Modern movement and deformation in the South China Sea shown by GPS measurements and numerical simulation

To better understand the crustal deformation of the South China Sea Basin, we produce a mechanically consistent 2-dimensional model for observing regional velocity field in the South China Sea (SCS). We studied the dominating regional tectonic stress field by geodetic measurements and finite element analysis, the spatial variations of velocity field and strain field, and relative movements among different blocks, using a 2-dimensional model describing crustal deformation of the South China Sea Basin. Strain results show that the SCS is extending at present. The western part of SCS is opening gradually in NW- SE direction from its northern margin to the south, but the eastern part of SCS is opening gradually from its central part to the north and south. In addition, we analyzed the plate kinematics to the deformation of the SCS, using a two-dimensional finite element model. Our simulations results are well explained by available geodetic data. The movement of SCS is resulted from interactions among Indian Plate, Pacific Plate, Philippine Sea Plate, and Eurasian Plate.

The Focal Mechanism Solutions of the M_S 8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake in Sichuan on May 12,2008 and Some of Its Aftershocks

The focal mechanism solutions of the Wenchuan earthquake （Ms8.0） of May 12, 2008 and some of its aftershocks occurring up to December I0, 2008 are determined with lower semisphere of equal-projection and first motion sign data of P waves from regional and distant stations. The focal mechanism solutions of the Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake are： Nodal plane I：strike 5°, dip angle 48°, slip angle 39°; Nodal plane II： strike 247°, dip angle 62°, slip angle 131°; P axis azimuth 309°, plunge 8°, T axis azimuth 208°, plunge 54°, B axis azimuth 44°, plunge 35% Combining geological tectonics and spatial distribution of aftershocks, nodal plane II can be identified as a seismogenic fault. According to focal mechanism solutions, the fault activity that triggered the huge earthquake is reverse thrusting. The main rupture surface is S67°W, basically identical to the fault strike on which the earthquake occurred. The main compression stress P axis is N51°W, which is basically the same as the direction of the regional tectonic stress field. According to the results of focal mechanism solutions of aftershocks, the aftershocks occurring in the southern and northern sections of the Longmenshan fault zone have predominant orientations and are obviously different. For the main shock and the early aftershocks occurring on the southern section of the Longmenshan fault, the rupturing is mainly characterized by reverse-dip slip with some strike-slip, and over time, the aftershocks migrated towards the northern section. The rupturing in the source is mainly characterized by strike-slip with some reverse-dip slips. The stress field is controlled by the main shock stress field in the southern section of the Longmenshan tectonic zone, while it is controlled by the main shock stress field and regional stress field in the northern section of the Longmenshan tectonic zone.

Extreme precipitation events in East China and associated moisture transport pathways

Interannual variation of summer precipitation in East China, and frequency of rainstorms during the monsoon season from 1961 to 2010, are analyzed in this study. It is found that the two variables show opposite trends on a decadal time scale: frequency of rainstorms increases significantly after the 1990 s, while summer precipitation in East China decreases during the same period. Analysis of the spatial distribution of summer rainstorm frequency from 1961 to 2010 indicates that it decreases from the southeast to the northwest at the east edge of the large-scale topography associated with the plateaus. Spatial distribution of rainstorms with daily rainfall greater than 50 mm is characterized by a "high in the southeast and low in the northwest" pattern, similar to the staircase distribution of the topography. However, the spatial distribution of variation in both summer precipitation and frequency of extreme rainstorms under global warming differs significantly from the three-step staircase topography. It is shown that moisture characteristics of summer precipitation and extreme rainstorms during the monsoon season in East China, including moisture transport pathways, moist flow pattern, and spatial structure of the merging area of moist flows, differ significantly. Areas of frequent rainstorms include the Yangtze River Valley and South China. Column-integrated moisture transport and its spatial structure could be summarized as a "merging" of three branches of intense moist flows from low and middle latitude oceans, and "convergence" of column-integrated moisture fluxes. The merging area for moist flow associated with rainstorms in the high frequency region is located slightly to the south of the monsoonal precipitation or non-rainstorm precipitation, with significantly strong moisture convergence. In addition, the summer moist flow pattern in East China has a great influence on the frequency of extreme rainstorms. Moisture flux vectors in the region of frequent rainstorms correspond to vortical flow pattern. A comparison of moisture flux vectors associated with non-rainstorms and rainstorms indicates that the moist vortex associated with rainstorms is smaller in size and located to the south of the precipitation maximum, while the moist vortex associated with non-rainstorms is larger and located to the north. It is shown that column-integrated moist transport vortices and the structure of moist flux convergence have significant impacts on the north-south oscillation of frequent rainstorm areas in East China, which is synchronized with the maximum vorticity of moisture transport and the minimum of convergence on the decadal time scale. Synthesis of moisture transport pathways and related circulation impacts leads to a conceptual model of moisture flow associated with rainstorms.

De novo assembly of a Chinese soybean genome

Soybean was domesticated in China and has become one of the most important oilseed crops. Due to bottlenecks in their introduction and dissemination, soybeans from different geographic areas exhibit extensive genetic diversity. Asia is the largest soybean market; therefore, a high-quality soybean reference genome from this area is critical for soybean research and breeding.Here, we report the de novo assembly and sequence analysis of a Chinese soybean genome for "Zhonghuang 13" by a combination of SMRT, Hi-C and optical mapping data. The assembled genome size is 1.025 Gb with a contig N50 of 3.46 Mb and a scaffold N50 of 51.87 Mb. Comparisons between this genome and the previously reported reference genome(cv. Williams82) uncovered more than 250,000 structure variations. A total of 52,051 protein coding genes and 36,429 transposable elements were annotated for this genome, and a gene co-expression network including 39,967 genes was also established. This high quality Chinese soybean genome and its sequence analysis will provide valuable information for soybean improvement in the future.