Seismic anisotropy and upper mantle dynamics in Alaska:A review of shear wave splitting analyses

Shear wave splitting(SWS)is regarded as the most effective geophysical method to delineate mantle flow fields by detecting seismic azimuthal anisotropy in the earth's upper mantle,especially in tectonically active regions such as subduction zones.The Aleutian-Alaska subduction zone has a convergence rate of approximately 50 mm/yr,with a trench length reaching nearly 2800 km.Such a long subduction zone has led to intensive continental deformation and numerous strong earthquakes in southern and central Alaska,while northern Alaska is relatively inactive.The sharp contrast makes Alaska a favorable locale to investigate the impact of subduction on mantle dynamics.Moreover,the uniqueness of this subduction zone,including the unusual subducting type,varying slab geometry,and atypical magmatic activity and composition,has intrigued the curiosity of many geoscientists.To identify different sources of seismic anisotropy beneath the Alaska region and probe the influence of a geometrically varying subducting slab on mantle dynamics,extensive SWS analyses have been conducted in the past decades.However,the insufficient station and azimuthal coverage,especially in early studies,not only led to some conflicting results but also strongly limited the in-depth investigation of layered anisotropy and the estimation of anisotropy depth.With the completion of the Transportable Array project in Alaska,recent studies have revealed more detailed mantle structures and characteristics based on the dense station coverage and newly collected massive seismic data.In this study,we review significant regional-and continental-scale SWS studies in the Alaska region and conclude the mantle flow fields therein,to understand how a geometrically varying subducting slab alters the regional mantle dynamics.The summarized mantle flow mechanisms are believed to be conducive to the understanding of seismic anisotropy patterns in other subduction zones with a complicated tectonic setting.

Shear-wave splitting beforeand after the 1999 Xiuyan earthquake in Liaoning, China

Using seismic waveform data recorded at station YK (Yingkou) of Liaoning Telemetry Digital Seismic Network, this paper studied the characteristics of shear-wave splitting before and after the Xiuyan MS5.9 (ML5.3) earthquake in November 29, 1999 with SAM method. The results show that the predominant polarizations of fast shear-waves at YK is in direction of ENE-WSW, consistent with the direction of regional principal compressive stress and also consistent with the direction of the regional tectonic stress field in North China; time-delays increasing before Xiuyan earthquake may shows accumulation of stress before earthquake. The predominant polarizations of fast shear-waves at YK are also related to the spatial distribution of small earthquakes and correlate with the fault strike. The histogram of monthly average polarizations of fast shear-waves shows that polarizations of fast shear-waves also seems to change from two months before the earthquake, but it still needs more data for verification.

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.

Shear wave splitting analysis of local earthquakes from dense arrays in Shimian,Sichuan

The Shimian area of Sichuan sits at the junction of the Bayan Har block.Sichuan-Yunnan rhombic block,and Yangtze block,where several faults intersect.This region features intense tectonic activity and frequent earthquakes.In this study,we used local seismic waveform data recorded using dense arrays deployed in the Shimian area to obtain the shear wave splitting parameters at 55 seismic stations and thereby determine the crustal anisotropic characteristics of the region.We then analyzed the crustal stress pattern and tectonic setting and explored their relationship in the study area.Although some stations returned a polarization direction of NNW-SSE.a dominant polarization direction of NW-SE was obtained for the fast shear wave at most seismic stations in the study area.The polarization directions of the fast shear wave were highly consistent throughout the study-area.This orientation was in accordance with the direction of the regional principal compressive stress and parallel to the trend of the Xianshuihe and Daliangshan faults.The distribution of crustal anisotropy in this area was affected by the regional tectonic stress field and the fault structures.The mean delay time between fast and slow shear waves was 3.83 ms/km.slightly greater than the values obtained in other regions of Sichuan.This indicates that the crustal media in our study area had a high anisotropic strength and also reveals the influence of tectonic complexity resulting from the intersection of multiple faults on the strength of seismic anisotropy.

