Analysis and Study on the Change of the Observed Geo-electric Field Data at Lhasa Geomagnetic Station before and after the Nepal MS8.1 Earthquake

In this paper,the main purpose is to analyze and research the characteristics of the geoelectric field observed data with a long time span and large amplitude abnormal change,at the Lhasa geomagnetic station( hereafter referred to as "Lhasa station "),before and after the Nepal M_S8. 1 strong earthquake,which occurred on April 25,2015. Based on the observation conditions,the observation system,and the observed data of Lhasa station preliminary discussed,the main characteristics of the abnormal change and evolution process are analyzed and studied,using the following two methods; the "synthesis energy accumulation"and the "power as MSA spectrum"analysis,from the two aspects of the"Time Domain"and"Frequency Domain. "The results show that the abnormal change of the geo-electric field observation of Lhasa station experienced a development stage following the process of "trend change- disturbance change- earthquake period-recovery period",and an evolution process of "low frequency change- high frequency change- smooth change- high frequency change ",before and after the Nepal M_S8. 1strong earthquake. Comprehensive analysis shows that the variation characteristics and evolution process of the geo-electric field at Lhasa station are basically consistent with the results of the relevant mechanism and phenomenon research. So far,this is valuable information with certain objectivity,which is typical and representative to reflect the whole process of the gestation, occurrence and complete development of such strongearthquakes.

The Co-seismic Response of Underground Fluid in Yunnan to the Nepal MS8.1 Earthquake

In this paper,statistics are taken on the co-seismic response of underground fluid in Yunnan to the Nepal M_S8. 1 earthquake,and the co-seismic response characteristics of the water level and water temperature are analyzed and summarized with the digital data. The results show that the Nepal M_S8. 1 earthquake had greater impact on the Yunnan region,and the macro and micro dynamics of fluids showed significant co-seismic response. The earthquake recording capacity of water level and temperature measurement is significantly higher than that of water radon and water quality to this large earthquake; the maximum amplitude and duration of co-seismic response of water level and water temperature vary greatly in different wells. The changing forms are dominated by fluctuation and step rise in water level,and a rising or falling restoration in water temperature. From the records of the main shock and the maximum strong aftershock,we can see that the greater magnitude of earthquake,the higher ratio of the occurrence of co-seismic response,and in the same well,the larger the response amplitude,as well as the longer the duration. The amplitude and duration of co-seismic response recorded by different instruments in a same well are different. Water temperature co-seismic response almost occurred in wells with water level response,indicating that the well water level and water temperature are closely related in co-seismic response,and the well water temperature seismic response was caused mainly by well water level seismic response.

Co-seismic deformation for the 2015 M_(W)7.8 Gorkha earthquake(Nepal)using near-field GPS data

Seasonal variations and common mode errors affect the precision of the Global Positioning System(GPS)time series.In this paper,we explore to improve the precision of coordinate time series,thereby providing a better detection of weak or transient deformation signals,particularly co-seismic signals.Based on 97 GPS stations,including the campaign and continuous GPS stations in Nepal and southern Tibet,we first consider seasonal variations and common errors,then obtain co-seismic deformation of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal and southern Tibet.Our co-seismic rupture model is characterized by a shallow ramp and a deeper detachment fault,in agreement with the relocated aftershock sequence.Our results indicate that the earthquake rupture is mainly distributed in the upper-crustal fault,and the maximum slip is up to 8.0 m at~15.0 km depth located in the approximate-80 km east of the epicenter.The average slip is more than 5 m,and the total modelled magnitude is M_(W)7.84,consistent with the observed seismic moment.Our rupture model for the 2015 Gorkha earthquake suggests that the rupture zone is not only in the upper crustal Main Himalayan Thrust(MHT),but also spreads to the northern segment of the MHT.

Damage characteristics and seismic capacity of buildings during Nepal M_s 8.1 earthquake

The extensive damage to buildings caused by the Nepal Ms8.1 earthquake has attracted much attention by the international community.Afterthe preliminary scientific investigations on the different affected areas inNepal,the construction and damage characteristics of five different types of buildings commonly existing in Nepal were discussed and the reasons of their disaster performance were analyzed.Types of buildings investigated include reinforced concrete(RC) frame structures,rubble structures,brick-wood structures,raw soil structures,and brick-wood structures of historic buildings.In addition,the weak links of the seismic design were pointed out,which was very important for the post-earthquake reconstruction and recovery,and gave a preliminary explanations for the damage experienced.

