Seismic response of a mid-story isolated structure considering SSI in mountainous areas under long-period earthquakes

At present,there is not much research on mid-story isolated structures in mountainous areas.In this study,a model of a mid-story isolated structure considering soil-structure interaction(SSI)in mountainous areas is established along with a model that does not consider SSI.Eight long-period earthquake waves and two ordinary earthquake waves are selected as inputs for the dynamic time history analysis of the structure.The results show that the seismic response of a mid-story isolated structure considering SSI in mountainous areas can be amplified when compared with a structure that does not consider SSI.The structure response under long-period earthquakes is larger than that of ordinary earthquakes.The structure response under far-field harmonic-like earthquakes is larger than that of near-fault pulse-type earthquakes.The structure response under near-fault pulse-type earthquakes is larger than that of far-field non-harmonic earthquakes.When subjected to long-period earthquakes,the displacement of the isolated bearings exceeded the limit value,which led to instability and overturning of the structure.The structure with dampers in the isolated story could adequately control the nonlinear response of the structure,effectively reduce the displacement of the isolated bearings,and provide a convenient,efficient and economic method not only for new construction but also to retrofit existing structures.

Coseismic deformation and fault slip distribution of the 2023 M_(W)7.8 and M_(W)7.6 earthquakes in Türkiye

On February 6,2023,a devastating earthquake with a moment magnitude of M_(W)7.8 struck the town of Pazarcik in south-central Türkiye,followed by another powerful earthquake with a moment magnitude of M_(W)7.6 that struck the nearby city of Elbistan 9 h later.To study the characteristics of surface deformation caused by this event and the influence of fault rupture,this study calculated the static coseismic deformation of 56 stations and dynamic displacement waveforms of 15 stations using data from the Turkish national fixed global navigation satellite system(GNSS)network.A maximum static coseismic displacement of 0.38 m for the M_(W)7.8 Kahramanmaras earthquake was observed at station ANTE,36 km from the epicenter,and a maximum dynamic coseismic displacement of 4.4 m for the M_(W)7.6 Elbistan earthquake was observed at station EKZ1,5 km from the epicenter.The rupture-slip distributions of the two earthquakes were inverted using GNSS coseismic deformation as a constraint.The results showed that the Kahramanmaras earthquake rupture segment was distinct and exposed on the ground,resulting in significant rupture slip along the Amanos and Pazarcik fault segments of the East Anatolian Fault.The maximum slip in the Pazarcik fault segment was 10.7 m,and rupture occurred at depths of 0–15 km.In the Cardak fault region,the Elbistan earthquake caused significant ruptures at depths of 0–12 km,with the largest amount of slip reaching 11.6 m.The Coulomb stress change caused by the Kahramanmaras earthquake rupture along the Cardak fault segment was approximately 2 bars,and the area of increased Coulomb stress corresponded to the subsequent rupture region of the M_(W)7.6 earthquake.Thus,it is likely that the M_(W)7.8 earthquake triggered or promoted the M_(W)7.6 earthquake.Based on the cumulative stress impact of the M_(W)7.8 and M_(W)7.6 events,the southwestern segment of the East Anatolian Fault,specifically the Amanos fault segment,experienced a Coulomb rupture stress change exceeding 2 bars,warranting further attention to assess its future seismic hazard risk.

Variations of shear-wave splitting parameters in the source region of the 2023 Türkiye doublet earthquakes

