Earthquake sources, wave propagation effects and site effects directly affect the structural damage during earthquakes. Among these factors, site effects amplify and prolong the strong vibrations, playing a very important role in many great earthquakes such as the 1985 M8.1 Mexican earthquake, the 2015 M_W7.8 Gorkha, Nepal, earthquake and the 2016 M_W7.8 Kaikōura, New Zealand, earthquake. Microtremor is a random, natural and permanent complex vibration composed of body waves and surface waves, in which the energy of surface waves accounts for more than 70% of the total energy. Due to the multiple reflection and refraction of the wave, microtremor accumulates information reflecting the inherent characteristics of the soil layer of the site during the propagation process. Microtremor H/V spectral ratio method is an effective way to assess the site effects. Compared to the traditional seismic surveys, the low-cost convenient observation and rapid surface detection are the advantages of this method. Its results can be used as basic data for future earthquake hazard evaluation and urban construction planning.

Siyang in Jiangsu Province is located in Tanlu seismic zone. In the history, there were some large earthquakes on the Tanlu earthquake zone. Among them, the Tancheng M8.5 earthquake is about 110km from our study area, so there is a certain risk of earthquake disaster in this area. It is necessary to analyze the regional site effect and the distribution characteristics of the shallow sedimentary interfaces in detail. Site amplification effect is an important factor to aggravate earthquake hazard, which is closely related to the shallow structure. Based on 217 microtremor observations, we use H/V spectral ratio method to study the seismic site effect and the shallow sedimentary structure of Siyang. The results of H/V peak frequency distribution show that the resonance frequency of seismic site in Siyang study area is between 0.6~1.8Hz with obvious fluctuations. The corresponding shallow sedimentary thickness is between 30m and 200m, which gradually deepens on the east and west sides with a shallow central region. In particular, the central urban area is 30~70m thick and the southeast corner is the thickest. The shallow deposits show an obvious deep and shallow alternating band distribution in the NNE direction, consistent with the location and strike of the Haisi fault zone. The sedimentary structure of the soil layer obtained in this paper is basically the same as the geological structure, which can be verified with the results of the reflection seismic exploration profile. The comparison with two seismic exploration profiles for shallow reflection in the area shows that the bedrock shape obtained by the microtremor H/V spectral ratio method is reliable. Therefore, the sedimentary structure and site effect characteristics obtained by this method can provide useful reference for the microzoning of seismic risk in Siyang.

At 02:04 a.m. on May 22, 2021, a M_S7.4 earthquake occurred in the Maduo County, Qinghai Province, China. Its epicenter is located within the Bayan Har block in the north-central Tibetan plateau, approximately 70km south of the eastern Kunlun fault system that defines the northern boundary of the block. In order to constrain the seismogenic fault and characterize the co-seismic surface ruptures of this earthquake, field investigations were conducted immediately after the earthquake, combined with analyses of the focal parameters, aftershock distribution, and InSAR inversion of this earthquake.
This preliminary study finds that the seismogenic fault of the Maduo M_S7.4 earthquake is the Jiangcuo segment of the Kunlunshankou-Jiangcuo Fault, which is an active NW-striking and left-lateral strike-slip fault. The total length of the co-seismic surface ruptures is approximately 160km. Multiple rupture patterns exist, mainly including linear shear fractures, obliquely distributed tensional and tensional-shear fractures, pressure ridges, and pull-apart basins. The earthquake also induced a large number of liquefaction structures and landslides in valleys and marshlands.
Based on strike variation and along-strike discontinuity due to the development of step-overs, the coseismic surface rupture zone can be subdivided into four segments, namely the Elinghu South, Huanghexiang, Dongcaoarlong, and Changmahexiang segments. The surface ruptures are quite continuous and prominent along the Elinghu south segment, western portion of the Huanghexiang segment, central portion of the Dongcaoarlong segment, and the Huanghexiang segment. Comparatively, coseismic surface ruptures of other portions are discontinuous. The coseismic strike-slip displacement is roughly determined to be 1~2m based on the displaced gullies, trails, and the width of cracks at releasing step-overs.