sample GPS recordings of the Denali mainshock. These observations are comparable in scale only to the triggering caused by the 1992 M = 7.4 Landers, California, earthquake, and demonstrate that Landers triggering did not reflect some peculiarity of the region or the earthquake. However, the rate increases triggered by the Denali earthquake occurred in areas not obviously tectonically active, implying that even in areas of low ambient stressing rates, faults may still be critically stressed and that dynamic triggering may be ubiquitous and unpredictable.     

The deterministic nature of earthquake rupture

Understanding the earthquake rupture process is central to our understanding of fault systems and earthquake hazards. Multiple hypotheses concerning the nature of fault rupture have been proposed but no unifying theory has emerged. The conceptual hypothesis most commonly cited is the cascade model for fault rupture. In the cascade model, slip initiates on a small fault patch and continues to rupture further across a fault plane as long as the conditions are favourable. Two fundamental implications of this domino-like theory are that small earthquakes begin in the same manner as large earthquakes and that the rupture process is not deterministic--that is, the size of the earthquake cannot be determined until the cessation of rupture. Here we show that the frequency content of radiated seismic energy within the first few seconds of rupture scales with the final magnitude of the event. We infer that the magnitude of an earthquake can therefore be estimated before the rupture is complete. This finding implies that the rupture process is to some degree deterministic and has implications for the physics of the rupture process.     

Extent, duration and speed of the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake imaged by the Hi-Net array

The disastrous Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of 26 December 2004 was one of the largest ever recorded. The damage potential of such earthquakes depends on the extent and magnitude of fault slip. The first reliable moment magnitude estimate of 9.0 was obtained several hours after the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, but more recent, longer-period, normal-mode analyses have indicated that it had a moment magnitude of 9.3, about 2.5 times larger. Here we introduce a method for directly imaging earthquake rupture that uses the first-arriving compressional wave and is potentially able to produce detailed images within 30 min of rupture initiation. We used the Hi-Net seismic array in Japan as an antenna to map the progression of slip by monitoring the direction of high-frequency radiation. We find that the rupture spread over the entire 1,300-km-long aftershock zone by propagating northward at roughly 2.8 km s(-1) for approximately 8 minutes. Comparisons with the aftershock areas of other great earthquakes indicate that the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake did indeed have a moment magnitude of approximately 9.3. Its rupture, in both duration and extent, is the longest ever recorded.     

Preliminary results pertaining to coseismic displacement and preseismic strain accumulation of the Lushan M S7.0 earthquake, as reflected by GPS surveying

This paper presents the coseismic displacement and preseismic deformation fields of the Lushan M _S7.0 earthquake that occurred on April 20, 2013. The results are based on GPS observations along the Longmenshan fault and within its vicinity. The coseismic displacement and preseismic GPS results indicate that in the strain release of this earthquake, the thrust rupture is dominant and the laevorotation movement is secondary. Furthermore, we infer that any possible the rupture does not reach the earth’s surface, and the seismogenic fault is most likely one fault to the east of the Guanxian-Anxian fault. Some detailed results are obtainable. (1) The southern segment of the Longmenshan fault is locked preceding the Lushan earthquake. After the Wenchuan earthquake, the strain accumulation rate in the southeast direction accelerates in the epicenter of the Lushan earthquake, and the angle between the principal compressional strain and the seismogenic fault indicates that a sinistral deformation background in the direction of the seismogenic fault precedes the Lushan earthquake. Therefore, it is evident that the Wenchuan M _S8.0 earthquake accelerated the pregnancy of the Lushan earthquake. (2) The coseismic displacements reflected by GPS data are mainly located in a region that is 230 km (NW direction) × 100 km (SW direction), and coseismic displacements larger than 10 mm lie predominantly in a 100-km region (NW direction). (3) On a large scale, the coseismic displacement shows thrust characteristics, but the associated values are remarkably small in the near field (within 70 km) of the earthquake fault. Meanwhile, the thrust movement in this 70-km region does not correspond with the attenuation characteristics of the strain release, indicating that the rupture of this earthquake does not reach the earth’s surface. (4) The laevorotation movements are remarkable in the 50-km region, which is located in the hanging wall that is close to the earthquake fault, and the corresponding values in this case correlate with the attenuation characteristics of the strain release.     