In this study,the shear-wave splitting parameters of local seismic events from the source regions of the 2023 Türkiye MW7.7 and MW7.6 doublet earthquakes(event 1 and event 2,respectively)were measured from June 1,2022,to April 25,2023,and their spatiotemporal characteristics were analyzed.The results revealed clear spatial and temporal differences.Spatially,the dominant fast-wave polarization direction at each station shows a strong correlation with the direction of the maximum horizontal principal compressive stress,as characterized by focal mechanism solutions of seismic events(MW≥3.5)near the station.The dominant fast-wave polarization direction and the regional stress field also showed a strong correlation with the intermovement of the Arabian Plate,African Plate,and Anatolian Block.Along the Nurdagi-Pazarcik fault zone,the seismic fault of event 1,stations closer to the middle of the fault where the mainshock occurred exhibited notably greater delay times than stations located towards the ends of the fault and far from the mainshock.In addition,the stations located to the east of the Nurdagi-Pazarcik fault and to the north of the Sürgüfault also exhibited large delay times.The spatial distribution of shear-wave splitting parameters obtained from each station indicates that the upper-crust anisotropy in the source area is mainly controlled by the regional stress field,which is closely related to the state of the block motion.During the seismogenic process of the MW7.7 earthquake,more stress accumulated in the middle of the Nurdagi-Pazarcik fault than at either end of the fault.Under the influence of the MW7.7 and MW7.6 events,the stress that accumulated during the seismogenic process of the earthquake doublet may have migrated towards some areas outside the aftershock intensive area after the earthquakes,and the crustal stress and its adjustment range near the outer stations increased significantly.With the exception of two stations with few effective events,all stations showed a consistent change in shear-wave splitting parameters over time.In particular,each station showed a decreasing trend in delay times after the doublet earthquakes,reflecting the obvious intensification of crustal stress adjustment in the seismogenic zone after the doublet earthquakes.With the occurrence of the earthquake doublet and a large number of aftershocks,the stress accumulated during the seismogenic process of the doublet earthquakes is gradually released,and then the adjustment range of crustal stress is also gradually reduced.

Relocation of Uppermost Mantle Earthquakes in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco

Upper mantle earthquakes are usually associated with plate boundary tectonics, but rarely occur beneath intracontinental orogenic belts. In the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, earthquakes determined at subcrustal depths are a controversial topic because they are few in number compared to subduction zones and are not related to plate boundary tectonics. A recent increase of broadband stations in Morocco has revealed numerous events below the Atlas belts, thought to occur from the upper mantle. Using additional available stations, these Atlas events were relocated and new epicenter resolutions were acquired following rigorous depth and RMS error criteria. 309 events were reprocessed and epicenter depths obtained were between 31 and 240 km during the last 23 years. Temporal variations of High Atlas events appear to be continually dipping while Anti Atlas events show no temporal variation trends. In addition, a recent strong event M6.8 occurred in September 2023 at the transition crust-uppermost mantle followed by several aftershocks which have been relocated at uppermost mantle depths. These events support delamination model under the High-Middle Atlas which could flow southward beneath the Anti Atlas lithosphere, and explain the large variation observed in lithosphere thickness between the High-Middle Atlas, and the Anti Atlas. Subcrustal events beneath the Atlas may be related to upper mantle earthquakes beneath the neighboring Canary Islands which have experienced recent swarms and eruptions. This possible correlation cannot be excluded since descending and ascending material is necessary for a regional geodynamic balance.

Seismicity patterns before the 2021 Fin (Iran) doublet earthquakes using the region-time-length and time-to-failure methods

Knowledge regarding earthquake hazards and seismicity is crucial for crisis management, and the occurrence of foreshocks, seismic activity patterns, and spatiotemporal variations in seismic activity have been studied. Furthermore, the estimation of the region-time-length (RTL) parameter has been proposed to detect seismic quiescence before the occurrence of a large earthquake. In addition, the time-to-failure method has been used to estimate the time occurrence of large earthquakes. Hence, in this study, to gain deeper insight into seismic activity in the southern Zagros region, we utilized the RTL algorithm to identify the quiescence and activation phases leading to the Fin doublet earthquakes. Temporal variations in the RTL parameter showed two significant anomalies. One corresponded to the occurrence time of the first earthquake (2017-12-12);the other anomaly was associated with the occurrence time of the second event (2021-11-14). Based on a negative value of the RTL parameter observed in the vicinity of the Fin epicenters (2021), seismic quiescence (a decrease in seismicity compared to the preceding background rate) was identified. The spatial distribution of the RTL prognostic parameters confirms the appearance of seismic quiescence surrounding the epicenter of the Fin doublet earthquakes (2021). The time-to-failure method was designed using precursory events that describe the acceleration of the seismic energy release before the mainshock. Using the time-to-failure method for the earthquake catalog, it was possible to estimate both the magnitude and time of failure of the Fin doublet. Hence, the time-tofailure technique can be a useful supplementary method to the RTL algorithm for determining the characteristics of impending earthquakes.

Below-Moho Earthquakes of Tibet,Himalaya,the Indian Foreland,and Worldwide:How,Where and Why?

We seek to understand lithospheric rheology by mapping continental earthquake depths relative to Moho depth,across the entire India/Asia convergent orogen,and eventually worldwide.Such mapping has particular value in geothermometry,and potentially in identifying regions of delamination.How:We are extending our Sn/Lg method beyond amplitude ratios of regional seismic phases measured on arrays(array Sn/Lg method,Wang and Klemperer,2021)to include frequency proxies for earthquake depth relative to Moho(Wang&Klemperer,2024a,b;Harris et al.,2024).

