Relocation of the 1998 Zhangbei-Shangyi earthquake sequence using the double difference earthquake location algorithm

On January 10, 1998, at 11h50min Beijing Time (03h50min UTC), an earthquake of ML=6.2 occurred in the border region between the Zhangbei County and Shangyi County of Hebei Province. This earthquake is the most significant event to have occurred in northern China in the recent years. The earthquake-generating structure of this event was not clear due to no active fault capable of generating a moderate earthquake was found in the epicentral area, nor surface ruptures with any predominate orientation were observed, no distinct orientation of its aftershock distribution given by routine earthquake location was shown. To study the seismogenic structure of the Zhangbei- Shangyi earthquake, the main shock and its aftershocks with ML3.0 of the Zhangbei-Shangyi earthquake sequence were relocated by the authors of this paper in 2002 using the master event relative relocation technique. The relocated epicenter of the main shock was located at 41.145癗, 114.462癊, which was located 4 km to the NE of the macro-epicenter of this event. The relocated focal depth of the main shock was 15 km. Hypocenters of the aftershocks distributed in a nearly vertical plane striking 180~200 and its vicinity. The relocated results of the Zhangbei-Shangyi earthquake sequence clearly indicated that the seismogenic structure of this event was a NNE-SSW-striking fault with right-lateral and reverse slip. In this paper, a relocation of the Zhangbei-Shangyi earthquake sequence has been done using the double difference earthquake location algorithm (DD algorithm), and consistent results with that obtained by the master event technique were obtained. The relocated hypocenters of the main shock are located at 41.131癗, 114.456癊, which was located 2.5 km to the NE of the macro-epicenter of the main shock. The relocated focal depth of the main shock was 12.8 km. Hypocenters of the aftershocks also distributed in a nearly vertical N10E-striking plane and its vicinity. The relocated results using DD algorithm clearly indicated that the seismogenic structure of this event was a NNE-striking fault again.

Fast and accurate earthquake location within complex medium using a hybrid global-local inversion approach

A novel hybrid approach for earthquake location is proposed which uses a combined coarse global search and fine local inversion with a minimum search routine, plus an examination of the root mean squares （RMS） error distribution. The method exploits the advantages of network ray tracing and robust formulation of the Frrchet derivatives to simultaneously update all possible initial source parameters around most local minima （including the global minimum） in the solution space, and finally to determine the likely global solution. Several synthetic examples involving a 3-D complex velocity model and a challenging source-receiver layout are used to demonstrate the capability of the newly-developed method. This new global-local hybrid solution technique not only incorporates the significant benefits of our recently published hypocenter determination procedure for multiple earthquake parameters, but also offers the attractive features of global optimal searching in the RMS travel time error distribution. Unlike the traditional global search method, for example, the Monte Carlo approach, where millions of tests have to be done to fmd the final global solution, the new method only conducts a matrix inversion type local search but does it multiple times simultaneously throughout the model volume to seek a global solution. The search is aided by inspection of the RMS error distribution. Benchmark tests against two popular approaches, the direct grid search method and the oct-tree important sampling method, indicate that the hybrid global-local inversion yields comparable location accuracy and is not sensitive to modest level of noise data, but more importantly it offers two-order of magnitude speed-up in computational effort. Such an improvement, combined with high accuracy, make it a promising hypocenter determination scheme in earthquake early warning, tsunami early warning, rapid hazard assessment and emergency response after strong earthquake occurrence.

