Temporal variation of gravity field prior to the Ludian Ms6.5 and Kangding Ms6.3 earthquakes

Using mobile gravity data from the central area of Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces, the relationship between gravity variation and earthquakes was studied based on the Ludian Ms6.5 earthquake that occurred on August 3rd, 2014, and the Kangding Ms6.3 earthquake that occurred on November 22 nd, 2014; the mechanism of gravity variation was also explored. The results are as follows：（1） Prior to both earthquakes, gravity variation exhibited similar characteristics as those observed before both the Tangshan and Wenchuan earthquakes, in which typical precursor anomalies were positive gravity variation near the epicenter and the occurrence of a high-gravity-gradient zone across the epicenter prior to the earthquake.（2） A relatively accurate prediction of the occurrence locations of the two earthquakes was made by the Gravity Network Center of China（GNCC） based on these precursor anomalies. In the gravity study report on the 2014 earthquake trends submitted at the end of 2013, the Daofu-Shimian section at the junction of the Xianshuihe and Longmenshan fault zones was noted as an earthquake-risk region with a predicted magnitude of 6.5, which covered the epicenter of the Kangding Ms6.3 earthquake. In another report on earthquake trends in southwestern China submitted in mid-2014, the Lianfeng, Zhaotong fault zone was also classified as an earthquake-risk region with a magnitude of 6.0, and the central area of this region basically overlapped with the epicenter of the Ludian Ms6.5 earthquake.（3） The gravity variation characteristics are reasonably consistent with crustal movements, and deep material migration is likely the primary cause of gravity variation.

Consideration of the Daily Variation of Gravity on the Manifestation of Gravitational Shielding

The result of mathematical and physical analysis of the daily change in gravity is presented. The subject of consideration was the manifestation of semi-daily factors in diurnal variations of gravity. The assumption is investigated, according to which the cause of the half-day factors is the gravitational shielding of the planet Earth. Gravitational shielding is considered as a function of the size and thickness of celestial bodies and growing with distance from their poles. It is concluded that the planet Earth has the property of partial gravitational shielding, and the Moon does not have enough thickness to exhibit a tangible gravitational shielding. The obtained mathematical results correspond to the existing experimental data. It is suggested that gravitational shielding is the cause of the precession of the perihelion of Mercury and the peculiarities of the manifestation of tidal processes. It is assumed that gravitational shielding is one of the main reasons for the presence of hidden substances in the Universe. It is concluded that the physical picture with mutual shielding of interaction elements corresponds to the classical ideas of Fatio and Lesage. This approach is proposed as an alternative point of view to the existing theory on the description of tidal processes. It is shown that the existing basic approach to the description of tidal forces is unsatisfactory: the factors underlying the existing approaches have values 10 times less than those observed and cannot be considered as the reason for the manifestation of half-day manifestations in the daily change in gravity. The work is a continuation of the implementation by the author of P. Dirac’s ideas about accounting for the size of microparticles in physical theory.

Gravity and GPS Measurements at South-West Part of Baikal Rift

Measurements of non-tidal variations of gravity （Ag）, which were obtained from 1992 to 2012 at the Talaya seismic station （located in the south-western part of the Baikal region）, are interpreted together with GPS （Global Position System） observation data, which were obtained from 2000 to 2013 at the same station. An absolute gravimeter was used for gravity observation. The strongest precision requirements concern tidal gravity prediction. It is the reason why we investigated tidal effect by LCR （LaCoste ＆ Romberg） gravimeter from 1996 to 1997 at the same station. We use tested tidal model for correction of gravity change. The linear component of gravity variations corresponds to changes in the elevation of the site. The correlation coefficient is close to the normal value of the vertical gradient of gravity. At this site, coseismic gravity variations at the time of the Kultuk earthquake （August 27, 2008, Mw = 6.5） were caused by a combined effect of the change of the site＇s elevation and deformation of the crust. Our estimations of the coseismic effects are consistent with results obtained by modeling based on the available seismic data.