The Subduction Structure Beneath the New Britain Island Arc and the Adjacent Region from Double-Difference Tomography

We applied double-difference tomography to relocate seismic events and determine the lithospheric velocity structure beneath the New Britain Island arc and the South Bismarck Sea Basin,based on the local P wave arrival time dataset collected by the International Seismological Centre.Results of the seismic relocation and velocity inversion show that the subduction of Solomon Sea Plate along the New Britain Trench is spatially different above 150 km,and the subduction angle of the slab on the west side is higher than that on the east side.The relocated earthquakes also show that there are double seismic zones at the depths of about 30–90km beneath the New Britain Island Arc.The velocity structure shows that the dehydration of the subducting slab caused the low-velocity anomalies in mantle wedge above the slab,which are associated with the magmatic activities around the New Guinea-New Britain Island arc.Moreover,it shows that there is another low-velocity anomaly zone beneath the Bismarck mid-oceanic ridge with spatial variation.Beneath the west of the Bismarck mid-oceanic ridge,the low-velocity anomaly is weakly connected to the subducted Solomon Sea slab.Conversely,the low-velocity anomaly beneath the Manus Sea Basin is highly intertwined to the subducting slab and its mantle wedge,indicating that the subduction of the Solomon Sea Plate might be a key deep dynamic factor that drives the spreading of the Manus Sea Basin and the separation of the Bismarck Plate.

Double-difference tomography of P- and S-wave velocity structure beneath the western part of Java, Indonesia

West Java in the western part of the Sunda Arc has a relatively high seismicity due to subduction activity and faults.In this study,double-difference tomography was used to obtain the 3D velocity tomograms of P and S waves beneath the western part of Java.To infer the geometry of the structure beneath the study area,precise earthquake hypo・center determination was first performed before tomographic imaging.For this,earthquake waveform data were extracted from the regional Meteorological,Climatological,Geophysical Agency(BMKG)network of Indonesia from South Sumatra to Central Java.The P and S arrival times for about 1,000 events in the period April 2009 to July 2016 were selected,the key features being events of magnitude>3,azimuthal gap<210°and number of phases>8.A nonlinear method using the oct-tree sampling algorithm from the NonLinLoc program was employed to determine the earthquake hypocenters.The hypocenter locations were then relocated using double-difference tomography(tomoDD).A significant reduction of travel-time(root mean square basis)and a better clustering of earthquakes were achieved which correlated well with the geological structure in West Java.Double-difference tomography was found to give a clear velocity structure,especially beneath the volcanic arc area,i.e.,under Mt Anak Krakatau,Mt Salak and the mountains complex in the southern part of West Java.Low velocity anomalies for the P and S waves as well as the vp/vs ratio below the volcanoes indicated possible partial melting of the upper mantle which ascended from the subducted slab beneath the volcanic arc.

P-wave velocity structure beneath reservoirs and surrounding areas in the lower Jinsha River

The lower reaches of the Jinsha River are rich in hydropower resources because of the high mountains,deep valleys,and swift currents in this area.This region also features complex tectonic structures and frequent earthquakes.After the impoundment of the reservoirs,seismic activity increased significantly.Therefore,it is necessary to study the P-wave velocity structure and earthquake locations in the lower reaches of the Jinsha River and surrounds,thus providing seismological support for subsequent earthquake prevention and disaster reduction work in reservoir areas.In this study,we selected the data of 7.670 seismic events recorded by the seismic networks in Sichuan.Yunnan,and Chongqing and the temporary seismic arrays deployed nearby.We then applied the double-difference tomography method to this data,to obtain the P-wave velocity structure and earthquake locations in the lower reaches of the Jinsha River and surrounds.The results showed that the Jinsha River basin has a complex lateral P-wave velocity structure.Seismic events are mainly distributed in the transition zones between high-and low-velocity anomalies,and seismic events are particularly intense in the Xiluodu and Baihetan reservoir areas.Vertical cross-sections through the Xiangjiaba and Xiluodu reservoir areas revealed an apparent high-velocity anomaly at approximately 6 km depth:this high-velocity anomaly plays a role in stress accumulation,with few earthquakes distributed inside the high-velocity body.After the impoundment of the Baihetan reservoir,the number of earthquakes in the reservoir area increased significantly.The seismic events in the reservoir area north of 27°N were related to the enhanced activity of nearby faults after impoundment:the earthquakes in the reservoir area south of 27°N were probably induced by additional loads(or regional stress changes),and the multiple microseismic events may have been caused by rock rupture near the main faults under high pore pressure.