Geological risk assessment of traffic engineering construction among 7.0-8.5 magnitude earthquake areas:Practice from the Sichuan-Tibet transport corridor in the eastern Tibetan Plateau

At least 13 active fault zones have developed in the Ya'an-Linzhi section of the Sichuan-Tibet transport corridor,and there have been undergone 17 MS≥7.0 earthquakes,the largest earthquake is 1950 Chayu MS 8.5 earthquake,which has very strong seismic activity.Therefore,carrying out engineering construction in the Sichuan-Tibet transport corridor is a huge challenge for geological technological personnel.To determining the spatial geometric distribution,activity of active faults and geological safety risk in the Sichuan-Tibet transport corridor.Based on remote sensing images,ground surveys,and chronological tests,as well as the deep geophysical and current GPS data,we investigated the geometry,segmentation,and paleoearthquake history of five major active fault zones in the Ya'an-Linzhi section of the Sichuan-Tibet transport corridor,namely the Xianshuihe,Litang,Batang,Jiali-Chayu and Lulang-Yigong.The five major fault zones are all Holocene active faults,which contain strike-slip components as well as thrust or normal fault components,and contain multiple branch faults.The Selaha-Kangding segment of the Xianshuihe fault zone,the Maoyaba and Litang segment of the Litang fault zone,the middle segment(Yigong-Tongmai-Bomi)of Jiali-Chayu fault zone and Lulang-Yigong fault zone have the risk of experiencing strong earthquakes in the future,with a high possibility of the occurrence of MS≥7.0 earthquakes.The Jinsha River and the Palong-Zangbu River,which is a high-risk area for geological hazard chain risk in the Ya'an-Linzhi section of the Sichuan-Tibet transport corridor.Construction and safe operation Ya'an-Linzhi section of the Sichuan-Tibet transport corridor,need strengthen analysis the current crustal deformation,stress distribution and fault activity patterns,clarify active faults relationship with large earthquakes,and determine the potential maximum magnitude,epicenters,and risk range.This study provides basic data for understanding the activity,seismicity,and tectonic deformation patterns of the regional faults in the Sichuan-Tibet transport corridor.

Myths about Earthquakes:Quo vadis?

We are living in a world of numbers and calculations with enormous amount of pretty fast user-friendly software ready for an automatic output that may lead to a discovery or,alternatively,mislead to a deceptive conclusion,erroneous claims and predictions.As a matter of fact,nowadays,Science can disclose Natural Hazards,assess Risks,and deliver the state-of-the-art Knowledge of looming disaster in advance catastrophes along with useful Recommendations on the level of risks for decision making regarding engineering design,insurance,and emergency management.

Stress triggering effect on the 2022 Honghe M_(S)5.0 earthquake with historical strong earthquakes

The 2022 Honghe M_(S)5.0 seismic event is intriguing due to its occurrence in the south of the Red River Fault,an area historically lacking seismic activities greater than M_(S)5.0.To elucidate the seismogenic mechanism and scrutinize stress-triggered interactions,we calculated co-seismic and post-seismic Coulomb stress alterations induced by nine historical seismic events(M≥6.0).The analysis reveals that these substantial seismic events provoked co-seismic stress augmentations of 1.409 bar and postseismic stress increments of 0.159 bar.Noteworthy seismic events,such as the 1833 Songming,1877Shiping,1913 Eshan,and 1970 Tonghai earthquakes,catalyzed the occurrence of the Honghe earthquake.Areas of heightened future seismic risk include the southern region of the Red River Fault and the eastern segments of the Shiping-Jianshui and Qujiang faults.Additionally,we assessed the correlation between the spatial distribution of aftershocks and the Coulomb stress shift triggered by the mainshock,taking into account the influence of calculation parameter settings.