Three dimensional velocity structure and accurate earthquake location in Changning–Gongxian area of southeast Sichuan

In order to understand the crustal structure and tectonic background of the Changning–Gongxiang area, southeastern Sichuan Province, where a series of moderate-to-strong earthquakes occurred in recent years, we utilized the seismic phase data both from a local dense array and from the regional seismic networks;we used the tomoDD program to invert for the high-resolution three-dimensional velocity structure within the depth range of 0–10 km and for accurate hypocentral locations in this area. We analyzed the seismogenic structures for the events of Xingwen M5.7 in 2018 and Gongxian M5.3 and Changning M6.0 in 2019. The results show that:(1) widespread lateral inhomogeneity exists in the velocity structure of the study area, and the location of the velocity anomaly is largely consistent with known structures. In the range of distinguishable depth, the inhomogeneity decreases with increasing depth, and the velocity structure anomalies in some areas are continuous in depth;(2) earthquakes occurred in clusters, showing the characteristics of zonal folding trends in the NW-SE and NE-SW directions;the focal depth in the area is generally shallow in both the sedimentary cap and the crystalline basement. The seismogenic structures of small earthquake clusters are different in size and occurrence in different sections, and the clusters occurred mostly in regions with high P-or S-wave velocities;(3) synthesis of a variety of data suggests that the seismogenic structures of the Xingwen M5.7 and Changning M6.0 earthquakes are associated with slip faults that trend NW-SE in, respectively, the south wing and the axis of the Changning–Shuanghe anticline, while that of the Gongxian M5.3 earthquake is associated with thrust faults that trend N-S in the Jianwu syncline region. The dynamic sources of the three earthquakes are all from the SE pushing of the Qinghai–Tibet block on the Sichuan basin;(4) the risk of future strong earthquakes in this area must be reevaluated in light of the facts(a)that in recent years, moderate-to-strong earthquake swarms have occurred frequently in southeast Sichuan;(b) that the complex structural area exhibits the easy-to-trigger characteristic, and(c) that the small-scale faults in this area are characterized by the phenomenon of stress "lock and release".

An eikonal equation-based earthquake location method by inversion of multiple phase arrivals

The precise determination of earthquake location is the fundamental basis in seismological community,and is crucial for analyzing seismic activity and performing seismic tomography.First arrivals are generally used to practically determine earthquake locations.However,first-arrival traveltimes are not sensitive to focal depths.Moreover,they cannot accurately constrain focal depths.To improve the accuracy,researchers have analyzed the depth phases of earthquake locations.The traveltimes of depth phases are sensitive to focal depths,and the joint inversion of depth phases and direct phases can be implemented to potentially obtain accurate earthquake locations.Generally,researchers can determine earthquake locations in layered models.Because layered models can only represent the first-order feature of subsurface structures,the advantages of joint inversion are not fully explored if layered models are used.To resolve the issue of current joint inversions,we use the traveltimes of three seismic phases to determine earthquake locations in heterogeneous models.The three seismic phases used in this study are the first P-,sPg-and PmP-waves.We calculate the traveltimes of the three seismic phases by solving an eikonal equation with an upwind difference scheme and use the traveltimes to determine earthquake locations.To verify the accuracy of the earthquake location method by the inversion of three seismic phases,we take the 2021 M_(S)6.4 Yangbi,Yunnan earthquake as an example and locate this earthquake using synthetic and real seismic data.Numerical tests demonstrate that the eikonal equation-based earthquake location method,which involves the inversion of multiple phase arrivals,can effectively improve earthquake location accuracy.

The MW5.5 earthquake on August 6,2023,in Pingyuan,Shandong,China:A rupture on a buried fault

On August 6,2023,a magnitude MW5.5 earthquake struck Pingyuan County,Dezhou City,Shandong Province,China.This event was significant as no large earthquakes had been recorded in the region for over a century,and no active fault had been previously identified.This study collects 1309 P-wave arrival times and 866 S-wave arrival times from 74 seismic stations less than 200 km to the epicenter to constrain the spatial distribution of the mainshock and its 125 early aftershocks by the double difference earthquake relocation method,and selects 864 P-waveforms from 288 stations located within 800 km of the epicenter to constrain the focal mechanism solution of the mainshock through centroid moment tensor inversion.The relocation and the inversion indicate,the Pingyuan MW5.5 earthquake was caused by a rupture on a buried fault,likely an extensive segment of the Gaotang fault.This buried fault exhibited a dip of approximately 75°to the northwest,with a strike of 222°,similar to the Gaotang fault.The rupture initiated at the depth of 18.6 km and propagated upward and northeastward.However,the ground surface was not broken.The total duration of the rupture was~6.0 s,releasing the scalar moment of 2.5895×1017 N·m,equivalent to MW5.54.The moment rate reached the maximum only 1.4 seconds after the rupture initiation,and the 90%scalar moment was released in the first 4.6 s.In the first 1.4 seconds of the rupture process,the rupture velocity was estimated to be 2.6 km/s,slower than the local S-wave velocity.As the rupture neared its end,the rupture velocity decreased significantly.This study provides valuable insights into the seismic characteristics of the Pingyuan MW5.5 earthquake,shedding light on the previously unidentified buried fault responsible for the seismic activity in the region.Understanding the behavior of such faults is crucial for assessing seismic hazards and enhancing earthquake preparedness in the future.

