Passive seismic velocity tomography on longwall mining panel based on simultaneous iterative reconstructive technique (SIRT)

Mining operation, especially underground coal mining, always has the remarkable risks of ground control. Passive seismic velocity tomography based on simultaneous iterative reconstructive technique （SIRT） inversion is used to deduce the stress redistribution around the longwall mining panel. The mining-induced microseismic events were recorded by mounting an array of receivers on the surface, above the active panel. After processing and filtering the seismic data, the three-dimensional tomography images of the p-wave velocity variations by SIRT passive seismic velocity tomography were provided. To display the velocity changes on coal seam level and subsequently to infer the stress redistribution, these three-dimensional tomograms into the coal seam level were sliced. In addition, the boundary element method （BEM） was used to simulate the stress redistribution. The results show that the inferred stresses from the passive seismic tomograms are conformed to numerical models and theoretical concept of the stress redistribution around the longwall panel. In velocity tomograms, the main zones of the stress redistribution arotmd the panel, including front and side abutment pressures, and gob stress are obvious and also the movement of stress zones along the face advancement is evident. Moreover, the effect of the advance rate of the face on the stress redistribution is demonstrated in tomography images. The research result proves that the SIRT passive seismic velocity tomography has an ultimate potential for monitoring the changes of stress redistribution around the longwall mining panel continuously and subsequently to improve safety of mining operations.

Upper crustal structure under Jingtai–Hezuo profile in Northeastern Tibet from topography-dependent eikonal traveltime tomography

The Northeastern Tibetan plateau records Caledonian Qilian orogeny and Cenozoic reactivation by continental collision between the Indian and Asian plates. In order to provide the constraint on the Qilian orogenic mechanism and the expansion of the plateau,wide-angle seismic data was acquired along a 430 km-long profile between Jingtai and Hezuo. There is strong height variation along the profile,which is dealt by topography flattening scheme in our crustal velocity structure reconstruction. We herein present the upper crustal P-wave velocity structure model resulting from the interpretation of first arrival dataset from topography-dependent eikonal traveltime tomography. With topography flattening scheme to process real topography along the profile,the evenness of ray coverage times of the image area（upper crust）is improved,which provides upper crustal velocity model comparable to the classic traveltime tomography（with model expansion scheme to process irregular surface）. The upper crustal velocity model shows zoning character which matcheswith the tectonic division of the Qaidam-Kunlun-West Qinling belt,the Central and Northern Qilian,and the Alax blocks along the profile. The resultant upper crustal P-wave velocity model is expected to provide important base for linkage between the mapped surface geology and deep structure or geodynamics in Northeastern Tibet.

Lithospheric structure in NW of Africa:Case of the Moroccan Atlas Mountains

This study presents the outcomes of the local earthquake tomography applied in the Moroccan Atlas domains. A seismic data collected by 36 seismic and a linearized inversion technics are used for determination of local velocity structure.The interpretation of tomography images results emphasizes a new and detailed lithosphere structure： a remaining subducted zone beneath the Souss Basin located from 20-to 45-km depth dipping to the North is detected and interpreted as a body that marks the border between the Moroccan Anti-Atlas and the Meseta-Atlas domains.A subduction zones is detected in the SW of the High Atlas, beneath the Hercynian Tichka massif from 10 to 50-km inclined away from Anti Atlas and in the eastern part of Anti Atlas, dipping northward from Jbel Ougnat at 15e40 km.The junction of the western and middle High Atlas is depicted by two high velocity blocks subducting from 10 to 50 km depth. The first is dipping SW beneath the High Atlas and the second is dipping SE beneath the Ouarzazate Basin.In the northern part of the southwestern High Atlas, a high velocity body dipping towards the north beneath the Essaouira Basin from 15 to 45 km depth.In northeastern part of the High Atlas in the Mougeur zone, a high velocity body is detected from 10 to 45 km depth, dipping to the Se E beneath the eastern High Atlas.The negative lithospheric anomalies found in the upper and in the lower crust are interpreted as a hot asthenospheric material upwelling from deep and gradually replacing the part of crust detached in the High Atlas. The occurrence magmatic activities in these regions testify the existence of a remaining subduction process. This paper argues the implication of these deep structures in the evolution of the Moroccan Atlas Mountain.