Identification and hazard analysis of landslides triggered by earthquakes and rainfall

This study aims to utilize the Small Baseline Subset Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar(SBAS-In SAR)technique and Google Earth optical remote sensing images to analyze the area within 20 km around the epicenter of a M 3.9, earthquake that occurred in Tanchang County, Gansu Province, on December 28, 2020. The objective is to identify potential earthquake-induced landslides, assess their scale, and determine their impact range. The study results reveal the successful identification of two potential landslides in the 20 km radius around the epicenter. Through time-series deformation analysis, it was observed that these potential landslides were significantly influenced by both the earthquake and rainfall. Further estimation of these potential landslides indicates maximum depths of 7.4 m and 14.1 m for the failure surfaces, with volumes of 9.02 × 10~4m~3and 25.5 ×10~4m~3, respectively. Finally, based on the simulation analysis of Massflow software, the maximum thickness of soil accumulation in the final accumulation area after sliding of the potential landslide in Shangyaai is 12 m, the area of the final accumulation area is 1.75 × 10~4m~2, and the farthest movement distance is 1124 m. The maximum thickness of soil accumulation in the final accumulation area after sliding of the potential landslide in Wangshancun is 8 m, the area of the final accumulation area is 7.89 × 10~4m~2, and the farthest movement distance is 742 m.

An envelope-based machine learning workflow for locating earthquakes in the southern Sichuan Basin

The development of machine learning technology enables more robust real-time earthquake monitoring through automated implementations. However, the application of machine learning to earthquake location problems faces challenges in regions with limited available training data. To address the issues of sparse event distribution and inaccurate ground truth in historical seismic datasets, we expand the training dataset by using a large number of synthetic envelopes that closely resemble real data and build an earthquake location model named ENVloc. We propose an envelope-based machine learning workflow for simultaneously determining earthquake location and origin time. The method eliminates the need for phase picking and avoids the accumulation of location errors resulting from inaccurate picking results. In practical application, ENVloc is applied to several data intercepted at different starting points. We take the starting point of the time window corresponding to the highest prediction probability value as the origin time and save the predicted result as the earthquake location. We apply ENVloc to observed data acquired in the southern Sichuan Basin, China, between September 2018 and March 2019. The results show that the average difference with the catalog in latitude, longitude, depth, and origin time is 0.02°,0.02°, 2 km, and 1.25 s, respectively. These suggest that our envelope-based method provides an efficient and robust way to locate earthquakes without phase picking, and can be used in earthquake monitoring in near-real time.

Radiological findings of February 2023 twin earthquakes-related spine injuries

BACKGROUND The February 6,2023,twin earthquakes in Türkiye caused significant structural damage and a high number of injuries,particularly affecting the spine,which underscores the importance of understanding the distribution and nature of vertebral injuries in disaster victims.AIM To investigate the distribution of radiological findings of vertebral injuries in patients referred to a major tertiary center during the February 6,2023 twin earthquakes in Türkiye.METHODS With the approval of the institutional ethics committee,1216 examinations of 238 patients transferred from the region to a tertiary major hospital after the twin earthquakes of February 6,2023,were retrospectively analyzed for spine injuries.RESULTS Spine computed tomography(CT)scans were performed in 192 of 238 patients with a suspected spinal injury,42 of whom also had an magnetic resonance imaging(MRI).In 86 of 192 patients(44.79%;M:F=33:53)a spinal fracture was detected on CT and in 33 of 42 patients(78.57%;M:F=20:13)a spinal injury was found on MRI.Of the 86 patients in whom vertebral injury was detected,fractures were detected in the Denis-B group in 33,Denis-C in 4,Denis-D in 20 and Denis-E in 11 patients.Among the vertebral bodies:40"compression fractures",17"burst fractures",5"translational dislocation fractures",5"flexion-distraction fractures"and 58"prolonged forced fetal posture fractures"were detected.In addition,isolated transverse or spinous process fractures were found in eighteen vertebrae.CONCLUSION Our study highlights the prevalence and diverse spectrum of spinal injuries following the February 6,2023 twin earthquakes in Turkey underscoring the urgent need for effective management strategies in similar disaster scenarios,and emphasizing the"prolonged forced fetal posture"damage we encountered in earthquake victims who remained under the collapse for a long time.

Astronomic background of global huge earthquakes at beginning of 21st century

Since the beginning of the 21st century,major earthquakes have frequently occurred worldwide.To explore the impact of astronomical factors on earthquakes,in this study,the statistical analysis method of correlation is used to systematically analyze the effects of astronomical factors,such as solar activity,Earth’s rotation,lunar declination angle,celestial tidal force,and other phenomena on M≥8 global earthquakes at the beginning of the 21st century.With regard to solar activity,this study focuses on the analysis of the 11-year and century cycles of solar activity.The causal relationship of the Earth’s rotation is not obvious in this work and previous works;in contrast,the valley period of the solar activity century cycle may be an important astronomical factor leading to the frequent occurrence of global earthquakes at the beginning of the 21st century.This topic warrants further study.

