The Application of GNSS to Fault Deformation Studies

Great earthquakes often occur along or near active fault belts. Thus,monitoring and research on fault deformation are quite important. Methods such as short-leveling,shortbaseline and integrated monitoring profile across fault belts have been used to monitor fault activities for many years. GNSS observations are mainly used to obtain the horizontal velocity field in large areas and to study the activities and deformation of major blocks.GNSS technology has been used to monitor and study the deformation of faults from a different aspects. In this paper,some applications and new explorations of GNSS are discussed. They are:( 1) Research and monitoring of strike-slip activities of faults with GNSS.( 2) Research and monitoring of vertical activities of faults with GNSS.( 3)Investigating the laws of deformation of blocks on the sides of fault zone and setting up strain models to deduce the activities and deformation of faults with respective models and compare the deduced results with the actual measurements across fault. It is concluded that a larger discrepancy between the deduced and the observed deformation indicates a stronger interaction between the blocks,which can be important for predicting the location of a strong earthquake and assessing seismic hazard,as well as the seismicity trend.

Regional fault deformation characteristics before and after the Menyuan Ms6.4 earthquake

This study analyzes data regarding cross-fault deformations within the seismogenic zone of the 2016 Qinghai Menyuan Ms6.4 earthquake and its surrounding area. The results showed that the tendency anomaly sites near the epicenter had relatively long anomaly durations prior to the earthquake, while sudden-jumping anomaly sites started to increase in the middle eastern Qilian Mountains approximately a year before the earthquake and continued to increase and migrate towards the vicinity of the epicenter two to six months before the earthquake. Intensive observations a few days after the earthquake indicated that abnormal returns and turns before the earthquake were significant, but all had small amplitudes, and the coseismic effect was generally minor. In addition, the post-seismic tendency analysis of individual cross faults in the Qilian Mountain fault zone revealed an accelerating thrust tendency at all cross-fault sites in the middle Qilian Mountains after the 2008 Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake. This indicates that the Wenchuan mega-earthquake exerted a great impact on the dynamic environment of the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet plate and significantly enhanced the extrusion effect of the Indian plate on the middle Qilian Mountains, generating favorable conditions for the occurrence of Menyuan thrust earthquakes.

Study of the Relation Between the Features of Fault Deformation Tendency Anomaly and Earthquake Activity in the West of China

Using the tendentious accumulation rate of crustal deformation,DC,the spatial distributionfeatures of deformation across fault in the West of China was studied;the regional patterns ofdeformation accumulation induced by fault activity was established and its seismogenicmeaning was discussed.The types of fault deformation evolution in the time domain and thefeatures of change of large extent anomaly in fault deformation which occurred in 1995～1996was analyzed comprehensively.It was indicated definitely that 1995～1996 is the turningpoint of fault network activity in the West of China since the 1990s;it is closely related to thechange of main seismic active regions in the West of China,i.e,the alternation of strong/weak stages and the change of action range of tectonic stress field in the Qinghai-Tibet blockand its environs;and hence it is of medium-and short-term precursor meaning for the changeof the overall pattern of earthquake activity in the West of China in the year 1996.On such abasis,a

Automatic Monitoring System for 3-D Deformation of Crustal Fault Based on Laser and Machine Vision

An automatic monitoring method of the 3-D deformation is presented for crustal fault based on laser and machine vision. The laser source and screen are independently set up in the headwall and footwall, the collimated laser beam creates a circular spot on the screen, meanwhile, the industrial camera captures the tiny deformation of the crustal fault by monitoring the change of the spot position. This method significantly reduces the cost of equipment and labor, provides daily sampling to ensure high continuity of data. A prototype of the automatic monitoring system is developed, and a repeatability test indicates that the error of spot jitter can be minimized by consecutive samples. Meanwhile, the environmental correction model is determined to ensure that environmental changes do not disturb the system. Furthermore, the automatic monitoring system has been applied at the deformation monitoring station(KJX02) of China Beishan underground research laboratory, where continuous deformation monitoring is underway.

