Most Read articles

Published in last 1 year |  In last 2 years |  In last 3 years |  All

All

Please wait a minute...


For Selected: Download Citations EndNote Ris BibTeX Toggle Thumbnails

Select

GEOLOGICAL DISASTERS AND SURFACE RUPTURES OF JANUARY 23, 2024 MS7.1 WUSHI EARTHQUAKE, XINJIANG, CHINA ZHANG Bo-xuan, QIAN Li, LI Tao, CHEN Jie, XU Jian-hong, YAO Yuan, FANG Li-hua, XIE Chao, CHEN Jian-bo, LIU Guan-shen, HU Zong-kai, YANG Wen-xin, ZHANG Jun-long, PANG Wei SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (1): 220-234.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.01.013 Abstract （911）   HTML （48）    PDF（pc） （14676KB）（685）       Knowledge map    Save The MS7.1 earthquake in Wushi, Xinjiang on January 23, 2024, represents the largest earthquake in the Tianshan seismic belt since the 1992 Suusamyr MS7.3 earthquake in Kyrgyzstan. Preliminary precise aftershock localization and initial field investigations indicate an NE-trending aftershock zone with a length of 62km that is concentrated at the mountain-basin transition area. This event produced geological hazards, including slope instability, rockfalls, rolling stones, and ground fissures, primarily within a 30-kilometer radius around the epicenter. The epicenter, located approximately 7 kilometers north of the precise positioning in this study, witnessed a rapid decrease in geological hazards such as collapses, with no discernible fresh activity observed on the steep fault scarp along the mountainfront. Consequently, it is inferred that the causative fault for this main shock may be an NW-dipping reverse fault, with potential rupture not reaching the surface. Moreover, a surface rupture zone with a general trend of N60°E, extending approximately 2 kilometers, and displaying a maximum vertical offset of 1m, was identified on the western side of the micro-epicenter at the Qialemati River. This rupture zone predominantly follows the pre-existing fault scarp on higher geomorphic surfaces, indicating that it is not new. Its characteristics are mainly controlled by a southeast-dipping reverse fault, opposite in dip to the causative fault of the main shock. The scale of this 2-kilometer-long surface rupture zone is notably smaller than the aftershock zone of the Wushi MS7.1 earthquake. Further investigation is warranted to elucidate whether or not the MS5.7 aftershock and the relationship between the SE-dipping reverse fault responsible for the surface rupture and the NW-dipping causative fault of the main shock produced it. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

FINE CHARACTERISTICS OF EARTHQUAKE SURFACE RUPTURE ZONE BASED ON HIGH-RESOLUTION REMOTE SENSING IMAGE: A CASE STUDY OF LITANG FAULT YOU Zi-cheng, BI Hai-yun, ZHENG Wen-jun, PENG Hui, LIANG Shu-min, DUAN Lei, QIN Yi-gen SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (5): 1057-1073.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.05.002 Abstract （281）   HTML （41）    PDF（pc） （10517KB）（296）       Knowledge map    Save Strong earthquakes(magnitude>6.5)typically cause coseismic surface ruptures of several kilometers or even hundreds of kilometers long on the surface. Coseismic surface rupture is the most intuitive geomorphic representation of an earthquake on the surface, and its geometry and distribution characteristics provide important information about the fault activity. Field investigation is the most basic means for research on coseismic surface fractures, but for areas that are hard to access or have harsh climatic environments, field investigation is often greatly limited. In recent years, the increasing abundance of high-resolution remote sensing images and the rapid development of photogrammetry methods can help us quickly obtain high-resolution topographic and geomorphic data of the study area, to better identify the fine geometry of the earthquake surface rupture zone and measure the offsets of geomorphic markers along the fault. The Litang Fault is a sinistral strike-slip fault located within the Sichuan-Yunnan rhombic block on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. Several historical earthquake events have occurred on this fault, such as the 1890 and 1948 earthquakes, and clear seismic surface ruptures still exist along the fault so far. Previous studies have conducted a series of works on the coseismic surface rupture of this fault, but most of these works were based on field investigations or relatively low-resolution remote sensing images, and there is still a lack of fine research on the coseismic surface rupture of the fault. In this paper, the coseismic surface rupture of the 1890 earthquake which occurred on the Litang Fault was selected as the study object. To obtain high-resolution topographic data of this fault, the WorldView satellite stereo images were used to generate a 0.5-m-resolution orthophoto and a 1-m-resolution Digital Elevation Model(DEM)of the Litang fault based on the photogrammetry method. With the high-resolution topographic data, the fine geometry of the 1890 earthquake surface rupture zone was mapped in detail. The mapping results show that the total length of the surface rupture is about 27km, with an overall strike of N40°W. The rupture is mainly characterized by sinistral strike-slip motion, with a certain degree of dip-slip component in local areas. Except for the interval of approximately 6km with no surface rupture at the Wuliang River floodplain in the Litang Basin, the surface ruptures are relatively continuous at other locations. In addition, various rupture styles have been identified along the fault, including en echelon tension cracks, mole tracks, sag ponds, fault scarps, and displaced gullies. Furthermore, the sinistral offsets of 90 groups of linear geomorphic markers such as gullies and ridges were measured along the fault, which range from 1m to 82.4m. We further estimated the Cumulative Offset Probability Distribution(COPD)of the offsets located on the terrace I of the Wuliang River, which are all in the range of 0-9m. The COPD plot displays four distinct peaks at 1.3m, 2.4m, 4.3m, and6.1m, respectively. Previous studies have reported that the terrace I of Wuliang River formed at about(4 620±40)a BP. Thus, it can be indicated that the Litang fault may have experienced at least four strong earthquake events since(4 620±40)a BP, and the smallest peak of 1.3m may represent the coseismic displacement of the most recent 1890 earthquake. The rupture length of the latest 1890 earthquake was about 27km, and the coseismic sinistral offset was about 1.3m, yielding an estimated moment magnitude of MW6.8-7.1. The coseismic offset of the other three earthquakes was about 1.8m, 1.9m, and 1.1m from old to new, respectively, yielding a magnitude estimate of MW7.3, MW7.3, and MW7.0, with a size comparable to the 1890 earthquake. The research results fully demonstrate the potential of high-resolution remote sensing images in the study of fine characteristics of earthquake surface rupture. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

PRECISE RELOCATION OF SMALL-TO-MODERATE-SIZED EARTHQUAKES IN THE DATONG VOLCANIC GROUP AND SURROUNDING AREAS XU Yong-qiang, LEI Jian-she SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (2): 336-356.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.02.006 Abstract （223）   HTML （22）    PDF（pc） （14298KB）（157）       Knowledge map    Save In the present study we collect a large amount of arrival times from 3 218 earthquakes in the Datong volcanic group and surrounding areas from January 2008 to January 2023 through the China Seismic Network Center and relocated these earthquakes using double-difference location algorithm, finally obtain 2 447 relocate earthquakes. Our result shows that most earthquakes occurred above a depth of 16km, and earthquakes in the basin occurred at depths of 5-16km. There are fewer earthquakes occur near the surface at depths of 0-2km, while 6km and 11km are the dominant depths for earthquakes. The overall strike trending of these earthquake sequences is NE-SW, which is consistent with the regional active faults and controlled grabens and semi-graben-type faulting basins. In addition, these earthquakes are more concentrated near the Kouquan fault zone and in the Datong-Yanggao earthquake zone in the eastern part of the volcanic group. The average location errors of these earthquakes in the east-west, north-south, and vertical directions are about 0.21km, 0.22km, and 0.30km, respectively, with an average travel time residual of 0.14s. The earthquakes near the Kouquan fault zone changed from deeper and more concentrated in the south to shallower and more scattered in the north. The earthquake sequences in the northern part of the southern section and the southern part of the middle section of the Kouquan fault zone are deeper along the NE-SW direction, roughly vertically distributed on the Kouquan fault. The earthquake sequences in the northern part of the middle section of the Kouquan fault zone did not occur on the Kouquan fault, and the distribution of earthquakes is relatively scattered, and earthquakes with larger magnitude are mostly concentrated at shallow depth, which may be related to the thick sedimentary coal-bearing strata and mining activities in the area. The strike trending of these earthquakes in the northern section of the Kouquan fault zone is, along the NE-SW direction, roughly distributed on the Kouquan fault. However, there are also earthquakes in the northern part of the Kouquan fault zone, which may suggest that the activity of the Kouquan fault zone has extended there. The focal depth in the source areas of the Datong-Yanggao earthquake is mostly concentrated at depths of 3-16km on the hidden fault parallel to the NE-SW trending Dawangcun fault to the east. The hidden fault has a large dip angle and dips towards NW, which intersects with the Tubao fault and the Liulengshan piedmont fault, likely related to the aftershock activity of the Datong-Yanggao earthquake. Earthquakes occur frequently in the middle section of the Huairen fault, followed by the southern section, and there are few earthquakes in the northern section. The seismic activity of the Shuiyu fault, the east fault of the Cailiangshan mountains, and the Yanggao-Tianzhen fault is relatively weaker. There are some seismic activities in the central part of the northern margin fault of the Tianzhen-Yanggao Basin. Earthquakes in volcanic areas occurred at the boundaries of volcanic clusters, while the seismicities inside the volcanic group area were not very strong, which suggests that the boundary of volcanic clusters is more prone to stress accumulation and earthquake generation than the interior of volcanic clusters. Based on the new seismic results of ambient noise tomography in the area, it is found that earthquakes are not only related to faults, but more importantly, most earthquakes occur near the high-to-low-velocity anomaly boundaries. Furthermore, there are obvious low-velocity anomalies visible beneath most earthquake source areas, which may suggest that the occurrence of these earthquakes is closely related to fluids carried by the upwelling of thermal materials rising to the crust from the mantle and reducing the effective normal stress on the fault planes. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

RESEARCH ON SHALLOW STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ZHUMADIAN-HUAIBIN DEPRESSION IN THE SOUTHERN MARGIN OF THE NORTH CHINA BLOCK BY USING REFLECTION SEISMIC DATA ZHU Guo-jun, FENG Shao-ying, YUAN Hong-ke, HOU Li-hua, QIN Jing-jing, HAN Jian, WU Quan, ZUO Ying SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (6): 1419-1431.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.06.010 Abstract （221）   HTML （9）    PDF（pc） （8547KB）（98）       Knowledge map    Save The Zhumadian-Huaibin depression, which is located in the southern margin of the North China block, is a NW trending faulted basin between the thrust nappe belt on the northern margin of Qinling Mountains and Xiping-Pingyu uplift and controlled by the NW trending Zhumadian-Xixian Fault and Suyahu Fault. To find out the risk base of earthquake disasters and identify the characteristics of seismotectonic in Zhumadian City, based on the analysis of deep seismic exploration results, we used high-resolution shallow seismic reflection imaging technology to complete a shallow seismic profile, about 22km long, and obtain the fine near-surface structure image and fault characteristics of Zhumadian-Huaibin depression. As regards seismic data acquisition, we used an observation system with 3m channel spacing, 15m shot spacing, 180 recording traces and 18 folds. The seismic wave is generated by a M18-612 vibrator, with a scanning frequency band of 20-160Hz and a scanning length of 12s. The data processing adopts the common center point stacking method, with a focus on improving the signal-to-noise ratio. The processing process mainly includes the elimination of waste traces, static correction, pre-stack filtering, predictive deconvolution, velocity analysis and NMO correction, residual static correction, common center point stacking, post-stack denoising, etc. The resulting shallow seismic profile has a high signal-to-noise ratio, clearly reflecting the near-surface structural changes and fault characteristics of the Zhumadian-Huaibin depression. Similar to the characteristics of deep seismic reflection profiles, the Zhumadian-Huaibin depression on the shallow seismic profile also exhibits a fault-controlled fault basin. The shallow seismic profile reveals multiple sets of distinct stratigraphic interface reflections, which are characterized by continuous horizontal and dense vertical layering on the profile, with typical sedimentary stratigraphic reflection characteristics. Taking the bottom interface of the Neogene and Paleogene as the boundary, there are three distinct sets of reflection characteristics in the upper, middle, and lower layers, reflecting the sedimentary differences of different tectonic periods. The lateral continuity of the reflection waves in the Neogene and Quaternary strata is good, and the overall performance is a tilted layer with high west and low east, reflecting the overall subsidence of the Southern North China region since the Neogene, and forming relatively stable Neogene and Quaternary systems; The bottom interface of the Neogene and the overlying Paleogene show obvious angular unconformity, reflecting the sedimentary discontinuity between the Neogene and Paleogene formed by the overall uplift and erosion of the Southern North China region in the late Oligocene; The lateral fluctuation of reflected waves in the Paleogene strata reflects that during the Paleogene period, the southern margin of the North China block entered a stage of fault basin development with the Southern North China region, and the the Paleogene strata was controlled by tectonic movements and fault activities; Under the Paleogene bottom interface, at both ends of the profile the reflected wave energy is weak and the continuity of the same phase axis is poor, it is speculated that it is early Paleozoic sedimentary rock and Archean dense metamorphic rock mass. The results show that the Zhumadian-Huaibin depression was formed during the development stage of the fault basin in the Southern North China Basin in the Paleogene; The Zhumadian-Xixian Fault, which controls the western boundary of the depression, is composed of four east-dipping normal faults, manifested as a set of fault step belts that fall down layer by layer from west to east, and has not staggered the bottom interface of the Neogene, is speculated to be an active fault in the late Paleogene period; The Suyahu Fault, which controls the eastern boundary of the depression, is composed of three west-dipping normal faults, and has staggered upward to the middle-upper part of the Neogene, and is speculated to be an active fault in the middle-late Neogene period. Suyahu Fault has a significant impact on the local changes in the near-surface strata and the trend of modern rivers and lakes, it is recommended to focus on earthquake prevention and disaster reduction work in the Zhumadian City. This study provides a geophysical basis for further understanding the near-surface structural characteristics and basin-controlling fault activity of Zhumadian-Huaibin depression, which has important scientific value and social benefits for earthquake disaster mitigation and urban planning of the Zhumadian City. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

OPPORTUNITIES BROUGHT BY 3D GEOSCIENCE MODELING FOR EARTHQUAKE NUMERICAL FORECASTING YAO Qi, LU Ren-qi, SU Peng, WANG Hui, ZHU Ya-ling, WANG Li-wei SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (1): 1-18.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.01.001 Abstract （220）   HTML （27）    PDF（pc） （1599KB）（193）       Knowledge map    Save Earthquake prediction and forecasting need to transform from the traditional empirical, qualitative, and semi-quantitative to quantitative. The improvement also calls for multi-disciplinary, highly integrated physical and mechanical simulations rather than only a single discipline. The global development of observation technology and the construction of observation networks have already built a data foundation for earthquake numerical prediction and forecasting to a certain extent. However, the biggest constraint is the difficulty of synthesizing a large amount of observation data and quickly establishing complex numerical models with geological significance for numerical calculation. It is a vital issue restricting experimental research and industry development of earthquake numerical prediction and forecasting. Based on a brief introduction of the concept, development, and research status of earthquake numerical prediction and forecasting, this paper analyzes the difficulties in numerical modeling, which essentially come from the disciplinary differences between active tectonics, structural geology, solid earth, seismology, and numerical simulations. The development of 3D Geoscience Modeling and its application in the earthquake industry can establish a large-scale complex earthquake tectonic model close to the real world with geological significance. It provides a significant opportunity and technical means for developing earthquake numerical prediction and forecasting by solving the problems in numerical modeling. 3D geological modeling has built a bridge for multi-disciplinary geological applications. It can multi-disciplinary data fusion, establish a 3D geological model with geological significance and characteristics in line with geomechanical characteristics, and integrate data, geological model, up to building a numerical model, which advances the efficiency of modeling and simulation. Therefore, the rapid development of 3D geological modeling provides an opportunity to solve the modeling difficulties mentioned above in earthquake numerical prediction. Then, we briefly describe the development of 3D geological modeling technology, its application in the seismic industry, and the construction and application of 3D standard fault models domestically and overseas. Here, we introduced the development and essential contents of the Community Fault Model of Southern California in the United States for the Uniform California earthquake rupture forecast, the New Zealand Community Fault Model from the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited, and the Community Fault Model in Sichuan and Yunnan region in China. The prospective future of 3D geological modeling and its potential application in earthquake numerical prediction and forecasting makes it a common concern of researchers in earthquake science. The five future modeling trends are the joint modeling of multi-source and multi-precision heterogeneous data, the integrated modeling of the geological model-attribute model-numerical model, flat fault structure modeling, 3D fault structure modeling, data-model-calculation iteration, and mutual driving. Finally, the paper describes the difficulties of applying the 3D geological modeling technique in earthquake numerical prediction and forecasting, including the industry construction, public approval of the 3D Community Fault Model, and the variations of numerical modeling and applications. 3D geological modeling technology can provide more realistic numerical and geometric models for earthquake numerical prediction, forecasting, and related numerical computing fields, reduce construction periods, create fast iterations, and solve modeling difficulties. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

RELIABILITY EVALUATION OF QUARTZ ESR DATING METHOD ON EARLY PLEISTOCENE SEDIMENT: A CASE STUDY OF JINGYUAN SECTION WEI Chuan-yi, YIN Gong-ming, WANG Xu-long, WANG Duo, JI Hao, LIU Chun-ru, LI Xin-xiu SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (5): 1041-1056.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.05.001 Abstract （220）   HTML （13）    PDF（pc） （4654KB）（176）       Knowledge map    Save As the most recent period of the geological record, the Quaternary climate change, tectonics and river drainage evolution have been well recorded by Quaternary sediment. Establishing the timing of these geological changes, and of their effects on the earth's environment, is a key element in Quaternary research. Because of dating range limit of quartz OSL dating and 14C dating, lacking of tephra for K-Ar dating, and strict restrictions for 26Al/10Be cosmogenic nuclide dating, the samples older than 200ka were critical but difficult in Quaternary dating, while electron spin resonance(ESR)dating method could provide absolute age for late Pliocene and Pleistocene samples. Previous studies show that quartz Al center and Ti-Li center are the most suitable signals for sediment ESR dating, and have been successfully applied into middle-late Pleistocene sediment dating. However, the application of those two centers ESR chronology into early Pleistocene or pre-Quaternary sediment remains confusion. In this study, early Pleistocene Jingyuan gravel layer sediment deposited at Yellow river were collected for ESR dating. The results of comprehensive comparative analysis of high resolution magneto-stratigraphy and deep-sea oxygen isotope curve of loess-paleosol sequences and high credible 26Al/10Be cosmogenic nuclide dating age make the Jingyuan gravel layer as the ideal material to evaluate the dating range, especially lower dating range, of the quartz Ti-Li center and Al center, respectively. The results show that: (1)The quartz Ti-Li center and Al center signal intensity of Jingyuan gravel layer was not saturated within 11 000Gy and 130 00Gy additional gamma ray dose, respectively; combined with the long thermal lifetimes of the quartz Ti-Li center(8×106a)and Al center(7.4×109a), guarantee the ESR dating range for million years. (2)The single saturation exponential function and “EXP+LIN” functions could provide more accuracy fitting result of equivalent dose of quartz Ti-Li center and Al center, respectively, and the fitting goodness is greater than 0.98. (3)The average ESR dating results of quartz Ti-Li center and Al center of Jingyuan gravel layer is~(1.67±0.15)Ma and~(1.65±0.69)Ma, respectively, which is consistent with the previously well-known age within the error range. To better understand the lower dating limit of the quartz ESR dating method, based on the previous analysis of the ESR signal thermal stabilities, we discuss the maximum saturation of the ESR signals and ESR signals' sensitivity. Combined with the fitting goodness evaluation of various fitting functions, we propose that the quartz Ti-Li center and Al center ESR dating method could provide reliable chronological constrains on the sand lens of early Pleistocene gravel layer. The results of our study not only provide a solid theorical foundation for the application of quartz ESR dating method for late Pliocene and early Pleistocene fluvial sediments, but also demonstrate a typical practice example of the ESR method on dating late Cenozoic sediments. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

