Estimation of the 2001 Kunlun earthquake fault slip from GPS coseismic data using Hori’s inverse method

The Hori＇s inverse method based on spectral decomposition was applied to estimate coseismic slip distribution on the rupture plane of the 14 November 2001 Ms8.1 Kunlun earthquake based on GPS survey results. The inversion result shows that the six sliding models can be constrained by the coseismic GPS data. The established slips mainly concentrated along the eastern segment of the fault rupture, and the maximum magnitude is about 7 m. Slip on the eastern segment of the fault rupture represents as purely left-lateral strike-slip. Slip on the western segment of the seismic rupture represents as mainly dip-stip with the maximum dip-slip about 1 m. Total predicted scalar seismic moment is 5.196× 10^2° N.m. Our results constrained by geodetic data are consistent with seismological results.

Large aftershocks triggering by Coulomb failure stress following the 2001 MS=8.1 great Kunlun earthquake

The great Kunlun earthquake occurred on Nov. 14, 2001 in Qinghai Province, China. Five large aftershocks with magnitude larger than 5.0 occurred near the Kunlun fault after main shock. Calculations of the change in Coulomb failure stress reveal that 4 of 5 large aftershocks occurred in areas with Dsf >0 (10-2~10-1 MPa) and one aftershock occurred in an area with Dsf =-0.56 MPa. It is concluded that the permanent fault displacement due to the main shock is the main cause of activity of large aftershocks, but not the whole cause.

Numerical Simulation on Coseismic Effect of the November 14,2001 Great Kunlun Earthquake,Northern Tibet,China

The November 14,2001 M_S8.1 Kunlun Mountains earthquake in northern Tibet is the largest earthquake occurring on the Chinese mainland since 1950.We apply a three-dimensional(3-D)finite element numerical procedure to model the coseismic displacement and stress fields of the earthquake based on field investigations.We then further investigate the stress interaction between the M_S8.1 earthquake and the intensive aftershocks.Our primary calculation shows that the coseismic displacement field is centralized around the east Kunlun fault zone.And the attenuation of coseismic displacements on the south side of Kunlun fault zone is larger than that on the north side.The calculated coseismic stress field also indicates that the calculated maximal shear stress field is centralized around the east Kunlun fault zone;the directions of the coseismic major principal stress are opposite to that of the background crustal stress field of the Qinghai-Xizang(Tibet)Plateau.It indicates that the earthquake relaxes the crustal stress state in the Qinghai-Xizang(Tibet)Plateau.Finally,we study the stress interaction between M_S8.1 earthquake and its intensive aftershocks.The calculated Coulomb stress changes of the M_S8.1 great earthquake are in favor of triggering 4 aftershocks.

Correlated Features of Horizontal Movement-Deformation on the North and East Margins of the Qinghai-Xizang Block before the Kunlun Earthquake with M_S=8.1

The high-precision GPS data observed from the northeast margin of the Qinghai-Xizang （Tibet） block and the Sichuan-Yunnan GPS monitoring areas in 1991 （1993）, 1999 and 2001 revealed that： before the Kunlun earthquake with Ms =8.1 on November 14, 2001, the dynamic variation features of horizontal movement-deformation field in the north and east marginal tectonic areas of the Qinghai-Xizang （Tibet） block had some correlated features. That is to say, under the general background of inherited movement, the movement intensifies in the two areas weakened synchronously and the state of deformation changed when the great earthquake was impending. Analysis and study in connection with geological structures showed that before the Kunlun Ms8.1 earthquake, the correlated variations of movement-deformation on the boundaries of Qinghai-Xizang （Tibet） block were related to the disturbing stress field caused by the extensive and rapid stress-strain accumulation in the late stage of large earthquake preparation. Owing to the occurrence of large earthquake inside the block, the release of large amount of strain energy, and the adjustment of tectonic stress field, in relevant structural positions （especially zones not penetrated by historical strong earthquake ruptures） in boundary zones where larger amount of strain energy was accumulated, stress-strain may be further accumulated or else released through rupture.