Multiplicity of solutions to geophysical inversion reflected by rupture slip distribution of the 2015 Nepal earthquake

The equivalence of geophysical fields, the finiteness of measurements and the measurement errors make the result of geophysical inversion non-unique. For example, the measurements and inversion method used, the priori rupture model determined and the slip distribution smoothing factor selected will have significant influences on the earthquake rupture slip distribution. Using different data and methods, different authors have given different rupture slip distribution models of the 2015 Mw7.9 Nepal earth- quake, with the maximum slip ranging from 3.0 m to 6.8 m. In this paper, geometry parameters of the single rectangular fault model in elastic half-space were inferred constraining with the Global Posi- tioning System （GPS） and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar （InSAR） coseismic deformations and bounding the slip with approximate average value; and then, the single rectangular fault was divided into multiple sub-faults, and the final slip smoothing factor, the final slip distribution and the maximum slip were determined with the misfit-roughness tradeoff curve, the cross-validation sum of squares （CVSS） and the third-party observation data or indexes being comprehensively taken into account. The results show that, the rupture of the Nepal earthquake extended by over 100 km east by south. The maximum slip of the earthquake was about 6.5-6.7 m, and most of the slip is confined at depths of 8 -20 kin, consistent with the depth distribution of aftershocks. The method for reducing the multiplicity of solutions to rupture slip distribution in this paper was ever used in inversion of rupture slip distri- bution for the 2008 Wenchuan and 2013 Lushan earthquakes, and the third-party measurement - surface dislocation has very large effect on reducing the multiplicity of solutions to inversion of the Wenchuan earthquake. Other priori information or indicators, such as fault strike, dip, earthquake magnitude, seismic activity, Coulomb stress, and seismic period, can be used for beneficial validation of and comparison with inversion results.

Far-field coseismic gravity changes related to the 2015 MW7.8 Nepal(Gorkha)earthquake observed by superconducting gravimeters in Chinese mainland

Using data from five SGs at four stations in Chinese mainland,obvious permanent gravity changes caused by the 2015 MW7.8 Nepal(Gorkha)earthquake were detected.We analyzed the gravity effects from ground vertical deformation(VD)using co-site continuous GPS(cGPS)data collocated at the Lijiang and the Wuhan station,and hydrological effects using GLDAS models and groundwater level records.After removing these effects,SG observations before and after the earthquake revealed obvious permanent gravity changes:−3.0μGal,7.3μGal and 8.0μGal at Lhasa,Lijiang and Wuhan station,respectively.We found that the gravity changes cannot be explained by the results of dislocation theory.

Landslide susceptibility assessment of the region affected by the 25 April 2015 Gorkha earthquake of Nepal

Nepal was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 25^(th) April,2015.The main shock and many large aftershocks generated a large number of coseismic landslips in central Nepal.We have developed a landslide susceptibility map of the affected region based on the coseismic landslides collected from remotely sensed data and fieldwork,using bivariate statistical model with different landslide causative factors.From the investigation,it is observed that most of the coseismic landslides are independent of previous landslides.Out of 3,716 mapped landslides,we used 80% of them to develop a susceptibility map and the remaining 20% were taken for validating the model.A total of 11 different landslide-influencing parameters were considered.These include slope gradient,slope aspect,plan curvature,elevation,relative relief,Peak Ground Acceleration(PGA),distance from epicenters of the mainshock and major aftershocks,lithology,distance of the landslide from the fault,fold,and drainage line.The success rate of 87.66% and the prediction rate of86.87% indicate that the model is in good agreement between the developed susceptibility map and theexisting landslides data.PGA,lithology,slope angle and elevation have played a major role in triggering the coseismic mass movements.This susceptibility map can be used for relocating the people in the affected regions as well as for future land development.

Ionospheric disturbances associated with the 2015 M7.8 Nepal earthquake

Based on the total electron content （TEC） derived from Global Positioning System （GPS） observations of the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China （CMONOC） and the Global Ionosphere Map （GIM） from the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe （CODE）, we detected and analyzed the ionospheric variations during the 2015 M7.8 Nepal earthquake （including the pre-earthquake ionospheric anomalies and coseismic ionospheric disturbances （CIDs） following the main shock）. The analysis of vertical total electron content （VTEC） time series shows that the large-scale ionospheric anomalies appeared near the epicenter two days prior to the earthquake. Moreover, the pre-earthcluake ionospheric anomalies were also observed in the geomagnetically conjugated region. In view of solar-terrestrial environment, the pre-earthquake ionospheric anomalies could be associated with the Nepal earthquake. In addition, we also detected the CIDs through the high-frequency GPS observation stations. The CIDs had obvious oscillated waveforms with the peak-to-peak disturbance amplitudes of about I TECu and 0.4 TECu, which propagated approximately with the horizontal velocities of 877 ±75 m/s and 319 ± 30 m/s, respectively. The former is triggered directly by the acoustic waves which originated from the energy release of the earthquake near the epicenter, while the latter could be stimulated by the acoustic-gravity waves from the partial transformation of the acoustic waves.