INTEGRATED INTERPRETATION ON THE PRECURSORY PROCESS EVOLUTION IN THE META-INSTABILITY STAGE OF THE EARTHQUAKE: A CASE STUDY ON 2014 LUDIAN MS6.5 EARTHQUAKE JIANG Hai-kun, DENG Shi-guang, YAO Qi, SONG Jin, WANG Jin-hong SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (3): 513-535.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.03.001 Abstract （215）   HTML （35）    PDF（pc） （5232KB）（135）       Knowledge map    Save The transition from the metastable state to the meta-instability stage indicates that the seismic fault has entered an irreversible deformation process and will lead to an inevitable instability(Ma Jin et al., 2014). Therefore, identifying the meta-instability stage is helpful for the judgment of short-term earthquake precursor anomalies. Under laboratory conditions, the meta-instability stage can be visually identified through stress-time curves, thus potentially predicting the occurrence of the laboratory earthquake. However, there are significant differences between field conditions and laboratory environments. Firstly, the underground medium and structural conditions in the real earthquake source region are unclear and far more complex than laboratory specimens. Secondly, the distribution of the sensors, sensor density, as well as measurement accuracy are limited by various conditions, making it impossible to construct an ideal observation environment covering the entire region. Thirdly, the loading stress cannot be directly measured, and the current actual stress state of the study area is unknown, which is the most difficult problem to solve. Therefore, under the guidance of meta-instability experiments and theories, it is a beneficial attempt to conduct retrospective studies on typical earthquake cases with relatively good observation conditions in the past, analyze the spatial-temporal evolution of different physical fields at different stages before the earthquakes, compare the observed phenomena with the characteristics and change processes of meta-instability stages obtained from experiments or theoretical research. Its final goal is to find possible characteristics or indirect criteria for meta-instability stages under field observation conditions. Therefore, taking the Ludian MS6.5 earthquake as an example and under the guidance of the meta-instability experiments and theories, the paper comprehensively analyzes the relationship between the spatial-temporal evolution of precursory anomalies and the meta-instability process based on the seismic activity and the geophysical observation data prior the earthquake, and combined with numerical simulation results of the earthquake nucleation. The Ludian MS6.5 earthquake occurred on August 3, 2014 in northeastern Yunnan Province, China. The observation conditions in this region were relatively good, with 26 seismometers within a 300-km radius of the epicenter, which were able to basically monitor earthquakes with completeness magnitude ML≥1.5 and locating accuracy of less than 20km. There were 79 fixed geophysical observation stations, including 11 within 100km, 32 between 101~200km, and 36 between 201~300km. The observation terms covered 43 deformation observations(22 tilt observations, 18 borehole strain observations, and 3 gravity observations), 187 underground fluid observations(90 water physical observations such as water level and temperature, 43 material compositions measurements including radon, mercury and so on, 26 gas measurements such as CO2, and 28 ion measurements including bicarbonate, calcium, and magnesium), and 52 electromagnetic observations(36 geomagnetic observations, 16 resistivity and electromagnetic wave observations). There were a large number of credible medium- and short-term precursor anomalies before the Ludian MS6.4 earthquake, a total of 48 precursor anomalies were identified. Among of them, there were 8 seismic anomalies and 40 geophysical anomalies, accounting for approximately 15% of all measurement items. Among these 40 geophysical anomalies, 31 were proposed before the earthquake, and most of them were investigated and verified on-site with reliable changes.(Wu, et al., 2019). Based on this abundant precursor abnormally data before the Ludian MS6.4 earthquake and further systematic analysis, a typical earthquake case and relevant observational facts have been provided which can support the viewpoint that during the meta-instability stage, the earthquake nucleation occurred in the epicenter region and the synergy process evolved continuously in surrounding area of the epicenter. The results show that based on large-scale strong earthquake activities and the observation data of the mobile gravity, it can be determined that the concerned area was already in a high-stress state before the Luding earthquake. At that time, the stress level in the large area including the epicenter of the Ludian earthquake was relatively high, and the northeastern Yunnan region and its nearby areas where the Ludian earthquake occurred were already in a critical stress state where strong earthquakes could occur at any time. Under the premise of determining a high-stress state, according to the precursors of seismic activities and geophysical observation precursor anomalies, it can be roughly determined that the meta-instability process of the Ludian earthquake may have begun seven or eight months before the mainshock. The most prominent phenomenon or judgment index is the transition of the fault stress state from accumulation to release, characterized by the active of small earthquakes near the epicenter, as well as the synergistic phenomenon of fault deformation characterized by the significant increase in the number of geophysical observation anomalies, which is related to the expansion process of the core weakening zone in the late period of the earthquake nucleation. After that, until the occurrence of the mainshock, two times should be paying attention to. Firstly, four to five months before the mainshock, the spatial distribution range of the geophysical observation anomalies expands significantly from the epicenter area to the periphery region, indicating accelerated synergistic deformation of the fault. Secondly, after two months before the mainshock, the small earthquake activities near the epicenter began to weaken, and the micro-earthquake activities and the geophysical anomalies showed a migration and contraction towards the epicenter, which is associated with the contraction process of the core weakening zone during the final stage of the earthquake nucleation. The concept of seismic meta-instability proposed from the perspective of stress changes in seismic fault has an explicit physical implication, and the meta-instability stage is associated with the earthquake nucleation process(He et al., 2023). The basic premise for the meta-instability theory to play a role in short-term earthquake prediction lies in how to apply laboratory research results to natural earthquakes, understand whether the regional or fault stress state tends to or enters a meta-instability state through field observations, and further utilize it for practical earthquake prediction. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

APPLICATION OF DEEP LEARNING IN ACTIVE TECTONICS AND GEOMORPHOLOGY LIU Xin, WANG Shi-rou, SHI Xu-hua, SU Cheng, LU Chen-yan, QIAN Xiao-yuan, SUN Qiao-yang, DENG Hong-dan, YANG Rong, CHENG Xiao-gan SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (2): 277-296.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.02.003 Abstract （210）   HTML （28）    PDF（pc） （5210KB）（166）       Knowledge map    Save The research on active tectonics and geomorphology involves extensive sub-topics, including the kinematics of crustal movements, the processes underlying the evolution of landforms, and the associated dynamic mechanisms. These sub-topics are intricately connected with the interactions between the Earth’s endogenic and exogenic processes. In the contemporary realm of the Earth system science, research in active tectonics and geomorphology has become a hot topic for interdisciplinary study. The advancement in big data research coupled with the progressive developments in deep learning technologies has furnished this field of study with a voluminous array of data sources and the requisite analytical tools for technical analysis. In recent years, the application of big data and deep learning technologies in this research field has yielded a series of outstanding results, fostering new research directions, and ushering the discipline into a new phase. In this paper we synthesize existing research to outline the data sources pertinent to the study of active tectonics and geomorphology, including field geological survey, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based photography, aerial photography, and remote sensing observations. Then, we discuss in-depth examination of the recent innovations progresses in deep learning algorithms, including but not limited to convolutional neural networks(CNNs), deep Gaussian processes, and autoencoders. This article further elaborates on innovative applications of deep learning in the study of active tectonics and geomorphology. These include the identification of changes in glacier extent, monitoring volcanic activity and deformation, recognizing river systems, precise surveillance of landslide events, as well as observations of lithospheric deformation co-seismic surface ruptures. Based on the summary of prior studies, this paper showcases a distinct application instance. By employing convolutional neural networks(CNNs)within the realm of deep learning image analysis and utilizing UAV-obtained high-resolution images, we undertake the automated detection of structural fractures in granite rocks in Meizhou island, in the southeast of Fujian province, China. In fault damage zones, structural rock fractures are widely developed, and the study of their orientation, system, and secondary characteristics is of great importance for determining their mechanisms of development and the multi-phase tectonic activity events in the region. Under conventional methodologies, the study of structural fractures in rocks is time-consuming and requires considerable manual effort in conducting exhaustive field surveys and detailed interpretation of cartographic representations. However, the application of deep learning can greatly enhance the efficiency of cartographic work. This application case has improved the classic deep learning framework by developing a CNN model specifically designed for the extraction of complex features and multi-scale rock fractures. This model achieved rapid identification of over 9 000 fractures with varied shapes and complex distributions within 55 minutes, attaining an accuracy of 85% and a recall rate of 89%. These findings demonstrate that deep learning significantly enhances operational efficiency in comparison to manual statistical methods for the automated identification of rock structural fractures, while also maintaining exceptional accuracy in fracture detection. Based on the results identified by deep learning, it can be clearly observed that two sets of fractures, oriented NE and NW, develop on the granite outcrops in the study area. According to previous research and the cross-cutting relationships of the fractures, it is known that NE-oriented fractures formed earlier than NW-oriented fractures, corresponding respectively to the Indosinian Movement and the expansion movement of the South China Sea in the tectonic history of South China. Through the automated extraction of deep learning models, the workload of manual mapping can be greatly reduced, yielding results consistent with actual geomorphological phenomena. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

CHARACTERISTICS OF FOCAL MECHANISM AND STRESS FIELD IN THE EASTERN BOUNDARY OF THE SICHUAN-YUNNAN BLOCK GUO Xiang-yun, FANG Li-hua, HAN Li-bo, LI Zhen-yue, LI Chun-lai, SU Shan SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (2): 371-396.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.02.008 Abstract （209）   HTML （20）    PDF（pc） （11846KB）（197）       Knowledge map    Save It is important to study the characteristics of the tectonic stress field studies which could provide a deeper understanding of the internal stress environment of the crust. It can provide useful assistance for exploring the relationship between the tectonic stress field and earthquake development. At the same time, it plays an important role in understanding block interactions, fault movement, tectonic deformation, and revealing the dynamic mechanical processes of the continent. The focal mechanism solutions contain abundant information reflecting the stress field. In this paper, using the broadband records from 128 permanent and temporary regional stations from the Chinese National Seismic Network(CNSN)deployed in the Sichuan-Yunnan Province and its adjacent, we determined the focal mechanisms of 3 951 earthquakes by the cut-and-paste(CAP)method and the HASH method. The friction coefficient and stress properties of the main active fault and characteristics of the tectonic stress field in this area are analyzed by using two different methods which are the damped inversion method(STASI)and iterative joint inversion method from focal mechanisms. The results of the focal mechanisms show that: there are 2 512 strike-slip earthquakes in the study area, accounting for 63.58% of all earthquakes; there are 818 normal fault type and normal strike-slip type earthquakes, accounting for 20.70% of all earthquakes; there are 621 reverse strike slip and reverse thrust earthquakes, accounting for 15.72% of all earthquakes. The most of earthquakes in the study area are distributed in active fault zones, the strike of the fault plane is consistent with the orientation of active fault zones. It revealed predominantly strike-slip faulting characteristics of earthquakes in the Eastern Boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan Block, while the reverse thrust of earthquakes is mainly concentrated in the Longmenshan fault zone, as well as the NW trending Mabian-Yanjin Fault and the NE trending of Ludian-Zhaotong and Lianfeng faults which lied on the eastern boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan block. Overall, the characteristics of the source mechanism are consistent with the regional tectonic background. Results of the stress field inversion confirmed main active fault in the Eastern Boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan Block is under a strike-slip stress regime, maximum and minimum compressional stress axes are nearly horizontal. The maximum compressional axes are primarily oriented in NW-SE and NWW-SEE direction, and they experience a clockwise rotation from north to south. Against the strike-slip background, normal faulting stress regimes and reverse faulting stress can be seen in the regional areas. The most prominent is the Daliangshan fault zone, which has obvious differences from the overall characteristics of the stress field with the eastern boundary of the Sichuan Yunnan Block. The maximum horizontal principal stress in the northern section shows a nearly EW direction, with a strike-slip type stress property, and the NW-SE direction in the southern section, with a thrust type stress property. The distribution characteristics of the stress field are consistent with the fault type of sinistral strike-slip and thrust on the eastern boundary of the Sichuan Yunnan block The shape ratio R-value varies significantly, the R-value in the Sanchakou area is relatively high, with obvious extrusion characteristics, the R-values of the Xianshuihe fault zone, Anninghe fault zone and Xiaojiang fault zone are all between 0.25-0.5, showing NE-SW compression and NW-SE tension, and the tensile stress may be much less than the compressive stress(strike-slip type). The R values of the northern segment of the Daliangshan fault zone, the southern segment of the Anninghe fault zone, and Zemuhe fault zone are all between 0.5-1, showing NW-SE compression and NE-SW tension, and the compressive stress is greater than the tensile stress. To sum up, the current stress characteristics of the eastern boundary of the Sichuan Yunnan rhombic block are shear strain and local compression or tension. There are different friction coefficients of the main faults in the study area: The Anninghe fault zone is 0.60, the Xianshuihe and Zemuhe fault zones are 0.80, the Xiaojiang fault zone is 0.75 and northern and southern sections of the Daliangshan fault zone are 0.65 and 0.85. The friction coefficients of the Xianshuihe Fault, the southern section of the Daliangshan Fault, and the Zemuhe Fault are above 0.75. The high friction coefficients of these fault zones may be because they are strike-slip faults, and the friction coefficients themselves are relatively high. The southern section of the Xiaojiang fault zone may be related to the development of fault gouges in the fault zone. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

SELF-NOISE MODELS OF SEISMOMETERS BASED ON PROBABILITY DENSITY FUNCTION REPRESENTATION WANG Kai-ming, YU Da-xin, ZHAO Li-jun, LI Wen-yi, YE Qing-dong SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (5): 1187-1199.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.05.009 Abstract （202）   HTML （9）    PDF（pc） （4725KB）（107）       Knowledge map    Save The self-noise levels of different seismometer models directly affect the quality of seismic observations and further limit earth science research based on seismic records. We conducted a test of the self-noise level of seven types of seismometers at the Malingshan seismic station, in which the instrument types included short-period, broadband, very-broadband and ultra-broadband. Three seismometers of each type were set up, and the observation period was from November 22, 2018, to March 26, 2019. In this paper, based on continuous seismic waveforms from seven models of seismometers, the self-noise power spectral density(PSD)of the seismometers was calculated by using the three sensor correlation analysis method, and the probability density distribution of the self-noise PSD of the seven models of seismometers was obtained by using the PDF representation. Based on the mode values of the PDF distribution, the self-noise models of the three channels(UD, EW and NS)of the seven models of seismometers are given respectively. For the ultra-broadband seismometer CMG-3T-360, in the microseism band(0.1Hz to 1Hz), the self-noise of the horizontal components(EW and NS)is higher than that of the vertical components(UD)and is consistent with the trend of the seismic noise, which may be attributed to misalignment of the horizontal direction between seismometers. In the low frequency band(<0.03Hz), the self-noise level of the horizontal component is higher than that of the vertical component, and small changes in the barometric pressure may lead to higher incoherent noise in the horizontal direction of the sensor at long periods. Compared with the vertical direction, the horizontal direction of the seismometer is more susceptible to air disturbances. At a frequency of 0.005Hz, the instrument self-noise of the horizontal component is close to the seismic background noise, and the instrument self-noise of the horizontal component is the main source of noise recording. Installing a heat and wind shield can effectively reduce the seismometer self-noise in the low frequency band. When using the CMG-3T-360 to observe long-period seismic signals, a shield with both thermal insulation and windproof function is required. The self-noise level of the short-period seismometer JS-S02 is lower than that of TDV-33S and lower than that of the New Low Noise Model(NLNM)between 0.15Hz and 7Hz. In the UD and EW channels, the self-noise level of TDV-33S is lower than the NLNM model between 0.17Hz and 0.5Hz. The higher instrument self-noise further limits the extraction of long-period seismic signals in the digital recordings of short-period seismometers. For the broadband seismometer TDV-60B and the very broadband seismometer TDV-120VB, the self-noise levels are basically consistent in the vertical direction and also are higher than those of the broadband seismometer JS-60 and the very broadband seismometer JS-120. In the horizontal direction, the two self-noise levels in the microseism band and the low frequency band show different characteristics, i.e., the self-noise levels of TDV-60B are lower than those of TDV-120VB in the microseism band and higher than those of TDV-120VB in the low frequency band. When the frequency is lower than 0.03Hz, the self-noise levels of TDV-60B and TDV-120VB on the horizontal channels are close to those of JS-60 and JS-120, respectively. For JS-60 and JS-120, in the vertical direction, the self-noise levels of both are close to CMG-3T-360 in the microseism band. The self-noise level of JS-120 on the vertical channel is lower than 5dB away from CMG-3T-360 in the low frequency band and lies within the 68%confidence interval of the PSD; in the high frequency band(>2Hz), it is higher than CMG-3T-360 confidence interval of the PSD. In the horizontal direction, the self-noise levels of JS-60 and JS-120 are lower than those of CMG-3T-360 between 0.15Hz and 1Hz and in the microseism band, respectively. The self-noise levels of JS-60 on the horizontal channel show good agreement with those of CMG-3T-360 in the high frequency band. The self-noise of JS-120 on NS channel is higher than CMG-3T-360 confidence interval in the low frequency band. When extracting long-period seismic signals, a seismometer with lower noise level in the low frequency band should be selected as much as possible. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