Effect of Kunlun Ms 8.1 earthquake on crustal deformation in northeastern edge region of Qinghal-Tibet plateau

Seismic fault parameters can be inversed with Okada model based on deformation data before and after earthquakes in focal region and its adjacent area. Co-seismic displacements can be simulated by using these parameters,and then regional velocity field obtained by deducting the co-seismic displacements from the observed displacements by GPS method. We processed and analyzed the data in the northeastern edge region of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau observed during 2001 -2003 in two steps： firstly, the displacements generated by Kunlun MsS. 1 earthquake of 2001 in this region was simulated, and secondly, deducted the co-seismic displacements from it and obtained the horizontal crustal velocity field. The results reveal ： 1 ） the effect of Kunlun Ms8.1 earthquake on crustal deformation in this region is significant; 2 ）the velocity field obtained with this method is better than the original GPS velocity field in reflecting the status of regional crustal movement and strain.

Decomposing InSAR LOS displacement into co-seismic dislocation with a linear in-terpolation model: A case study of the Kunlun Mountain M_s=8.1 earthquake

It has always been a difficult problem to extract horizontal and vertical displacement components from the InSAR LOS （Line of Sight） displacement since the advent of monitoring ground surface deformation with InSAR technique. Having tried to fit the firsthand field investigation data with a least squares model and obtained a preliminary result, this paper, based on the previous field data and the InSAR data, presents a linear cubic interpolation model which well fits the feature of earthquake fracture zone. This model inherits the precision of investigation data; moreover make use of some advantages of the InSAR technique, such as quasi-real time observation, continuous recording and all-weather measurement. Accordingly, by means of the model this paper presents a method to decompose the InSAR slant range co-seismic displacement （i.e. LOS change） into horizontal and vertical displacement components. Approaching the real motion step by step, finally a serial of curves representing the co-seismic horizontal and vertical displacement component along the main earthquake fracture zone are approximately obtained.

Co-seismic changes of well water level and volume strain meter in capital area and its vicinity,due to the Nov.14,2001 Ms8.1 Kunlun Mountain earthquake,China

The Kunlunshan Mountain Ms8.1 earthquake, occurred in Nov.14, 2001, is the first event with magnitude more than 8 in the China earthquake monitoring history, specifically at the beginning of digital techniques in precursor monitoring networks. Any investigation of recorded data on this earthquake is very important for testing the operation of the digital monitoring networks and understanding the preparation, occurrence, and adjustment of stress/strain of strong continental earthquakes. In this paper we investigated the coseismic response changes of well water level of groundwater and volume strain meter of bore hole in digital earthquake monitoring network of Capital area and its vicinity, due to the Nov.14, 2001 Ms8.1 Kunlun Mountain earthquake. The responding time, shapes or manners, amplitudes, and lasting time of well water level and strain-meters to seismic wave are studied in comparison. Then we discussed the possibility that the response changes of groundwater to strong distant earthquakes can be understood as one kind of observing evidence of stress/strain changes induced by distant earthquake.

Horizontal crustal movement in Chinese mainland before and after the great Kunlun Mountain M=8.1 earthquake in 2001

The continuous GPS observation at the fiducial stations in the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC) recorded the crustal movement of Chinese mainland before and after the great Kunlun Mountain earthquake of M=8.1 on November 14, 2001, especially the horizontal crustal movement in the western part of China. Based on the datum defined by a group of stable stations with small mutual horizontal displacements for a few years, the time series of horizontal displacements at fiducial stations were obtained. Significant anomalous horizontal displacements had appeared at the fiducial stations in the western part of China since early November 2000 and several earthquakes with the magnitudes about 6.0 had occurred in Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces. The northward components of the horizontal displacement at the fiducial stations in west China had decreased signifi-cantly and even changed in the opposite sense since mid April 2001. After the earthquake, the northward dis-placements still decreased and there were significant westward displacements. The process of the crustal move-ment in the western part of Chinese mainland (in reference to east China) suggests that the main force source for this earthquake came from the northward pushing of the Indian plate. The great earthquake released a large amount of energy, as a result, the action applied by the Indian plate to Chinese mainland diminished significantly and after the great earthquake, the seismic activity in Chinese mainland decreased considerably until the end of 2002.

