Spatial-temporal variation of the land surface temperature field and present-day tectonic activity

This study attempts to acquire information on tectonic activity in western China from land surface temperature （LST） field data. On the basis of the established relationship between heat and strain, we analyzed the LSTdistribution in western China using the satellite data product MODIS/Terra. Our results show that： 1. There are departures from annual changes of LSTin some areas, and that these changes are associated with the activity of some active tectonic zones. 2. When annual-change background values caused by climate factors are removed, the long-period component （LSTLow） of temperature residual （AT） of the LSTis able to serve as an indicator for tectonic activity. We have found that a major earthquake can produce different effects on the/ST fields of surrounding areas. These effects are characterized by both rises and drops in temperature. For example, there was a noteworthy temperature decline associated with the Sumatran M9 earthquake of 2004 in the Bayan Har-Songpan block of central Tibetan Plateau. 3. On the other hand, the LST field of a single area may respond differently to major shocks occurring in different areas in the regions surrounding China. For instance, the Kun- lun M 8.1 event made the LSTon the Longmen Mountains fault zone increase, whereas the Zaisan Lake M 7.9 quake of 2003, and the Sumatran M 9 event of 2004, caused decreases in the same area＇s LST. 4. The variations of land surface temperature （LST） over time are different in different tectonic areas. These phenomena may provide clues for the study of tectonic deformation processes. On the basis of these phenomena, we use a combi- nation of temperature data obtained at varied depths, regional seismicity and strain results obtained with GPS measurements, to test the information related to tectonic activity derived from variations of the LST field, and discuss its implications to the creation of models of regional tectonic deformation.

Coseismic surface rupture characteristics and earthquake damage analysis of the eastern end of the 2021 M_(S)7.4 Madoi(Qinghai)earthquake

At 02:04 on May 22,2021,an M_(S)7.4 earthquake occurred in Madoi County in Qinghai Province,China.This earthquake is the largest seismic event in China since the 2008M_(S) 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake.Thus,it is critical to investigate surface deformation and damage in time to accurately understand the seismogenic structure of the Madoi earthquake and the seismogenic capacity of the blocks in this region.This study focuses on the Xuema Village,located at the eastern end of the coseismic surface ruptures produced by the event,and assesses the deformation and seismic damage in this area based on field surveys,UAV photogrammetry,and ground penetrating radar(GPR).The results indicate that the rupture scale is substantially smaller at the eastern end of the rupture zone compared to other segments.En echelon type shear tensile fractures are concentrated in a width range of 50–100 m,and the width of single fractures ranges from 20 to 30 cm.In contrast,the degree of seismic damage significantly increases at this site.All of the brick and timber houses are damaged or collapsed,while the steel frame structures and the color steel houses are slightly damaged.More than 80%of the bridge decks on the Changma River Bridge collapse,similar to the terraces along the Youerqu and Changma Rivers and the cut slopes of Provincial Highway S205.We infer that the seismogenic fault of the Madoi earthquake exerts a tail effect in this segment.The tension zone has led to a reduction at the eastern end of the rupture zone,causing shaking damage.Local topography and buildings without earthquake-resistant construction along the strike of the rupture zone have undergone different levels of seismic damage.