ACTIVITY PERIOD, FORMATION MECHANISM AND TECTONIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE KALAYU’ERGUN FAULT IN THE WESTERN KUQA DEPRESSION SHEN Bai, ZHANG Zhi-liang, REN Zhi-kun, LIU Jin-rui SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (6): 1247-1264.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.06.001 Abstract （202）   HTML （35）    PDF（pc） （5216KB）（160）       Knowledge map    Save As the NW-trending dextral strike-slip fault on the northern margin of the Tarim Basin, the Kalayu’ergun Fault defines the western boundary between the western Kuqa Depression and Wensu Bulge. It holds immense importance to understand the deformation occurring within the Kuqa Depression. However, there is still ongoing debate regarding the length, activity time and formation mechanism of the Kalayu’ergun Fault. In this study, a comprehensive investigation was conducted, incorporating sub-surface geophysical data, high-resolution remote sensing satellite images, and the findings of previous researchers. The results demonstrate that the Kalayu’ergun Fault cuts off the Awate anticline in the north, and to the south, it extends near the southern flank of the North Kalayu’ergun anticline but does not reach the Middle Kalayu’ergun anticline. The total extension of the fault is estimated to be approximately 40km. And the minimum of the fault strike-slip distance is estimated by the sum of the tectonic shortening of the North Kalayu’ergun anticline and the shortening absorbed by the strata on the northern flank of the Awate anticline through drag, which amounts to about 4.1-4.3km. Additionally, the Kalayu’ergun Fault has been active since its formation in the early Pliocene, but its activity intensity has been weakened obviously. The activity of the Kalayu’ergun Fault corresponds to the deformation time of the North Kalayu’ergun anticline, which is consistent with the deformation time determined using the same structural sedimentary constraints. This indicates that the North Kalayu’ergun anticline was formed under the combined action of near north-south compressional and horizontal shear stresses. The development of this transverse fault is synchronous with the overthrust structures on both sides and is developed in synchrony with the strong uplift of the southern Tian Shan orogenic belt since the late Cenozoic. The formation of the Kalayu’ergun Fault can be affected not only by the differences in the basement nature on both sides but also closely related to the difference in the thickness of the gypsum salt layer. The former resulted in variations in horizontal shortening on both sides of the fault, leading to the tearing of the Cenozoic sedimentary cover. The latter, which under the action of the extrusion stress, influenced the generation and evolution of salt-overlying beds, and then influenced the formation of the fault. In addition, the existence of prior salt structures, also known as salt diapirs, may have also played an important role in the formation of the fault. As the boundary fault in the western part of the Kuqa Depression, the Kalayu’ergun Fault is responsible for accommodating crustal shortening on both sides and even in the whole eastern and western parts of the Kuqa Depression. As a result, the shortening of the Kuqa Depression gradually decreased from east to west. Furthermore, the Kalayu’ergun Fault also had significant impacts on geomorphology, as it controls and modifies the landscape in the southern Tian Shan foreland basin. In the meanwhile, the Kalayu’ergun Fault creates favorable conditions for the transportation and accumulation of oil and gas resources. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

FOUR-COMPONENT BOREHOLE STRAINMETER TRANSFER FUNCTIONS AND ROCK PROPERTIES ESTIMATION: A CASE OF JIANGNING STATION, JIANGSU, CHINA YANG Xiao-lin, YANG Jin-ling, SU Li-na, FENG Jing, WANG Jun SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (5): 1170-1186.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.05.008 Abstract （197）   HTML （29）    PDF（pc） （5264KB）（105）       Knowledge map    Save To date, more than 60 four-component borehole strainmeters have been deployed in China to provide more data on geodynamics and earthquake precursors. In practice, the strain signals recorded by the four-component borehole strainmeters are greatly disturbed by the effect of barometric pressure at different frequencies. Therefore, precisely deciphering the frequency-dependent strain response to barometric pressure changes in the frequency domain is very significant for continuous high-resolution borehole strainmeter measurements. However, no much related research has been conducted in this day. For these more than 60 four-component borehole strainmeters being operated in Mainland China, the study of properties(e.g., Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio)of borehole surrounding rock are seldom probed via rock mechanical testing has not been given enough attention, compared that with in the USA and Japan, consequently, which makes it difficult in the understanding of the driving mechanism of atmospheric effects. Beginning at 2006, a YRY-4 type borehole strainmeter was installed approximately at 50m depth in the Jiangning area to precisely monitor the earthquake precursors and tectonic movements in Jiangsu Province. For daily observation, the atmospheric effect is quite obvious in different frequency bands. Therefore, we applied transfer function to uncover features, such as barometric pressure coefficient and phase shift, of frequency dependence observed at Jiangning station in Jiangsu Province in high-(>8cpd), intermediate-(0.5~8cpd), and low-frequency(0.1~0.5cpd)bands. Furthermore, the double bush mechanical model was adopted to estimate the parameters of elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio for the borehole surrounding rock. The results show that: 1)The values of coherence in the frequency band(0.1~30cpd)are higher than in others. 2)The barometric pressure responses were very stable and valid in the low-frequency band, and remained stable in the high-frequency band(8~30cpd), but significantly fluctuated in the intermediate-frequency band. 3)If the impacts of the diurnal and semidiurnal tidal waves are neglected, the spectra of barometric pressure response coefficients for the four borehole sensors and areal strain were quasi-linear and stable. 4)In the high-frequency band, the spectra of phase responses for borehole strains behaved exponentially, strongly depending on frequency, with the average phase delay of about 24.2°. 5)The estimated elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio were 33.9GPa and 0.27 according to the averaged barometric-pressure response coefficients of areal strain, respectively, in which the estimated parameters showed good agreement with the results obtained via rock mechanical testing. These above findings will be useful for separating the nonlinear barometric responses from the four-component borehole strainmeter records, as well as for estimating the mechanical parameters of the borehole surrounding rock. In the future, more and more rock cores taken from boreholes may disappear with time. So exploring the potential values of transfer function is an important work in the field of borehole strain study. In the near future, we will reconstruct the rock mechanical parameters of borehole surrounding rock for other unstudied sites in mainland China. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

INTERSEISMIC SLIP RATES AND SHALLOW CREEP ALONG THE NORTHWESTERN SEGMENT OF THE XIANSHUIHE FAULT FROM INSAR DATA CHEN Yi, ZHAO Bin, XIONG Wei, WANG Wei, YU Peng-fei, YU Jian-sheng, WANG Dong-zhen, CHEN Wei, QIAO Xue-jun SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (5): 1074-1091.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.05.003 Abstract （197）   HTML （23）    PDF（pc） （10431KB）（190）       Knowledge map    Save Located in the eastern boundary of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, the Xianshuihe fault zone is one of the most active left-lateral strike-slip faults in Chinese mainland. As the southern boundary of the Bayanhar block, the Xianshuihe Fault accommodates the southeastward transport of material toward southeastern Asia. Earthquakes have occurred frequently along this fault, especially in the northwestern segment. More than 20 earthquakes with MW>6.0 have ruptured since 1700. The most recent MW>7 earthquake was the Luhuo earthquake in 1973, and the most recent MW>6 earthquake was the MW6.6 Luding earthquake in 2022. As one of the most active faults in mainland China, the present slip pattern of the Xianshuihe Fault, especially the shallow creep characteristics along its northwestern segment, has attracted much attention. The primary goal of determining slip rates of active faults using geodetic data is to quantify the seismic potential of the faults. Illuminating the long-term slip rate and shallow creep distribution of faults is the basis for calculating the seismic moment rate and evaluating the seismic potential. Due to the backwardness of early measurement methods, the seismic deformation along the Xianshuihe Fault was previously based on geologic, cross-fault short baseline and leveling surveys. With the application of GPS in tectonic geodesy, more and more GPS stations are installed near active faults, which provide accurate constraints on the long-term slip rates of the fault. Subsequently, the appearance of InSAR technology has brought a beneficial supplement to GPS, providing high spatial resolution surface velocity maps, which have been widely used to measure deep and shallow creep along active faults. It is the key to accurately characterize the fault slip behavior and evaluate the seismic potential. In this study, 119 Sentinel-1 satellite descent data from December 2014 to December 2021 were processed to obtain the average line-of-sight(LOS)velocity field of the northwestern segment of the Xianshuihe Fault based on the small baseline InSAR method. Then the elastic screw dislocation model was used to fit the fault normal InSAR LOS velocity profiles to estimate the long-term slip rates and shallow creep rates. Combined with the viscoelastic earthquake cycle model, the effects of the earthquake recurrence period, and rheology of the lower crust and upper mantle on slip rate estimation in Luhuo segment are analyzed. The main results are as follows: (1)The average InSAR LOS velocity field is in the northwestern segment of the Xianshuihe Fault during 2014—2021 has been obtained with a large range and high spatial resolution. The velocity field results show an obvious velocity gradient across the surface trace of the Xianshuihe Fault, which is consistent with the left-lateral strike-slip characteristics of the Xianshuihe Fault. (2)To investigate the slip rate variation along the northwestern segment of the Xianshuihe Fault, we used the two-dimensional elastic screw dislocation model to fit the 14 fault-normal velocity profiles selected along the northwestern segment of the Xianshuihe Fault and estimated the long-term slip rates and shallow creep rates using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo(MCMC)method. The results show that the overall slip rates of the NW segment of the Xianshuihe Fault range from 7.2mm/a to 11.0mm/a, and gradually decrease from west to east. The shallow creep rate ranges from 0.3mm/a to 3.1mm/a. The high creep rate appears mainly at Xialatuo and the segment from Daowu to Songlinkou. The shallow creep rates in other places are close to zero, implying that the fault is completely locked. (3)According to historical earthquake records, the recurrence interval of the Luhuo segment is set to be 150 years, 200 years, and 400 years, and the viscosity of the lower crust and upper mantle is set to be 5.0×1018Pa·s, 1.0×1019Pa·s, and 5.0×1019Pa·s. The slip rate of the Luhuo segment is estimated to be (7.91±0.3)~(9.85±0.4)mm/a using the MCMC method, which is slightly lower than the (10.14±0.5)mm/a obtained by the pure elastic model. In addition, when the earthquake recurrence interval is 150 years and the viscosity of the lower crust and upper mantle is 5.0×1019Pa·s, we simulate the fault-normal velocity at 5 years, 20 years, 75 years, and 125 years after the 1973 Luhuo earthquake, and find that in any period of the seismic cycle, the estimation of fault slip rate will be biased to some extent if the viscoelastic contribution of the lower crust and upper mantle is ignored. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

GEOMORPHIC DATING OF SCARPS AND ITS APPLICATION TO ACTIVE TECTONICS AND GEOMORPHOLOGY PANG Zhen-hui, XU Hao-ting, SHI Xu-hua, GE Jin, LI Feng SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (2): 251-276.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.02.002 Abstract （196）   HTML （26）    PDF（pc） （3088KB）（229）       Knowledge map    Save Scarps are typical geomorphic features of tectonics, climatic changes, and erosion processes. On one hand, interpreting geological information encoded in scarps allows for the quantitative constraint of the kinematic and dynamic mechanisms of the active structures. On the other hand, studying the evolution processes of scarps contribute to a better understanding of the couplings among tectonics, erosion, and climate during geomorphic evolution processes. In regions characterized by adverse geological conditions, limited accessibility, and logistical challenges hindering researchers from reaching certain areas, traditional dating methods such as radiocarbon dating, luminescence dating, and cosmogenic nuclide dating often face difficulties in determining the age of scarps. The geomorphic dating method of scarps, however, offers a promising avenue to address the scarcity of chronological samples in research areas where either sample availability is limited or conventional dating techniques are impractical. This paper provides a concise summary of the theoretical evolution of geomorphic dating of scarps. Emphasis is placed on elucidating the slope evolution processes, transport models, and associated computational methodologies integral to this approach. Additionally, the specific applications of these methods in active tectonics and geomorphology are highlighted, accompanied by a case study showcasing their practical implementation. The theoretical foundation of geomorphic dating of scarps posits that the evolution of scarps during stable erosion stages can be simulated through models describing the evolution of slope surfaces over time. In practical dating applications, it is essential to determine the theoretical models and computational methods for the evolution of scarps. This necessitates the integration of measured profiles of the scarp to establish boundary and initial conditions, facilitating the determination of the geomorphic age of the studied scarps. On one hand, the related slope evolution model mainly involves processes such as bedrock weathering, sediment transport, and tectonic uplift. Previous studies have proposed dozens of quantitative slope evolution models and geomorphic transport functions(e.g., local linear, local nonlinear, non-local, etc.)based on various slope processes, theoretical assumptions, and numerical simulations. In various transport equations, compared to earlier local linear models, later local nonlinear transport models proposed based on experimental simulations and physical derivations exhibit higher fitting accuracy for real slope evolution. In the past decade, some scientists have proposed nonlocal transport models because of the limitations of traditional transport models, and have applied them in research. This nonlocal model assumes that the distance of sediment movement within a given area follows a probability distribution, thus allowing the simulation of long-distance slope processes over short periods. Additionally, many other transport models have been derived from specific slope processes, such as biotic disturbance and dry ravel. The solution methods for the aforementioned models vary as well. For instance, the analytical solution of a local linear diffusion transport model can be relatively easily obtained, while local nonlinear models and nonlocal models can only be numerically solved through specific approaches. On the other hand, the measured topographic profiles of the studied scarps can be used to determine the practical parameters of slope evolution models, including the present-day morphology of the scarps and their ages since their initial formation. In practical applications, various methods have emerged for the geomorphic dating of scarps, generally classified into two types based on the approach to fitting model calculations with actual topographic profiles: the mid-point slope method and the full slope method. The mid-point slope method uses the mid-point gradient value as the fitting morphological feature, representing an early method for dating scarps, mostly combined with linear diffusion transport functions and requiring numerous profiles for statistical analysis. Due to its low data utilization and limited spatiotemporal precision in statistical methods, the mid-point slope method has gradually been replaced by the full slope method. The full slope method involves fitting the overall shape of actual profile curves using model solutions. With the continuous improvement of observation techniques in the field of Earth sciences and the deepening research on related theories, the application scope of scarps geomorphic dating methods is no longer limited to the study of terraces and simple fault scarp evolution processes but has expanded to more complex geological environments, providing more precise constraints on their formation and evolution history. For method application, we systematically present the progress in scarp geomorphic dating research across various geomorphic settings(such as river and coastal terraces, lake shorelines, alluvial fans, marine terraces, and extraterrestrial planets). It employs the geomorphic dating of the northeastern Pamir fault scarp as a case study to further explore and anticipate the developmental trajectory of geomorphic dating of scarps within the field of tectonic geomorphology. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

DISCUSSION ON SEISMOGENIC STRUCTURE OF THE JUNE 2022 MS6.1 EARTHQUAKE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE APRIL 2013 MS7.0 EARTHQUAKE IN LUSHAN, SICHUAN PROVINCE CHEN Han-lin, WANG Qin-cai, ZHANG Jin-chuan, LIU Rui-feng SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (5): 1233-1246.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.05.012 Abstract （194）   HTML （35）    PDF（pc） （7565KB）（186）       Knowledge map    Save In this paper, we relocated earthquakes occurred from April 2013 to July 2022 in Lushan seismic zone, inversed focal mechanism solution of the Lushan MS6.1 earthquake on June 1, 2022 and discussed the seismogenic structure of the Lushan MS6.1 earthquake and its relationship with the MS7.0 earthquake in April 2013. The results of the focal mechanism solution show that the Lushan MS6.1 earthquake in 2022 is a thrust earthquake. The strike, dip and azimuth of nodal plane Ⅰ are 228°, 46° and 104° and for nodal plane Ⅱ are 28°, 46° and 76° respectively. The results of earthquake relocation show that the focal depth of the Lushan MS6.1 earthquake sequence is shallow in the north and deep in the south, the fault length is about 10km. The focal depth is mainly concentrated between 10km to 19km. The fault dip is southeast with an angle of 60°. The initial rupture point of the main shock of the Lushan MS6.1 earthquake is at a depth of 20km, located at the deepest part of the fault. The fault ruptured from deep to shallow. The Lushan MS7.0 earthquake occurred on April 2013 strikes northeast and dips northwestward, but there exists a reverse fault in the aftershock sequence that has the same direction of strike but the opposite direction of dip. This reverse fault is consistent with the strike and dip of the MS6.1 earthquake occurred in June 2022. It appears as two parallel faults in the profile. In addition to the reverse fault on the west side, the embryonic of another reverse fault seems to appear on the east side of the middle of earthquake sequence. These faults are about 10km away from the surface. The distribution of earthquakes in two northwest-oriented depth profiles shows that the dip angles of the main shock and the reverse fault of the MS7.0 earthquake is different at different locations, and these faults are not simple straight planar sections. From one year after occurrence of the MS7.0 earthquake to occurrence of the MS6.1 earthquake, the seismic activity on the main fault decreased but the seismic activity on the reverse fault on the west side of the MS7.0 earthquake sequence was more active during this period, most of the seismic activity occurred near the reverse fault that is parallel to the MS6.1 earthquake fault. By analyzing the seismogenic structure and seismic activity characteristics of the Lushan seismic zone, we concluded the Lushan MS6.1 earthquake on June 1, 2022 is caused by a blind thrust fault with strike towards northeast and dip towards southeast, located 10km away from the surface. It has the opposite directions of strike and dip of the Longmenshan Fault. The epicenters of the Lushan MS7.0 earthquake in April 2013 and the MS6.1 earthquake in June 2022 are located near the surface exposure traces of the Shuangshi-Dachuan Fault and the Xiaoguanzi Fault, respectively. However, according to the analysis of the relocation aftershock depth in profile, the aftershock extension to the surface does not coincide with the surface exposure positions of the Shuangshi-Dachuan Fault and the Xiaoguanzi Fault. Therefore, the seismogenic faults of these two earthquakes are not the Shuangshi-Dachuan Fault and the Xiaoguanzi Fault, but two blind reverse faults. The Shuangshi-Dachuan Fault near the MS6.1 earthquake sequence and the main shock fault of the 2013 MS7.0 earthquake are thrust faults dipping northwest, while the Lushan MS6.1 seismogenic fault has opposite direction of dip. The seismogenic fault of the Lushan MS6.1 earthquake and the main thrust fault of the 2013 MS7.0 earthquake, which strikes northeast and dips northwest with the reverse thrust fault of the hanging wall, which strikes northeast and dips southeast, together form a double layer Y-shaped structure. These faults are all blind thrust faults and belong to the Qianshan-Shanqian Fault system in the southern segment of the Longmenshan fault zone. The seismogenic structure in the Lushan seismic zone is a complex fault system composed of one main northeast strike fault with dipping northwest, and three faults dipping southeast. From one year after occurrence of the Lushan MS7.0 earthquake to the occurrence of the Lushan MS6.1 earthquake, most of earthquakes in the Lushan seismic zone occurred near a reverse fault which is parallel to the Lushan MS6.1 earthquake seismogenic fault. These earthquakes are located in the area where the coulomb stress change caused by the MS7.0 earthquake acts as loading effect. The Lushan MS6.1 earthquake sequence is mainly distributed in the area where the coulomb stress change plays an unloading role caused by the Lushan MS7.0 earthquake. The research results showed that the coulomb rupture stress caused by the Lushan MS7.0 earthquake on the seismic nodal plane of the MS6.1 earthquake has a restraining effect on the MS6.1 Lushan earthquake. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