Upper crustal anisotropy from local shear-wave splitting and crust-mantle coupling of Yunnan,SE margin of Tibetan Plateau

The upper crustal anisotropy of Yunnan area, SE margin of Tibetan Plateau, is investigated by measuring the shear wave splitting of local earthquakes. The mean value of the measured delay times is 0.054 s and far less than that from Pms splitting analysis, indicating that the crustal anisotropy is contributed mostly from mid-lower crust. The fast polarization directions are mostly sub-parallel to the maximum horizontal compression directions while the stations near fault zones show fault-parallel fast polarization directions, suggesting both stress and geological structure contribute to the upper crust anisotropy.Comparing fast polarization directions from shear wave splitting of local earthquakes and Pms, large angle differences are shown at most stations, implying different anisotropy properties between upper and mid-lower crust. However, in southwestern Yunnan, the fast polarization directions of Pms and Swave splitting are nearly parallel, and the stress and surface strain rate directions show strong correlation, which may indicate that the surface and deep crust deformations can be explained by the same mechanism and the surface deformation can represent the deformation of the whole crust. Therefore,the high correlation between surface strain and mantle deformation in this area suggests the mechanical coupling between crust and mantle in southwestern Yunnan. In the rest region of Yunnan, the crustmantle coupling mechanisms are supported by the lack of significant crustal anisotropy with Ne S fast polarization directions from Pms splitting. Therefore, we conclude that the crust and upper mantle are coupled in Yunnan, SE margin of Tibetan Plateau.

Shear-wave splitting in the crust:Regional compressive stress from polarizations of fast shear-waves

When propagating through anisotropic rocks in the crust, shear-waves split into faster and slower components with almost orthogonal polarizations. For nearly vertical propagation the polarization of fast shear- wave （PFS） is parallel to both the strike of the cracks and the direction of maximum horizontal stress, therefore it is possible to use PFS to study stress in the crust. This study discusses several examples in which PFS is applied to deduce the compressive stress in North China, Longmenshan fault zone of east edge of Tibetan plateau and Yunnan zone of southeast edge of Tibetan plateau, also discusses temporal variations of PFS orientations of 1999 Xiuyan earthquake sequences of northeastern China. The results are consistent to those of other independent traditional stress measurements. There is a bridge between crustal PFS and the crustal principal compressive stress although there are many unclear disturbance sources. This study suggests the PFS results could be used to deduce regional and in situ principal compressive stress in the crust only if there are enough seismic stations and enough data. At least, PFS is a useful choice in the zone where there are a large number of dense seismic stations.

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.

The Character of Shear-wave Splitting in Marble in the Critical State of Rupture

This paper mainly observed and analyzed the character of shear-wave splitting in rock specimens while they were in the critical state of rupture. The rock specimens for study are made of Laizhou marble from Shandong, China. A series of records were obtained from two rock specimens when they were in the critical state of rupture. The result shows that, in the critical state just before rock rupture, there may be the phenomenon of rise and fall in the time delay of shear-wave splitting, even though the load was kept constant. That is to say, the time delay of shear-wave splitting may have a falling process before rock rupture.

Systematic Analysis Method of Shear-Wave Splitting:SAM Software System

In order to make a more effective use of the data from regional digital seismograph networks and to promote the study on shear wave splitting and its application to earthquake stress-forecasting, SAM software system, i.e., the software on systematic analysis method of shear wave splitting has been developed. This paper introduces the design aims, system structure, function and characteristics about the SAM software system and shows some graphical interfaces of data input and result output. Lastly, it discusses preliminarily the study of shear wave splitting and its application to earthquake forecasting.