Evaluation of crustal deformation and associated strong motions induced by the 2022 Paktika earthquake,Afghanistan

The 2022 Paktika earthquake(moment magnitude:6.2) occurred on June 22,2022,near the border between the Khost and Paktika Provinces of Afghanistan,causing heavy damage and casualties in Paktika Province.This study evaluated the crustal deformation and associated strong motions induced by the Paktika earthquake.Crustal deformations were determined using the Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar(DInSAR) technique and three-dimensional finite element method(3DFEM) and the results were compared.The permanent ground displacements obtained from the DInSAR and 3D-FEM analyses were similar in terms of amplitude and areal distribution.Strong motions were estimated using the 3D-FEM with and without considering regional topography.The estimations of maximum ground acceleration,velocity,and permanent ground deformations were compared among each other as well as with those inferred from failures of some simple structures in the Spera and Gayan districts.The inferred maximum ground acceleration and velocity from the failed adobe structures were more than 300 Gal and 50 cm/s,respectively,nearly consistent with the estimates obtained using empirical methods.The empirical method yielded a maximum ground acceleration of 347 Gal,whereas the maximum ground velocity was approximately50 cm/s.In light of these findings,some surface expressions of crustal deformations and strong ground motions,such as failures of soil and rock slopes and rockfalls,have been presented.The rock slope failures in the epicentral area were consistent with those observed during various earthquakes in Afghanistan and worldwide.

Deformation of the Haiyuan-Liupanshan fault zone inferred from the denser GPS observations

The Haiyuan-Liupanshan fault, an active tec- tonic feature at the Tibetan Plateau＇s northeastern bound- ary, was ruptured by two M8 earthquakes （1920 and 1927） bracketing an unbroken section （the Tianzhu seismic gap）. A high seismic hazard is expected along the gap. To monitor deformation characteristics and do a seismic risk assessment, we made measurements at two newly built campaign-mode Global Positioning System （GPS） stations and 13 pre-existing stations in 2013 and 2014. Adding existing data from 1999 to 2014, we derived a new velocity field. Based on the horizontal velocity, we used three block models to invert the deformation of four crustal blocks. The results suggest non-uniform deformation in the interior of the Lanzhou block, the Ordos block and the Alaxan block, but uniform deformation in the Qilian block. Fault slip rates derived from block models show a decreasing trend from west to east, （2.0-3.2 mm/a on the Haiyuan fault to 0.9-1.5 mm/a on the Liupanshan fault）. The Haiyuan fault evidences sinistral striking-slip movement, while the Liupanshan fault is primarily thrusting due to transformation of the displacement between the strike-slip and crustal shortening. The locking depth of each seg- ment along the Haiyuan fault obtained by fitting the fault parallel velocities varies drastically from west to east （21.8-7.1 km）. The moment accumulation rate, calculated using the slip rate and locking depth, is positively corre- lated with the locking depth. Given the paucity of large seismic events during the previous millennium, the Tuo- laishan segment and the Maomaoshan segment have higher likelihood of nucleation for a future event.

Dynamic Analysis of Deformational Structures of the Xianniishan Fault Zone in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River

Field investigation and laboratory work reveal that inhomogeneity of the deformation of the Xiannushan fault is mainly characterized by lateral zonation, longitudinal segmentation and downward stratification. Based on these results, a 3-D deformational structure model of the fault was established and its geometrical and kinematic characteristics in two main deformational stages i.e. the main Yanshanian and Himalayan were discussed. The directions of principal and the differential stresses in these two stages were determined by using conjugate joints, striations of fault planes and microstructures of the fault zone. The direction of σI is N-S in direction with differential stresses of 150-250 MPa in the Yanshanian, and N70E with a differential stress ranging from 80-120 MPa in the Himalayan.

Unstable fault deformation and information synthesis

Based on the analyses of 75 pieces of fault deformation monitoring data obtained in the Region of Capital Circle(RCC) in many years, two major expressions of fault deformation anomaly in the unstable period of crustal deformation are proposed in the paper, one is the medium term variation lasting 1～2 year or longer time, the other is the rapid deformation of 1～3 months. When the above mentioned two kinds of variations appear in groups, it may be associated with strong seismic activities in North China. In this paper, the method of information synthesis has been used to obtain the common characteristics from individial fault deformation and approach to its relation to the development of earthquake.

Relation of deformation behavior with precipitation and groundwater of the Babaoshan fault in Beijing

We discuss the influence of precipitation and groundwater on the deformation behavior of the Babaoshan fault of Beijing by using long-term observation data from Dahuichang station during 1970-2003. The results show that a) the pore pressure on fault zone as well as the fault deformation behavior exhibited periodically variation as precipitation changed steadily and periodically; b) the periodicity of the pore pressure of fault zones disappeared and the manner of fault deformation behavior changed when precipitation was small and/or was in aberrance. This implies that rainfall plays a key role in fault deformation behavior through changing the pore pressure of fault zones. Combining the existing results about the Babaoshan fault, it is concluded that precipitation and groundwater may adjust the stress/strain field by controlling the deformation behavior of the fault, which can provide direct observation evidence for the interaction of fluid and solid in shallow crust of the Earth.

