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.

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.

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.

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.

Performance of RC buildings after Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes: lessons toward performance based design

Two simultaneous earthquakes occurred in the Kahramanmaraş-Pazarcık and Kahramanmaraş-Elbistan districts of Turkey on February 6,2023,and with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6,respectively.These events caused the highest estimated loss recorded in Turkey within the last century from natural disasters.The key reason for the extensive loss was the proximity of eleven cities to the earthquake epicenters.Middle East Technical University teams investigated the building sites in Gaziantep,Kahramanmaras,Hatay,Adiyaman and Adana.The ground motion recordings revealed that in certain locations of Gaziantep,Kahramanmaraşand Hatay,the ground motion levels exceeded the maximum credible earthquake level defined for a return period of 2,475 years in the Turkish Earthquake Code.Residential building performance was investigated with respect to the construction year,which is a good indicator of compliance with modern seismic codes and inspection procedures.About 97%of the collapsed buildings were constructed prior to 2000,whereas over 5,000 buildings,which were built after 2000,collapsed or required urgent demolition.Most of the buildings with minor or greater structural damage sustained heavy infill wall damage rendering occupancy impossible.Aside from damage in older construction with significant structural deficiencies,the damage in some of the more recent and better constructed buildings was observed to be surprisingly poor.This can be attributed to the level of ground motion,significant ductility demands,poor material and workmanship and damage to non-structural elements.With the estimated total loss of above 100 billion dollars and over 50,000 casualties,the current seismic design criterion based on ductility and acceptance of structural damage should be re-evaluated to ensure a more resilient urban environment in high seismic regions.

Moment magnitudes of two large Turkish earthquakes on February 6,2023 from long-period coda

Two large earthquakes(an earthquake doublet)occurred in south-central Turkey on February 6,2023,causing massive damages and casualties.The magnitudes and the relative sizes of the two mainshocks are essential information for scientific research and public awareness.There are obvious discrepancies among the results that have been reported so far,which may be revised and updated later.Here we applied a novel and reliable long-period coda moment magnitude method to the two large earthquakes.The moment magnitudes(with one standard error)are 7.95±0.013 and 7.86±0.012,respectively,which are larger than all the previous reports.The first mainshock,which matches the largest recorded earthquakes in the Turkish history,is slightly larger than the second one by 0.11±0.035 in magnitude or by 0.04 to 0.18 at 95%confidence level.

A review of tidal triggering of global earthquakes

Earthquake prediction remains a challenging and difficult task for scientists all over the world.The tidal triggering of earthquakes is being proven by an increasing number of investigations,most of which have shown that earthquakes are positively correlated with tides,and thus,tides provide a potential tool for earthquake prediction,especially for imminent earthquakes.In this study,publications concerning the tidal triggering of earthquakes were compiled and analyzed with regard to global earthquakes,which were classified into three main types:tectonic,volcanic,and slow earthquakes.The results reveal a high correlation between tectonic earthquakes and tides(mainly for semidiurnal and diurnal tides;14-day tides) before and after the occurrence of significant earthquakes.For volcanic earthquakes,observations of volcanoes on the seafloor and land indicate that volcanic earthquakes in near-shore volcanic areas and mid-ocean ridges have a strong correlation with tidal forces,mostly those with semidiurnal and diurnal periods.For slow earthquakes,the periodicity of the tremor duration is highly correlated with semidiurnal and diurnal tides.In conclusion,the tidal triggering of these three types of earthquakes makes a positive contribution to earthquake preparation and understanding the triggering mechanism,and thus,the prediction of these types of earthquakes should be investigated.However,there are still several inadequacies on this topic that need to be resolved to gain a definitiveanswer regarding the tidal triggering of all earthquakes.The main inadequacies are discussed in this paper from our point of view.