THE WASSERSTEIN-FISHER-RAO METRIC FOR WAVEFORM BASED EARTHQUAKE LOCATION

In this paper,we apply the Wasserstein-Fisher-Rao(WFR)metric from the unbalanced optimal transport theory to the earthquake location problem.Compared with the quadratic Wasserstein(W2)metric from the classical optimal transport theory,the advantage of this method is that it retains the important amplitude information as a new constraint,which avoids the problem of the degeneration of the optimization objective function near the real earthquake hypocenter and origin time.As a result,the deviation of the global minimum of the optimization objective function based on the WFR metric from the true solution can be much smaller than the results based on the W2 metric when there exists strong data noise.Thus,we develop an accurate earthquake location method under strong data noise.Many numerical experiments verify our conclusions.

Relocation of aftershocks of the Wenchuan M_S8.0 earthquake and its implication to seismotectonics

From 14：28 （GMT＋8） on May 12th, 2008, the origin time of Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake, to December 31th, 2008, more than 10 000 aftershocks （M〉2.0） had been recorded by the seismic networks in Sichuan and surrounding areas. Using double difference algorithm, the main shock and more than 7 000 aftershocks were relocated. The aftershocks distribute about 350 km long. The depths of aftershocks are mainly between 10 km and 20 km. The average depth of aftershocks is about 13 km after relocation. In the southwest, the distribution of aftershocks is along the back-range fault, the central-range fault and the front-range fault of Longmenshan faults. In the middle, the distribution of aftershocks is along the central-range fault. In the north, aftershocks are relocated along the Qingchuan-Pingwu fault. Relocations suggest that the back-range fault mainly induced and controlled the aftershoek occurrence in the northern section of aftershocks sequence. The Ms8.0 main shock is between central-range and front-range of Longmenshan faults and is near the shear plane of the fault bottom. From the depth distribution of aftershock sequence, it suggests that these three faults show imbricate thrust structure.

The accurate location of the injection- induced microearthquakes in German Continental Deep Drilling Program

From August 21, 2000 to October 20, 2000,a fluid injection-induced seismicity experiment has been carried out in the KTB (German Continental Deep Drilling Program). The KTB seismic network recorded more than 2 700 events. Among them 237 events were of high signal-to-noise ratio, and were processed and accurately located. When the events were located, non KTB events were weeded out by Wadatis method. The standard deviation, mean and median were obtained by Jackknife's technique, and finally the events were accurately located by Gei-gers method so that the mean error is about 0.1 km. No earthquakes with focal depth greater than 9.3 km, which is nearly at the bottom of the hole, were detected. One of the explanation is that at such depths the stress levels may not close to the rocks frictional strength so that failure could not be induced by the relatively small perturbation in pore pressure. Or at these depths there may be no permeable, well-oriented faults. This depth may be in close proximity to the bottom of the hole to the brittle-ductile transition, even in this relatively stable interior of the in-teraplate. This phenomenon is explained by the experimental results and geothermal data from the superdeep bore-hole.