Seismicity anomalies before the great earthquake of M_S=8.1 in the Kunlun Pass and its significance to earthquake prediction

A great earthquake of MS=8.1 took place in the west of Kunlun Pass on November 14, 2001. The epicenter is lo-cated at 36.2N and 90.9E. The analysis shows that some main precursory seismic patterns appear before the great earthquake, e.g., seismic gap, seismic band, increased activity, seismicity quiet and swarm activity. The evolution of the seismic patterns before the earthquake of MS=8.1 exhibits a course very similar to that found for earthquake cases with MS7. The difference is that anomalous seismicity before the earthquake of MS=8.1 involves in the lar-ger area coverage and higher seismic magnitude. This provides an evidence for recognizing precursor and fore-casting of very large earthquake. Finally, we review the rough prediction of the great earthquake and discuss some problems related to the prediction of great earthquakes.

Study on rupture zone of the M=8.1 Kunlun Mountain earthquake using fault-zone trapped waves

The observation of the fault-zone trapped waves was conducted using a seismic line with dense receivers across surface rupture zone of the M=8.1 Kunlun Mountain earthquake. The fault zone trapped waves were separated from seismograms by numerical filtering and spectral analyzing. The results show that: a) Both explosion and earthquake sources can excite fault-zone trapped waves, as long as they locate in or near the fault zone; b) Most energy of the fault-zone trapped waves concentrates in the fault zone and the amplitudes strongly decay with the distance from observation point to the fault zone; c) Dominant frequencies of the fault-zone trapped waves are related to the width of the fault zone and the velocity of the media in it. The wider the fault zone or the lower the velocity is, the lower the dominant frequencies are; d) For fault zone trapped waves, there exist dispersions; e) Based on the fault zone trapped waves observed in Kunlun Mountain Pass region, the width of the rupture plane is deduced to be about 300 m and is greater than that on the surface.

A discussion on Corioli force effect and aftershock activity tendency of the M=8.1 Kunlun Mountain Pass earthquake on Nov. 14, 2001

Following the theory and definition of the Corioli force in physics, the Corioli force at the site of the M=8.1 Kunlun Mountain Pass earthquake on November 14, 2001, is examined in this paper on the basis of a statistical research on relationship between the Corioli force effect and the maximum aftershock magnitude of 20 earthquakes with M7.5 in Chinese mainland, and then the variation tendency of aftershock activity of the M=8.1 earthquake is discussed. The result shows: a) Analyzing the Corioli force effect is an effective method to predict maximum aftershock magnitude of large earthquakes in Chinese mainland. For the sinistral slip fault and the reverse fault with its hanging wall moving toward the right side of the cross-focus meridian plane, their Corioli force pulls the two fault walls apart, decreasing frictional resistance on fault plane during the fault movement and releasing elastic energy of the mainshock fully, so the maximum magnitude of aftershocks would be low. For the dextral slip fault, its Corioli force presses the two walls against each other and increases the frictional resistance on fault plane, prohibiting energy release of the mainshock, so the maximum magnitude of aftershocks would be high. b) The fault of the M=8.1 Kunlun Mountain earthquake on Nov. 14, 2001 is essentially a sinistral strike-slip fault, and the Corioli force pulled the two fault walls apart. Magnitude of the induced stress is about 0.06 MPa. After a comparison analysis, we suggest that the aftershock activity level will not be high in the late period of this earthquake sequence, and the maximum magnitude of the whole aftershocks sequence is estimated to be about 6.0.