STUDY ON THE CHARACTERISTICS AND MECHANISM OF LONG-PERIOD GEOELECTRIC FIELD VARIATION: A CASE STUDY FROM DULAN SEISMIC STATION XI Ji-lou, ZHAO Jia-liu, GAO Shang-hua, WANG Xiao-lei, LI Guo-you, MENG Fan-bo SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (5): 1092-1111.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.05.004 Abstract （188）   HTML （9）    PDF（pc） （4729KB）（135）       Knowledge map    Save The geoelectric field is an important geophysical field, and the long-term geoelectric field is also an important component of the Earth's electromagnetic field, which mainly refers to the geoelectric field with a variation period greater than 100,000 seconds. The long-term geoelectric field can dynamically reflect the trend changes of spontaneous electric field, periodic changes of telluric electricity field, and other seasonal disturbances. Furthermore, it can further reveal the basic characteristics and physical mechanisms are related to the sources of the electromagnetic field, through such analysis and research on the changes in the long-term geoelectric field. In this paper, a systematic study has been conducted on the basic characteristics and variation mechanism of the long-term geoelectric field, which is mainly based on long-term geoelectric field observation data Dulan seismic station in Qinghai Province from 2015 to 2022. Firstly, based on interference preprocessing and reliability analysis, various methods and approaches such as wavelet analysis, median filtering, convolutional filtering, linear fitting are used to filter out high-frequency disturbances in the geoelectric field and to extract and analyze the components of long-term geoelectric field variation. At the same time, based on the analysis results of the abnormal changes in the electric field at the Dawu seismic station before and after the Madoi MS7.4 earthquake, the possible correlation and main field source mechanism between the abnormal variation of the electric field at the Dulan seismic station and the earthquake has been analyzed and discussed. The research results show that, from the observation data of geoelectric field at Dulan seismic station: 1)It has relatively strong long-term stability and variation reliability, with the arithmetic mean value of the daily correlation coefficient not less than 0.98, and that of the daily variation difference not more than 0.2mV/km, in the Same measurement direction; 2)The FFT spectrum analysis results include not only short and medium cycle changes such as 24h, 12h, 8h and 6h, but also long cycle changes such as annual cycle, semi-annual cycle and so on; 3)The daily variation range shows seasonal variation with high in summer and low in winter, and the significant variation includes annual cycle, half-year cycle, 27-day cycle, half-month cycle; 4)The trend variation shows a typical periodic annual changing feature as the sine wave change, and the annual extreme value and change amplitude are basically the same; 5)Before and after the Madoi MS7.4 earthquake, there were obvious abnormal distortions from the annual variation. Theoretical and mechanism analysis shows that the periodic changes in the daily variation amplitude of the geoelectric field at the Dulan seismic station mainly come from the periodic changes in spatial field sources, and the trend periodic changes of the geoelectric field mainly come from the long-term tidal effect generated by the gravitational action of the sun. During the process of Earth's orbit and rotation around the sun, the periodic changes in direct solar radiation, as well as in the ionospheric plasma concentration and the underground fluid seepage field caused by the gravitational force of the sun, are the important excitation mechanisms for this long-term periodic change of the geoelectric field. According to the comprehensive analysis, it is believed that the variation of the geoelectric field data observed at the Dulan seismic station has excellent objectivity, reliability, and long-term stability, which can reflect the characteristics of long-term geoelectric field changes and abnormal distortion characteristics of the geoelectric field before and after strong earthquakes. And the change mechanism is in good agreement with the theoretical analysis results and has strong research and application value. In summary, the research results which carried out on the long-term variation of the geoelectric field, as well as revealed the important mechanisms of the generation and variation of Earth's electromagnetic fields, will have more important enlightening significance and reference value in the multifaceted research work about the geoelectric field observation, such as the site survey, observation system construction, observation data analysis and application et al. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

3D STRUCTURAL MODELLING OF THE ANNINGHE-ZEMUHE-XIAOJIANG FAULT ZONE IN THE EASTERN BOUNDARY OF SICHUAN-YUNNAN BLOCK USING MULTI-DATA AND IMPLICIT MODELING METHODS WANG Mao-mao, HU Shun-yang, MA Hao-ran, LIANG Bo-yu, ZHANG Jin-yu, LU Ren-qi SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (1): 19-34.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.01.002 Abstract （184）   HTML （21）    PDF（pc） （8144KB）（165）       Knowledge map    Save The Anninghe-Zemuhe-Xiaojiang fault zone is located at the intersection between the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the Yangtze block, representing the eastern boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan block with frequent seismic activities. Its overall kinematic characteristics involve left-lateral strike-slip motion, and the fault structures along its strike are complex, posing significant challenges in accurately characterizing the 3D structural features of deep faults. The main issues include the structural complexity of the fault surfaces, uncertainties in the intersection relationships of fault systems, spatial constraints of blind faults, and the definition of fault surfaces in regions with weak seismic activity. Traditionally, 3D structural modeling for fault geometry heavily relies on high-resolution seismic reflection profiles, 3D seismic data volumes, and borehole data. It defines the geometric shapes of objects with limited nodes in a triangular mesh, and then simulates the topological structure of objects by connecting these nodes. However, obtaining high-resolution seismic reflection data in active tectonic areas like the eastern boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan block is challenging, and even when available, it is often sparse in space. Alternatively, a large amount of relocated earthquakes and surface fault traces are generally used to create initial three-dimensional models of active faults. However, this approach overlooks the contributions of focal mechanism solutions in constraining the modeling, with more subjectivity in the selection of relocated seismicity, and does not adopt a differentiated weight strategy for various data sources. In this study, a 3D implicit modeling approach, combining deep and shallow geological and geophysical data that are generally available in active tectonic environments, was used to construct a detailed 3D structural model of the Anninghe-Zemuhe-Xiaojiang fault zone at the eastern boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan block. The modeling process effectively integrated the fault plane constraints provided by focal mechanism solutions with surface fault traces and relocated seismic data, using a multi-iteration process with differentiated weight to increase the accuracy of the fault models. This approach ultimately represented the 3D complex structural features of the eastern boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan block using multiple data sources. The modeling results show that the Anninghe-Zemuhe fault zone is characterized by a steep strike-slip fault structure with along-strike geometry variations. The Anninghe Fault shows its steepest dip angle in the central segment and gradually becomes gentler to both ends. Meanwhile, the Zemuhe Fault exhibits several asperities that are perpendicular to the direction of fault slip at a depth of 5~15km. By contrast, the north-to-central segment of the Xiaojiang fault zone is more complex. The western branch of the Xiaojiang Fault, which is an east-dipping, left-lateral strike-slip fault, is characterized by a relatively gentle fault plane with an average dip angle of 76° to 78°. The west-dipping segment of the eastern Xiaojiang Fault has a steeper dip with an average angle of 85°. The detailed 3D structural model of active faults constructed through implicit modeling can be used for analyzing fault roughness and fault system studies, which are crucial for understanding the distribution of asperities on fault planes and conducting seismic rupture simulations. Implementing the implicit modeling approach allows for the development of improved fault surface representations that can contribute to Community Fault Models in active tectonic environments, and support fault system modeling, rupture simulations, and regional hazard assessments. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

THE LATE QUATERNARY ACTIVITY CHARACTERISTICS AND SLIP RATE OF BATANG FAULT IN SE TIBETAN PLATEAU HUANG Wei-liang, ZHANG Jia-le, XIANG Wen, YANG Qian-hao SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (6): 1265-1285.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.06.002 Abstract （179）   HTML （31）    PDF（pc） （17828KB）（252）       Knowledge map    Save The southeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau is one of the most intensely deformed regions in the continental crust. A series of active faults with varying lengths and mechanical properties have segmented the lithosphere into multiple active blocks, with the Sichuan-Yunnan block being one of the most tectonically active regions. Its eastern boundary is characterized by secondary fault zones such as the Xianshuihe-Anninghe-Zemuhe, Xiaojiang, and Daliangshan fault zone, forming a narrow and continuous strike-slip deformation zone with a total length exceeding 1 100km. The western boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan Block is mainly composed of the Jinsha River and the Red River fault zone, with the Jinsha River fault zone consisting of more than 20 roughly parallel secondary faults, forming a complex fault zone with 30~200km width. Despite recent GNSS network observation revealing the current tectonic deformation rates in this region, there is still a lack of research on the deformation characteristics and rates of individual active faults. This limitation makes it difficult in the assessment and understanding of seismic hazards in the area, restricting the scientific understanding of the current deformation mode in the southeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau. The Batang Fault, located within the Jinsha River fault zone at the western boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan block, is a NE-trending main fault that obliquely cuts across the Jinsha River Fault, dividing later into northern and central segments. Presently, the Batang Fault is characterized by dominant right-lateral strike-slip motion. The deformation characteristics and rates of this fault since the Late Quaternary are crucial for understanding the spatial distribution of strong earthquakes and deformation patterns in the Sichuan-Yunnan block. The Batang Fault has a total length of 115km and is a Holocene right-lateral strike-slip active fault. The fault extends along the margins of bedrock mountains on both sides of the Maqu river and Jinsha River valleys, trending NNE or NWW to SEE, with a steep dip. The fault exhibits linear distribution of topographic features such as slopes, ridges, triangular facets, and fault scarps, essentially controlling the boundaries of bedrock mountains. In view from the geomorphology, the Batang Fault appears continuous and straight without distinct segmentation, except for localized small-scale step-like features. The Batang Fault has preserved abundant Late Quaternary activity evidence in two areas, Huangcaoping village and Batang county. This study utilized unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry to establish sub-meter digital terrain data for Huangcaoping and Batang site, accurately measuring displaced features such as alluvial fans and gullies affected by faulting. In Huangcaoping site, the fault has cut through multiple mountain-front alluvial fans, causing varying degrees of horizontal displacement in features such as gullies and the margin of the alluvial fans. This provided a scale for quantifying fault displacement. In Huangcaoping, five large-angle gullies intersect with the fault, one of which is a large gully developed in the bedrock mountain area. The gully has a deep incision, a narrow valley, and a rapid downstream turn to the right after exiting the mountain. The left bank of the gully preserves two geomorphic surfaces, Qo(older)and Qi(younger)surface, with the fault cutting across both surfaces, forming linear steep terrain. The measured total right-lateral offset of this gully since exiting the bedrock mountain area is(46±9)m. To constrain the activity rate of the Batang Fault at this location, we used cosmogenic nuclide single clast dating to determine the exposure age of the oldest geomorphic surface, Qo, as(12.5±0.5)ka. Considering that the formation of the river predates the Qo geomorphic surface, the age-constrained slip rate of the fault at this location is considered a maximum value, estimated at(3.6±0.8)mm/a. At Batang county, the Batang Fault has preserved clear faulted topography when cutting through the Moqu alluvial fan. The southern edge of the Moqu alluvial fan has been displaced by the fault, providing a well-preserved geomorphic marker for determining the strike-slip displacement of the fault. The Batang Fault, when intersecting the steep edge of the Moqu River alluvial fan, caused an obvious right-lateral offset, determined by comparing the consistent morphology of the steep edge on both sides of the fault. The right-lateral strike-slip displacement along the southern edge of the alluvial fan is measured at (40±5)m. The cosmogenic nuclide depth profile dating was used to determine the age of the faulted alluvial fan. From a vertical profile excavated along a man-made road on the edge of the alluvial fan, four mixed samples of small pebbles were collected from bottom to top. The calculated exposure ages of the debris flow alluvial fan are (15.2+3.2/-5.4)ka (without consideration of erosion)and (16.4+3.9/-5.6)ka (with consideration of erosion). Combining the fault displacement along the southern edge of the alluvial fan and the cosmogenic nuclide depth profile ages, the slip rate of the Batang Fault at this location is estimated to be of(2.6±0.6)mm/a (without erosion)or(2.4±0.8)mm/a (considering erosion). We believe that the age results with consideration of erosion effects is closer to the true values, thus we take 2.4mm/a as the activity rate of the Batang Fault at this location. The two slip rate values of the Batang Fault obtained in the Huangcaoping and Batang county sites are similar, indicating a right-lateral strike-slip rate of 2~4mm/a since the Late Quaternary. This rate accounts for 50%~80% of the present GPS observation shear deformation across the western boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan block, indicating that the Batang Fault is a major deformation absorption zone in the Jinsha River fault zone. However, this rate is lower than the predicted~10mm/a using block models. The discrepancy may be due to the different understanding of the deformation mode at the western boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan Block. In the block model, block sliding mainly relies on the primary boundary fault to regulate, but the long-term and lower geological activity rate of the Batang Fault obtained in this study does not match the assumption of a higher activity rate for the boundary fault in this model. The continuous and diffuse deformation characteristics of crustal deformation in the southeastern margin of the Tibet plateau may corroborate the lower activity rate of the Batang Fault obtained in this study. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

ANALYSING THE SURFACE DEFORMATION AND PRESENT-DAY MAGMA ACTIVITY OF CHANGBAISHAN-TIANCHI VOLCANO FROM 2015 TO 2022 WITH INSAR TECHNOLOGY XIONG Guo-hua, JI Ling-yun, LIU Chuan-jin SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (6): 1309-1327.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.06.004 Abstract （177）   HTML （27）    PDF（pc） （10999KB）（120）       Knowledge map    Save The surface deformation information can effectively reflect the activity status of the magma chamber under the volcano, which is very important for understanding the evolution process of volcanic activity. By capturing deformation anomalies, the volcanic hazard can be assessed, providing insights into the supply, storage, and triggering mechanisms of volcanic magma systems. According to statistics, there are 14 active volcanoes in China with potential eruption risks. Among them, Tianchi volcano of Changbaishan is considered the largest and most dangerous active volcano within China’s borders. It is located on the northern edge of the Sino-Korean Plate, situated to the east of the Dunhua-Mishan fault at the outermost edge of the Northeast rift system and to the west of the back-arc basin of the Japan Sea. Multiple groups of faults in the NE-SW and NW-SE directions are widely developed in the region. Since 2002, seismic activity in the Tianchi volcano area has gradually increased, with the annual average earthquake frequency rising from dozens to over a hundred times, reaching its peak in 2003 with over a thousand occurrences. However, seismic activity has gradually decreased after 2006. Nevertheless, between 2020 and 2022, two episodes of seismic swarms occurred beneath the Tianchi volcano, with epicenters exhibiting a dispersing pattern gradually spreading from beneath the volcanic vent. This indicates that the Tianchi volcano still retains the potential for eruption. This study investigates the Tianchi volcano as the research area. It utilizes Sentinel-1A/B images from three orbits, namely ascending and descending passes, and employs advanced techniques including Small Baseline Subset(SBAS)InSAR and Stacking InSAR to retrieve Line of Sight(LOS)surface deformation results of the Tianchi volcano from 2015 to 2022. Additionally, InSAR observations are used as surface constraints, and the geometric distribution of the magma reservoir in Tianchi volcano is inverted using the Mogi point source model. By analyzing the inferred volume change rate of the magma reservoir and integrating it with previously published results obtained from geodetic measurements, the mechanisms underlying the variations in the magma reservoir and the temporal sequence of volcanic activity in Tianchi volcano are explored. The primary conclusions are as follows: (1)According to the acquired LOS InSAR average deformation rate data from 2015 to 2022, covering the Tianchi volcano, the deformation results from different orbits show good consistency in their distribution. Near the volcano crater, there is an overall trend of deformation, while in areas farther away from the crater, local deformation exists. Over the past seven years of monitoring, there has been a slow subsidence phenomenon near the volcano crater, with a deformation rate of approximately -4mm/a to -2mm/a. By extracting the profile deformation time series from one descending orbit, it is found that the maximum cumulative deformation is about -40mm. The results of the deformation time series indicate that the surface deformation of the Tianchi volcano was relatively small between 2014 and 2017, indicating relatively stable magmatic activity during this period. However, starting in 2018, there has been a certain degree of accelerated deformation, and surface deformation mainly occurs around the volcano crater. (2)According to the inversion results of the Mogi model, the shallow magma chamber beneath the Tianchi volcano has an estimated depth of approximately 6km, with a volume change rate of -3.3×105m3/a. The geographical location of the magma chamber is situated slightly below and to the west of the Tianchi volcano crater. The inversion results indicate that during the monitoring period, the magma chamber displayed an overall slow contraction. It is speculated that the deformation activity of the magma chamber may be attributed to magma cooling and crystallization processes. (3)According to the inversion of geodetic measurement data on magma chamber volume changes, during the period from 1995 to 1998, the magma chamber of the Tianchi volcano underwent progressive expansion deformation at a sluggish rate. The Tianchi volcano experienced significant surface uplift deformation from 2002 to 2005. During this period, the magma chamber exhibited a rapid expansion deformation with a fast volume change rate. Starting from 2006, the surface deformation rate weakened, and the volume change rate slowed down. From 2009 to 2011, the inversion of leveling observation data indicated a contraction of the magma chamber volume. Throughout the observation period of this study, the magma chamber continued to exhibit a contraction phenomenon. From 1995 to 2022, the Tianchi volcano underwent a process of magma activity, transitioning from a state of quiescence to perturbation and back to quiescence. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF INFLUENCING FACTORS OF SURFACE RUPTURE IN OVERLYING SOIL LAYER OF THRUST FAULT GUO Ting-ting, XU Xi-wei, YUAN Ren-mao, YANG Hong-zhi SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (5): 1200-1218.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.05.010 Abstract （176）   HTML （19）    PDF（pc） （10497KB）（163）       Knowledge map    Save When the strong earthquakes occur, the deformation and rupture of overlying soil caused by the dislocation of focal faults is one of the important reason for the destruction of ground structures. In the process of a strong earthquake or large earthquake, the deformation reaction and failure of the overlying soil of underground concealed faults are very complicated. To study and analyze the characteristics and influencing factors of surface deformation and fracture of the overlying soil layer, in this paper, the influences of fault dip Angle, fault displacement, and overlying soil thickness on surface deformation and fracture of overlying soil are analyzed by the finite element numerical simulation method comprehensively. The results show that: 1)With the increase of fault vertical dislocation of 1m to 4m, the surface equivalent strain gradually increases, the surface rupture is more likely to occur, and the surface rupture width also wider. With the increase of the thickness of the overlying soil layer from 20m to 60m, and the increase of the fault inclination from 30°, 45°, 70° to nearly 90°, the surface equivalent strain is gradually smaller, the surface rupture is more likely to occur, and the surface fracture width becomes smaller, which means that the amount of dislocation required for the same rupture state needs to increase. 2)When the vertical dislocation of the fault is about 3.3%for the thickness of the overlying soil, the surface rupture occurs only as the fault dip angle is 30°, no surface rupture occurs as the dip angle is 45° and 70°. When the vertical dislocation of the fault is about 5% of the thickness of the overlying soil, the surface rupture occurs only as the fault dip angle is 30° and 45°, no surface rupture occurs as the dip angle is 70° and approaching 90°. When the vertical dislocation of the fault is about 6.6% of the thickness of the overlying soil, the surface rupture occurs as the fault dip angle is 30°、 45° and 70°, and surface rupture is expected to occur as the dip angle is approaching 90°. When the vertical dislocation of the fault is about 10% of the thickness of the overlying soil, the surface rupture occurs as the fault dip angle is 30°, 45°, 60°and approaching 90°. 3)When the amount of vertical dislocation and the thickness of the overlying soil are certain, the ratio of surface rupture width between the hanging wall and footwall which is less affected by fault dip ranges from 3︰1 to 3︰2~1︰1 with the increase of fault dip Angle from 30°, 45° to 70°. When the fault inclination Angle is 30°, with a decrease of vertical dislocation of 4m to 1m, or the increase of overlying soil layer thickness of 20m to 60m, the ratio of surface rupture width between hanging wall and footwall is slightly larger from about 3︰1. When the fault inclination Angle is 45°, with the decrease of vertical dislocation of 4m to 1m, or the increase of overlying soil layer thickness of 20m to 60m, the ratio of surface rupture width between hanging wall and footwall is slightly larger from about 2︰1. When the fault inclination Angle is 75°, with the decrease of vertical dislocation of 4m to 1m, or the increase of overlying soil layer thickness of 20m to 60m, the ratio of surface rupture width between hanging wall and footwall is slightly larger from about 3︰2~1︰1. Under the above fault dip conditions, the ratio of surface rupture width between hanging wall and footwall is less affected by the amount of vertical dislocation and the thickness of overlying soil. As the inclination is approaching 90°, the ratio of surface rupture width between the hanging wall and footwall is about 1︰1, which is not affected by the vertical dislocation and the thickness of the overlying soil layer. 4)The deformation and fracture of the overlying soil layer first began with the soil fracture at the interface of the fault bedrock and soil. With the increase in the amount of dislocation, a fracture point appeared on the surface when the fault dip Angle was 30°, 45°, and 70°. However, when the dip Angle of the fault was close to 90°, there were two initial rupture points on the surface. With the increase of vertical dislocation or the decrease of the overlying soil layer thickness, the overlying soil layer through fracture is finally formed. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