A seismological evidence for the northwestward movement of Africa with respect to Iberia from shear-wave splitting

Seismic anisotropy and its main features along the convergent boundary between Africa and Iberia are detected through the analysis of teleseismic shear-wave splitting. Waveform data generated by 95 teleseismic events recorded at 17 broadband stations deployed in the western Mediterranean region are used in the present study. Although the station coverage is not uniform in the Iberian Peninsula and north- west Africa, significant variations in the fast polarization directions and delay times are observed at stations located at different tectonic domains. Fast polarization directions are oriented predominantly NW-SE at most stations which are close to the plate boundary and in central Iberia; being consistent with the absolute plate motion in the region. In the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula, fast velocity direc- tions are oriented nearly E--W; coincident with previous results. Few stations located slightly north of the plate boundary and to the southeast of lberia show E--W to NE-SW fast velocity directions, which may be related to the Alpine Orogeny and the extension direction in lberia. Delay times vary significantly between 0.2 and 1.9 s for individual measurements, reflecting a highly anisotropic structure beneath the recording stations. The relative motion between Africa and lberia represents the main reason for the observed NW-SE orientations of the fast velocity directions. However, different causes of anisotropy have also to be considered to explain the wide range of the splitting pattern observed in the western Mediterranean region. Many geophysical observations such as the low Pn velocity, lower lithospheric Q values, higher heat flow and the presence of high conductive features support the mantle flow in the western Mediterranean, which may contribute and even modify the splitting pattern beneath the studied region.

Shear-wave Splitting in the Crust beneath Shandong and Its Adjacent Area

Based on the seismic data of near-field source from the Shandong Digital Seismic Network,this study obtained the shear-wave splitting parameters from multiple stations. The results show that dominant directions of polarizations of fast shear-waves reflect the spatial distribution characteristics of tectonic stress in this area,CHD and LIS stations show 2 dominant directions,and reveals that the crustal seismic anisotropy in the Shandong area is constrained by the regional stress background,local failure and structure.

The Temporal Evolution of Shear-wave Splitting and Geoelectrical Anisotropy During Yongdeng Earthquake

The temporal evolution of shear-wave splitting and geoelectrical anisotropy of earth media during the preparation and occurrence of the Yongdeng MS5.8 earthquake is studied based on the digital seismic data and continuous magnetotelluric (MT) records. The results show that the direction of polarization of the fast S-wave gradually rotated from north by east to north by west before the Yongdeng earthquake and returned to north by east after the earthquake. Moreover, the time delay between the fast S wave and slow S wave increased to the largest until the earthquake occurred. On the other hand, the directions of geoelectrical principal axes also changed before earthquake, and exhibited identical characteristics in the frequency domain. The direction of the axis (pxy), which was originally perpendicular to the fault near station, varied from N17°to N15°before earthquake, and returned to north by east after the earthquake. Correspondingly, the change of pxy was most obvious in the period range of 160 s to 226 s, but the variation of pyx was less obvious. The focal mechanism solution of the earthquake showed that the direction of P-axis was N15°. Conclusions are: (1) The fast S-wave polarization, one of the geoelectrical principal axes and the P-axis were in agreement in orientation during earthquake preparation, which is the result of the alignment of EDA cracks; (2) The fact that the geoelectrical axes identically varied with frequency demonstrated that EDA is really widespread in the crust; (3) The variation of MT apparent resistivity also showed the existence of anisotropy and has its own features: The static anisotropy of resistivity is controlled by the tectonic conditions of the station, while the dynamic anisotropy is caused and affected by the seismic stress field; The resistivity along the axis parallel to the P-axis showed the most obvious variation, while the difference in variation with frequency shows that the variation of resistivity depends not only on direction but also on buried depth.

Shear-wave Splitting of Aftershocks of the M_S 5.7 Jiujiang-Ruichang Earthquake

Shear wave splitting is studied based on the digital waveforms of three seismic stations DJS, SZD and WUJ, which were set up after the Jiujiang-Ruichang MS5.7 earthquake of November 26, 2005 around the epicenter area. The result shows that the time delays of slow shear waves of the DJS station, which is not far from the epicenter and where the distribution of faults is complex near the station, are relatively larger and the polarization directions of fast shear waves are not concentrated; the predominant polarization direction of fast shear waves of WUJ station, with single fault distributed nearby, has a difference of 35° to the strike of the fault and is inconsistent with the direction of regional principal compressive stress. The predominant polarization direction of fast shear waves of SZD station with no faults nearby is in accordance with regional principal compressive stress. There is no obvious regular relationshipship between the delay time and the focal depth.