Three-dimensional P-wave Velocity Structure Modelling of the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt: Crustal Architecture and Metallogenic Implications

In this study,we compiled and analyzed 69310 P-wave travel-time data from 6639 earthquake events.These events(M≥2.0)occurred from 1980 s to June 2019 and were recorded at 319 seismic stations(Chinese Earthquake Networks Center)in the study area.We adopted the double-difference seismic tomographic method(tomo DD)to invert the 3-D P-wave velocity structure and constrain the crust-upper mantle architecture of the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Metallogenic Belt(MLYB).A 1-D initial model extracted from wide-angle seismic profiles was used in the seismic tomography,which greatly reduced the inversion residual.Our results indicate that reliable velocity structure of th e uppermost mantle can be obtained when Pn is involved in the tomography.Our results show that:(1)the pattern of the uppermost mantle velocity structure corresponds well with the geological partitioning:a nearly E-W-trending low-velocity zone is present beneath the Dabie Orogen,in contrast to the mainly NE-trending low-velocity anomalies beneath the Jiangnan Orogen.They suggest the presence of thickened lower crust beneath the orogens in the study area.In contrast,the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks are characterized by relatively high-velocity anomalies;(2)both the ultra-high-pressure(UHP)metamorphic rocks in the Dabie Orogen and the low-pressure metamorphic rocks in the Zhangbaling dome are characterized by high-velocity anomalies.The upper crust in the Dabie Orogen is characterized by a low-velocity belt,sandwiched between two high velocity zones in a horizontal direction,with discontinuous low-velocity layers in the middle crust.The keel of the Dabie Orogen is mainly preserved beneath its northern section.We infer that the lower crustal delamination may have mainly occurred in the southern Dabie Orogen,which caused the mantle upwelling responsible for the formation of the granitic magmas emplaced in the middle crust as the low-velocity layers observed there.Continuous deep-level compression likely squeezed the granitic magma upward to intrude the upper crustal UHP metamorphic rocks,forming the'sandwich'velocity structure there;(3)high-velocity updoming is widespread in the crust-mantle transition zone beneath the MLYB.From the Anqing-Guichi ore field northeastward to the Luzong,Tongling,Ningwu and Ningzhen orefields,high-velocity anomalies in the crust-mantle transition zone increase rapidly in size and are widely distributed.The updoming also exists in the crust-mantle transition zone beneath the Jiurui and Edongnan orefields,but the high-velocity anomalies are mainly stellate distributed.The updoming high-velocity zone beneath the MLYB generally extends from the crust-mantle transition zone to the middle crust,different from the velocity structure in the upper crust.The upper crust beneath the Early Cretaceous extension-related Luzong and Ningwu volcanic basins is characterized by high velocity zones,in contrast to the low velocity anomalies beneath the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous compression-related Tongling ore field.The MLYB may have undergone a compressive-to-extensional transition during the Yanshanian(Jurassic-Cretaceous)period,during which extensive magmatism occurred.The near mantle-crustal boundary updoming was likely caused by asthenospheric underplating at the base of the lower crust.The magmas may have ascended through major crustal faults,undergoing AFC(assimilation and fractional crystallization)processes,became emplaced in the fault-bounded basins or Paleozoic sequences,eventually forming the many Cu-Fe polymetallic deposits there.

Three-dimensional crustal velocity structure and activity characteristics of the Madoi Ms7.4 earthquake in 2021

In this paper,using natural earthquake P-wave arrival time data recorded by the seismic network in the surrounding area of Madoi,the three-dimensional fine P-wave crustal velocity structure at depths above 60 km in the epicenter of the Madoi Ms7.4 earthquake was inverted using the double-difference seismic tomography method.On the basis of the relocation of the source of the aftershock sequence,we summarized the strip-shaped distribution characteristics along the strike of the Jiangcuo fault,revealing the significant heterogeneity of the crustal velocity structure in the source area.Research has found that most of the Madoi Ms7.4 aftershocks were located in the weak area of the high-speed anomaly in the upper crust.The focal depth changed with the velocity structure,showing obvious fluctuation and segmentation characteristics.There was a good correspondence between the spatial distribution and the velocity structure.The high-velocity bodies of the upper crust in the hypocenter area provided a medium environment for earthquake rupture,the low-velocity bodies of the middle crust formed the deep material,and the migration channel and the undulating shape of the high-speed body in the lower crust corroborated the strong pushing action in the region.The results confirmed that under the continuous promotion of tectonic stress in the Madoi area,the high-speed body of the Jiangcuo fault blocked the migration of weak materials in the middle crust.When the stress accumulation exceeded the limit,the Madoi Ms7.4 earthquake occurred.Meanwhile,the nonuniform velocity structure near the fault plane determined the location of the main shock and the spatiotemporal distribution of the aftershock sequence.