Crustal deformation of seismogenic fault and its surrounding area after the Tangshane arthquake

The fault deformation observed in 18 years after the Tangshan earthquake on the deformation station located on the surface fissure of the seismogenic fault is introduced. The results show that the vertical and horizontal deformations of the seismogenic fault were concentrated within 7 years after the earthquake and the year of 1983 was the turning year of postseismic deformation. The deformation shown by large area levelings is consistent with the intensity level of fault deformation. At present, a relaxation state appears in which stress is not easy for stress to accumulate and there is no probability of stronger earthquake occurrence in the near future.

Response of vertical deformation on faults to remote strong earthquakes

Vertical coseismic deformation on non-causative fault caused by remote strong earthquakes （epicentral distance ≥1 500 km, Ms≥7.0） are observed by fault-monitoring instruments of new type during recent two years. The monitoring result shows, delay time, maximum amplitude and duration of vertical deformation on the non-causative fault have remarkable close relationship with earthquakes magnitude and epicentral distance. The delay time of vertical coseismic deformation have positive linear relationship with epicentral distance. The velocity of coseismic deformation is 5.5 km/s, close to the velocity of surface wave in granite. The logarithms of maximum amplitude of coseismic deformation and epicentral distance have remarkable linear relationship with magnitude. The greater the magnitude and the closer the epicentral distance are, the bigger the maximum amplitude of coseismic deformation on non-causative fault will be. Relative to the epicentral distance, the magnitude is the most important factor to the duration of coseismic vertical deformation on the non-causative fault. Stronger earthquake causes longer vibration duration of coseismic deformation. The experiential equation of co-seismic deformation faults obtained by this work is significant on the coseismic deformation research.

Geodetic constraints on contemporary three-dimensional crustal deformation in the Laji Shan—Jishi Shan tectonic belt

The Laji Shan—Jishi Shan tectonic belt(LJTB),located in the southern part of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau(NETP),is a tectonic window to reveal regional tectonic deformation in the NETP.However,its kinematics in the Holocene remains controversial.We obtain the latest and dense horizontal velocity field based on data collected from our newly constructed and existing GNSS stations.Combined with fault kinematics from geologic observations,we analyze the crustal deformation characteristics along the LJTB.The results show that:(1)The Laji Shan fault(LJF)is inactive,and the northwest-oriented Jishi Shan fault(JSF)exhibits a significant dextral and thrust slip.(2)The transpression along the arc-shaped LJTB accommodates deformation transformation between the dextral Riyue Shan fault and the sinistral west Qinling fault.(3)With the continuous pushing of the Indian plate,internal strains in the Tibetan Plateau are continuously transferred in the northeast via the LJTB as they are gradually dissipated near the LJTB and translated into significant crustal uplift in these regions.

Influencing factors and prevention measures of casing deformation in deep shale gas wells in Luzhou block,southern Sichuan Basin,SW China

Based on structural distribution and fault characteristics of the Luzhou block,southern Sichuan Basin,as well as microseismic,well logging and in-situ stress data,the casing deformation behaviors of deep shale gas wells are summarized,and the casing deformation mechanism and influencing factors are identified.Then,the risk assessment chart of casing deformation is plotted,and the measures for preventing and controlling casing deformation are proposed.Fracturing-activated fault slip is a main factor causing the casing deformation in deep shale gas wells in the Luzhou block.In the working area,the approximate fracture angle is primarily 10°-50°,accounting for 65.34%,and the critical pore pressure increment for fault-activation is 6.05-9.71 MPa.The casing deformation caused by geological factors can be prevented/controlled by avoiding the faults at risk and deploying wells in areas with low value of stress factor.The casing deformation caused by engineering factors can be prevented/controlled by:(1)keeping wells avoid faults with risks of activation and slippage,or deploying wells in areas far from the faulting center if such avoidance is impossible;(2)optimizing the wellbore parameters,for example,adjusting the wellbore orientation to reduce the shear force on casing to a certain extent and thus mitigate the casing deformation;(3)optimizing the casing program to ensure that the curvature radius of the curved section of horizontal well is greater than 200 m while the drilling rate of high-quality reservoirs is not impaired;(4)optimizing the fracturing parameters,for example,increasing the evasive distance,lowering the single-operation pressure,and increasing the stage length,which can help effectively reduce the risk of casing deformation.