Coseismic Coulomb stress changes induced by a 2020-2021 M_(W)>7.0 Alaska earthquake sequence in and around the Shumagin gap and its influence on the Alaska-Aleutian subduction interface

Three M_(W)>7.0 earthquakes in 2020-2021 occurred in the Shumagin seismic gap and its adjacent area of the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone,including the Mw7.8 Simeonof thrust earthquake on July 22,2020,the M_(W)7.6 Sand Point strike-slip earthquake on October 19,2020,and the M_(W)8.2 Chignik thrust earthquake on July 29,2021.The spatial and temporal proximity of these three earthquakes prompts us to probe stress-triggering effects among them.Here we examine the coseismic Coulomb stress change imparted by the three earthquakes and their influence on the subduction interface.Our results show that:(1)The Simeonof earthquake has strong loading effects on the subsequent Sand Point and Chignik earthquakes,with the Coulomb stress changes of 3.95 bars and 2.89 bars,respectively.The Coulomb stress change caused by the Sand Point earthquake at the hypocenter of the Chignik earthquake is merely around 0.01 bars,suggesting the negligible triggering effect on the latter earthquake;(2)The triggering effects of the Simeonof,Sand Point,and Chignik earthquakes on aftershocks within three months are not well pronounced because of the triggering rates of 38%,14%,and 43%respectively.Other factors may have played an important role in promoting the occurrence of these aftershocks,such as the roughness of the subduction interface,the complicated velocity structure of the lithosphere,and the heterogeneous prestress therein;(3)The three earthquakes caused remarkable coseismic Coulomb stress changes at the subduction interface nearby these mainshocks,with an average Coulomb stress change of 3.2 bars in the shallow region directly inwards the trench.

Did the MS 7.0 Lushan earthquake dynamically trigger earthquakes in the Datong volcanic region(Shanxi Province)?

Immediately following the Ms7.0 Lushan earthquake on April 20, 2013, using high-pass and low- pass filtering on the digital seismic stations in the Shanxi Province, located about 870-1,452 km from the earthquake epicenter, we detected some earthquakes at a time corre- sponding to the first arrival of surface waves in high-pass filtering waveform. The earthquakes were especially noticed at stations in Youyu （YUY）, Shanzizao （SZZ）, Shanghuangzhuang （SHZ）, and Zhenchuan （ZCH）, which are located in a volcanic region in the Shanxi Province,but they were not listed in the Shanxi seismic observation report. These earthquakes occurred 4-50 rain after the passage of the maximum amplitude Rayleigh wave, and the periods of the surface waves were mainly between 15 and 20 s following. The Coulomb stresses caused by the Ray- leigh waves that acted on the four stations was about 0.001 MPa, which is a little lower than the threshold value of dynamic triggering, therefore, we may conclude that the Datong volcanic region is more sensitive to the Coulomb stress change. To verify, if the similar phenomena are widespread, we used the same filtering to observecontrastively continuous waveform data before, and 5 h after, the Ms7.0 Lushan earthquake and Ms9.0 Tohoku earthquake in 2011. The results show that the similar phenomena occur before the earthquakes, but the seis- micity rates after the earthquakes are remarkably increased. Since these weak earthquakes are quite small, it is hard to get clear phase arrival time from three or more stations to locate them. In addition, the travel time differences between P waves and S waves （S-P） are all less than 4 s, that means the events should occur in 34 km around the stations in the volcanic region. The stress of initial dynamic triggering of the Ms9.0 Tohoku earthquake was about 0.09 MPa, which is much higher than the threshold value of dynamic triggering stress. The earthquakes after the Ms9.0 Tohoku earthquake are related to dynamic triggering stress, but the events before the earthquake cannot be linked to seismic events, but may be related to the back- ground seismicity or from other kinds of local sources, such as anthropogenic sources （i.e., explosions）. Using two teleseismic filtering, the small background earthquakes in the Datong volcanic region occur frequently, thus we postulate that previous catalog does not apply bandpass filter to pick out the weak earthquakes, and some of the observed weak events were not triggered by changes in the dynamic stress field.