CRUSTAL FINE VELOCITY STRUCTURE IN THE ERYUAN AREA, YUNNAN FROM DOUBLE-DIFFERENT TOMOGRAPHY CAO Ying, QIAN Jia-wei, HUANG Jiang-pei, ZHOU Qing-yun SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (1): 162-183.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.01.010 Abstract （167）   HTML （19）    PDF（pc） （14442KB）（129）       Knowledge map    Save The Eryuan area is located in the central part of the northwest Yunnan region on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The geological structure in the area is complex, including the Weixi-Qiaohou-Weishan Fault and Honghe Fault, as well as the Longpan-Qiaohou Fault and Heqing-Eryuan Fault, which intersect in an “X” shape. The geothermal activity in the area is also active and exhibits strong fault structural characteristics. Earthquake activity is also frequent in the Eryuan area. Since 2013, multiple earthquakes with MS≥5.0 have occurred on the west side of the Weixi-Qiaohou-Weishan Fault. Given the complex geological and geothermal background and seismic activity in the Eryuan area, we use the seismic travel time data recorded by the Yunnan Regional Seismic Network and the Northwest Yunnan Dense Array from January 1, 2008, to July 20, 2023, VP/VS model consistency-constrained DD tomography method to obtain the 3D VP, VS, and VP/VS models and relocation results in the Eryuan and its surrounding areas. The research results indicate that: 1)based on the relocation results, the dense small seismic cluster develops at the intersection of the Weixi-Qiaohou-Weishan Fault, Honghe Fault, and Heqing-eryuan Fault deserves special attention. Four earthquakes with MS≥5.0 that have occurred since 2013 are mainly distributed on the west side of the Weixi-Qiaohou-Weishan Fault, with an NNW-SSE trend distribution. The fault system at the western boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan block is very complex, and its seismic risk deserves our special attention. 2)Based on the tomography results, the widely distributed low-velocity anomalies in the upper crust of the study area may be related to the crustal material migration pathway caused by the escape of the Sichuan-Yunnan diamond block towards SSE. 3)Combining imaging results with geochemical research results for inference, the high VP/VS below 10km depth beneath the small seismic cluster at the intersection of the Weixi-Qiaohou-Weishan Fault, Honghe Fault, and Heqing-Eryuan Fault may correspond to hot spring geothermal fluids. Moreover, the circulation process of hot spring fluids in complex fault systems may have penetrated to a depth of 7~10km below the seismic cluster, accompanied by some small earthquakes. However, there is no imaging evidence of fluid within a depth of 5~7km where some earthquakes are densely distributed. The occurrence of these earthquakes may be related to the distribution of brittle rocks, but it cannot be ruled out that fluid may have a potential infiltration effect on them in the future. Based on the results of velocity structure, they are combined with pre-existing seismology research results. It is found that the Eryuan earthquake sequences on March 3 and April 17, 2013 were mainly located within low VP, low VS, and low VP/VS anomaly. Generally, if there is fluid present, VS decreases faster than VP, resulting in high VP/VS. So low VP/VS indicates that low VS is not caused by fluids, which may be due to lithology. Therefore, the imaging evidence indicates that there is no fluid in the region where the sequence is located, thus inferring that the occurrence of the sequence is not directly related to the fluid. The MS5.1 Yangbi earthquake sequence on March 27, 2017, is spatially close to the Eryuan sequence and also has the same velocity structure characteristics, so it may not be directly related to fluids. The mainshock and some aftershocks of the MS5.1 Yunlong earthquake sequence on May 18, 2016, were mainly located in high VP, high VS, and relatively high VP/VS regions. High VS indicates that it is not the fluid that causes relatively high VP/VS. It is speculated that there may not be fluid in the region where the mainshock is located, and the fluid did not directly participate in the occurrence process of the sequence. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

EFFECTS OF STRIKE-SLIP FAULT GEOMETRIC COMPLEXITY ON EARTHQUAKE RUPTURES PROPAGATION: A REVIEW WANG Hui, CAO Jian-ling, YAO Qi, WANG Li-wei, ZHU Ya-ling SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (1): 201-219.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.01.012 Abstract （166）   HTML （19）    PDF（pc） （1897KB）（162）       Knowledge map    Save Active strike-slip fault usually hosts major earthquakes. Therefore, studies on fault segmentation, which is controlled by geometric complexity, are very important for assessing the maximum magnitude of potential earthquakes. Based on previous literature, we summarized the behavior of earthquakes on strike-slip faults related to fault geometry, segmentation, and cascading rupture from the aspects of field investigation and numerical modeling. Previous field investigations have shown that geometrically complex sections of a strike-slip fault usually play the role of barriers that can separate earthquake rupture segments and effectively stop the propagation of earthquake rupture. Statistical results based on the limited field investigations of the surface rupture illuminated semi-quantitatively the influence of geometrically complex sections on the rupture behavior of the earthquake. Since not all earthquakes can produce surface rupture zones, the case number of surface ruptures are unlikely to meet statistical requirements in the coming years. In addition, knowledge gained from field investigation is mainly statistical results based on fault geometry and kinematics. They have some consistency but vary greatly, indicating the complexity of seismic rupture modes on strike-slip faults. No simple threshold that can be used as a criterion to refine the capability of earthquake rupture propagation on strike-slip faults with complex geometry. Based on the statistical results of field surveys, geologists have applied the factor, that complex geometricity controls earthquake rupture behavior, in seismic risk assessment. Lacking support from dynamic analysis, it is necessary to develop and integrate physics-based dynamic models to help improve earthquake-rate models and probability models. Numerical modeling can not only present the earthquake simulation scenario but also provide insights into the fundamental physics of dynamic rupture propagation. The modeling results improve our understanding of how the geometric complexity of the fault influences the dynamic rupture propagation. Different modeling approaches focus on different aspects of this challenging scientific problem, each with unique advantages and disadvantages. 2D modeling is relatively simple. They allow modelers to consider more complex physical processes, variated parameters, and constraints from the field and laboratory observation, etc. They provide a comparative benchmark on rupture dynamics on a strike-slip fault with complex geometry. 3D modeling can provide closer approximations to realistic faults and more direct comparisons to observations. The simulations of one earthquake rupture process may focus on the influence of single/multiple parameters on the rupture process. While the multicycle earthquake simulation can predict spatiotemporal patterns of earthquake ruptures on a strike-slip fault. Both simple 2D modeling and complex 3D modeling have shown that one of the most important factors affecting rupture behavior on strike-slip faults is the fault geometric complexity. In addition, other dynamic factors, such as the initial stress, the properties of the rock medium, and nucleation location, also affect dynamic fracture propagation on strike-slip faults. It indicates that rupture behavior on a certain strike-slip fault has its unique characteristics that are controlled by dynamic factors such as the regional tectonic environment and the properties of the fault itself. The numerical modeling provides a dynamic perspective on the complexity of rupture behaviors on strike-slip faults given by field investigations. In the China Seismic Science Experimental Site, 3D dynamic modeling supported by fault detection, dense geophysical observations, and high-performance computation will provide new insights into the rupture behavior in the complex multi fault system. That is helpful in determining the maximum magnitude of a potential earthquake. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

JOINT INVERSION OF THE RUPTURE PROCESS OF 2018 ML5.7 XINGWEN EARTHQUAKE BASED ON SEISMIC AND INSAR OBSERVATIONS MIAO Si-yu, ZHANG Hai-jiang, GU Ning, LI Jun-lun, TAN Yu-yang, HUA Si-bo, ZHANG Yong SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (2): 397-413.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.02.009 Abstract （166）   HTML （11）    PDF（pc） （5595KB）（115）       Knowledge map    Save The ML5.7 Xingwen earthquake on December 16, 2018 is very likely induced by shale gas hydraulic fracturing, which caused not only massive landslides and rock collapse, but also some casualties in the surrounding area, with the direct economic loss of about 50 million CNY. It is of great significance to determine the source rupturing process of such an induced earthquake with large magnitude. Finite fault inversion is one of the commonly adopted methods to determine coseismic slip displacement distribution. For finite fault inversion, various data have different sensitivities to various aspects of the rupture process. The seismic data can provide the historical information about the earthquake rupture process because it contains the Doppler effect of the space-time rupture behavior on the fault. In comparison, the near-field geodetic data(such as InSAR and GPS)can constrain the fault parameters and the static slip distribution well because they contain the surface motion information. Therefore, the reliability of the inversion for the complex seismic rupture process can greatly be improved by combined use of seismicdata and InSAR data. In this study, strong-motion seismic data recorded at 8 near-field stations are chosen and filtered by a band-pass of 0.15-0.60Hz. The same InSAR data used in Wang et al.(2022)is adopted in this joint study. For inversion, a sufficiently large potential fault plane of 15km long and 10km wide is chosen and divided into 15×10 subfaults. Finally, the rupture process is obtained by joint inversion of strong-motion seismic data and InSAR data. The results show that the earthquake is characterzied by a typical unilateral rupture with the rupturing direction nearly towards the north. The duration of the rupture process was 6s, and the energy release was mainly concentrated in the first 5s. The rupture process is segmented and can be divided into two stages. The first stage is distributed from 1-3s and is located in the range of 0~5km from the source; and the 2nd stage is distributed from 3-5s and is located between 6 and 8km from the source. The coseismic slip is mainly concentrated in areas shallower than 5km, with a peak slip of approximately 0.27m. This can be used to explain why the Xingwen earthquake with a magnitude of ML5.7 caused relatively serious damages. Combined with the distribution of foreshocks and aftershocks, it can be seen that the foreshocks were mainly concentrated to the eastern edge of the major coseismicslip zone, which are close to some hydraulic fracturing wells. This suggests that these foreshocks occuring at the edge of the main rupture zone has a certain correlation with fluids, and the presence of fluids further leads to the fault weakening of the mainshock due to the increase of pore pressure and the decrease of effective compressive stress, which plays a triggering role in the occurrence of the Xingwen earthquake. The aftershocks are mainly distributed around the main slip zone, which are caused by after slips after the mainshock. The results from seismic inversion, InSAR inversion and joint inversion of the two data types reveal that the Xingwen earthquake is a northward unilateral rupture. The rupture propagation direction and coseismic slip distribution may be related to the physical property changes along the fault plane. Compared with the two single inversion results, the joint inversion overcomes the influence of uneven distribution of seismic stations, improves the resolution of slip distribution, and produces results that are more consistent with the real physical process. The slip model obtained by joint inversion in this study can be helpful for further understanding the mechanisms of induced earthquake, the correlation between induced earthquake and geological structure, earthquake disaster assessment and post-earthquake disaster prevention and hazard mitigation. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

RESEARCH ON RAPID ESTIMATION METHOD OF EARTHQUAKE MAGNITUDE BASED ON STRONG-MOTION RECORDS MENG Rui, ZHANG Yuan-fan, XIE Xiao-feng, NIE Zhi-xi, WANG Zhen-jie, SHAN Xin-jian SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (5): 1219-1232.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.05.011 Abstract （161）   HTML （16）    PDF（pc） （7538KB）（116）       Knowledge map    Save Earthquake Early Warning(EEW)is the rapid acquisition of earthquake epicenter, magnitude, and occurrence time after a destructive earthquake has started to issue alerts to the public before the arrival of transverse waves and long-period surface waves. Magnitude estimation plays a significant role in EEW algorithm research, serving as a fundamental component for early warning, post-earthquake disaster assessment, and emergency response. Seismic monitoring methods primarily focus on technologies like High-rate Global Navigation Satellite System (HR-GNSS) and strong-motion instruments. HR-GNSS is capable of capturing high-precision ground deformation signals and offers the advantages of a non-saturation recording range, making it crucial for rapid estimation of earthquake magnitudes during major seismic events. However, due to the low GNSS sampling rate and high instrument noise, observational noise often overshadows the deformation signals obtained during low-magnitude earthquakes. Additionally, the sparse distribution of GNSS stations currently impacts the accuracy and timeliness of magnitude estimation. Strong-motion observation methods, characterized by high sampling rates, low noise, and dense station distribution, are widely applied in magnitude estimation. Prevalent methods for strong-motion magnitude estimation often rely on P-wave arrival time information for timely determination of magnitude, commonly used in earthquake early warning systems. Yet, these methods are susceptible to saturation effects, leading to underestimation of magnitudes for large earthquakes. Moment magnitude estimation methods are closely associated with rupture characteristics of the seismic source and hold clear physical significance. However, determining this magnitude necessitates knowledge of the rupture extent and slip distribution along the fault plane, which are challenging to precisely obtain at the moment of earthquake occurrence. Hence, such methods are generally employed for post-event magnitude calculations. Addressing these challenges, this paper proposes a novel method for rapidly estimating earthquake magnitudes using Peak Ground Velocity(PGV)derived from strong motion. First, a comprehensive dataset of strong-motion acceleration records is compiled, covering nearly 20 years and including 5 596 records from 23 global seismic events with magnitudes ranging from 6.0 to 9.0. These records encompass epicentral distances from 1km to 1 000km, with source depths within 60km. A uniform processing approach is applied to standardize the records in terms of time domain orientation, measurement units(converted to cm/s2), and file formats. Data from each station is categorized into three directions: East-West(EW), North-South(NS), and Vertical(UD). Subsequently, the data is converted into the Seismic Analysis Code(SAC)file format, which is specialized for digital seismic waveform data exchange. Ensuring accurate PGV measurements from strong-motion data involves meticulous data preprocessing. This includes removing the mean acceleration from the first 5 seconds before the seismic event for simple bias correction, followed by baseline correction using a high-pass filter with a cutoff frequency of 0.02Hz. The preprocessed strong-motion acceleration records are then integrated to obtain velocity, enabling the measurement of PGV. A robust PGV-based magnitude estimation model, suitable for rapid earthquake magnitude estimation, is constructed using the least-squares regression method. Furthermore, the constructed PGV-based magnitude estimation model undergoes comprehensive experimental analysis. Initially, the residuals between observed PGV values from 5596 strong-motion records and PGV values predicted by the regression model are computed to evaluate the precision of the constructed PGV-based magnitude estimation model. The model is validated using four earthquake events not included in its construction: the 2021 Damasi MW6.3 earthquake, the 2012 Nicoya MW7.6 earthquake, the 2008 Wenchuan MW7.9 earthquake, and the 2014 Iquique MW8.2 earthquake. This validation process assesses the reliability of the constructed magnitude estimation model. Finally, the paper conducts a study on rapid magnitude estimation to evaluate the timeliness and accuracy of the PGV-based magnitude estimation model within this context. The experimental results indicate that the predicted values of strong-motion PGV are largely consistent with the observed values for 23 seismic events, with a root mean square error of residuals measuring 0.296. For the four seismic events that were not included in the modeling process, the estimated magnitudes based on strong-motion PGV correspond closely to the moment magnitudes reported by the United States Geological Survey(USGS). The absolute deviations for these events are 0.15, 0.14, 0.05, and 0.13 magnitude units, with an average absolute deviation of 0.12 magnitude units. In the investigation of rapid magnitude estimation, the following outcomes were observed: For the Damasi MW6.3 earthquake, an initial magnitude of 5.03 was calculated at 13 seconds, approaching the theoretical magnitude at 63 seconds, and reaching a convergent magnitude of 6.09 at 76 seconds. Regarding the Nicoya MW7.6 earthquake, a preliminary magnitude of 4.57 was computed within 6 seconds, approximating the theoretical magnitude at 30 seconds, and converging to 7.46 at 50 seconds. In the case of the Wenchuan MW7.9 earthquake, a preliminary magnitude of 4.06 was determined within 19 seconds. At 50 seconds, the calculated magnitude approached the theoretical value, and it converged to 7.81 at 84 seconds. For the Iquique MW8.2 earthquake, an initial magnitude of 6.45 was estimated within 2 seconds, nearing the theoretical magnitude at 55 seconds, and achieving a convergent magnitude of 8.04 at 70 seconds. The convergence time for rapid magnitude estimation for all four events was consistently under 90 seconds. This experimental findings underscore the applicability of the constructed PGV-based magnitude estimation model for rapid earthquake magnitude estimation. The model's ability to counter saturation effects and prevent magnitude underestimation reinforces its robustness and offers substantial technical support for earthquake early warning systems and post-earthquake emergency response strategies. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

