新疆哈密地区地震地质及地震活动性

通过对哈密地区几大活动断裂带、历史地震以及近 30年中、小地震活动性的分析 ,认为哈密地区同时受到南部印度—欧亚板块的碰撞作用与北部西伯利亚—蒙古地区地壳运动的影响 ,其构造运动兼具西部天山地区和北部西蒙古—阿尔泰地区构造运动的特点 ,即块体比较完整 ,只发育大断裂 ,大断裂之间的中、小断裂不很发育。这种特殊的地震地质和地球动力学环境 ,决定了哈密地区历史和现今地震活动的特点为 :大震复发周期长 ,低 b值 ,中。

The Origin of the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake Determined by the Analysis on the Active Longmenshan Nappe in Terms of Rockmass Mechanics

On 12 May 2008, the magnitude 8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake occurred along the Longmen Shan nappe, Sichuan, China. This devastating earthquake led to a heavy death toll of greater than 80,000. The seismic origin of this earthquake is currently hotly debated. We suppose that it is a special type of intraplate earthquake called an active-nappe-type earthquake. Using a holistic methodology, incorporating rockmass structure cybernetics and Byerlee's law, we present a comprehensive study on the geological origin of macroseisms in the Longmen Shan area and the seismic origin of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. Previous studies of neotectonic activity indicate that the Longmen Shan nappe moves at a rate of 1~3 mm/yr, due to horizontal compressive stress from the Tibetan Plateau. The difference between movement rates in the Bayankala block, Longmen Shan nappe and Sichuan Basin cause slow shear stress and strain accumulation in the Longmen Shan nappe. It is exhibited a relatively simple linear relations for the shear strength and the buried depth of the structural planes, and the detachment layer of the nappe has a higher shearing-sliding strength compared to the overlying fault planes and the underlying ductile shear belts, thus making it more prone to stick-slip deformation. Therefore, the detachment layer was the main section responsible for the Wenchuan earthquake. The initial rupture burst in the detachment layer under the Yingxiu-Beichuan fault, the rupture area nearly 1.4454 × 104 km2,encompassed the cross point of the Yingxiu and the Anxian-Guanxian faults with the detachment layer, then caused the Yingxiu-Beichuan and Anxian-Guanxian faults took an active part in this earthquake, so this earthquake might consist of three chain-like earthquake stages, totally increasing the duration of this earthquake an unusually large amount, to 120 s. The focal depth spanned range of 10-20km,consistent with the observed result of this focal depth by several agencies.

Some thoughts on seismotectonics of major earthquake occurrence zones in China

A major earthquake occurrence zone means a place where M ≥6 events have occurred since the Holocene and similar shocks may happen again in the future. The dynamic context of the major earthquake occurrence zones in China is primarily associated with the NNE-directed push of the India plate, next with the westward subduction of the Pacific plate. The Chinese mainland is a grand mosaic structure of many crust blocks bounded by faults and sutures. When it is suffered from boundary stresses, deformation takes place along these faults or sutures while the block interiors remain relatively stable or intact. Since the Quaternary, for example, left slip on the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault zone in southwestern China has produced a number of fault-depression basins in extensional areas during periods Q1 and Q2. In the Q3, the change of stress orientation and enhancement of tectonic movement made faults of varied trends link each other, and continued to be active till present day, producing active fanlt zones in this region. Usually major earthquakes occur at some special locations on these active fault zones. During these events, in the epicenter areas experience intensive deformation character- ized by large-amplitude rise and fall of neighboring sections, generation of horst-graben systems and dammed rivers. The studies on palaeoearthquakes suggest that major shocks of close magnitudes often repeated for several times at a same place. By comparison of the Chi-Chi, Taiwan event in 1999 and Yuza, Yunnan event in 1955, including contours of accelerations and intensities, destruction of buildings, and in contrast to the Xigeda formation in southwestern China, a sandwich model is established to account for the mechanism of deformation caused by major earthquakes. This model consists of three layers, i.e. the two walls of a fault and the ruptured zone intercalated between them. This ruptured zone is just the loci where stress is built up and released, and serves as a channel for seismic waves.

The Late Pleistocene activity of the eastern part of east Kunlun fault zone and its tectonic significance

The nearly EW-trending East Kunlun fault zone is the north boundary of the Bayan Har block.The activity characteristics and the position of the eastern end of its eastward extension are of great significance to probing into the dynamic mechanism of formation of the east edge of the Tibetan Plateau,and also lay the foundation for seismic risk assessment of the fault zone.The following results are obtained by analysis based on satellite image interpretation of landforms,surface rupture survey,terrace scarp deformation survey,and terrace dating data on the eastern part of the East Kunlun fault zone:(1)the Luocha segment is a Holocene active fault,where a reverse L-shape paleoearthquake surface rupture zone of about 50 km long is located;(2)the Luocha segment is characterized by left-lateral slip movement under the compression-shear condition since the later period of the Late Pleistocene,with a rate of 7.68–9.37 mm/a and a vertical slip rate of 0.7–0.9 mm/a,which are basically in accord with the activity rate of segments on its west side.The results indicate that it is a part of eastward extension of the East Kunlun fault zone;(3)the high-speed linear horizontal slip of the nearly EW-trending East Kunlun fault zone is blocked by the South China block at east,and transforms into the vertical movement of the nearly SN-NNE trending Minjiang fault zone and the Longmenshan fault zone,and the uplift of Longmenshan and Minjiang.The area where transform of the two tectonic systems occurred confines the position of the east end;(4)Luocha segment and Maqu segment constitute the"Maqu seismic gap",so,seismic risk at Maqu segment is higher than that at Luocha segment,which should attract more attention.