澜沧—耿马大震前后尾波Q值的研究

本文根据Aki的尾波散射理论,对澜沧-耿马大震前后近10年的时间,在大震区域及外围的7个地震台近2000多张地震记录图的尾波进行测量,得出Q值随时间变化的结果表明:澜沧、耿马两次大震前有1～3年左右的低Q值异常期;在临近大震前1年左右,Q值处于回升阶段;震后Q值明显增大.并结合澜沧-耿马地区区域地质构造图,试图分析Q值在断层错动中随时间变化的特征;澜沧、耿马7.6、7.2级两次大震是分别孕育的双主震并且可能是澜沧7.6级大震的发生触发了耿马7.2级大震的发生。     

鸟取MJMA 7.3级地震震源区地震层析成像研究

采用2000年日本鸟取MJMA7.3级地震的907个余震及其地方震的24 756个P波和22 547个S波到时,确定鸟取地震震源区的P波、S波和泊松比的三维结构.在震源区地震波速变化幅度达4%,泊松比变化幅度达9%.在11 km深度发现高波速和低泊松比异常,表明这一部位为刚性的粗糙断层面,形成断裂带的锁定结构,它的破裂产生鸟取地震的主震.低波速和高泊松比异常在震源区之下的地壳中出现,这与菲律宾板块俯冲带的脱水过程和岩浆活动有关,导致Daisen弧后火山的形成.流体运动和岩浆活动,对鸟取地震的成核和破裂过程有重大的影响.     

Variation of b value with hypocentral depth in Beijing area： Implications for earthquake nucleation

We relocated 2098 earthquakes that occurred in Beijing area between 1980 and 2000 using a double-difference (DD) earthquake location algorithm, and obtained the high-precision relative locations of 1825 events, b values versus depth were investigated with the relocated hypocenters. The results show that the b values decrease with the increasing hypocentral depth systematically. A dramatic variation in b is observed around the depth of 8 km. It indicates that there are more smaller earthquakes at shallow depth (0-8 km), while more larger earthquakes at greater depth (8--25 km). The physical mechanism behind this phenomenon can be explained by the variations in material heterogeneity and lithostatic stress condition. Large earthquakes are more likely to nucleate at greater depth with more homogenous material and higher lithostatic stress. On the basis of the results, we suggest that future strong earthquakes in Beijing area tend to occur below the depth of 8 km.     

2005-2007年四川地震的时空演化特征分析

对2005-2007年四川省内发生的262次地震(震级为3～5级)进行时间-空间分布统计分析,发现这些地震的时空演化具有一定的内在规律。通过对3年来地震数据的可视化分析,发现四川省有4个明显的地震热点地区,而且3年来这4个热点地区的地震发生频率的变化规律不一。基于球面坐标的空间分布统计分析方法,本文分析了地震的空间分布重心、地理范围,发现地震的重心具有明显的变化规律,范围不具有明显的规律性:对逐年的地震数据进分析发现,3年来地震的重心一直在向东南方向移动;将3年的数据综合为4个季度进行分析发现,第1～3季度一直向东南移动,第4季度则突然跳回到西北处;将3年的数据按12个季度进行分析,发现地震重心在前2年的8个季度中具有年周期的逆时针旋转规律,在2007年的前3个季度中,地震的重心仍逆时针旋转,第4个季度出现较大异常,重心往东南方向大跳了一步。最后以5.12汶川震中(30.986°N,103.364°E)为中心,分析了2005-2007年四川地震的空间分布的统计规律曲线,发现2007年地震出现较大的外移趋势,远离汶川地震震中。本文的研究方法和结果可以为地震的预报预测研究提供参考。     