Coseismic vertical deformation of the M_S8.0 Wenchuan earthquake from repeated levelings and its constraint on listric fault geometry

The devastating Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake ruptured two large parallel thrust faults along the middle segment of the Longmenshan thrust belt. Preseismic and postseismic leveling data indicated the hanging wall of the Yingxiu-Beichuan-Nanba thrust fault mainly presented coseismic uplift with respect to the reference point at Pingwu county town, and the observed maximum uplift of 4.7 m is located at Beichuan county （Qushan town） which is about 100 m west of the fault scarp. The foot wall of the Yingxiu-Beichuan-Nanba thrust fault mainly showed subsidence with maximum subsidence of 0.6 m near the rupture. By employing a listric dislocation model, we found that the fault geometry model of exponential dip angle δ=88°×[1-exp（-9/h）] with depth of 18 km and uniform thrust-slip of 5.6 m could fit the observed coseismic vertical deformation very well, which verifies the listric thrust model of the Longmenshan orogenic zone.

Late Quaternary Tectonic Deformation of the Eastern End of the Altyn Tagh Fault

The Quaternary activity of the faults at the eastern end of the Altyn Tagh fault, including the Dengdengshan-Chijiaciwo, Kuantanshan and Heishan faults, was studied on the basis of interpretation of satellite images, trenching, geomorphologic offset measurements and dating. The Altyn Tagh fault has extended eastwards to Kuantanshan Mountain. The left-slip rates of the Altyn Tagh fault decreased through the Qilianshan fault and were transformed into thrust and folds deformation of many NW-trending faults within the Jiuxi basin. Meanwhile, under NE-directed compression of the Tibetan plateau, thrust dominated the Dengdengshan-Chijiaciwo fault northeast of the Kuantanshan uplift with a rate lower than that of every fault in the Jiuxi basin south of the uplift, implying that tectonic deformation is mainly confined to the plateau interior and the Hexi Corridor area. From continual northeastward enlargement of the Altyn Tagh fault, the Kuantanshan uplift became a triangular wedge intruding to the east, while the Kuantanshan area at the end of this wedge rose up strongly. In future, the Altyn Tagh fault will continue to spread eastward along the Heishan and Jintananshan faults. The results have implications for understanding the propagation of crustal deformation and the mechanism of the India-Eurasian collision.

Multistage Deformation in the Northeastern Segment of the Jiangshao Fault (Suture) Belt: Constraints for the Relationship between the Yangtze Plate and the Cathaysia Old Land

Multistage deformation events have occurred in the northeastern Jiangshao Fault （Suture） Belt. The earliest two are ductile deformation events. The first is the ca. 820 Ma top-to-the-northwest ductile thrusting, which directly resulted from the collision between the Cathaysia Old Land and the Chencai Arc （？） during the Late Neoproterozoic, and the Jiangnan Orogenic Belt that formed as the ocean closed between the Yangtze Plate and the jointed Cathaysia Old Land and the Chencai Arc due to continuous compression. The second is the ductile left-lateral strike-slipping that occurred in the latest Early Paleozoic. Since the Jinning period, all deformation events represent the reactivation or inversion of intraplate structures due to the collisions between the North China and Yangtze plates during the Triassic and between the Philippine Sea and Eurasian plates during the Cenozoic. In the Triassic, brittle right-lateral strike-slipping and subsequent top-to-the south thrusting occurred along the whole northeastern Jiangshao Fault Zone because of the collision between the North China and Yangtze plates. In the Late Mesozoic, regional extension took place across southeastern China. In the Cenozoic, the collision between the Philippine Sea and Eurasian plates resulted in brittle thrusts along the whole Jiangnan Old land in the Miocene. The Jiangshao Fault Belt is a weak zone in the crust with long history, and its reactivation is one of important characteristics of the deformation in South China; however, late-stage deformation events did not occur beyond the Jiangnan Old Land and most of them are parallel to the strike of the Old Land, which is similar to the Cenozoic deformation in Central Asia. In addition, the Jiangnan old Land is not a collisional boundary between the Yangtze Plate and Cathaysia Old Land in the Triassic.

