Analysis of the Wave Velocity Ratio Anomalies in the Tianshan Region of Xinjiang

Based on the seismic observation report data provided by the Xinjiang Digital Seismic Network from 2009 to 2014,we calculate the wave velocity ratio and its background value for medium and small earthquakes by using the multi-station method in Tianshan,Xinjiang.This paper analyzes the variation of the wave velocity ratio disturbance value to highlight the abnormal,and also back-traces 7 moderate earthquakes at the research area.The results show that:(1)the background value of the wave velocity ratio is almost 1.70,the wave velocity ratio obviously decreases in the middle-eastern part of Tianshan and the region near the Puchang fault;(2)the wave velocity ratio disturbance value is mostly low in the epicenter before four earthquakes of M≥5.0 from 2011 to 2013 in the study area;(3)before 7 moderate strong earthquakes,the earthquake events with low value of the wave velocity ratio account for over 60% of corresponding total events near the epicenters,and the low value of the wave velocity ratio is relatively obvious before moderate earthquakes.

Numerical Simulation of the Response Features of Apparent Seismic Wave Velocity Ratio in a Horizontal Layered Medium

This paper deals with the response features of AR(apparent ratio of seismic wave velocities to the changes of TR(true ratio of wave velocities)in the horizontal layered model by mathematical modeling.The results show that:(1)the response features of AR are associated with the parameters of the structure and its dynamic changes,and the relative position between the hypocenters and the monitoring networks,showing complicated patterns strongly related to the concrete paths of propagation of seismic waves from the source to the receiver in the observatories of the network;(2)the depth of the seismic source would have important influence on the response features of AR,especially the capacity to carry the anomalous information in the condition of the earth media,being in the anomalous state would be greater for those earthquakes which occur inside the anomalous layers than those underneath the anomalous layers;(3)the response features of AR are clearly related to the changes of TR(true ratio of wave velocities)instead of changes of wave velocities themselves,i.e.the response could be small as the changes in TR is small even in the case of large changes in the wave velocities.It is suggested that more attention must be paid to all these features in combination with detailed investigation of the velocity structure of the earth media in the study region and best fitting of precise hypocenter locations when one wants to obtain the reliable precursors from the changes in AR.

Time-space evolution characteristics of abrupt variation of wave velocity ratio in the seismogenic process of recent strong earthquakes in Yunnan area

Within a short period of 7 months from July 12, 1995 to February 3, 1996, three earthquakes occurred continually to west Menglian in the border area of China Myanmar ( M =7.3), in Wuding county M =6.5 and in Lijiang ( M =7.0) in Yunnan area. In this paper, the authors have studied the time space evolution characteristics of wave velocity ratio ( γ ) in observed at 5 single stations and the average value of several stations before the recent strong earthquakes. It is discovered that 5～8 years before the earthquake with M =7, source precursors of long medium term, with high (low) drastic variations of wave velocity ratio, appeared within 120 km from the epicenters, and the source precursors of long medium term entered into medium short term stage when the amplitude of wave velocity ratio suddenly increased (decreased) or times of earthquake increase drastically. Three to five years before M =6 earthquakes, source precursors of long medium term and near field precursors of long medium term, with abrupt velocity change of high values, appeared within 40 and 150 km; however, the indicator is not clear in the period of transition to medium short stage. The anomaly of γ within 150 km from the epicenter reaches as much as 3.0, while the maximum value is 2.36 in the area 250 km away, showing the characteristics that the shorter the distance the bigger the abrupt change. Namely, the anomalous amplitudes of source precursors and near field precursors are 20%～60% bigger than that of far field precursors. The reliability of abrupt variation data of γ and its physical mechanism have also been explored in this paper.

Stepwise joint inversion of surface wave dispersion,Rayleigh wave ZH ratio,and receiver function data for 1D crustal shear wave velocity structure

Accurate determination of seismic velocity of the crust is important for understanding regional tectonics and crustal evolution of the Earth. We propose a stepwise joint linearized inversion method using surface wave dispersion, Rayleigh wave ZH ratio （i.e., ellipticity）, and receiver function data to better resolve 1D crustal shear wave velocity （Vs） structure. Surface wave dispersion and Rayleigh wave ZH ratio data are more sensitive to absolute variations of shear wave speed at depths, but their sensi- tivity kernels to shear wave speeds are different and complimentary. However, receiver function data are more sensitive to sharp velocity contrast （e.g., due to the existence of crustal interfaces） and Vp/Vs ratios. The stepwise inversion method takes advantages of the complementary sensitivities of each dataset to better constrain the Vs model in the crust. We firstly invert surface wave dispersion and ZH ratio data to obtain a 1D smooth absolute vs model and then incorporate receiver function data in the joint inver- sion to obtain a finer Vs model with better constraints on interface structures. Through synthetic tests, Monte Carlo error analyses, and application to real data, we demonstrate that the proposed joint inversion method can resolve robust crustal Vs structures and with little initial model dependency.

Interpretation of S-wave data from Tai′anXinzhou DSS profile and its relationship with Xingtai earthquakes

On the basis of S wave information from Tai′an Xinzhou DSS profile and with reference to the results from P wave interpretation, the 2 D structures , including S wave velocity V s, ratio γ between V p and V s; and Poisson′s ratio σ , are calculated; the structural configuration of the profile is presented and the relevant inferences are drawn from the above results. Upwarping mantle districts (V s≈4.30 km/s)and sloping mantle districts (V s≈4.50 km/s) of the profile with velocity difference about 4% at the top of upper mantle are divided according to the differences of V s , γ and σ in different media and structures, also with reference to the information of their neighbouring regions; the existence of Niujiaqiao Dongwang high angle ultra crustal fault zone is reaffirmed; the properties of low and high velocity blocks(zones) including the crust mantle transitionalzone and the boudary indicators of North China rift valley are discussed. A comprehensive study is conducted on the relation of the interpretation results with earthquakes. It is concluded that the mantle upwarps, thermal material upwells through the high angle fault, the primary hypocenter was located at the crust mantle juncture 30.0～33.0 km deep, and additional stress excited the M S=6.8 and M S=7.2 earthquakes at specific locations around 9.0 km below Niujiaqiao Dongwang, the earthquakes took place around the high angle ultra crustal fault and centered in the brittle media and rock strata with low γ and low σ values.

Temporal vP/vS variation characteristics in different zones of China's Capital Circle area before and after Wen'an earthquake

On July 4, 2006, an earthquake of MS5.1 took place in Wen’an, Hebei Province, just at the south center of China’s Capital Circle area digital seismograph network. It is the strongest event recorded ever since the network went into operation in 2002. We processed the vast amounts of phase data yielded by the 107 digital seismic stations between 2002~2007 using Wadati method. In order to improve the precision and stability of shear and compressional wave velocities (vP/vS) calculation, we impose a number of restrictions on the computation environment and condition, e.g., the earthquakes are densely concentrated, selected stations are limited in range, the number of stations in- volved in the computation is larger than 5 and linear fitting features high precision and small error. Under these restrictions, the study shows that vP/vS in and around Wen’an and Tangshan underwent a normal-low-normal proc- ess one year before Wen’an earthquake, vP/vS became obviously low and the low ratio lasted for about one year, meanwhile, little variation of vP/vS was seen in Xingtai, northwest of Beijing, southwest of Beijing, Beijing-Tianjin and Beijing; after the quake, the vP/vS returned normal in Wen’an and Tangshan. Error and stability analysis of the calculated result for vP/vS shows it is convincible that anomaly appeared in and around Wen’an and Tangshan be- fore Wen’an earthquake.