Measuring ground deformations caused by 2015 Mw7.8 Nepal earthquake using high-rate GPS data

The April 25, 2015 Mw7.8 Nepal earthquake was successfully recorded by Crustal Movement Observation Network of China （CMONOC） and Nepal Geodetic Array （NGA）. We processed the high-rate GPS data （1 Hz and 5 Hz） by using relative kinematic positioning and derived dynamic ground motions caused by this large earthquake. The dynamic displacements time series clearly indicated the displacement amplitude of each station was related to the rupture directivity. The stations which located in the di- rection of rupture propagation had larger displacement amplitudes than others. Also dynamic ground displacement exceeding 5 cm was detected by the GPS station that was 2000 km away from the epicenter. Permanent coseismic displacements were resolved from the near-field high-rate GPS stations with wavelet decomposition-reconstruction method and P-wave arrivals were also detected with S transform method. The results of this study can be used for earthquake rupture process and Earthquake Early Warning studies.

Co-seismic deformation and gravity changes of the 2011 India-Nepal and Myanmar earthquakes

Co-seismic deformation and gravity field changes caused by the 2011 Mw6. 8 Myanmar and Mw6. 9 India-Nepal earthquakes are calculated with a finite-element model and an average-slip model, respectively, based on the multi-layered elastic half-space dislocation theory. The calculated maximum horizontal displace- ment of the Myanmar earthquake is 36 era, which is larger than the value of 9. 5 cm for the India-Nepal earth- quake. This difference is attributed to their different focal depths and our use of different models. Except cer- tain differences in the near field, both models give similar deformation and gravity results for the Myanmar event.

Investigation of Coulomb stress changes in south Tibet(central Himalayas) due to the 25th April 2015 M_W 7.8 Nepal earthquake using a Coulomb stress transfer model

After Mw 7.8 Nepal earthquake occurred, the rearrangement of stresses in the crust commonly leads to subsequent damaging earthquakes. We present the calculations of the coseismic stress changes that resulted from the 25th April event using models of regional faults designed according to south Tibet-Nepal structure, and show that some indicative significant stress increases. We calculate static stress changes caused by the displacement of a fault on which dislocations happen and an earthquake occurs. A Mw 7.3 earthquake broke on 12 May at a distance of - 130 km SEE of the Mw 7.8 earthquake, whose focus roughly located on high Coulomb stress change （CSC） site. Aftershocks （first 15 days after the mainshock） are associated with stress increase zone caused by the main rupture. We set receiver faults with specified strikes, dips, and rakes, on which the stresses imparted by the source fault are resolved. Four group normal faults to the north of the Nepal earthquake seismogenic fault were set as receiver faults and variant results followed. We provide a discussion on Coulomb stress transfer for the seismogenic fault, which is useful to identify potential future rupture zones.

Rupture imaging of the 25 April 2015 M_W7.9 Nepal earthquake from back-projection of teleseismic P waves

The M7.9 Nepal earthquake of 25 April2015 had over 8, 500 fatalities and was the most destructive earthquake in Nepal since the Bihar-Nepal earthquake in 1934.In this study, we imaged the rupture process of this Nepal event by back-projecting the teleseismic P-wave energy recorded at the three regional networks in Alaska, Australia and Europe. The back-projection images of the three subarrays revealed that the Nepal earthquake propagated along the strike in a southeast direction over a distance of ～ 160–170 km with the duration of ～ 50–55 s. The rupture process was found to be a simple, unilateral event with a near constant velocity of 3.3 km/s.The beam power was mainly distributed in the geographic region just north of Kathmandu and the peak intensity for the source time function curve occurred at about 30 s. The earthquake was destructive due to its occurrence at shallow depth(～ 12–15 km) and the fact that the capital lies in a basin of soft sediment. Additionally, the resonance effect for the longer period waves that occurred in the Kathmandu valley led to destructive aggravation, impacting mainly the taller buildings.