Tracking the rupture of the Mw = 9.3 Sumatra earthquake over 1,150 km at teleseismic distance

On 26 December 2004, a moment magnitude Mw = 9.3 earthquake occurred along Northern Sumatra, the Nicobar and Andaman islands, resulting in a devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean region. The rapid and accurate estimation of the rupture length and direction of such tsunami-generating earthquakes is crucial for constraining both tsunami wave-height models as well as the seismic moment of the events. Compressional seismic waves generated at the hypocentre of the Sumatra earthquake arrived after about 12 min at the broadband seismic stations of the German Regional Seismic Network (GRSN), located approximately 9,000 km from the event. Here we present a modification of a standard array-seismological approach and show that it is possible to track the propagating rupture front of the Sumatra earthquake over a total rupture length of 1,150 km. We estimate the average rupture speed to be 2.3-2.7 km s(-1) and the total duration of rupture to be at least 430 s, and probably between 480 and 500 s.     

九寨沟Ms 7.0级地震的左旋走滑作用与动力机制

2017年8月8日四川九寨沟发生的Ms 7.0级地震是继2008年汶川Ms 8.0地震、2013年芦山Ms 7.0级地震后在青藏高原东缘发生的又一次强震。本文通过综合分析九寨沟Ms 7.0级地震及历史地震的震源机制解、余震和历史地震分布、区域应力场、活动断层等资料,来揭示九寨沟地震的发震构造与动力机制。初步研究结果表明:(1)此次地震的震中位于塔藏断裂、岷江断裂和虎牙断裂之间的交汇区,显示活动断裂的交汇区对此次地震的发生具有控制作用;(2)发震断裂为虎牙断裂,断裂走向为北西西向,倾向南西,倾角较陡,属于高倾角左旋走滑型地震;(3)震中位于虎牙断裂北段的北部地震空区,充填了1973年和1976年4次大于Mw6.0级地震空区;(4)此次地震位于2008年汶川Ms 8.0级地震的库仑应力增加区,应是汶川地震的应力传递和触发的结果;(5)此次地震位于巴颜喀拉块体的东北部顶角区,青藏高原东缘下地壳流向北东方向的挤出是驱动此次地震的动力机制。     

Predicting the endpoints of earthquake ruptures

The active fault traces on which earthquakes occur are generally not continuous, and are commonly composed of segments that are separated by discontinuities that appear as steps in map-view. Stress concentrations resulting from slip at such discontinuities may slow or stop rupture propagation and hence play a controlling role in limiting the length of earthquake rupture. Here I examine the mapped surface rupture traces of 22 historical strike-slip earthquakes with rupture lengths ranging between 10 and 420 km. I show that about two-thirds of the endpoints of strike-slip earthquake ruptures are associated with fault steps or the termini of active fault traces, and that there exists a limiting dimension of fault step (3-4 km) above which earthquake ruptures do not propagate and below which rupture propagation ceases only about 40 per cent of the time. The results are of practical importance to seismic hazard analysis where effort is spent attempting to place limits on the probable length of future earthquakes on mapped active faults. Physical insight to the dynamics of the earthquake rupture process is further gained with the observation that the limiting dimension appears to be largely independent of the earthquake rupture length. It follows that the magnitude of stress changes and the volume affected by those stress changes at the driving edge of laterally propagating ruptures are largely similar and invariable during the rupture process regardless of the distance an event has propagated or will propagate.     