Crack－induced anisotropy in the crust from shear wave splitting observed in Tangshan region，North China

Using the cross correlation function analysis method, this paper discusses shear wave splitting and crack-inducedanisotropy in the crust beneath Tangshan, North China, by the digital data from Tangshan strong ground monon temporary arrays. Sixteen of twenty-one stations in the arrays recorded earthquake events available forstudying from 1982 to 1984. Having calculated 131 available records, we get slower shear wave time delay r andfaster shear wave polarization azimuth Paz in Tangshan region, and the cracks density s is got further fromthem. The analysis shows that the stress field is very complicated in Tangshan region and has strongly regionalfeature. Because of the complicated distribution of faults, different shear wave splitting characteristics are shownin 16 stations, scattered r and different Paz. And they also were observed that the r and PaZ values were diversewithin the time scale of hours in more than one station. In Tangshan region the average results of r, Paz and Bare 0. 0071 s. km-1, northwest-west near to east-west and 0.022 respectively. Meantime, the standard devia.tions were calculated in this paper.

Variations in shear wave splitting during aftershocks of the Luquan earthquake in Yunnan Province

Shear wave splitting has been measured from analyzing the three-component digital seismograms recorded at Guiquan station after the 1985 Ms6 1 Luquan earthquake in Yunnan Province. The variations in parameters ofshear wave splitting with time for over 100 aftershocks have two periods, the local stress Period and the regionalstress period. In the local stress period, there exist two vertical, paralell crack sets intersecting at about (50-60°), both affect on the propagation of S-waves, and the local stress is slightly stronger than the regional stress.With the activity of aftershock going down and the local stress dying away, it is returned to the state of the regional stress in the focal area. The polarizations of the fast split S-wave and their period variations are identicalwith the azimuths and changes of the principal compressive stress axis of focal stress field inferred independentlyfrom earthquake mechanisms, hense, it is interpreted that the shear wave splitting is the effects of anisotropy ofEDA cracks controlled by stress field. The time delay of the slow split S-wave, except the difference betweenthe two periods shows in some examples that it increases in a few hours before an event and decreases in a fewdays after an event on the individual background of period.

The characteristics of shear wave splitting in the source region of the April 20,2013 Lushan earthquake

Using seismic data of the aftershocks sequence of the April 20, 2013 Lushan earthquake recorded by seismic temporary and permanent stations in the source region, with the visual inspection of particle motion diagrams, this paper preliminarily contains the polarization directions of fast shear wave and the time-delays of split shear waves at every station, and analyzes the crustal anisotropic characteristics in the source region. In the study area, the polarization direc- tions at stations BAX, TQU, L 132, L 133, L 134, and L 135 are northeast, which is consistent with the strike of Dachuan- Shuangshi fault. There are two polarization directions at MDS and L131, which are northeast and southeast. The scatter of polarization directions suggests the complex stress field around these two stations where two faults intersect. For the normalized time-delays at every station, the range is 1.02-8.64 ms/km. The largest time-delay is from L134 which is closest to the mainshock, and the smallest one is from L133. The variations in time-delays show the decreasing at stations BAX, L134, and L135 because of the stress-relaxation after earthquake.