Rayleigh wave phase velocities of South China block and its adjacent areas

Using records of continuous seismic waveforms from 609 broadband seismic stations in the South China Block and its adjacent areas in 2010–2012, empirical Green's functions of surface waves were obtained from cross-correlation functions of ambient noise data between these stations. High quality phase velocity dispersion curves of Rayleigh waves were obtained using time-frequency analysis. These interstation dispersion curves were then inverted to build Rayleigh wave phase velocity maps at periods of 6–50 s. The results of phase velocity maps indicate that phase velocities at 6–10 s periods are correlated with the geological features in the upper crust. Major basins and small-scale grabens and basins display slow velocity anomalies; while most of the orogenic belts and the fold belts display high velocity anomalies. With the gravity gradient zone along Taihang Mountain to Wuling Mountain as the boundary for the phase velocity maps at period of 20–30 s, the western area mainly displays low velocity anomalies, while the eastern side shows high velocity anomalies. Phase velocities in the eastern South China Block south to the Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt is higher than that in the eastern North China Block to the north, which is possibly due to the differences of tectonic mechanisms between the North China Craton and the South China Block. The phase velocities at periods of40–50 s are possibly related to the lateral variations of the velocity structure in the lower crust and upper mantle: The low-velocity anomalies in the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau are caused by the thick crust; while the Sichuan Basin and the southern part of the Ordos Basin display distinct high-velocity anomalies, reflecting the stable features of the lithosphere in these blocks. The lateral variation pattern of phase velocities in the southern part of the South China Block is not consistent with the surface trace of the block boundary in the eastern Yunnan Province and its vicinities. The phase velocities in the Sichuan Basin are overall slow at short periods and gradually increase with period from the central part to the edge of the basin, indicating the features of shallower basement in the center and overall stable lithospheric mantle of the basin. The middle and upper crust of the southern Ordos Basin in the North China Block is heterogeneous, while in lower crust and the uppermost mantle the phase velocities mainly exhibit high anomalies. High-velocity anomalies are widespread at the middle of the Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt, as well as the areas in southeastern Guangxi with Caledonian granite explosion, but its detailed mechanism is still unclear.

Frequency-dependent rupture process,stress change,and seismogenic mechanism of the 25 April 2015 Nepal Gorkha M_w 7.8 earthquake

On 25 April 2015,an M_w 7.8 earthquake occurred on the Main Himalaya Thrust fault with a dip angle of^7° about77 km northwest of Kathmandu,Nepal.This Nepal Gorkha event is the largest one on the Himalayan thrust belt since 1950.Here we use the compressive sensing method in the frequency domain to track the seismic radiation and rupture process of this event using teleseismic P waves recorded by array stations in North America.We also compute the distribution of static shear stress changes on the fault plane from a coseismic slip model.Our results indicate a dominant east-southeastward unilateral rupture process from the epicenter with an average rupture speed of ~3 km s^(-1).Coseismic radiation of this earthquake shows clear frequency-dependent features.The lower frequency(0.05-0.3 Hz) radiation mainly originates from large coseismic slip regions with negative coseismic shear stress changes.In comparison,higher frequency(0.3-0.6 Hz) radiation appears to be from the down-dip part around the margin of large slip areas,which has been loaded and presents positive coseismic shear stress changes.We propose an asperity model to interpret this Nepal earthquake sequence and compare the frequency-dependent coseismic radiation with that in subduction zones.Such frequency-dependent radiation indicates the depth-varying frictional properties on the plate interface of the Nepal section in the main Himalaya thrust system,similar to previous findings in oceanic subduction zones.Our findings provide further evidence of the spatial correlation between changes of static stress status on the fault plane and the observed frequency-dependent coseismic radiation during large earthquakes.Our results show that the frequency-dependent coseismic radiation is not only found for megathrust earthquakes in the oceanic subduction environment,but also holds true for thrust events in the continental collision zone.