Effects of the Nepal M_S8. 1 Earthquake in 2015 on Seismic Activity in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

We obtained the displacement and deformation caused by the 2015 Nepal MS8. 1 earthquake adopting the finite element method,and analyzed the displacement and deformation characteristics and effect of three large earthquakes on seismic activity in the Qinghai-Tibetan block. Our primary results suggest southward movement of the QinghaiTibetan block is caused by a large earthquake occurring on thrust fault in the Himalayan zone,the displacement direction is reverse to the background displacement. The occurrence of these large earthquakes will result in stress unloading and earthquake activity will be weakened in stress unloading areas. Through the simulation results,we can detect the distribution area of stress loading and unloading caused by large earthquakes.Simultaneously,it provides a fundamental evidence for determination of earthquake activity trend.

The NE Directed Seismicity Belt in Tibet after the M_S8.1 Nepal Earthquake and Its Predictive Significance

After the 2015 M_S8. 1 Nepal earthquake,a strong and moderate seismicity belt has formed in Tibet gradually spreading along the northeast direction. In this paper,we attempt to summarize the features and investigate the primary mechanism of this behavior of seismic activity,using a 2-D finite element numerical model with tectonic dynamic settings and GPS horizontal displacements as the constraints. In addition,compared with the NEtrending seismicity belt triggered by the 1996 Xiatongmoin earthquake,we discuss the future earthquake hazard in and around Tibet. Our results show that: the NE-directed seismicity belt is the response of enhanced loading on the anisotropic Qinghai-Tibetan plateau from the Indian plate and earthquake thrusting. Also,this possibly implies that a forthcoming strong earthquake may fill in the gaps in the NE-directed seismicity belt or enhance the seismic hazard in the eastern( the north-south seismic zone) and western( Tianshan tectonic region) parts near the NE-directed belt.

Seismic Damage to Owner-Built RC Frames in Charikot during the 2015 Nepal Earthquake Sequence

The damage to the masonry-infilled reinforced concrete( RC) frame buildings in Charikot,the capital city of Dolakha district in Nepal,during the 2015 April-to-May Nepal earthquake sequence is reported. Most of these buildings were built by the owners with little governmental inspections regarding their structural design or constructional quality. Although they generally performed better than other structural systems such as stone-masonry houses,the RC frames sustained extensive damage ranging from cracking of infill to complete collapse. In particular,eight of the 72 inspected RC frames alongside an uphill street collapsed in different ways. In addition to the un-engineered nature of these RC frames,their collapse could also be attributed to multiple technical reasons including the effect of terrain, the pounding between adjacent buildings and the accumulative damage in the earthquake sequence.

Self-Organized Fractal Seismicity and b-Value of Aftershocks of the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, Nepal

The Gorkha Earthquake that occurred on 25th April 2015 was a long anticipated, low angle thrust-faulting shallow event in Central Nepal that devastated the mountainous southern rim of the High Himalayan range. The earthquake was felt throughout central and eastern Nepal, much of the Ganges River plain in northern India, and northwestern Bangladesh, as well as in the southern parts of the Plateau of Tibet and western Bhutan. Two large aftershocks, with magnitudes 6.6 and 6.7, occurred in the region within one day of the main event, and several dozen smaller aftershocks occurred in the region during the succeeding days. In this study, we have analyzed the 350 aftershocks of the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake of Mw 7.8 to understand the spatial and temporal distribution of b-value and the fractal correlation dimension. The b-value is found to be 0.833 ± 0.035 from the Gutenberg-Richter relation by the least squares method and 0.95 ± 0.05 by the maximum likelihood method, indicating high stress bearing source zone. The spatial and temporal correlation dimension is estimated to be 1.07 ± 0.028 and 0.395 ± 0.0027 respectively. Spatial correlation dimension suggests a heterogeneous distribution of earthquake epicenters over a linear structure in space, while the temporal correlation dimension suggests clustering of aftershock activity in the time domain. The spatial variation of the b-value reveals that the b-value is high in the vicinity of the mainshock which is due to the sudden release of stress energy in the form of seismic waves. The spatial distribution of correlation dimension further confirms a linear source in the source zone as it varies from 0.8-1.0 in most of the region. We have also studied the temporal variation of b-value and correlation dimension that shows positive correlation for about first 15 days, then a negative correlation for next 45 days and after that, a positive correlation. The positive correlation suggests that the probability of large magnitude earthquakes decreases in response to increased fragmentation of the fault zone. The negative correlation means that there is a considerable probability of occurrences of large magnitude earthquakes, indicating stress release along the faults of a larger surface area [1]. The correlation coefficient between b-value and the correlation dimension is estimated to be 0.26, which shows that there is no significant relation between them.