Influence of the Kunlun Mountain M_S8.1 Earthquake on Horizontal Crustal Deformation in the Sichuan and Yunnan Area

In order to track the space-time variation of regional strain field holistically(in a large scale) and to describe the regional movement field more objectively,the paper uses a nonlinear continuous strain model focused on extracting medium-low frequency strain information on the basis of a region with no rotation.According to the repeated measurements(1999～2001～2004) from GPS monitoring stations in the Sichuan and Yunnan area obtained by the Project of "China Crust Movement Measuring Network",and with the movement of 1999～2001(stage deformation background) as the basic reference,we separated the main influencing factors of the Kunlun Mountain M-S8.1 earthquake in 2001 from the data of 2001 and 2004,and the results indicate:(1) the Kunlun Mountain M-S8.1 earthquake has a discriminating effect on the Sichuan and Yunnan area,moreover,the deformation mode and background had not only certain similitude but also some diversity;(2) The movement field before the earthquake was very ordinal,while after the earthquake,order and disorder existed simultaneously in the displacement field;The displacement quantities of GPS monitoring stations were generally several millimeters;(3) The principal strain field before earthquake was basically tensile in an approximate EW direction and compressive in the SN direction,and tension was predominant.After the earthquake,the principal strain field in the Sichuan area was compressive in the EW direction and tensile in the SN direction,and the compression was predominant.In the Yunnan area,it was tensional in the NE direction and compressive in the NW direction,and tension was predominant;(4) The surficial strain before the earthquake was dominated by superficial expansion,the contractive area being located basically in the east boundary of Sichuan and Yunnan block and its neighborhood.After the earthquake,the Sichuan area was surface contractive(the further north,the greater it was),and south of it was an area of superficial expansion.Generally speaking,the Kunlun Mountain M-S8.1 earthquake played an active role in the accumulation of energy in the Sichuan and Yunnan area.Special attention shall be focused on the segment of Xichang-Dongchuan and its neighborhood.

The Frozen Soils and Devastating Characteristics of West Kunlun Mountains Pass M_S 8.1 Earthquake Area in 2001

The investigation on damages to frozen soil sites during the West Kunlun Mountains Pass earthquake with M S 8.1 in 2001 shows that the frozen soil in the seismic area is composed mainly of moraine, alluvial deposit, diluvial deposit and lacustrine deposit with the depth varying greatly along the earthquake rupture zone. The deformation and rupture of frozen soil sites are mainly in the form of coseismic fracture zones caused by tectonic motion and fissures, liquefaction, seismic subsidence and collapse resulting from ground motion. The earthquake fracture zones on the surface are main brittle deformations, which, under the effect of sinistral strike-slip movement, are represented by shear fissures, tensional cracks and compressive bulges. The distribution and configuration patterns of deformation and rupture such as fissures, liquefaction, seismic subsidence and landslides are all related to the ambient rock and soil conditions of the earthquake area. The distribution of earthquake damage is characterized by large-scale rupture zones, rapid intensity attenuation along the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Highway, where buildings distribute and predominant effect of rock and soil conditions.

New Insight into the Surface Rupture Parameters of the Kunlun Mountains Pass M_S8.1 Earthquake

Field observation shows that the surface rupture of the Kunlun Mountains Pass M_S 8.1 earthquake is about 426km long, and the maximum sinistral displacement is about 6m. Distribution of horizontal displacement along the surface ruptures is markedly controlled by fault structure. The rupture length of this earthquake is significantly longer than statistic value. In this paper, using the method of “ultimate linear strain", we discussed the independency and integrality of the whole rupture zone and rupture segments of the Kunlun Mountains Pass earthquake by comparing with some large earthquakes on strike-slip faults on the Chinese continent. The conclusion is that the Kunlun Mountains Pass earthquake consists of successively triggered multiple earthquake events, other than a single earthquake event.