Three-dimensional velocity structure and tectonic characteristics of earthquake area in Yibin

In this study,on the basis of absolute first-arrival times of 84756 P-and S-waves from 6085 earthquakes recorded at 56 fixed stations in Yibin and surrounding areas in China from January 2009 to January 2019,focal parameters and three-dimensional(3 D)body-wave high-resolution velocity structures at depths of 0–30 km were retrieved by double-difference tomography.Results show that there is a good correspondence between the spatial distribution of the relocated earthquakes and velocity structures,which were concentrated mainly in the high-velocity-anomaly region or edge of high-velocity region.Velocity structure of P-and S-waves in the Yibin area clearly shows lateral inhomogeneity.The distribution characteristics of the P-and S-waves near the surface are closely related to the geomorphology and geologic structure.The low-velocity anomaly appears at the depth of 15–25 km,which is affected by the lower crust current.The Junlian–Gongxian and Gongxian–Changning earthquake areas,which are the two most earthquake-prone areas in the Yibin region,clearly differ in earthquake distribution and tectonic characteristics.We analyzed the structural characteristics of the Junlian–Gongxian and Gongxian–Changning earthquake areas on the basis of the 3 D bodywave velocity structures in the Yibin region.We found that although most seismicity in the Yibin area is caused by fluid injection,the spatial position of seismicity is controlled by the velocity structures of the middle and upper crust and local geologic structure.Fine-scale 3 D velocity structures in the Yibin area provide important local reference information for further understanding the crustal medium,seismogenic structure,and seismicity.

Seismic imaging of aftershock gap between Lushan and Wenchuan earthquakes

New Vp and Vs models of the aftershock gap between the 2013 Lushan and 2008 Wenchuan earthquakes were obtained using 7190 events recorded by 102 stations in the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The new velocity models and event locations were inverted by the regional-scale version of double-difference tomography algorithm. The new velocity structure shows that the aftershock gap is an obviously low-velocity zone in the upper crust,whereas the aftershock regions of the Lushan and Wenchuan earthquakes show high-velocity anomalies. The low-velocity anomaly of the aftershock gap in the upper crust may indicate that the materials of the gap are weak and ductile,which is not prone to accumulate stress and cause big earthquakes. As a result,it is less likely that the big earthquakes will occur in the gap in the future.

Three dimensional velocity model and its tectonic implications at China Seismic Experimental Site,eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau

The China Seismic Experimental Site(CSES)is located at the intersection of the Tibetan Plateau,South China Block,and Indian Plate and has complex geological settings and intense crustal deformation,making it one of the most seismically active areas in Chinese mainland.A high-resolution,three-dimensional(3D)crust-mantle velocity structure is crucial for understanding seismotectonic environments,lithospheric deformation mechanisms,and deep dynamic processes.We first constructed a high-vertical-resolution 3D initial velocity model using the joint inversion of receiver functions and surface waves and then obtained a 3D P-and S-wave velocity model(CSES-VM1.0)with the highest lateral resolution of 0.25°for the CSES using double-difference tomography.Owing to the limitations of the Sn observation data,the resolution of the S-wave velocity model in the lower crust and upper mantle was reduced,making it closer to the initial model provided by joint inversion.A comparison with explosive-source seismic data showed that the synthetic P-wave first-arrival travel times of the new model were closer to the observations than those of the previous velocity models.The velocity cross-sections across the source areas of the 2022 Lushan MS6.1 and Ludian MS6.8 earthquakes reveal that the former earthquake occurred near a weak contact zone between the Tibetan Plateau and Sichuan Basin,and the rupture of the latter earthquake occurred in a granitic area,with the northern end blocked by rigid high-velocity bodies.A clear high-velocity anomaly zone is distributed along the western margin of the Yangtze Block,revealing the spatial distribution of Neoproterozoic intermediate-basic intrusions.This high-velocity zone significantly controls the morphology of fault zones and influences the rupture processes of major earthquakes.Two northeast-southwest and north-south trending high-velocity anomalies were found near Panzhihua,potentially related to Neoproterozoic and Middle-Late Permian intermediate-basic intrusions.The imaging results revealed the spatial distribution of the Lincang granitoid batholith,the uplifted zone of the central axis fault in the Simao Basin,and the Ailaoshan complex belt in the southwestern CSES,demonstrating a higher spatial resolution compared to previous results.Our velocity model provides an essential foundation for deep structural studies,high-precision earthquake locations,and strong ground motion simulations in the CSES.