Ionospheric precursors of strong earthquakes observed using six GNSS stations data during continuous five years(2011-2015)

This study reports the morphological characteristics of anomalous variations in Global Navigation Satellite System Total Electron Content(GNSS-TEC) prior to the strong local earthquakes(EQ) that occurred during the period of 2011-2015.We have analyzed 20 earthquakes of magnitude M> 5.6.A statistical technique is implemented on the data of six GNSS stations located in Tashkent,Kitab,and Maidanak in Uzbekistan,and Islamabad,Multan,Quetta in Pakistan.The results show continuous anomalous variations in TEC during 24 h befo re the occupancy of local earthquakes.It is shown that the precursors before the occurrence of strong earthquakes,in particular of magnitude 5.7,7.7,7.5,7.8 and 7.3 are detected near Eastern Uzbekistan(26 May 2013),Southwestern Pakistan(24 September 2013),Hindukush region of Afghanistan(26 October 2015),and Central Nepal(25 April 2015) and(12 May 2015),respectively.The ionospheric anomalies appearing before the strong earthquakes at six GNSS stations are registered in 14cases(70%) out of 20 selected EQs.It is depicted that anomalies referred to as ionospheric precursors appeared about 1-7 days prior to the occurrence of strong earthquakes.

Lacustrine sedimentary responses to earthquakes—soft-sediment deformation structures since late Pleistocene:A review of current understanding

The traces left by earthquakes in lacustrine sediments are studied to determine the occurrence of ancient earthquakes by identifying seismically induced soft-sediment deformation structures(SSDS).Dating can help reconstruct the relative frequency of earthquakes.Identifying seismically induced seismites,which carry abundant seismic information from numerous SSDS,is both critical and challenging.Studying the deformation mechanism of SSDS and learning about the common criteria of seismically induced SSDS improve the identification of earthquake triggers.With better research into SSDS,seismic events can be effectively captured,and temporal constraints can be carried out by 14C dating and optically stimulated luminescence(OSL)dating to identify and date the occurrence of ancient earthquakes.The present contribution primarily addresses the meaning and mechanism of SSDS and their relationship with earthquake magnitude as well as the common criteria of the SSDS induced by earthquakes.

Rapid source inversions of the 2023 SE Türkiye earthquakes with teleseismic and strong-motion data

We conducted rapid inversions of rupture process for the 2023 earthquake doublet occurred in SE Türkiye,the first with a magnitude of M_(W)7.8 and the second with a magnitude of M_(W)7.6,using teleseismic and strong-motion data.The teleseismic rupture models of the both events were obtained approximately 88 and 55 minutes after their occurrences,respectively.The rupture models indicated that the first event was an asymmetric bilateral event with ruptures mainly propagating to the northeast,while the second one was a unilateral event with ruptures propagating to the west.This information could be useful in locating the meizoseismal areas.Compared with teleseismic models,the strong-motion models showed relatively higher resolution.A noticeable difference was found for the M_(W)7.6 earthquake,for which the strong-motion models shows a bilateral event,rather than a unilateral event,but the dominant rupture direction is still westward.Nevertheless,all strong-motion models are consistent with the teleseismic models in terms of magnitudes,durations,and dominant rupture directions.This suggests that both teleseismic and strong-motion data can be used for fast determination of major source characteristics.In contrast,the strong-motion data would be preferable in future emergency responses since they are recorded earlier and have a better resolution ability on the source ruptures.

Preliminary investigation of building damage in Hatay under February 6,2023 Turkey earthquakes

On February 6,2023,an M_(w)7.8 earthquake hit the south of Kahramanmaras prefecture,Turkey,followed by another M_(w)7.5 earthquake after nine hours in the middle region of the Kahramanmaras prefecture.More than 84,000 buildings collapsed or were severely damaged,and more than 50,000 lives were lost in Turkey and Syria.Some of the authors,as members of Chinese rescue team,entered Antakya,Hatay prefecture,and investigated the damaged buildings.This paper first summarizes the damage patterns of buildings and provides three reasons for the massive number of collapsed buildings;i.e.,the lack of seismic measures for better ductility,site effects such as liquefaction and surface rupture,and pronounced low-frequency components of the ground motions.Next,the seismic responses of two typical buildings are calculated based on the geometric data estimated by visual inspection.The results imply that the resonance of the whole structure and the poorer ductility of key members resulted in the collapse of buildings.Finally,some conclusions are drawn.Note that although a large number of buildings were seriously damaged to collapse,the majority of buildings in the areas of extreme shaking were lightly or moderately damaged,which implies that well designed and constructed buildings were able to survive and protect human lives even in over-design earthquakes.