EVIDENCE FOR THE HOLOCENE ACTIVITY OF THE LEIBO FAULT ZONE ZHANG Guo-xia, SUN Hao-yue, LI Wei, SUN Wen SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (1): 141-161.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.01.009 Abstract （160）   HTML （32）    PDF（pc） （18061KB）（183）       Knowledge map    Save The Yingjing-Mabian-Yanjin tectonic zone(YMYTZ)is an important boundary structure between the southeastern margin of the Tibet Plateau and the Sichuan Basin. It consists of several small-scale secondary faults with different strikes and is generally characterized by the intersections of north-northwest oriented longitudinal faults and nearly east-west oriented transverse faults. The YMYTZ is seismically very active in the late Quaternary and hosted several moderate-strong earthquakes, including two M≥7 earthquakes since 1216AD, namely the 1216 Mahu earthquake and the 1974 Daguanbei earthquake. After the Daguanbei earthquake, several M≥6 earthquakes and hundreds of M≥5 earthquakes occurred along the YMYTZ to date, implying it is a newly generated seismotectonic belt. Even so, the activity of each fault is still unclear, bringing out great uncertainty in understanding the current crustal deformation pattern and in evaluating the regional seismic potential. Specifically, although several M≥6 earthquakes have occurred along the Leibo fault zone in the southern segment of the YMYTZ, the late Quaternary activity of the fault zone has not been well determined due to insufficient work as well as subsequent lack of solid evidence. The Leibo fault zone strikes NE-SW and spreads on the southeast flank of the Chenqiangyan-Shanzhagang anticline. It starts at the Huanglang township near the Mahu Lake, cuts through the Jingkou Mountain, Lianhuashi, and Leibo, and extends southwestwards to the vicinity of Lianlajue. The latest investigation shows that the Leibo fault zone consists of four subparallel right-lateral strike-slip faults named F1—F4 from the north to the south, respectively. These fault branches together constitute a 43km-long and 10km-wide structural belt. Previous paleoseismic work along the Leibo fault zone found that the faults ruptured the late Pleistocene sedimentary layers with their upward terminations covered by the undeformed Holocene deposits, implying it was active in the late Pleistocene and has not been active since the Holocene. However, the ground surface traces of the Leibo fault zone are the most obvious among the faults in the YMYTZ, and recent seismologic studies show strong seismic activity for the Leibo fault zone, bringing out a controversy about whether it is active in the Holocene or not. To address the late Quaternary activity of the Leibo fault zone, we conducted detailed indoor deformed geomorphic feature interpretation on remote sensing imageries like 2m-resolution GF-2 imagery and high-resolution imageries on Google Earth, and further mapped the fault traces in the field using an unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)derived digital orthographs and digital surface models(DSM). Based on the geological and geomorphological surveys, two trenches were excavated at Pengjiashan and Luohangou along the northern(F2)and southern(F4)branches of the Leibo fault zone respectively. On the trench walls, surface-rupturing paleoearthquakes were identified for each fault according to criteria for faulting events like cut-and-cover structures, scarps, and colluvial wedges. Subsequently, we collected and dated several radiocarbon samples from the sedimentary layers immediately before and after the rupturing events, and finally carried out stratigraphic sequence calibration using the acquired ages with the OxCal 4.4 program to constrain the timings of the revealed paleoearthquakes. According to the identification criteria of paleoseismic events, it was revealed 3 paleoearthquakes in the Pengjiashan trench on the northern fault branch(F2)and another 7 rupturing events in the Luohangou trench along the southern fault branch(F4). Radiocarbon sample dating constrain the ages of the paleoearthquakes along F2 to be 21190—20590BC(EP1), 20550—12120BC(EP2), and after 12090BC(EP3), while the latest two paleoseismic events on F4 occurred 9270—5040BC(EL6)and after 5000BC(EL7). Our paleoseismic studies show that the LFZ has experienced several surface-rupturing earthquakes in the Holocene, verifying it is a Holocene active fault zone. Moreover, the ages of the paleoseismic events revealed on two fault branches do not overlap with each other, suggesting they are different paleoearthquakes so that the fault branches in the Leibo fault zone are independent seismogenic structures. By collecting and analyzing the magnitudes of strike-slipping earthquakes that have generated surface ruptures in western China since 1920, it is believed that the minimum magnitudes of the paleoearthquakes determined on the Leibo fault zone are 6.5. Through the empirical relationships between magnitude and surface rupture length, it is estimated that the LFZ has the capability to produce an earthquake with M≥7. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

FRICTIONAL PROPERTIES OF SERPENTINE MINERALS UNDER HYDROTHERMAL CONDITIONS LIU Shi-min, ZHANG Lei, HE Chang-rong SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (2): 235-250.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.02.001 Abstract （155）   HTML （24）    PDF（pc） （2735KB）（102）       Knowledge map    Save Serpentine minerals are among the minerals commonly found in the Earth’s subduction zones, and their unique physicochemical properties have a significant impact on subducting geodynamics. Friction experimental studies of serpentine minerals are essential to gain a deep understanding of the frictional sliding stability of serpentine-containing faults in subduction zones as well as explaining the complicated misalignment behavior of faults in subduction zone. Previous laboratory research has produced an abundance of results, and this work addresses two main aspects: the stable states of occurrence and interconversion relationships of serpentine minerals, and the parameters affecting the frictional strength and sliding stability of serpentine minerals. First of all, studies on the stable endowment state of serpentine minerals and the interconversion relationship show that different types of serpentines diaplay different stable phases under different conditions. Chrysotile and lizardite are stable at low temperatures, and the stability fields of both chrysotile and lizardite roughly overlap, but chrysotile is in a substable state. Antigorite is stable at high temperature conditions, such as subduction zone mantle wedges containing high pore fluid pressure conditions, and undergoes a transition from lizardite to antigorite with increasing temperature. Secondly, studies on the factors controlling the frictional strength and sliding stability of serpentine minerals have shown that temperature, pore fluid, and the effective normal stress are all critical factors, for example, an increase in temperature can significantly increase the frictional strength of lizardite and chrysotile. In addition, the friction strength of serpentine minerals shows an obvious pressure dependence, and it was found through previous experimental studies that the friction strength of chrysotile exhibits a high-pressure sensitivity, and that the friction strength of antigorite gradually increases with increasing temperature under low fluid pressure conditions, showing an obvious temperature strengthening phenomenon. In contrast, the change in frictional strength of antigorite with temperature under high-pressure fluid pressure conditions is diametrically opposed to the results of low-pore fluid pressure conditions, which shows a clear temperature weakening phenomenon. Previous studies have also found that antigorite-undergoes a dehydration reaction with increasing temperature under lower fluid pressure conditions, and then exhibits unstable velocity weakening phenomenon, while antigorite exhibits velocity weakening phenomenon under low shear deformation rate under high-pressure fluid conditions. By analyzing the variation of friction-slip stability of antigorite with the shear slip rate can help us to better explain the phenomenon of subduction-zone slow-slip. Overall, experimental studies of the friction of serpentine minerals provide a key experimental basis for a deep understanding of subduction zone geologic processes. The results of these studies are scientifically important for predicting earthquakes and explaining the evolution of the Earth’s internal tectonics and subduction zones, providing strong support for research and practice in the field of geosciences. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

A WEB-BASED PROTOTYPE SYSTEM FOR THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL FAULT MODELS OF THE CHINA SEISMIC EXPERIMENTAL SITE WU Xi-yan, LU Ren-qi, ZHANG Jin-yu, SUN Xiao, XU Fang, CHEN Gui-hua SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (1): 35-47.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.01.003 Abstract （154）   HTML （19）    PDF（pc） （6764KB）（129）       Knowledge map    Save The data of active fault structure and three-dimensional(3D)fault models is essential for seismic risk analysis. With more and more requirement for complex 3D fault models, the demand for data sharing and related research increases dramatically. A web-based display system for three-dimensional fault models would improve data sharing and user experience. Moreover, constructing such a web-based system is also an important issue for data sharing. The 3D active fault models are built in a data modeling platform, while the web display system is constructed by the geographic information system(GIS)platform. Because the data structure, type, and content between data modeling and GIS platforms are different, the following questions are critical, for example, how to migrate 3D model data from the modeling platform to the GIS platform?and can the migrated data present the right attributions?In this paper we used the Web AppBuilder of ArcGIS 10.6 Enterprise Edition to build a Web prototype system to display 3D fault models of the China Earthquake Science Experimental Field(Sichuan-Yunnan region). The system implemented the basic functions of a 3D Web application and successfully tested the 3D scene display scheme, user interaction mode, and data migration scheme. The prototype system adopted a local scene, which can easily switch between the above-ground and underground viewing angles of the scene. The scene included 2D fault surface traces, 3D fault models, and earthquakes with or without focal depth. After data fusion, the 3D fault models were classified and displayed with active age, having a good visual fusion effect with 2D fault data. Earthquakes with or without focal depth were displayed in different colors. The earthquakes without focal depth were uniformly displayed at 17km depth according to the average focal depth of the earthquakes with focal depth. So the earthquakes without focal depth can be highly consistent with other elements in the 3D scene. The user interface interaction mode in the 3D scene of the prototype system was consistent with the common interaction mode of 2D map applications in the following aspects: 1)map browsing; 2)Navigation menu; 3)Geographical inquiry; and 4)Functional interactive tools. The system interface was simple, clear, logical, and unified. Users were easily acquainted with the three-dimensional scene interface according to the two-dimensional map interaction experience. It conformed to the user interface interaction principles of simple, consistent, predictable, and easy feedback. The prototype system had the basic functions of 3D scene browsing, zooming in and out, 3D object attribute viewing, geographic query, base map switching, layer control, legend, and distance measurement. However, the prototype system needed further development and more complex functions such as data attribute table browsing, space selection, and space query. This paper presented a data migration scheme from the modeling platform to the GIS platform. The data migration of this scheme can be divided into four steps: data format conversion, coordinate system conversion, 2D and 3D attribute information mapping, and 3D data attribute table construction. After transforming the data format and coordination system from the modeling platform to the GIS platform, 2D and 3D data fusion should be carried out to make 3D data and 2D data have the same attribution. The format conversion and coordinate system conversion steps can be automatically completed in batches. Otherwise, mapping the 2D and 3D attribute information and building the 3D data attribute table need manual handling. In summary, this paper presents a data migration scheme from the modeling platform to the GIS platform. Practice in reality shows that only after conversing data format and coordination system from the modeling platform, the 2D and 3D data fusion steps are caplable of ensuring a better visual integration of them. The Web-based prototype system of displaying 3D fault models of the China Seismic Experimental Site implements the basic functions of 3D scene application and tests the fused 2D and 3D data visualization. It is friendly and open to users, with a great demonstration significance. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

STATE OF ART AND PERSPECTIVE ON DATABASE CONSTRUCTION FOR LOW-TEMPERATURE THERMOCHRONOLOGY DAI Meng-yao, WANG Ping, LI An-bo, DING Lu, LIU Pin-qin, DAI Jin-gen, ZHANG Hui-ping, LIU Shao-feng SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (6): 1432-1451.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.06.011 Abstract （152）   HTML （21）    PDF（pc） （5500KB）（113）       Knowledge map    Save Low-temperature thermochronology is a key technology for studying neotectonics and landscape evolution. However, it is intrinsically different from the other geochronological methods in the data expression, analysis and interpretation. In recent years, with the widespread adoption of low-temperature thermochronology techniques, the size volume of data has continuously increased, giving rise to many studies on tectonic geomorphic evolution based on big data. However, these data are mostly scattered across literature from different sources, with inconsistent formats and contents, and varying data quality, which to a certain extent hampers innovative research based on big data. There is a need to construct specialized databases to cope with the growing low-temperature thermochronology data and meet the demands of innovative research using big data. In this paper, four conventional geochronological databases, including National Geochronological Data Base, Geochron, Petlab, DataView, and recent databases, AusGeochem and Sparrow are reviewed for comparison of their capability in data sources, data volume, data storage structure, completeness of data content, data entry methods, data retrieval methods, coverage areas, database update patterns, and data analysis tools. The conventional geochronological databases, of which the thermochronological data comprise only a small part, are generally stored in databases similar to or outside this subject, such as radioisotope chronology database, geochronology database, petrological mineral and geological analysis databases. They amplify the commonalities between different disciplines, and thus focus only on the presentation of sample units. It is not suitable for “big data” research, because all the data are managed by relational database with strictly structured tables and limited data sources. It was found that conventional geochronological databases design approaches are often suitable for absolute age data. However, low-temperature thermochronology differs from conventional geological dating methods, as its age values only record cooling time. The more geologically significant cooling history comes from numerical simulations based on elevation profiles, track lengths, and the diffusion dynamics models of the(U-Th)/He system. Additionally, the innovation in experimental techniques also imposes new requirements on the construction of thermochronology databases. Comparing with the conventional geochronology databases, recent databases focus more on low-temperature thermochronological data and support both the structured and unstructured data with variable data sources, which makes it more comprehensive and professional. These databases own the characteristics of flexibility and expandability, especially for the addition of new dating methods and experimental methods, the storage of big data and the linkage between laboratories and database. Using different types of database platform and associated APIs, both relational and non-relational data can be involved and managed for data query, analysis and visualization. However, the construction of these recent databases is still in the preliminary exploration stage, and ensuring the continuous growth of data remains a challenge. Moreover, establishing a flexible numbering system for sustainable and expandable unique identification of samples and data is also an important task for recent databases. Finally, in addition to raw data, numerous thermal history information is included in published paper related to fission track. These interpretations or inverted results constitute interpretive data, which are crucial for reconstructing cooling history or tectonic uplift. Therefore, how to incorporate such data into the database is also a question that must be considered during database design. The key to supporting the database lies in the users who it oriented. Considering the needs of users in professional field for scientific research management, experimental analysis and “big data” innovative research, as well as in view of the problems existing in the current databases, we put forward following suggestions for the future construction of low-temperature thermochronology database. Firstly, in order to ensure the activity of specific low-temperature thermochronology database. from a technical perspective, artificial intelligence technologies such as natural language processing or other forms of machine learning algorithms should be utilized to semi-automatically or automatically extract information from paper, assisting users in quickly extracting relevant information and understanding the content of the literature. Platforms like Semantic Scholar, GeoDeepDive, and DeepShovel have implemented interactive features in data mining, wherein data is normalized and automated into the database based on user-specified rules, significantly reducing manpower and time costs in data acquisition, providing great convenience. In terms of ideology, the open-sharing academic ecosystem has given rise to open-sharing platforms such as arXiv for preprints, data repositories like Pangaea, and the Deep-Time Digital Earth integrated online research platforms, drastically shortening the cycle from research and experimentation to publication. This facilitates the incorporation of the latest research data into databases, greatly expanding the data sources. Regarding user volume, academic social networks possess advantages in academic tracking and dissemination, breaking down academic-related hierarchies, promoting academic exchange and cooperation, and attracting more users. Secondly, more detailed data storage capabilities and simpler data operation behaviors help improve the expansibility of the database. Most existing geochronological databases use relational databases, which are a strictly structured way of storing data. The most typical data structure presentation form is two-dimensional table, which is very suitable for logical geological data. However, non-relational databases are not tables but databases oriented towards structured and unstructured data storage requirements, which have filled the gaps in relational databases. In practical applications, the advantages of both types of databases can be combined to comprehensively include basic geological information and interpretive information, achieving the effect of New SQL. Thirdly, highlight its highlight. Chronological data of sample and the single data that make up the sample chronology are significant, it will be effective in distinguishing low-temperature thermochronology from other similar disciplines if the coding style of sample and single data that are not registered on IGSN can be standardized to highlight the characteristics of subject data. Finally, by combining the strengths of both conventional and recent databases, incorporating the concept of open academia, leveraging advanced information mining and transmission technologies, and utilizing a storage approach that combines structured and unstructured data, it can greatly meet the comprehensive needs of users, ranging from laboratories to scientists, and further to data consumers. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

DEEP STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE XINGTAI SEISMIC ZONE REVEALED BY PRECISE RELOCATION OF SMALL EARTHQUAKES AND TOMOGRAPHY LIU Kang, YANG Ting, LI Hong-guang, FANG Li-hua, SONG Jian SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (6): 1328-1348.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.06.005 Abstract （148）   HTML （24）    PDF（pc） （11306KB）（162）       Knowledge map    Save From March 8th to 29th, 1966, five earthquakes(M≥6)occurred in the Xingtai area, with the MS6.8 earthquake on March 8th and the MS7.2 earthquake on March 22nd being the most severely damaged. The Xingtai earthquake resulted in over 8 000 deaths and the economic losses up to 1 billion yuan. The Xingtai earthquake has opened the scientific practice of earthquake prediction in China and is a milestone in the development of earthquake science in China. Based on previous research results, there is a deep fault beneath the Xingtai earthquake area, which is the energy source of earthquakes, while there is a relatively independent fault system in the shallow part, which is generally recognized by scholars. However, the divergence regarding the seismogenic structure of the Xingtai earthquake mainly focuses on the unclear coupling relationship between the deep and shallow structural systems in the seismic area. The structural relationship between deep seismic faults and the shallow Xinhe Fault system requires new evidence to determine. In addition, previous scholars have proposed the viewpoint of “Newly generated Fault”, which can better explain the rupture characteristics of the Xingtai earthquake, but it still needs to be supported by the inversion results of the seismic rupture process based on the three-dimensional crustal fine structure. There are many small earthquakes in the Xingtai area. Deep structural information can be obtained using small earthquake data. Especially after 2009, the significant improvement in earthquake positioning accuracy in North China has made it possible to obtain new insights into deep structures. By locating small earthquakes, the spatial distribution and motion characteristics of faults are characterized, and seismic travel time tomography reveals the deep crustal velocity structure characteristics of the earthquake area. Combining previous geophysical exploration results, conducting deep and shallow structural analysis is of great significance for studying the spatial distribution, motion characteristics, and coupling relationship between deep and shallow structural systems of the fault system in the study area. The continuous aftershocks after the 1966 MS7.2 earthquake in Xingtai, Hebei Province, have provided favorable conditions for conducting studies on deep tectonic structures in the region. In this paper, based on the observation data of the Hebei seismostation from 1991 to 2021, we obtained the precise position results of 9 644 earthquakes in Xingtai and its neighboring area using the double-difference positioning method, and depicted the spatial patterns of deep ruptures. Based on the observation data of the North China Mobile Seismic Array from 2006 to 2008, 38 578 P-wave arrivals were used to obtain high-resolution travel time tomography results in the study area. This study shows that there are strong lateral heterogeneities in the velocity structure of the crust in the study area, with obvious low-velocity anomalies in the upper crust and high-velocity anomalies in the middle and lower crusts between the Xinhe Fault and the Yuanshi Fault, and the Xingtai earthquake is located at the junction of the high- and low-velocity anomalies, which has the medium conditions for accumulating large amounts of strain energy and is prone to rupture and stress release. The general trend of the dense zone of small earthquakes in the Xingtai earthquake area is relatively consistent with that of the eastern boundary of the high- and low-velocity anomalies. It is assumed that the deep and shallow fractures spreading along the eastern boundary of the high- and low-velocity bodies have been connected up and down and that the boundary of the anomalies is also a part where velocity changes are relatively strong and easily lead to seismic rupture; the results of various seismic and geological surveys have revealed that a deep major rupture that cuts through the entire crust exists beneath the Xingtai earthquake zone, with SE tendency and the upper breakpoint located near Dongwang, and the Xingtai earthquake prompted the deep and shallow pre-existing ruptures to connect from top to bottom. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

