Strong earthquake activity all over the world and strong moderate earthquake activity within and near China(Dec., 2002～Jan., 2003)

Illustration All the data in this catalog are chosen from the Preliminary Seismological Report of ChineseSeismic Stations (abbreviated to Monthly Report).The catalog includes the events of M≥4.7 inand near China and M≥6 all over the world.The Monthly Report is monthly complied by theNinth Section of Institute of Geophysics,CSB.

Focal Mechanism Solutions and Stress Field Inversion of Moderately Strong Earthquakes in the Northern Tianshan Area

Using the focal mechanism solutions of 24 moderately strong earthquakes in the northern Tianshan area,we carried out system cluster and stress field inversion analysis.The result indicates that,the focal mechanism solutions of moderately strong earthquakes are mainly dip-slip reverse faulting in the northern Tianshan area.The principal rupture planes of earthquakes are NW-oriented.It is basically consistent with the strike of earthquake structure in its adjacent area.The direction of the principal compression stress P axis is nearly NS,and its inclination angle is small;while the inclination angle of the principal extensional stress T axis is large.It shows that the regional stress field is mainly controlled by the near-NS horizontal compressive stress.The direction of the maximum principal stress shows a gradation process of NNE-NS-NW from east to west.

Study on the Phenomenon of Geomagnetic Low-value Displacement before Moderately Strong Earthquakes in Gansu

This paper analyzes the distribution characteristics of geomagnetic low-value displacement in Gansu and its adjacent areas from 1995 to 2003 on the basis of the data of the daily amplitude minimum value time of the geomagnetic vertical component. It is shown that in addition to the changing rules of geomagnetic low-value displacement itself, there is a better correlation between geomagnetic low-value displacement and the occurrence of moderately strong earthquakes. There appeared to be geomagnetic low-value displacement before the moderately strong earthquakes in Gansu in the 9 years from 1995 to 2003. This result indicates that geomagnetic low-value displacement is of instructive significance for earthquake prediction to some extents.

Discussion on Deep Tectonic Background of Moderately Strong Earthquake in Anhui Province and Its Neighboring Areas Using Results of Seismic Tomography

Using the latest results of seismic tomography, we studied the deep tectonic settings of the moderate and strong earthquakes in Anhul Province and its neighboring areas （28° - 39°N, 112°- 124°E）. The results are as follows： （1） There exists a certain correlation between the location of moderate-strong earthquake, the geologic structure of the surface and the partitioning of active tectonic elements with the upper-crust velocity structure. Most earthquakes recording M ≥ 6.0 occur in high-velocity zones or in the transitional areas between high-velocity and low-velocity zones in the upper crust. Seismicity in the low-velocity zone has a lesser impact. Earthquakes occuring in the high-velocity zone are distributed mainly in the velocity variation area. The boundary belts and the interior of the North China plain fault block are the main active sites of moderate-strong earthquakes. Beneath the fault basins in the western and northern sides of the block, the upper crust is characterized by a wide discontinuous distribution in the low-velocity zone, and in the transition zone from the low- to high velocities, the moderate strong seismicity shows a zonal distribution where active faults are developed. The NW-extension Zhoukou-Hefei-Xuancheng low-velocity zone separates the highvelocity zones of Dabieshan Mountains and west Shandong-Anhul, and moderate-strong earthquakes on its northern side bordering the high-velocity zones are relatively frequent. This low-velocity zone is probably an important and deeply structured boundary between the North China and the South China tectonic provinces. （2） The frequent moderate-strong earthquake recorded in the past and the recent small earthquake activities in the Huoshan-Lu＇ an area are the result of a low-velocity zone in the middle crust beneath the central part of Dabieshan and the two sets of deep faults that cut through the crust. （3） In terms of deep structures, the distribution of moderate-strong earthquake in Anhui Province has an obvious regional feature. Based on historical earthquake recurrence intervals and analogue principles of deep seismogenic tectonics, the potential earthquake risk zones recording Ms5.0 in Anhui Province are determined.

Study on the Anomaly of Small Earthquake Activity Before Moderate-strong Earthquake in the Northeast Margin of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Block

26 earthquakes with MS ≥5. 0 have been recorded in the northeast margin of the Qinghai- Xizang (Tibet) block since 1980,22 of which were relatively independent of other moderate- strong earthquakes. Research on the increase of small earthquake activity before the 22 moderate-strong earthquakes has indicated that small earthquake activity was enhanced before 17 of the moderate-strong earthquakes. Though the increased seismicity is a common phenomenon in the northeast margin of the Qinghai-Xizang ( Tibet ) block,we have difficulty in predicting the moderate-strong earthquakes by this phenomenon. In order to predict the moderate-strong earthquakes through the increased seismicity of small earthquakes,this paper attempts to propose a new method, which calculates small earthquake frequency through the change of distribution pattern of small earthquakes, based on the characteristics of small earthquake activity in the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) block,and then make primary applications. The result shows that we are able to obtain obvious anomalies in the frequency of small earthquakes before moderate strong earthquakes through the new method,with little spatial range effect on the amplitude of this small earthquake frequency anomaly. We can obtain mid to short-term anomaly indices for moderate-strong earthquakes in the northeast margin of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) block.

High-resolution velocity structure and seismogenic potential of strong earthquakes in the Bamei-Kangding segment of the Xianshuihe fault zone

On September 5,2022,a strong MS6.8 earthquake struck the Luding area in the Kangding-Moxi segment of the Xianshuihe fault zone,which is the northern boundary of the Sichuan-Yunnan rhombic block,causing considerable casualties.The Bamei-Kangding segment of the Xianshuihe fault zone,which is located only tens of kilometers away from the Luding earthquake,has hosted frequent moderate to strong earthquakes in history and is a dangerous earthquake-prone zone.Therefore,it is critical to investigate the regional seismogenic environment for strong earthquakes and to evaluate the impact of the Luding earthquake in this area.For this purpose,we deployed a dense seismic array comprising over 200 short-period nodes in this region from July to August,2022 and acquired seismic ambient noise for over 30 days.Using the collected data,we conducted surface wave tomography and obtained a high-resolution 3-D shear wave velocity model for the regional shallow crust down to 8 km in depth.The key findings include:(1)the Bamei-Kangding segment of the Xianshuihe fault zone exhibits widespread stripped lowvelocity anomalies,suggesting shear movements at a relatively high temperature of the Xianshuihe fault zone;the Zheduoshan granitic pluton situated between the Zheduotang and southern Selaha faults shows a distinct low-velocity anomaly,which may be attributed to the localized high-temperature anomaly resulted by a deep magmatic heat source and the recent rapid uplift of the Zheduoshan area;(2)a ten-kilometer-wide high velocity body found below 4 km in depth near the Zhonggu area in the Bamei segment coincides with the seismic gap of moderate to strong earthquakes in this region,suggesting that the high velocity body may act as a seismic barrier;(3)the heterogeneity of the velocity structure along the Bamei-Kangding segment of the Xianshuihe fault zone corresponds to the regional changes in temperature,which reveals the reason for the spatially varying seismogenic potential in this segment;especially,the Selaha and Zheduotang faults which are located along the boundaries between the high and low velocity anomalies may possess considerable seismogenic potential;(4)the Coulomb failure stress calculations indicate that the Luding earthquake has imposed nontrivial stress loading in the Bamei-Kangding segment,and may shorten the earthquake recurrence intervals of the southern Selaha fault,the Zheduotang fault,and the Xuemenkan segment of the Xianshuihe fault zone.Thus,the Luding earthquake may potentially pose threats to the Sichuan-Xizang railway passing through this region.