Dynamic damage evolution of bank slopes with serrated structural planes considering the deteriorated rock mass and frequent reservoirinduced earthquakes

To investigate the dynamic damage evolution characteristics of bank slopes with serrated structural planes,the shaking table model test and the numerical simulation were utilized.The main findings indicate that under continuous seismic loads,the deformation of the bank slope increased,particularly around the hydro-fluctuation belt,accompanying by the pore water pressure rising.The soil pressure increased and then decreased showed dynamic variation characteristics.As the undulation angle of the serrated structural planes increased(30°, 45°, and 60°),the failure modes were climbing,climbinggnawing,and gnawing respectively.The first-order natural frequency was used to calculate the damage degree(Dd)of the bank slope.During microseisms and small earthquakes,it was discovered that the evolution of Dd followed the“S”shape,which was fitted by a logic function.Additionally,the quadratic function was used to fit the Dd during moderately strong earthquakes.Through the numerical simulation,the variation characteristics of safety factors(Sf)for slopes with serrated structural planes and slopes with straight structural planes were compared.Under continuous seismic loads,the Sf of slopes with straight structural planes reduce stalely,whereas the Sf for slopes with serrated structural planes was greater than the former and the reduction rate was increasing.

A comparative study of the main factors controlling geohazards induced by 10 strong earthquakes in Western China since the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008

Determining the main controlling factors of earthquake-triggered geohazards is a prerequisite for studying earthquake geohazards and post-disaster emergency response.By studying these factors,the geomorphic and geological factors controlling the nature,condition,and distribution of earthquake-induced geohazards can be analyzed.Such insights facilitate earthquake disaster prediction and emergency response planning.The authors combined field investigations and spatial data analysis to examine geohazards induced by seismic events,examining ten earthquakes including the Wenchuan,Yushu,Lushan events,to elucidate the main control factors of seismic geohazard.The authors observed that seismic geohazard occurrence is usually affected by many factors,among which active nature of the seismogenic fault,seismic peak ground acceleration(PGA),topographic slope and geomorphic height differences,and distance from the fault zone and river system are the most important.Compared with strike-slip earthquakes,thrust earthquakes induce more high-altitude and high-speed remote landslides,which can cause great harm.Slopes of 0°–40°are prone to secondary seismic geohazards,which are mainly concentrated 0–6 km from the river system.Secondary geohazards are not only related to seismogenic fault but also influenced by the associated faults in the earthquake area.The maximum seismic PGA and secondary seismic geohazard number are positively correlated,and the horizontal and vertical ground motions play leading and promoting roles in secondary geohazard formation,respectively.Through the research,the spatial distribution of seismic geohazards is predicted,providing a basis for the formulation of emergency response plans following disasters.

Spatio-temporal variations of shallow seismic velocity changes in Salton Sea Geothermal Field,California in response to large regional earthquakes and long-term geothermal activities

We measure spatio-temporal variations of seismic velocity changes in Salton Sea Geothermal Field,California based on cross correlations of daily seismic traces recorded by a borehole seismic network from December 2007 to January 2014.We find clear co-seismic velocity reductions during the 2010 M 7.2 El Mayor–Cucapah,Mexico earthquake at~100 km further south,followed by long-term recoveries.The co-seismic reductions are larger with longer post-seismic recoveries in higher frequency bands,indicating that material damage and healing process mostly occurred in the shallow depth.In addition,the co-seismic velocity reductions are larger for ray paths outside the active fluid injection/extraction regions.The ray paths inside injection/extraction regions are associated with smaller co-seismic reductions,but subtle long-term velocity increases.We also build 3D transient water flow models based on monthly injection/extraction rates,and find correlations between several water flow parameters and co-seismic velocity reductions.We interpret the relative lack of co-seismic velocity changes within the geothermal region as unclogging of fracture network due to persistent fluid flows of geothermal production.The long-term velocity increase is likely associated with the ground water depletion and subsidence due to net production.