FULL-WAVEFORM INVERSION BASED ON EXPONENTIAL-PHASE COHERENCY MISFIT FUNCTION LIU Jian-huan, CHEN Jian-ye, ZHAO Ji-hai, Deyan Draganov SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (1): 48-62.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.01.004 Abstract （146）   HTML （7）    PDF（pc） （3494KB）（66）       Knowledge map    Save Full waveform inversion(FWI)has emerged as a highly effective approach for obtaining accurate and high-resolution S-wave velocity structure of the shallow subsurface. However, there exist several challenges when applying FWI in the field. The first challenge is the issue of local minima that arises when inaccurate initial models are used, especially when inverting shallow surface seismic data dominated by high-frequency and strongly dispersive surface waves. These local minima are caused by the non-linear misfit function that represents the differences between the measured and simulated data. Moreover, defining an appropriate minimization criterion to reduce the sensitivity of the inversion results to errors in the recorded seismic wave amplitudes is another significant challenge. Amplitude errors can arise from various factors, such as different coupling effects between seismic sources, receivers, and the ground, or variations in the strength of seismic sources excited at different shot locations. If the amplitude information of the recorded seismic wavefield is inaccurate, the reliability of the FWI inversion results will be effected negatively. To overcome these problems, we propose a novel misfit function that incorporates exponential-phase coherency, thereby eliminating the reliance on amplitude information from the measured and simulated data. This new misfit function is designed to measure the coherency between the measured and simulated data based on exponential phase. It achieves a balance in extracting valuable information from various amplitude components of the recorded seismic wavefield, such as surface waves, reflections, and scattering waves. The method for computing this coherency is inspired by Phase-Weighted Stacking(PWS)method to detect weak but correlated seismic signals. In PWS, the exponential phase of the data is computed to obtain a phase-dependent coherency that is independent of amplitude. This correlation is then used to enhance the stacking of signals with similar instantaneous phases. By utilizing the adjoint-state method, we efficiently calculate the gradient of the misfit function with respect to the model and conduct a thorough analysis of its shape and characteristics. To demonstrate the robustness of our proposed misfit function against random noise, we perform experiments by using simulated data contaminated with varying levels of noise. The results demonstrate that the misfit function based on exponential-phase coherency remains highly robust and reliable, even in the presence of significant random noise. This robustness is particularly crucial in practical applications where noise contamination is a common challenge. To evaluate the performance of FWI employing exponential-phase coherency in a real field environment, we employ seismic data collected at an archaeological site as a benchmark dataset. This dataset presents a complex and challenging scenario due to the presence of complex subsurface structures. In addition to the inherent noise in the data, we introduce additional random noise to assess the robustness of our proposed misfit function. The inversion results obtained with our novel FWI approach exhibit an impressive resemblance to the known velocity structure of the archaeological site. These results are further validated through independent archaeological excavations, which confirms the accuracy and reliability of our imaging technique. The success of using our method in accurately reconstructing subsurface features under challenging field conditions underscores the significant potential of FWI based on exponential-phase coherency to enhance the accuracy and reliability of shallow subsurface imaging in practical scenarios. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

STUDY ON THE SEISMOGENIC STRUCTURE OF THE 2022 GUJIAO ML4.1 EARTHQUAKE IN SHANXI PROVINCE BASED ON FOCAL MECHANISM AND SEISMIC LOCATION DONG Chun-li, ZHANG Guang-wei, LI Xin-wei, WANG Yue-jie, DING Da-ye, GONG Zhuo-hong SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (2): 414-432.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.02.010 Abstract （144）   HTML （11）    PDF（pc） （4880KB）（134）       Knowledge map    Save Understanding the mechanism of earthquake sequence in the mining area is important for the time-dependent hazard assessment. An earthquake of ML4.1 occurred in Gujiao, Taiyuan, Shanxi on February 20th, 2022, which caused strong ground motion in Gujiao and surrounding counties. The epicenter of this earthquake is located in the area of Lvliang uplift, where historical earthquakes are relatively rare. In addition, the coal resources are well developed in the earthquake source area which has attracted much attention from society and local governments. To investigate the mechanism and the seismogenic fault of Gujiao ML4.1 earthquake, we first apply the double-difference location method to retrieve highly accurate hypocenter locations. The results show that the earthquakes mainly occur at a depth range of 3~5km, and display a dominant distribution direction nearly EW-trending, which differs significantly from the NE-trending fault distribution pattern in this region. We further collect the broad-band seismic waveforms from the regional network of Shanxi province to perform focal mechanism inversion. The inversion results show that the Gujiao earthquake is a left-slip seismic event with a moment magnitude of MW3.96. The optimal double-couple solution is characterized by a strike of 90°, dip of 80°, and a rake angle of -21° for fault plane Ⅰ, while for the fault plane Ⅱ, the strike is 184°, dip is 69°, and rake angle is -169°. The best centroid depth is estimated to be at 3km. This earthquake shows an extremely shallow focal depth. Moreover, By using cluster analysis method, we obtained the central solution for the seismogenic fault plane of the GuJiao earthquake, with a fault strike of 91°and a dip angle of 70°. The focal solutions show that the earthquake exhibit a strike-slip type, and the orientations of earthquake sequence coincide well with the focal mechanisms. In addition, to discuss the effect of Gujiao ML4.1 earthquake on regional stress, we calculate the stress drop of this seismic sequence. The results show that the stress drop is significantly smaller than that of the regional earthquakes, exhibiting at least one order of magnitude lower than that of the background earthquakes in the same region. This phenomenon reflects that the stress level in the focal area of the GuJiao earthquake is not high, suggesting that the background stress enhancement in the focal area is not obvious. Based on regional geological structure, we found that the known faults in the region are all high-angle normal faults, and the strike of these faults are inconsistent with the focal mechanism solution of Gujiao earthquake sequence, which suggests that the existing faults are not the seismogenic fault. Taking the regional mining activities into account, we speculated that mining may cause strong disturbance to the stress field, and lead to stress redistribution within the rock mass. Such coal mining activity may generate a high stress disturbance on the hidden fault plane, and then the fault become the carrier of stress transfer. So we conclude that the seismogenic mechanism of the Gujiao-seismic sequence may be related to coal mining activities near the focal area, which leads to local stress changes, thus resulting in the activation of preexisting hidden faults and triggering the occurrence of the Gujiao earthquake. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

REMOTE SENSING INTEPRETATION OF COSEISMIC LAND-SLIDES TRIGGERED BY 1976 LONGLING MS7.3 AND MS7.4 EARTHQUAKES AND THE TECTONIC SIGNIFICANCES LI Hao-feng, XU Yue-ren, GUO Ya-li, LIU Han, ZHAO Xin-yu, LU Ling-yu, TANG Jia-cheng SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (1): 117-140.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.01.008 Abstract （141）   HTML （12）    PDF（pc） （17130KB）（105）       Knowledge map    Save The Longling-Lancang seismotectonic belt in southwestern Yunnan is critical for accurately defining the boundaries of active blocks and evaluating seismic risks. Using pre- and post-earthquake high-spatial-resolution satellite imagery to study strong earthquakes retrospectively proves to be a practical method in such study. Strong earthquakes frequently cause secondary effects such as coseismic landslides, collapses, and debris flows, which lead to considerable loss of life and property. These secondary effects, often as the most dramatic manifestations of an earthquake, show geologic signatures providing evidence of historic or prehistoric seismic activities. The use of satellite imagery captured shortly after historic earthquakes to interpret these secondary effects is particularly beneficial in determining the intensity and influence radius of earthquakes, thereby helping study on seismogenic faults of earthquakes. On May 29, 1976, two strong earthquakes with MS7.3 and MS7.4 occurred in Longling county, southwest China, followed by intense aftershocks. The seismogenic structure of these earthquakes still remains undetermined to present. These earthquakes triggered numerous coseismic landslides in the regolith of the granitic rock mass. The seismic zone, located in subtropical regions, is characterized by high precipitation and dense vegetation. Apart from the ancient landslides in the northwest and southeast, no records of landslides and debris flows persisted in the epicenter zone for a century, making the occurrence of substantial landslides post the main earthquakes unexpected. Currently, these landslides have undergone reshaping by land surface processes and re-vegetation, which makes them indistinguishable in recent remote sensing images. Using Keyhole satellite images with a resolution of 0.6~1.2m offers a useful means to identify the coseismic landslides of the Longling mainshocks. In this study, we employ these images for a comprehensive visual interpretation of the coseismic landslides. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of the results, we used images captured in 1981(the most recent following the earthquakes)to extract coseismic landslides and substantiated them with images from 1974, field investigation photos from 1976, and relevant records. Finally, we have compiled an exhaustive database of coseismic landslides triggered by the 1976 Longling cases. Our results are summarized as follows: 1)A total of 14 448 landslides were interpreted, encompassing an overall area of 17.2km2. The area of individual landslides primarily ranged from several hundreds to one thousand m2, and most were superficial slides in the surface regolith with short sliding distances. The regional stratigraphy is complex, with 70.9% of the landslides occurring in the regolith of granitic rock mass, 15.3%in sandstones or siltstones, and a mere 13.8%in other areas such as limestones. Consequently, these landslides were relatively small compared to those in other regions like the Loess Plateau in north China, where the surface sediment is extremely loose. 2)A strong correlation exists between the intense area of coseismic landslides and the earthquake sequence, which tends to migrate from south to north. Notable aftershocks(e.g., MS6.2 on June 9 and MS6.6 on July 21)particularly exhibited the general NNW distribution direction of the earthquake sequence and triggered scattered landslides outside the epicenter zone. Through synthesizing field surveys, combining other records and the findings of this study, we believed that the two main earthquakes triggered numerous coseismic landslides, and the continuous strong aftershocks led to the destabilized regolith of the granitic rock mass creeping successively, resulting in subsequent landslides. 3)The concentration areas of coseismic landslides do not match the high-earthquake-intensity areas, instead, they are all located on one side of active faults, which suggests that the seismogenic fault is neither the Longling-Ruili Fault nor the Wanding Fault. The spatial distribution of the landslides suggests that the scope of the surface rupture zone is about 30km. The conjugated strong earthquake ruptures in southwestern Yunnan may limit the spatial scale of single strong earthquakes, so it is crucial to pay more attention to the intersection zone of NE and NW trending active faults when assessing regional strong earthquake risk in the future. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

STUDY ON THE REGIONAL GRAVITY GRADIENT FIELD MODELING IN IRREGULAR AREA WITH CONSIDERATION OF SURFACE FLUCTUATION: A CASE STUDY OF YUNNAN PROVINCE LIU Jin-zhao, LIANG Xing-hui, YE Zhou-run, CHEN Zhao-hui, HU Min-zhang, HAN Yu-fei, WANG Qing-hua, LIU Dong, HAO Hong-tao, ZHANG Shuang-xi, CHEN Ming SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (5): 1129-1146.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.05.006 Abstract （141）   HTML （16）    PDF（pc） （9247KB）（136）       Knowledge map    Save The gravity gradient full tensor can sense the slight changes of the gravity vector in different directions, and because of the large number of components(6 components), it can reflect more information on different sides of the same field source than the gravity vector. On the other hand, the ground gravity survey has accumulated a lot of basic gravity vector data, and using the mathematical relationship between the gravity vector and the full tensor of gravity gradient to build a full tensor gravity gradient field model is helpful to the depth mining of existing gravity data information. Based on the mathematical relation and covariance function relation of disturbance potential, gravity anomaly, gravity disturbance and gravity gradient disturbance, along with the Least Square Configuration(LSC)algorithm, in this paper, the numerical formulas have been derived in detail for modeling the full tensor of regional gravity gradient disturbance field from gravity disturbance or gravity anomaly which distributed on undulating surface with non-grid pattern. The full tensor of gravity gradient derived from the grid distributed gravity anomaly data in West Arnhem Land, Australia by using the spectral domain(two-dimensional fast Fourier transform)method were taken as the “reference value”, Then, the full tensor of gravity gradient, in the same area with irregular regional gravity data distribution, derived form the LSC algorithm based on derived formulas were taken as the “evaluated value”. By comparing the differences between the “reference value” and the “evaluated value” of the gravity gradient, we found that: 1)The “evaluated value” obtained by the LSC method is consistent in spatial pattern of variation with the “reference value” derived from the spectral domain method. The vertical component of the gravity gradient disturbance describes the boundary characteristics of the field source more precisely than the vertical component of the gravity anomaly, and other gravity gradient disturbance components provide the information representation of the same field source, which provides inspiration for the in-depth interpretation of the field source. 2)Each difference component ΔδΓxxfft-lsc,ΔδΓxyfft-lsc,ΔδΓxzfft-lsc,ΔδΓyyfft-lsc,ΔδΓyzfft-lsc  and ΔΓzzfft-lsc  between the “evaluated value” and the “reference value” of the gravity gradient has systematic deviation, which is 5.54E, 5.30E, 1.85E, 6.55E, 2.09E and 9.67E respectively. It is much lower than the difference between measured gravity gradient and that from constructed model in previous studies. The results show that the accuracy of the two methods is within the allowable range, but the accuracy of the modeling method based on the Least Square Configuration needs to be further verified by the measured data. Finally, based on the measured surface differential gravity anomaly values in regional area of Yunnan province, the annul gravity gradient field variation model for this region, about 20km in half wavelength, is firstly constructed and presented by using the LSC with the derived formulas in this paper. The different gravity gradient component models show more abundant interannual scale signal variation characteristics, and demonstrate more local signal characteristics from different sensitive directions in Yunnan region during this time period. In addition, in the vicinity of Zhaotong city in northeast Yunnan province, because there is no gravity points available, both the annual difference results of gravity value and the annual change model of gravity gradient show uniform signal characteristics, indicating that the modeling method in this paper does not introduce additional false “anomalies”. In southern Yunnan province, where gravity points are relatively sparse, both the annual difference results of gravity values and the annual change models of gravity gradients are dominated by long-band signals, and no additional signals will be added due to the increase of expansion order of the LSC algorithm, which is also consistent with our intuitive cognition. These provide support for further research on the relationship between crustal material migration, hydrological changes and earthquakes in Yunnan region. The procedure and method proposed in this paper can improve the efficiency of using measured gravity data(mainly gravity anomaly and gravity disturbance). Moreover, it can provide basic data for better understanding and interpretation of gravity data, gravity gradient data and their relationship with different field sources in geophysics and geology. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

ANALYSIS FOR SYNTHETIC ADJUSTMENT OF ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE GRAVITY OF JINZHAI GRAVITY BASELINE IN DABIE MOUNTAIN XU Ru-gang, ZHANG Xin-lin, LIANG Xiao, SUN Hong-bo, CHU Fei, HUANG Xian-liang, TAN Hong-bo, WANG Jian SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (5): 1147-1169.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.05.007 Abstract （135）   HTML （15）    PDF（pc） （5036KB）（77）       Knowledge map    Save In the data process of the regional gravity monitor network, the absolute gravity reference value is the control datum of the gravity monitor network and is usually used for calibrating the scale of the relative gravimeter. Due to the coupling influence of the gravimeter scale and the control datum, it is difficult to quantitatively analyze their influence of on the adjustment processing of the regional gravity monitor network data. Based on the hybrid gravity observation data of the Jinzhai gravity baseline field in Dabie Mountain, the paper decouples the influence of the relative gravimeter scale and gravimetry control datum. According to analyzing the average point value, the point value, section difference, and the accuracy, we obtain the influence of the gravimeter scale and control datum on data processing of the regional gravity monitor network. The initial gravity value of the Jinzhai gravity baseline corresponds to the optimal combination of the gravimeter scale and control datum and the following conclusions are obtained: (1)The results of the mutual difference of gravimeters, section difference, and their accuracy calculated by different combinations of gravimeter scale and control datum show that the control datum is of great significance to reduce the inter-difference between gravimeters and obtain reliable measurement results, and the control datum used to the gravimeter scale calibration should form a complete coverage of the reading range of the regional gravity monitor network. (2)Gravity point values and their accuracy of the Jinzhai gravity baseline calculated by the different combinations of gravimeter scale and control datum show that the point values and accuracy are both affected by the gravimeter scale and control datum. When the solution point is located at the end of the control datum and the solution point is used as the control datum and participates in the solution calculation, the influence of the control datum and gravimeter scale on the solution is the same. When the solution point is not used as the control datum to participate in the solution control, the influence of the gravimeter scale on the solution is stronger than the control datum. When the solution points are between the control datum, the influence of the control datum on the solution is stronger than the gravimeter scale, and the more control points participate, the stronger the influence of the control datum on the solution. (3)Using the all control data which fully cover the reading range of the measuring network and its corresponding gravimeter scale to resolve the observation data, the point value has the highest accuracy. The solution obtained by a combination of the end control datum and its corresponding gravimeter scale is the second. The accuracies of other references and scale combinations are equivalent and the lowest. The points between the reference are strongly controlled, while the points out of the reference, the farther from the reference, the weaker the control, and the lower the point value accuracy which shows a monotone linear increase. (4)The data adjustment results of the Jinzhai gravity baseline based on the optimal gravimeter scale and control datum combination show that the accuracies of the section difference are better than 2μGal, and the average accuracy of the point value is better than 2.8μGal. The accuracies of the observation data of the three absolute gravity stations are better than 2.0μGal, and the accuracies about the section difference of the gravity vertical gradient are better than 1.0μGal. The results satisfy the project requirements and can be formally adopted. (5)The analysis of the difference between scale WYB and the optimal scale 123 shows that the gravimeter scales calibrated in the same reading section can be used directly with each other. (6)The Jinzhai gravity baseline can meet the requirements of gravimeter calibration for the gravity monitor network of Anhui. The construction and application of the Jinzhai gravity baseline are of great significance to improve monitoring efficiency and save economic cost. The data processing and analysis method of the Jinzhai gravity baseline field can also provide a reference for data processing of other baseline fields and regional gravity monitor networks. The Jinzhai gravity baseline extended to the absolute gravity point with a larger section difference can meet the gravimeter calibration requirements of the gravity monitor network with a larger gravity segment difference. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF FAULT ACTIVITY AND STRESS STATE BEFORE MS6.9 MENYUAN EARTHQUAKE LI Yuan, YANG Zhou-sheng, PANG Ya-jin, LIANG Hong-bao, LIU Xia SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2023, 45 (6): 1286-1308.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2023.06.003 Abstract （134）   HTML （15）    PDF（pc） （7987KB）（102）       Knowledge map    Save The Menyuan MS6.9 earthquake occurred on January 8, 2022, which is the third strong MS>6 earthquake on the western part of the Lenglongling fault following two Menyuan MS6.4 earthquakes that took place in 1986 and 2016. In order to explore the fault deformation and stress states of different timescales before the MS6.9 Menyuan earthquake and the dynamic environment of frequent strong earthquakes in the area nearby the epicenter, with GPS velocities of 1991—2015 and 2017—2021 as boundary constraints, a fine three-dimensional viscoelastic finite element model was established. The model included the impacts of tectonic units, the layered structure of the crust-mantle, the inhomogeneity of the medium, the interactions of many different faults, and the shape of the faults. It also refined the key faults in the region and their geometric characteristics. The basic pattern of stress accumulation in the Qilian Mountain tectonic region under the long-term tectonic movement environment, the long-term slip rate and stress accumulation rate of faults and their change characteristics during the five years before the Menyuan MS6.9 earthquake are calculated and analyzed. Combining the results of the source mechanism solution and cross-fault level observation, the following conclusions are obtained: (1)According to the simulation results for a longer period of 1991—2015, the stress field in the study area gradually rotates clockwise, with NNE-SSW extrusion and NWW-SEE tension to NE-SW extrusion and NW-SE tension from west to east. The direction of the principal compressive stress is mostly perpendicular to the fault strike. The region near the epicenter of the Menyuan MS6.9 earthquake has been subjected to long-term NE-SW extrusion and NW-SE tensional stress. The maximum shear stress accumulates faster than the surrounding area. The above stress accumulation characteristics overall promote NW-oriented shear and NE-oriented extrusion movement of faults, which contribute to the generation and occurrence of strike-slip and thrust earthquakes on the NWW-oriented Lenglongling Fault. (2)The simulation results show that most NWW-orientated faults exhibit a left-lateral strike-slip and thrust nature. In contrast, NNW-orientated faults display a right-lateral strike-slip and extrusion nature. The fault’s stress nature corresponds with its movement nature. Spatially, the overall trend of fault movement in the study area is that the extrusion rate gradually decreases from west to east, and the slip rate gradually increases from west to east. This indicates that the Qilianshan tectonic belt plays a significant role in transforming and adjusting the tectonic deformation of the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. (3)The fault movement and its stress distribution show significant segmentation, indicating the crucial role of fault geometry in fault movement. The western segment of the Lenglongling Fault has a geometric inflection pattern, causing stress accumulation variability and uncoordinated movement between different segments. Compared to the surrounding fault segments, this fault segment has a higher rate of stress accumulation yet experiences hindered movement in space which causes a lower slip rate. fault zones that exhibit motion deficits and rapid energy accumulation are more susceptible to earthquakes. (4)Compared to the period between 1991 and 2015, the simulation outcomes obtained during 2017—2021 demonstrated noticeable differences and irregularities in the distribution of motion and stress increment fields along the fault, which were segmental in nature. Within~5 years before the Menyuan MS6.9 earthquake, the strike-slip rate at the western segment of the Lenglongling fault is further reduced, the accumulation rate of shear stress was significantly increased; the extrusion rate was significantly weakened, and the rate of positive stress accumulation was slowed down. These recent changes in fault motion and stress are conducive to promoting left-lateral slip-strike earthquakes on this fault segment. (5)From a hydrostatic perspective, the above studies demonstrate that the epicenter region had accumulated high stress for a long time before the earthquake, and as the earthquake approached, the positive stress on the seismic fault surface increased slowly, and the friction increased synchronously, leading to the weakening and deficit of movement on the local fault segment. In conclusion, the western segment of the Lenglongling fault has a strong stress background and favorable conditions for the occurrence of strong earthquakes, and the risk of strong earthquakes is still predicted to exist in the future. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND GENESIS OF SOIL GAS IN THE PINGYUAN M5.5 EARTHQUAKE SU Shu-juan, CHEN Qi-feng, SUN Hao, LIU Jun, FENG Liang-le, XU Ji-long, YANG Yan-ming, LUO Kun-li SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (2): 433-448.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.02.011 Abstract （133）   HTML （18）    PDF（pc） （7314KB）（117）       Knowledge map    Save At 2:33 am on August 6, 2023, a M5.5 earthquake occurred in Pingyuan county, Dezhou city, Shandong Province. The faults within the epicenter and adjacent areas are deeply buried by the thick Quaternary sediment cover on which human activity is intensive, which makes it difficult to determine the location of the buried active faults from the surface based on geological and geomorphological evidences. It is necessary to detect the location of the buried active faults around earthquake areas and estimate their seismic risk. In this study, based on the epicenter distribution direction of major earthquake and aftershocks, seismic and geological data of earthquake areas, and damage degree of local buildings, 4 survey lines with a length of 30km were arranged across the epicenters and adjacent areas, and the concentrations of Rn, CO2 and Hg in soil gas were measured on site, and the results are as follows: (1)There are obvious spatial differences in the concentrations of soil gas near the epicenter and its vicinities within the distance of 30km. Gas concentrations are relatively high near the epicenter areas and the east and west ends of 4 arranged survey lines, in contrast to those which are relatively low in other non-structural control regions. The spatial distribution pattern of Rn concentration in soil gas is basically consistent with that of CO2, which may be due to CO2 used as a carrier gas of Rn to migrate to the surface. At the southern end of the Lingxian-Guanxian Fault(F1), the spatial concentration patterns of Rn and CO2 gases exhibit multiple peaks or wide anomalous zones. It is speculated that the deformation zone of the fault rupture at this location is relatively wide, and there may be secondary permeable fracture zones in the west of the F1. The escape form of Rn and CO2 gas indicates that there may indeed be multiple small fault branches near the F1, and the fault structure is relatively complex. (2)The spatial concentration distributions of Hg, Rn and CO2 in the epicenter areas are similar to that in its eastern region. However, in the western region of the epicenter areas, the spatial concentration distributions of Hg, Rn and CO2 vary greatly, and the Rn and CO2 concentrations near the Jiucheng Fault(F3) in the west of the epicenter regions are higher than those near epicenters. It is speculated that this phenomenon may be related to the high-concentration gas migration caused by strong seismic tectonic activities and the special nasal geological structure controlled by F3. (3)The concentrations of Rn, CO2 and Hg in the soil show high-value anomaly zones near the F1 and F3, and the concentrations of Rn and CO2 in the west of F3 exceed those in the epicenter area. After further earthquake relocation analysis, the spatial distribution of aftershocks exhibit a trend from F1 to F3. Combined with geochemical and geophysical research results, it is inferred that Pingyuan M5.5 earthquake should be related to the deep tectonic activities of F1 and F3. Above research results show that the soil gas geochemical method can be applied to define the location and distribution direction of the buried faults with thick overburden, which provides an important criterion for earthquake trend tracking analysis. This study is of greatly scientific significance in determining the dynamic source and genetic mechanism of Pingyuan M5.5 earthquake, identifying potential strong earthquake hazard areas, and assessing the risk of future earthquakes in the study area. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

