Key technologies of earthquake early warning system for China’s high-speed railway

Purpose–The purpose of this study is to introduce the top-level design ideas and the overall architecture of earthquake early-warning system for high speed railways in China,which is based on P-wave earthquake early-warning and multiple ways of rapid treatment.Design/methodology/approach–The paper describes the key technologies that are involved in the development of the system,such as P-wave identification and earthquake early-warning,multi-source seismic information fusion and earthquake emergency treatment technologies.The paper also presents the test results of the system,which show that it has complete functions and its major performance indicators meet the design requirements.Findings–The study demonstrates that the high speed railways earthquake early-warning system serves as an important technical tool for high speed railways to cope with the threat of earthquake to the operation safety.The key technical indicators of the system have excellent performance:The first report time of the P-wave is less than three seconds.From the first arrival of P-wave to the beginning of train braking,the total delay of onboard emergency treatment is 3.63 seconds under 95%probability.The average total delay for power failures triggered by substations is 3.3 seconds.Originality/value–The paper provides a valuable reference for the research and development of earthquake early-warning system for high speed railways in other countries and regions.It also contributes to the earthquake prevention and disaster reduction efforts.

Prospects for the Development and Application of the Earthquake Monitoring Network

With the rapid development of the economy in China, the seismic network has been changing rapidly, in that the capability of instruments, technological systems and network density are approaching those of developed countries and a large quantity of observation data has been accumulated. How to apply these resources to economic construction and public safety has become an important issue worth studying. In order to improve earthquake prediction and earthquake emergency response, it is suggested in this paper that extracting valuable precursor information, improving earthquake rapid reporting ability and extending rapid intensity reporting function are key issues. Integrating network resources, building unified standards and a multifunction seismic monitoring network are preconditions of establishing a public safety service platform and earthquake observation resources will contribute significantly to the fields of engineering, ocean, meteorology, and environmental protection. Thus, the future directions of the development of the seismic network are exploring monitoring resources, enhancing independent innovation, constructing a technological platform and enlarging the service field.

Analysis of coseismic effect on temperature in the Three Gorges well network

Through the Three Gorges well network, we examine different coseismic changes in water temperature caused by local earthquakes since 2008, and offer a mechanistic explanation.The relations between the coseismic changes in water temperature and the parameters of distant and local earthquakes are deduced.

The application of neural networks to comprehensive prediction by seismology prediction method

BP neural networks is used to mid-term earthquake prediction in this paper. Some usual prediction parameters of seismology are used as the import units of neural networks. And the export units of neural networks is called as the character parameter W_0 describing enhancement of seismicity. We applied this method to space scanning of North China. The result shows that the mid-term anomalous zone of W_0-value usually appeared obviously around the future epicenter 1~3 years before earthquake. It is effective to mid-term prediction.

Gravity variation before the Akto Ms6.7 earthquake, Xinjiang

The relationship between gravity variation and the Akto Ms6.7 earthquake on November 11, 2016, was studied by use of mobile gravity observation data from the China continental structural environmental monitoring network. The result revealed that before the Akto earthquake, a high positive gravity variation was observed in the Pamir tectonic knots region （within a maximum magnitude of approximately ＋80 microgal）, which was consistent with the existing knowledge of gravity abnormality and the locations of strong earthquakes. In view of the recent strong seismic activities in the Pamir tectonic knots region, as well as the strong upward crust movement and compressive strain, it is believed that gravity change in the Pamir tectonic knots region reflects the recent strong seismic activities and crust movement.

Study of calibration function for surface wave magnitude of DK1 seismographs

The calibration function for surface wave magnitude of DK1 seismograph is deduced by using least squares method of error theory based on the records of DK1 seismograph from 1987 to 1993 and the MS magnitude defined by International Seismological Center (ISC) as basic standard, which takes the form σ DK1 ( Δ )=(1.66±0.034)lg( Δ )+(3.2±0.11) (10° ≤ Δ ≤ 130°, T =8～20 s) From its physical essence, the calibration function for estimating surface wave magnitude by DK1 seismograph can be also deduced by means of the wave propagation theory in layer media, if the dispersion of seismic wave, absorption of media and the effect of the linear filter consisting of earth media and DK1 seismographs on the amplitudes and periods of surface wave are taken into account and it is also assumed that the maximum amplitude is response to Airy?s phase, which takes the form σ DK1 ( Δ )=1.661lg( Δ )+3.3 (10°≤ Δ ≤170°) No correction value is needed when using the calibration function deduced in this paper. Examination on surface wave magnitude of 315 events by 36 prompt earthquake stations and DK1 prompt network shows there exits no systematical error between surface magnitudes of MS (DK1) and MS (ISC) given by ISC and the average error is approximately zero.

Influences of the Three Gorges Project on seismic activities in the reservoir area

Reservoir-induced earthquakes related with the construction of the Three Gorges Project have attracted great concerns of the public. Since the first water impoundment on May 25, 2003, a number of earthquakes have occurred during the water storage stages, in which the largest was the Badong M5.1 earthquake on December 16, 2013. In this paper, the relationships between seismic activities, b value, seismic parameters, and reservoir water level fluctuations are studied. In addition, based on the digital seismic waveform data obtained since 2000, the focal depth changes and focal mechanism characteristics before and after the water impoundment are studied as well. These provide us important information to understand the earthquake mechanisms. The results show that these earthquakes are typical reservoir-induced earthquakes, which are closely related to water infiltration, pore pressure, and water level fluctuations.The majority of the micro and small earthquakes are caused by karst collapse, mine collapse, bank reformation, superficial unloading, and so on. The larger earthquakes are related to the fault structures to some extent. Due to the persistent effects of water impoundment on the seismic and geological environments around the reservoir and water infiltration into the rocks, the influences on the crustal deformation field, gravity field, seepage field, and fault medium-softening action may vary gradually from a higher strength to a weaker one. Therefore, it is possible that small earthquakes and few medium earthquakes(M≤5.5) will occur in the reservoir area in the future.