Socio-Demographic Impact Study of Nepal Earthquake 2015 at Sindhuli District

As a result of the two major earthquakes that struck Nepal at 11:56 am on 25 April, and 12 May 2015, nearly 9,000 lives and over half a million homes have been destroyed. In this connection, the paper tries to assess the socio- demographic impact of Nepal earthquake 2015 with reference to Sindhuli district. The Sindhuli district of Nepal was one of the highly affected districts among the fourteen severely destructed districts of the central part of Nepal, was purposively selected among them for the study purpose. The paper utilized the both primary and secondary data. The survey found that the earthquakes had unevenly affected the age, gender, poorer, rural locations relative to the urban and less poor areas. It also found that women and children had comparatively fallen victim to anxiety, trauma, depression, feeling helpless, loss of interest (passive) and irrational fear. During the survey, the study found that the NGOs, INGOs, Private and Personal support agencies/actors had played significant role in distribution of relief package at Sindhuli district of Nepal. The distributions of relief materials were challenging because of lack of road connectivity to reach at many earthquake affected villages in Sindhuli district.

Quantitative analysis of the Nepal earthquake on 25 April, 2015 in the perspective of future earthquake hazard

The earthquake that occurred in Nepal on 25 April, 2015 was followed by about 256 aftershocks which continued for another 20-25 days. The Coulomb stress change due to the main shock has been estimated at depths 10 km, 15 km and 22 km which justify the occurrence of about 218 aftershocks of magnitudes 4 to 5 mostly at 10 km depth and the rest of magnitudes 5 to 7.3 mostly at 15-30 km depth. The western, southern and northern fringes of the fault plane that slipped on 25 April, 2015 show a high value of positive Coulomb stress change estimated at the above mentioned depths and yet these parts of the fault remained devoid of any aftershock epicentre and therefore must be treated as seats for possible future events. Co-seismic displacement of 5 GPS stations located in Nepal after the devastating earthquake of MwZ8 on 25 April, 2015 and its largest aftershock of MwZ3 on 12 May, 2015 have been separately estimated and analysed.

Analysis on Characteristics of Seismic Damage of the Nepal M_S8.1 Earthquake in the Tibet Area of China

On April 25,2015,a M_S8. 1 earthquake occurred in Nepal. In the Tibet area of China,this earthquake caused heavy casualties and damage to housing,roads,communications,other lifeline engineering, water conservancy and other infrastructure. This paper introduces the basic situation of the earthquake,and based on the investigation and assessment of seismic intensity,the damage of the disaster area is analyzed,and building types and damage to the lifeline systems and various industries are given. Through the analysis of the characteristics of the earthquake disaster,this paper points out the existing problems in seismic fortification,and finally puts forward proposals for the prevention and control of earthquake geological disasters, scientific planning for the restoration and reconstruction,strengthening earthquake prevention and disaster reduction propaganda,improving the awareness of earthquake preparedness in the agricultural and pastoral areas,strengthening the guidance and supervision of housing construction in rural areas to reduce the casualties and losses,and promoting the harmonious development of economy in Tibet.

2020年西藏定日M_(W)5.6地震震源参数估计和应力触发研究

2020年3月20日青藏高原西南缘定日县发生M_(W)5.6地震,距2015年尼泊尔M_(W)7.9地震~250 km.尼泊尔地震,尤其是震后余滑是否触发了此次定日地震还有待研究.本文联合合成孔径雷达和区域地震波资料研究定日地震的破裂特征.首先利用近场形变和宽频带地震波资料,通过贝叶斯自举优化算法揭示定日地震的均匀滑动模型;然后在此基础上构建断层几何模型并反演震源滑动分布.研究发现定日地震的发震断层走向~334°,倾角~51°.破裂主要集中在约2.0~5.5 km深度范围内.破裂范围~5.6 km×4.4 km,释放总的地震矩~3.33×10^(17)N·m.最大滑动量~1.27 m,发生在3.786 km深度.破裂以正断滑动为主兼少许右旋走滑分量,同区域历史地震表现出相似的破裂机制,表明印度板块向北东方向挤压欧亚板块,在藏南地区产生了近东西向的张应力.库仑应力变化研究表明,尼泊尔M_(W)7.9地震主余震和定日地区四次历史地震共同触发了2020年定日M_(W)5.6地震,其中尼泊尔地震震后2年的余滑引起的库仑应力变化占库仑应力增加总量的~40%,震后余滑在未来地震危险性评估中发挥的作用不容忽视.