ESR DATING OF CALCITE VEINS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ACTIVITY OF THE JIANCHUAN SECTION OF THE LONGPAN-QIAOHOU FAULT ZONE JI Hao, LIU Chun-ru, WEI Chuan-yi, YANG Hui-li, YIN Gong-ming, CHANG Zu-feng SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (1): 81-100.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.01.006 Abstract （132）   HTML （18）    PDF（pc） （9015KB）（90）       Knowledge map    Save The Sichuan-Yunnan region is located in the southeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Because of the compression and collision dynamics of the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the tectonic deformation is strong and seismic activities occur frequently. There have been many earthquakes above magnitude 7.0 in history. A series of active fault zones have developed in the region, among which the Sichuan-Yunnan rhombus block bounded by multiple active faults has attracted great research interests in recent years. The Longpan-Qiaohou fault zone is a boundary fault of the Sichuan-Yunnan rhombus block. The fault zone starts from Longpan in the north, passes through Jiuhe, Jianchuan, and Shaxi in the south, and ends at Qiaohou. It is about 120km long and the fault trend is 15°~20°. This fault zone is large in scale and highly active, with frequent seismic activity, complex mechanical properties, and variable movement patterns. The Mesozoic movement was intense. In the early Cenozoic, compression-thrust movement was dominant, and in the late Cenozoic, tension-strike movement was dominant. Since the Holocene, the fault zone has been characterized by left-lateral strike-slip movement with normal faulting properties, and earthquakes of magnitude 5 or above have occurred many times. Therefore, studying the activity of this fault zone is of great significance for the prediction and evaluation of regional strong earthquake risk. Thick calcite veins are well developed on the Henancun Fault of the Jianchuan section of the Longpan-Qiaohou fault zone, providing very valuable materials for fault dating. Calcite veins are coseismic rapid precipitation formed during seismic activity or syntectonic precipitation that filled along fractures after seismic activity. Therefore, their ages represent the latest time at which seismic activity occurred. Previous studies have shown that tensional fissures formed during coseismic events can close in a short period of time(days to months), suggesting that the filling of calcite veins within fault fissures is a relatively rapid process. This paper uses the ESR method to conduct dating study on the calcite veins in the study area. The results show that the ages of the four calcite veins(HNC-ESR01, HNC-ESR02, HNC-ESR03 and HNC-ESR04) are: (7.1±0.8)ka, (7.1±0.9)ka, (7.3±1.7)ka and (6.9±1.5)ka, respectively. The age results are concentrated, and the average age is(7.1±1.3)ka, indicating that the fault was active no later than(7.1±1.3)ka. The age results are consistent within the error range with the second paleoseismic event time revealed by trenching work in the area(between(6 130±30)a BP and(6 320±40)a BP), indicating that the dating of ESR in the fault zone is an effective dating method for the study of active tectonics and paleo-earthquakes. It is an effective chronological method for research, but it can be seen that compared with 14C and luminescence dating, the error of ESR results is relatively large. For faults with short earthquake recurrence intervals, it is still very challenging to accurately judge their activity. In the follow-up work, it is necessary to further improve the experimental process and reduce experimental errors, including refinement of sample pretreatment, accurate monitoring of irradiation dose, and accurate calculation of dose rate. In addition, by using five fitting functions(LIN, SSE, DSE, EXP+LIN and Dgamma)to calculate the equivalent dose values of calcite vein samples in this study, we found that the SSE function is capable of providing the best fitting effect. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (3): 756-759.   Abstract （129）   HTML （40）    PDF（pc） （1214KB）（110）       Knowledge map    Save Related Articles | Metrics

Select

CUMULATIVE DISLOCATIONS OF RIVER TERRACES IN THE EASTERN SEGMENT OF THE ALTYN TAGH FAULT LI Lu-yao, DING Rui, JIANG Da-wei, ZHANG Shi-min SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (3): 547-569.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.03.003 Abstract （128）   HTML （21）    PDF（pc） （18302KB）（101）       Knowledge map    Save The Altyn Tagh fault zone is a sizeable sinistral strike-slip fault on the northern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and its eastern section is obliquely connected with the northwest Qilian Mountain thrust fault zone. The left-lateral strike-slip action of the Altyn Tagh fault zone and the Qilian Mountain thrust belt constitute a structural transformation relationship. The activity behavior of this fault, especially the amount of sinistral dislocations, segmentation, and slip rate, has always been a hot topic of discussion among scholars. At present, based on geological methods and geodetic research, the slip rates of different sections of the Altyn Tagh Fault have been obtained, with a time scale ranging from tens of thousands of years to decades. The research results generally support the gradual attenuation of the slip rate of the Altyn Tagh fault zone from about 93°E to the east, indicating that its left-lateral attenuation is absorbed by a series of NW-trending thrust faults on its eastern side, and this trend has changed little for decades. The above work provides a framework for us to study the structural transformation relationship between the Altyn Tagh fault zone and the Qilian Mountains thrust belt in time and space. However, due to the limitations of previous observation points, especially the different methods of fault geomorphology measurement and dating used by various authors, there are significant differences in the obtained fault slip rates. Currently, it is not possible to analyze the segmented characteristics of the slip rate in the east section of the Altyn Tagh fault zone further and its spatial relationship with the Qilian Mountain thrust structural zone based on this. In recent years, the application of UAV aerial survey technology has allowed image data to be obtained at the centimeter to millimeter level, making the study of tectonic geomorphology more refined. Researchers can obtain the cumulative displacement or co-seismic displacement of several seismic cycles through micro-faulted landforms and reconstruct the dislocation accumulation process of active faults. The transfixion terraces developed across the Altyn Tagh fault are mainly controlled by regional tectonic uplift and climate change, showing regional synchronization in time, which provides convenience for the comparison of regional landforms. Although there are differences in the grading standards of terraces at different sites and the dating methods are not completely consistent, the chronological sequence of the late Quaternary river terraces in the study area generally shows good consistency. From new to old, it is about 3-4ka BP, 6-8ka BP, 10-13ka BP, 20-21ka BP and 40-50ka BP, which provides a research basis for our subsequent comparison of the displacement amount of river terraces. Based on the high-resolution image data obtained by unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry(SfM), this paper carried out a detailed interpretation of the 127km section of the eastern section of the Altyn fault zone and measured and counted the dislocations of different levels of risers at 9 typical river terrace dislocation points. Based on the distribution of cumulative displacement of the same terrace, the kinematic segmentation characteristics and tectonic mechanism of the eastern section of the Altyn Tagh fault zone are discussed. To define the displacement more accurately, we considered the following factors: 1)Usually, the riser is not a straight line but a curve formed by the free swing of the river bed; 2)Strictly speaking, a riser is a slope with a certain width, consisting of an upper edge, a lower edge, and a middle slope zone. When measuring displacement, we cannot only measure the upper edge or lower edge of the scarp but must consider it comprehensively. Based on the above prerequisites, this paper uses two envelope lines to surround the upper and lower edges of the riser and measures the distance between the corresponding envelope lines on both sides of the fault to obtain the displacement of different levels of scarp in the river terrace. Based on the above measurement methods, four dislocation values, A1-A4 and B1-B4, were obtained from the curve envelope of the upper and lower edge of the terrace scarp on both sides of the fault, respectively. After calculating the corresponding mean value, the standard deviation of the four measured values was estimated to reflect the dispersion degree of different measured values relative to the mean value, which was used as the error range of the measurement results. The results show that the late Quaternary left-lateral cumulative displacement tends to decline along the Altyn fault zone eastward. The cumulative dislocations are roughly the same in the same fault segment, which may indicate the consistency of seismic ruptures within the segment. In addition, the dislocation amount of the same-level terrace scarp between adjacent fault segments shows a stepwise decrease, indicating the tectonic transformation relationship of the miter fault and the possible seismic rupture segmentation, which provides a basis for the active segmental research and potential earthquake-generating capacity evaluation of the Altyn fault zone. A horizontal dislocation of 2-3m occurred on the front scarp of the T1 terrace in the Gaoyangou area, indicating that the latest earthquake surface dislocation event may have occurred in the Hongliugou-Shaping section at the easternmost end of the Altyn Tagh fault zone. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics

Select

THE NEW FINDINGS OF SURFACE RUPTURE ZONES AND ITS SEISMOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE EASTERN MARGIN OF YUMUSHAN FAULT, NORTHEASTERN MARGIN OF QINGZANG PLATEAU CHEN Bai-xu, YU Zhong-yuan, XIAO Peng, DAI Xun-ye, ZHANG Shi-long, ZHENG Rong-ying SEISMOLOGY AND GEOLOGY    2024, 46 (3): 589-607.   DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4967.2024.03.005 Abstract （128）   HTML （19）    PDF（pc） （20130KB）（127）       Knowledge map    Save The Hexi Corridor in northwest China has obvious structural deformation and complex fracture image. With the development of several NW thrust fault zones accompanied by a large number of ancient earthquakes and historical seismic events, the earthquake disaster is relatively serious. The eastern margin of Yumushan fault is one of them. The fault is mainly developed in the east site of Yumushan Mountain, with the exposed fault plane striking NW330° and dipping about 41°~85° to the southwest as a whole. Previous research data show that the Eastern Margin of the Yumushan fault is an important part of the Qilian Mountain active thrust fault system in the northeast margin of the Tibet Plateau. It also constitutes the boundary structure between Hexi Corridor and Yumushan Uplift. Its late Quaternary tectonic deformation and recent activity characteristics reflect the northward extension process of the Qilian Mountains and the remote collision effect of the northward extrusion of the Indian Plate. However, there are still some controversies in the study of the latest activity age and deformation characteristics of the eastern Margin of the Yumushan fault zone, which directly affect the seismic risk assessment along the fault line and the Hexi Corridor, as well as the in-depth understanding of the active structural characteristics of the northeast margin of the Tibetan plateau. Combined with remote sensing image interpretation, paleoseismologic excavations, aerial photogrammetry of unmanned aerial vehicles and late Quaternary dating, this study carried out field investigations and newly discovered the surface rupture zone of The Eastern Margin of Yumushan Fault and its activity characteristics. The results show that The Eastern Margin of the Yumushan Fault strikes NW330° combined with obvious thrust movement, which is manifested as a fault scarp landform. That’s revealing than the kinematics property of The eastern margin of Yumushan fault is dominated by thrust. The fault forms the dividing line between the Yumushan uplift and Zhangye Basin, and also the dividing line between pre-quaternary strata and Quaternary strata. The southwest side of the fault is dominated by pre-quaternary bedrock which constitutes a mountain landform. Late Quaternary sediments are exposed on the northeast side, and the Holocene strata are widely distributed around the Heihe River. The results show that there are obvious differences in the activity habits of the faults. With the Heihe River as the boundary, the fault activity difference is obvious on the south and north sides of the Heihe River. The latest surface fracture zone in the late Holocene was found along the Heiheokou segment(F1-1). And the Hongshahesegment(F1-2)showed pre-quaternary fault. It can be seen that the Miocene fine sandstone is in fault contact with the early Pleistocene glutenite and late Ordovician metamorphic andesite, and the fault gouge develops near the fault, which is gray-green and yellow-green with moderate hardness and easy to be wet when encountering water. The Heihekou segment(F1-1)starts from Daciyaohe River in the north, passes Xiaociyaokou, and reaches Heihekou in the south. The fracture zone moves towards NW330° and tends to SW, with a length of about 10km and a width of 3~10m. For river terraces, gullies, and platforms with young surface faults, the maximum height of the surface scarp is based on the DEM data generated by UAVs. The height of the T1 terrace fault scarp measured by two profile lines is(1.7±0.1)m to(3.3±0.2)m. In the excavating trenches, obvious evidence of fault activity such as traction bending of strata and directional arrangement of gravel can be seen. The strata consist of late Quaternary alluvial sand, gravel layer, loess layer, and silty layer. The optically stimulated luminescence dating results show that the latest surface rupture event occurred at(0.6±0.07)ka BP. According to the empirical formula between maximum vertical displacement(Dmax)and magnitude(M), the magnitude of the latest seismic event is estimated. The magnitude and potential seismic risk of the latest rupture event are evaluated. The results reveal that the maximum vertical displacement of the latest surface rupture event is(3.3±0.2)m. Based on the empirical relationship between magnitude and vertical displacement, it is concluded that a large earthquake rupture occurred in the eastern margin of the Yumushan fault in the late Holocene and the corresponding magnitude is estimated to be M7.5. Derived from the analysis of existing data, the fault in the eastern margin of the Yumushan fault may conform to the quasiperiodic earthquake recurrence behavior. And the recurrence interval of strong earthquakes may exceed 1 600a. The time interval between the latest event revealed in this paper and its last seismic event is about 1 800a, which is consistent with the time interval under the fault quasiperiodic earthquake recurrence model. The results show that the eastern margin of the Yumushan fault has intensive tectonic deformation in the late Quaternary and a large seismic background of M7 or above. The current kinematic mode of the fault is compressive shortening. Its geodynamic process may be mainly controlled by the northward extension of the Qilian Mountains and the remote collision effect of the northward extrusion of the Indian Plate. The deformation process of the fault may be in line with pre-spreading imbricate thrust deformation and the latest deformation has gradually extended from the basin-mountain boundary to the interior of Zhangye Basin, which provides new data to support the seismic risk assessment of the interior of the basin. At the same time, the latest deformation achievement of the eastern margin of the Yumushan fault has important scientific significance for improving the active tectonic image of the northeastern margin of the Qingzang plateau and discussing the kinematics model of the Qingzang plateau. Table and Figures | Reference | Related Articles | Metrics