Estimation of the stress levels in the focal region before and after the 2001 M=8.1 Western Kunlun Mountain Pass earth-quake

A method estimating the stress level in the focal region of an earthquake is proposed here. Taking the 2001 M=8.1 Western Kunlun Mountain Pass earthquake as an example, we estimate its stress level in the focal region before and after it by this method. The results show that the stress level in the focal region just prior to the initiation of this event is approximately 6.3-8 MPa, and about 5-6.7 MPa remained in the focal region after its occurrence. The stress in the focal region decreased by roughly twenty percent after this event.

Source process of the 14 November 2001 western Kunlun Mountain M_S=8.1 earth-quake

Based on digital teleseismic P-wave seismograms recorded by 28 long-period seismograph stations of the global seismic network, source process of the November 14, 2001 western Kunlun Mountain MS=8.1 (MW=7.8) earth- quake is estimated by a new inversion method. The result shows that the earthquake is a very complex rupture event. The source rupture initiated at the hypocenter (35.95°N, 90.54°E, focal depth 10 km, by USGS NEIC), and propagated to the west at first. Then, in several minutes to a hundred minutes and over a large spatial range, several rupture growth points emerged in succession at the eastern end and in the central part of the finite fault. And then the source rupture propagated from these rupture growth points successively and, finally, stopped in the area within 50 km to the east of the centroid position (35.80°N, 92.91°E, focal depth 15 km, by Harvard CMT). The entire rupture lasted for 142 s, and the source process could be roughly separated into three stages: The first stage started at the 0 s and ended at the 52 s, lasting for 52 s and releasing approximately 24.4% of the total moment; The sec- ond stage started at the 55 s and ended at the 113 s, lasting for 58 s and releasing approximately 56.5% of the total moment; The third stage started at the 122 s and ended at the 142 s, lasting for 20 s and releasing approximately 19.1% of the total moment. The length of the ruptured fault plane is about 490 km. The maximum width of the ruptured fault plane is about 45 km. The rupture mainly occurred within 30 km in depth under the surface of the Earth. The average static slip in the underground rocky crust is about 1.2 m with the maximum static slip 3.6 m. The average static stress drop is about 5 MPa with the maximum static stress drop 18 MPa. The maximum static slip and the maximum stress drop occurred in an area within 50 km to the east of the centroid position.

Continental dynamics and continental earthquakes

Two key research projects in geoscience field in China since the IUGG meeting in Birmingham in 1999, the project of East Asian Continental Geodynamics and the project of Mechanism and Prediction of Strong Continental Earthquakes are introduced in this paper. Some details of two projects, such as their sub-projects, some initial research results published are also given here. Because of the large magnitude of the November 14, 2001 Kunlun Mountain Pass MS=8.1 earthquake, in the third part of this paper, some initial research results are reviewed for the after-shock monitoring and the multi-discipline field survey, the impact and disaster of this earthquake on the construction site of Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) railway and some other infrastructure.

Inversion of coseismic stress-triggered fault slips using borehole strainmeter observations

Coseismic stress-triggering is becoming a new hot spot of research. Coseismic strain steps recorded by borehole strainmeters are particularly valuable in studying coseismic stress-triggered fault slips. Based on the theory of dis location, one can invert the triggered fault slips with such data if he/she has a well understanding about the local faults. Genetic algorithm can be applied to significantly raise the efficiency of searching a best solution among all possibilities in this kind of inversion. A testifying check of the program and analyses of each parameter＇s influence may further enhance the reliability of inversion results. Taking complexity of geological structure into account, the inversion results should be regarded as the predominant property or a comprehensive effect of triggered local faults＇ activities. As an attempt, we inverted the assumingly active faults＇ slips triggered by the Ms=8.1 Kunlun Mountain earthquake over Beijing area.