Advances in the deep tectonics and seismic anisotropy of the Lijiang-Xiaojinhe fault zone in the Sichuan-Yunnan Block,Southwestern China

The Sichuan-Yunnan Block(SYB)is located at the SE margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(TP).Under the influence of the southeastward movement of material originated from the TP,intense crustal deformation,frequent seismic activity,and complex geological structures are observed in the SYB.The Lijiang-Xiaojinhe fault(LXF)goes through the central part of the SYB,dividing it into two blocks from north to south,and forming an intersecting fault system with the surrounding faults.This paper firstly introduces the morphology and the nature of the LXF,the distribution of the regional surface displacements and the focal mechanisms,and then analyzes the medium deformation and the effects of faults.Moreover,according to the regional tectonics and geophysical patterns,the paper discusses the characteristics of the north-south blocks of the SYB and the abrupt change of deep structure along the LXF zone.Since seismic anisotropy is an essential property for detecting crustal stress,deep structures and dynamical mechanisms,this paper is dedicated to the advances in seismic anisotropy at different depths and different scales in the study area.There are noteworthy differences in the anisotropic features between the north part and the south part of the SYB,possibly associated with a clear boundary adjacent to the LXF.Such phenomenon suggests some close correlation between anisotropic zoning boundary and the LXF,although this boundary is not consistent with the LXF in strike.The results from the deformation of the crust and the upper mantle elucidate the distribution patterns of the crust-mantle coupling in the north part and the crustmantle decoupling in the south part,even though this conclusion needs to be further verified by more studies.Presently,the scientific understanding of the deep tectonics and the media deformation around the“generalized”LXF i.e.the LXF with the Jinpingshan fault on its eastern side,is still insufficient,and related equivocal topics deserve more in-depth studies.

Is clustered seismicity an indicator of regional stress?Insights from earthquake sequences in Yongning-Luguhu faulted basin,Southwest China

Using hypocenter relocation,moment tensor inversion,stress field inversion,and fault slip tendency analysis,this study systematically investigated three M5.5-5.8 earthquake sequences that occurred after 2000 in the Yongning-Luguhu faulted basin in the middle of the Lijiang-Xiaojinhe fault zone within the Sichuan-Yunnan block,Southwest China.Our results show that since the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake,the tectonic stress pattern in this area may have changed and that b-values estimated for the earthquake sequences show evidence of an increasing trend in stress in the study area.Seismicity in the small-scale faulted basin adjacent to the large-scale fault zone is a possible indicator of regional stress.We also note that the aftershocks of the M5.7 earthquake sequence in 2012 and the M5.5 earthquake sequence in 2022 show relatively clear fluid diffusion-triggering characteristics.Overpressure of deep fluids is still the main factor driving seismic activity in the region,and we propose that the background tectonic stresses have not yet reached critical levels.