A New Earthquake Location Method Based on the Waveform Inversion

In this paper,a new earthquake location method based on the waveform inversion is proposed.As is known to all,the waveform misfit function under the L2 measure is suffering from the cycle skipping problem.This leads to a very small convergence domain of the conventional waveform based earthquake location methods.In present study,by introducing and solving two simple sub-optimization problems,we greatly expand the convergence domain of the waveform based earthquake location method.According to a large number of numerical experiments,the new method expands the range of convergence by several tens of times.This allows us to locate the earthquake accurately even from some relatively bad initial values.

Machine learning-based automatic construction of earthquake catalog for reservoir areas in multiple river basins of Guizhou province,China

Large reservoirs have the risk of reservoir induced seismicity.Accurately detecting and locating microseismic events are crucial when studying reservoir earthquakes.Automatic earthquake monitoring in reservoir areas is one of the effective measures for earthquake disaster prevention and mitigation.In this study,we first applied the automatic location workflow(named LOCFLOW)to process 14-day continuous waveform data from several reservoir areas in different river basins of Guizhou province.Compared with the manual seismic catalog,the recall rate of seismic event detection using the workflow was 83.9%.Of the detected earthquakes,88.9%had an onset time difference below 1 s,81.8%has a deviation in epicenter location within 5 km,and 77.8%had a focal depth difference of less than 5 km,indicating that the workflow has good generalization capacity in reservoir areas.We further applied the workflow to retrospectively process continuous waveform data recorded from 2020 to the first half of 2021 in reservoir areas in multiple river basins of western Guizhou province and identified five times the number of seismic events obtained through manual processing.Compared with manual processing of seismic catalog,the completeness magnitude had decreased from 1.3 to 0.8,and a b-value of 1.25 was calculated for seismicity in western Guizhou province,consistent with the b-values obtained for the reservoir area in previous studies.Our results show that seismicity levels were relatively low around large reservoirs that were impounded over 15 years ago,and there is no significant correlation between the seismicity in these areas and reservoir impoundment.Seismicity patterns were notably different around two large reservoirs that were only impounded about 12 years ago,which may be explained by differences in reservoir storage capacity,the geologic and tectonic settings,hydrogeological characteristics,and active fault the reservoir areas.Prominent seismicity persisted around two large reservoirs that have been impounded for less than 10 years.These events were clustered and had relatively shallow focal depths.The impoundment of the Jiayan Reservoir had not officially begun during this study period,but earthquake location results suggested a high seismicity level in this reservoir area.Therefore,any seismicity in this reservoir area after the official impoundment deserves special attention.

Location of Tibetan earthquakes──a nonlinear approach by a simplex optimized technique

An advanced earthquake location technique presented by Prugger and Gendzwill (1988) was introduced in this paper. Its characteristics are: 1) adopting the difference between the mean value by observed arrival times and the mean value by calculated travel times as the original reference time of event to calculate the traveltime residuals, thus resulting in the 'true' minimum of travel-time residuals; 2) choosing the L1 norm statistic of the residuals that is more suitable to earthquake location; 3) using a simplex optimized algorithm to search for the minimum residual value directly and iteratively, thus it does not require derivative calculations and avoids matrix inversions, it can be used for any velocity structures and different network systems and can solve out hypocentral parameters (λ, ,h) rapidly and exactly; 4) original time is further derived alone, so the trade-off between focal depth and original time is avoided. All these prominent features make us obtain more accurate Tibetan earthquake locations in the rare network condition by using this method. In this paper, we examined these schemes for our mobile and permanent networks in Tibet with artificial data sets,then using these methods, we determined the hypocentral parameters of partial events observed in the field work period of this project from July 1991 to September 1991 and the seven problematic earthquakes during 1989 - 1990. The hypocentral location errors may be estimated to be less than 3. 6 km approximately. The events with focal depth more than 40 km seem to be distributed in parallel to Qinghai-Sichuan-Yunnan arc structural zone.