Rapid report of source parameters of 2023 M6.2 Jishishan,Gansu earthquake sequence

The M6.2 earthquake in Jishishan,Gansu Province,on December 18,2023,caused extraordinary earthquake disasters.It was located in the northern part of the north−south seismic zone,which is a key area for earthquake monitoring in China.The newly built dense strong motion stations in this area provide unprecedented conditions for high-precision earthquake relocation,especially the earthquake focal depth.This paper uses the newly built strong motion and traditional broadband seismic networks to relocate the source locations of the M3.0 and above aftershocks and to invert their focal mechanisms.The horizontal error of earthquake location is estimated to be 0.5−1 km,and the vertical error is 1−2 km.The focal depth range of aftershocks is 9.6−14.6 km,distributed in a 12-km-long strip with SSE direction.Aftershocks in the south are more concentrated horizontally and vertically,while aftershocks in the north are more scattered.The focal mechanisms of the main shock and aftershocks are relatively consistent,and the P-axis orientation is consistent with the regional strain direction.There is a seismic blank area of M3.0 and above,about 3−5 km between the main shock and aftershocks.It is suggested that the energy released by the main shock rupture is concentrated in this area.Based on the earthquake location and focal mechanism of the main shock,it is inferred that the Northern Lajishan fault zone is the seismogenic structure of the main shock,and the main shock did not occur on the main fault,but on a secondary fault.The initial rupture depth and centroid depth of the main shock were 12.8 and 14.0 km,respectively.The source rupture depth may not be the main reason for the severe earthquake disaster.

The MW5.5 earthquake on August 6,2023,in Pingyuan,Shandong,China:A rupture on a buried fault

On August 6,2023,a magnitude MW5.5 earthquake struck Pingyuan County,Dezhou City,Shandong Province,China.This event was significant as no large earthquakes had been recorded in the region for over a century,and no active fault had been previously identified.This study collects 1309 P-wave arrival times and 866 S-wave arrival times from 74 seismic stations less than 200 km to the epicenter to constrain the spatial distribution of the mainshock and its 125 early aftershocks by the double difference earthquake relocation method,and selects 864 P-waveforms from 288 stations located within 800 km of the epicenter to constrain the focal mechanism solution of the mainshock through centroid moment tensor inversion.The relocation and the inversion indicate,the Pingyuan MW5.5 earthquake was caused by a rupture on a buried fault,likely an extensive segment of the Gaotang fault.This buried fault exhibited a dip of approximately 75°to the northwest,with a strike of 222°,similar to the Gaotang fault.The rupture initiated at the depth of 18.6 km and propagated upward and northeastward.However,the ground surface was not broken.The total duration of the rupture was~6.0 s,releasing the scalar moment of 2.5895×1017 N·m,equivalent to MW5.54.The moment rate reached the maximum only 1.4 seconds after the rupture initiation,and the 90%scalar moment was released in the first 4.6 s.In the first 1.4 seconds of the rupture process,the rupture velocity was estimated to be 2.6 km/s,slower than the local S-wave velocity.As the rupture neared its end,the rupture velocity decreased significantly.This study provides valuable insights into the seismic characteristics of the Pingyuan MW5.5 earthquake,shedding light on the previously unidentified buried fault responsible for the seismic activity in the region.Understanding the behavior of such faults is crucial for assessing seismic hazards and enhancing earthquake preparedness in the future.