Application of the Load/Unload Response Ratio Theory to Predictions of Moderate Earthquakes (7.0>M≥6.0)

The variation in load/unload response ratio before some moderate earthquakes is analyzed based on the theory of the load/unload response ratio.The results show that the load-unload response ratio increases noticeably before moderate earthquakes,and there are three kinds of patterns in which the load/unload response ratio varies and the duration of noticeable increase in load/unload response ratio ranges from half a year to two years.

Study on Relation Between Dynamic Pattern of Regional Vertical Strain Rate and Several Strong Earthquakes such as Lijiang(M_s7.0)and Menyuan(M_s6.4)Earthquakes

Making use of the method of obtaining regional vertical strain rate from regional preciseleveling data and gaining dynamic pattern combining with deformation data on spanningfaults, the regional vertical strain dynamic evolution characteristics of several moderatelystrong earthquakes such as Lijiang (M_s 7.0) and Menyuan (M_s 6.4) earthquakes occurredin crustal deformation monitoring areas located in the western Yunnan and Qilianshan-Hexiregion. Based on the above-mentioned facts, by studying the time-space nonhomogeneity andstrain energy accumulation status, some criteria for judging the medium. and short-termstrong seismic risk regions according to the regional vertical strain rate dynamic informationare proposed.

Earthquake Activity Features Before Earthquakes with M_S≥7.0 in the Central-Northern Qinghai-Xizang(Tibet) Block

We have studied the seismicity features of M_S≥5.0 earthquakes two years before strong earthquakes with M_S≥7.0 occurred in the central-northern Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) block since 1920. The results have showed that there is an obvious gap or quiescence of M_S5.0～6.9 earthquakes near epicenters. We have also studied statistical seismicity parameters of M_S5.0～6.9 earthquakes in the same region since 1950. The results have showed that earthquakes with M_S≥7.0 occurred when earthquake frequency is relatively high and earthquake time, space accumulation degrees are rising. And the prediction effect R value scores are between 0.4～0.7. We have concluded that, before earthquakes with M_S≥7.0 in the central-northern Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) block, M_S5.0～6.0 earthquake activity in the whole area increased and accumulated in time and space, but earthquakes with M_S≥7.0 occurred where M_S5.0～6.0 earthquake activity was relatively quiet.

Variational characteristics of shear-wave splitting on the 2001 Shidian earthquakes in Yunnan, China

In 2001 three earthquakes occurred in Shidian in Yunnan Province, which were the MS=5.2 on April 10, the MS=5.9 on April 12 and the MS=5.3 on June 8. Based on the data from the station Baoshan of Yunnan Telemetry Digital Seismograph Network, the variational characteristics of shear-wave splitting on these series of strong earthquakes has been studied by using the systematic analysis method (SAM) of shear-wave splitting. The result shows the time delays of shear-wave splitting basically increase with earthquake activity intensifying. However the time delays abruptly decrease immediately before strong aftershocks. It accords with the stress relaxation before earthquakes, which was found recently in study on shear-wave splitting. The result suggests it is significant for reducing the harm degree of earthquakes to develop the stress-forecasting on earthquake in strong active tectonic zones and economic developed regions or big cities under the danger of strong earthquakes.

Correlation between movement of tectonicblocks and earthquakes in groups

The Chinese mainland is divided into some tectonic blocks by nearly NE- and EW-orientated faults. Meanwhile strong earthquakes in the Chinese mainland usually cluster in time and space. We call earthquakes in groups. Tectonic blocks separated by faults and earthquakes in groups are prominent features of the tectonics of the Chi-nese mainland. Correlation between movement of tectonic blocks and groups of earthquakes is discussed in this paper. The results show that earthquakes in groups often occurred at one or several block boundary faults. The released elastic strain energy is built up in the same periods and around blocks. It means that strong earthquakes in groups are mainly caused by movement of blocks. Four types of block movement are identified based ongroup earthquakes: movement along a single boundary of a block (or a combined blocks), movement of a single block, movement of multi-blocks, and movement in block interiors. If we consider distribution of all strong earthquakes occurred in the Chinese mainland, the movement along a single boundary of a block is more popular one inducing strong earthquakes. But if we only consider earthquakes in groups rather than single earthquakesthe movement of a block dominates among four modes. Statistics with respect to group earthquakes show that the Taihangshan mountain and the North China block are much active in the eastern part of Chinese mainland, and in western part of Chinese mainland the active blocks are Sichuan-Yunnan and the Kunlun-Songpan ones.