Influences of pre-existing fracture on ground deformation induced by normal faulting in mixed ground conditions

Physical model tests have been conducted by various researchers to investigate fault rupture propagation and ground deformation induced by bedrock faulting. However, the effects of pre-existing fracture on ground deformation are not fully understood. In this work, six centrifuge tests are reported to investigate the influence of pre-existing fracture on ground deformation induced by normal faulting in sand, clay and nine-layered soil with interbedded sand and clay layers. Shear box tests were conducted to develop a filter paper technique, which was adopted in soil model preparation to simulate the effects of pre-existing fracture in centrifuge tests. Centrifuge test results show that ground deformation mechanism in clay, sand and nine-layered soil strata is classified as a stationary zone, a shearing zone and a rigid body zone. Inclination of the strain localization is governed by the dilatancy of soil material. Moreover, the pre-existing fracture provides a preferential path for ground deformation and results in a scarp at the ground surface in sand. On the contrary, fault ruptures are observed at the ground surface in clay and nine-layered soil strata.

Geochronology Constraints on Transformation Age from Ductile to Brittle Deformation of the Shangma Fault and Its Tectonic Significance,Dabieshan,Central China

By a detailed investigation of geometry and kinematics of the Shangma （商麻） fault in Dabieshan （大别山）, three different crust levels of extension movement have been recognized in sequence from the deep to the shallow：① low-angle ductile detachment shearing with top to the NW; ② low-angle normal fault with top to the NW or NWW in brittle or brittle-ductile transition domain; ③ high-angle brittle normal fault with top to the W or NWW. Two samples were chosen for zircon U-Pb age dating to constrain the activity age of the Shangma fault. A bedding intrusive granitoid pegmatite vein that is parallel to the foliation of the low-angle ductile detachment shear zone of the country rock exhibits a lotus-joint type of boudinage deformation, showing syn-tectonic emplacing at the end of the ductile deformation period and deformation in the brittle-ductile transition domain. The zircon U-Pb dating of this granitoid pegmatite vein gives an age of （125.9±4.2） Ma, which expresses the extension in the brittle-ductile transition domain of the Shangma fault. The other sample, which is collected from a granite pluton cutting the foliation of the low-angle ductile detachment shear zone, gives a zircon U-Pb age of （118.8±4.1） Ma, constraining the end of the ductile detachment shearing. Then the transformation age from ductile to brittle deformation can be constrained between 126-119 Ma. Combined with the previous researches, the formation of the Luotian （罗田） dome, which is locatedto the east of the Shangma fault, can be constrained during 150-126 Ma. This study gives a new time constraint to the evolution of the Dabie orogenic belt.

X-ray Peak-Shift Determination of Deformation Fault Probability in Fe-Mn-Si Alloys

The X-ray diffraction peak-shift method was introduced into the determination of deformation fault probability (a) of Fe-Mn-Si alloys with various Mn contents and thermomechanical cycling numbers. The precise lattice constants required were obtained by numerical calculation instead of using standard sample without any fault. The influence of internal stress on the determined a has been evaluated, and the caused relative error was determined as about 4% and thus negligible. The results show that the deformation fault probability increases with decreasing Mn-content and increasing cycle number, which are qualitatively consistent with those results of Psf determined by peak-broadening method.

Deformation field around a thrust fault:A comparison between laboratory results and GPS observations of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

On May 12,2008,an Mw7.9 earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County,Sichuan Province,China.Movement of Yingxiu–Beichuan Fault in the Longmenshan Fault Zone was considered to be the main cause of the earthquake.Earthquakes are closely related to fault activities.Therefore,studying the strain distribution and evolution process around active fault zones is important to the understanding of seismic activities.In this study,we conduct laboratory experiments with uniaxial compression applied to marble sheets with intentionally fabricated cracks.The speckle patterns of the rock samples under different loading conditions are recorded in real time by a digital camera.To calculate the deformation fields of the deliberately cracked marble sheets during different stages of the loading processes,the recorded images are processed by the digital image correlation method.The distribution and variation of the displacement and strain are further analyzed in order to understand the strain localization of and observed damage in the experimental fracture zones.Finally,we compare these laboratory results with the GPS-observed coseismic displacements during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake,to assess the consistency between our laboratory observations and the field observations of the earthquake,but also to suggest how laboratory results can improve thinking about how earthquake patterns do and do not reflect fault patterns.