Stress-dependent shear wave splitting and permeability in fractured porous rock

It is well known that shear wave propagates slower across than parallel to a fracture, and as a result, a travelling shear wave splits into two directions when it encounters a fracture. Shear wave splitting and permeability of porous rock core samples having single fracture were experimentally investigated using a high-pressure triaxial cell, which can measure seismic shear wave velocities in two directions mutually perpendicular to the sample axis in addition to the longitudinal compressive wave velocity. A single fracture was created in the samples using a modified Brazilian split test device, where the cylindrical sample edges were loaded on two diametrically opposite lines by sharp guillotines along the sample length. Based on tilt tests and fracture surface profilometry, the method of artificially induced tensile fracture in the sample was found to create repeatable fracture surfaces and morphologies. Seismic velocities of the fractured samples were determined under different levels of stress confinement and fracture shear displacement or mismatch. The effective confining stress was varied from 0.5 MPa to55 MPa, while the fractures were mismatched by 0 mm, 0.45 mm and 1 mm. The degree of matching of the fracture surfaces in the core samples was evaluated using the joint matching coefficient(JMC). Shear wave splitting, as measured by the difference in the magnitudes of shear wave velocities parallel(V_(S1))and perpendicular(V_(S2)) to the fracture, is found to be insensitive to the degree of mismatching of the fracture joint surfaces at 2 MPa, and decreased and approached zero as the effective stress was increased.Simple models for the stress-and JMC-dependent shear wave splitting and fractured rock permeability were developed based on the experimental observations. The effects of the joint wall compressive strength(JCS), JMC and stress on the stress dependency of joint aperture were discussed in terms of hydro-mechanical response. Finally, a useful relationship between fractured rock permeability and shear wave splitting was found after normalization by using JMC.

Study on S wave splitting in Dayao earth-quake sequence with M=6.2 and M=6.1 in Yunnan in 2003

The polarization direction of fast wave and the delay time between fast and slow wave were measured for two earthquake sequences occurred continuously on 21 July （M=6.2） and 16 October （M=6.1） in Dayao, Yunnan in 2003 using cross-correlation coefficient method, after determining the high-resolution hypocentral locations of the earthquake sequences using the double-difference earthquake location algorithm. The results indicated that ① The phenomena of S wave splitting are obvious in the two earthquake sequences, and the average polarization directions of fast wave in most stations are almost consistent with regional maximum horizontal compressive stress direction except the station Santai. There are bimodal fast directions in the polarization directions at station Santai and the mean polarization direction is N80°E, indicating an inconsistent phenomenon referred to regional maximum horizontal compressive stress direction. ② There is no apparent relation between delay time and focal depth in the sequences, but the polarization direction show different character in different delay time range. ③ The comparison of S wave splitting results in the two earthquake sequences show that the polarization direction in M=6.2 earthquake sequence is more scattered and its average fast direction is 20° larger than that of M=6.1 sequence, and the delay times between two sequences show a little difference. ④ The spatial variation in S wave splitting polarization direction may be due to the stress disturbance imposed by the M=6.2 and the M=6.1 mainshocks on regional background stress field.

Seismic anisotropy beneath the Chinese Mainland: Constraints from shear wave splitting analyses

We use earthquakes recorded by the China National Seismic Network from 2015 to 2019 and measure shear wave splitting parameters of SKS to study the anisotropic characteristics beneath the mainland of China.In general,the fast directions change from nearly E-W in western China(northwest China and Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau)to nearly N-S in central China(Ordos and Sichuan-Yunnan),and then turn to approximately E-W in eastern China(North and South China).The delay times of slow wave in eastern China are about 1.0-1.7 s,larger than those in central and western China(about 0.6-1.0 s).In addition,the fast directions in eastern China are highly consistent with the plate motion direction and horizontal GPS velocities with respect to Eurasia,indicating that the observed anisotropy is mainly from the asthenosphere which is strongly coupled to the overlying lithosphere.However,the fast directions in western China are mostly in accord with the strike of the surface structures(such as faults),possibly due to the directional arrangement of crystal lattices caused by shear deformation under tectonic activities.

Kinetic Flux Vector Splitting Method for the Shallow Water Wave Equations

Based on the analogy to gas dynamics, the kinetic flux vector splitting (KFVS) method is used to stimulate the shallow water wave equations. The flux vectors of the equations are split on the basis of the local equilibrium Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. One dimensional examples including a dam breaking wave and flows over a ridge are calculated. The solutions exhibit second-order accuracy with no spurious oscillation.