分量钻孔应变仪记录的汶川、芦山强震前兆应变异常

 2007年全国布设了由40台4分量钻孔应变仪组成的分量应变监测网络。位于四川姑咱地震台的应变仪先后记录了汶川和芦山强震孕震过程中的潮汐畸变应变异常现象。这些异常变化基本满足地震前兆的3项判据,故被初步认证是这两次强震孕育过程中的应变前兆。本研究对相关记录资料进行了分析,以期为后续强震预测和预报研究提供参考。     

Synthetic seismograms of ground motion near earthquake fault using simulated Green’s function method

Seismograms near source fault were synthesized using the hybrid empirical Green＇s function method where the discretely simulated seismic waveforms are used for Green＇s functions instead of the observed waveforms of small earthquakes. The Green＇s function seismic waveforms for small earthquake were calculated by solving wave equation using the pseudo-spectral method with the staggered grid real FFT strategy under a detailed 2-D velocity structure in Kobe region. Magnitude and seismic moment of simulated Green＇s function waveforms were firstly determined by using the relationship between fault length and corner frequency of source spectrum. The simulated Green＇s function waveforms were employed to synthesize seismograms of strong ground motion near the earthquake fault. The synthetic seismograms of the target earthquake were performed based on the model with multiple source rupture processes. The results suggest that synthesized seismograms coincide well with observed seismic waveforms of the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake. The simulated Green＇s function method is very useful for prediction of the strong ground motion in region without observed seismic waveforms. The present technique spreads application field of the empirical Green＇s function method.     

Rupture of the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake inferred from direct P-wave imaging

The Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on December 26, 2004 is the first well recorded gigantic earthquake (moment magnitude MW 9.3) by modern broadband seismic and Global Positioning System networks. The rich seismic and geodetic recordings have documented unprecedented details about the earthquake rupture, coseismic and postseismic deformations. This is a report of detailed images of the rupture process using the first-arriving compressional waves recorded by the China National Digital Seismic Network (CNDSN). An improved imaging condition was employed to account for the sparse distribution of the CNDSN stations. The resulting images are consistent with the major rupture features reported by previous seismic and geodetic studies. It is found that the earthquake rupture initiated at offshore of northwestern Sumatra and propagated in the north northwest direction at a speed of 2.7 ± 0.2 km/s. The rupture continued for at least 420 s and extended about 1200-1300 km along the Andaman trough with two bursts of seismic energy.     

The potential for giant tsunamigenic earthquakes in the northern Bay of Bengal

The great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 came as a surprise to most of the earth science community. Although it is now widely recognized that the risk of another giant earthquake is high off central Sumatra, just east of the 2004 earthquake, there seems to be relatively little concern about the subduction zone to the north, in the northern Bay of Bengal along the coast of Myanmar. Here I show that similar indicators suggest a high potential for giant earthquakes along the coast of Myanmar. These indicators include the tectonic environment, which is similar to other subduction zones that experience giant megathrust earthquakes, stress and crustal strain observations, which indicate that the seismogenic zone is locked, and historical earthquake activity, which indicates that giant tsunamigenic earthquakes have occurred there in the past. These are all consistent with active subduction in the Myanmar subduction zone and I suggest that the seismogenic zone extends beneath the Bengal Fan. I conclude therefore that giant earthquakes probably occur off the coast of Myanmar, and that a large and vulnerable population is thereby exposed to a significant earthquake and tsunami hazard.     

Great Himalayan earthquakes and the Tibetan plateau

It has been assumed that Himalayan earthquakes are driven by the release of compressional strain accumulating close to the Greater Himalaya. However, elastic models of the Indo-Asian collision using recently imaged subsurface interface geometries suggest that a substantial fraction of the southernmost 500 kilometres of the Tibetan plateau participates in driving great ruptures. We show here that this Tibetan reservoir of elastic strain energy is drained in proportion to Himalayan rupture length, and that the consequent growth of slip and magnitude with rupture area, when compared to data from recent earthquakes, can be used to infer a approximately 500-year renewal time for these events. The elastic models also illuminate two puzzling features of plate boundary seismicity: how great earthquakes can re-rupture regions that have already ruptured in recent smaller earthquakes and how mega-earthquakes with greater than 20 metres slip may occur at millennia-long intervals, driven by residual strain following many centuries of smaller earthquakes.