Analysis on the master event method and precise location of 1997 Jiashi strong earthquake swarm in western China

Master event location method was described in detail in this paper. Some problems in the application of master event method have been analyzed and some improvements of the method have been made. As compared the location results of MS>=3.0 earthquakes of Jiashi swarm obtained by using this method with that by the traditional absolute method, the result obtained by using the master event method shows more reasonable and more consistent with that from the focal mechanism solutions. After relocation, we can see, the epicenters of M>=5.0 earthquakes show an echelon-type alignment along NNW-SSE direction, and all earthquakes concentrate nearly in a volume region about 30 km (N-S) × 15 km (E-W) × 15 km (U-D). Earthquake focal depths are mainly in the range of 15-28 km.

Earthquake detection in the Jiangsu region, China using graphics-processing-unit-based Match & Locate and rapid earthquake association and location

Earthquake detection and location are essential in earthquake studies,which generally consists of two main classes:waveform-based and pick-based methods.To evaluate the ability of two different methods,a graphicsprocessing-unit-based Match&Locate(GPU-M&L)method and a rapid earthquake association and location(REAL)method are applied to continuous seismic data recorded by 24 digital seismic stations from Jiangsu Seismic Network during 2013 for comparison.GPU-M&L is one of waveform-based methods by waveform cross-correlations while REAL is one of pick-based method to associate arrivals of different seismic phases and locate events through counting the number of P and S picks and travel time residuals.Twenty-six templates are selected from the Jiangsu Seismic Network local catalog by using the GPU-M&L.The number of newly detected and located events is about 2.8 times more than those listed in the local catalog.We both utilize a deep-neural-network-based arrival-time picking method called PhaseNet and a shortterm/long-term average(STA/LTA)trigger algorithm for seismic phase detection and picking by applying the REAL.We then refine seismic locations using a least-squares location method(VELEST)and a high-precision relative location method(hypoDD).By applying STA/LTA and PhaseNet,1006 and 1893 events are associated and located,respectively.The newly detected events are mainly clustered and show steeply dipping fault planes.By analyzing the performance of these methods based on long-term continuous seismic data,the detected catalogs by the GPU-M&L and REAL show that the magnitudes of completeness are 1.4 and 0.8,respectively,which are smaller than 2.6 given by the local catalog.Although REAL provides improvement compared with GPU-M&L,REAL is highly dependent on phase detection and picking which is strongly affected by signal-noise ratio(SNR).Stations at southeast of the study region with low SNR may lead to few detections in the same area.

Comparison of two earthquake early warning location methods

According to earthquake catalog records of Fujian Seismic Network, the Tnow method and the fourstation continuous location method put forward by Jin Xing are inspected by using P-wave arrival information of the first four stations in each earthquake. It shows that the fourstation continuous location method can locate more seismic events than the Tnow method. By analyzing the results, it is concluded that the reason for this is that the Tnow method makes use of information from stations without being triggered, while some stations failed to be reflected in earthquake catalog because of discontinuous records or unclear records of seismic phases. For seismic events whose location results can be given, there is no obvious difference in location results of the two methods and positioning deviation of most seismic events is also not significant. For earthquakes outside the network, the positioning deviation may amplify as the epicentral distance enlarges, which may relate to the situation that the seismic stations are centered on one side of epicenter and the opening angle between seismic stations used for location and epicenter is small.

Fault plane parameters of Sanhe-Pinggu M8 earthquake in 1679 determined using present-day small earthquakes

The great Sanhe-Pinggu M8 earthquake occurred in 1679 was the largest surface rupture event recorded in history in the northern part of North China plain. This study determines the fault geometry of this earthquake by inverting seismological data of present-day moderate-small earthquakes in the focal area. We relocated those earthquakes with the double-difference method. Based on the assumption that clustered small earthquakes often occur in the vicinity of fault plane of large earthquake, and referring to the morphology of the long axis of the isoseismal line obtained by the predecessors, we selected a strip-shaped zone from the relocated earthquake catalog in the period from 1980 to 2009 to invert fault plane parameters of this earthquake. The inversion results are as follows： the strike is 38.23°, the dip angle is 82.54°, the slip angle is -156.08°, the fault length is about 80 km, the lower-boundary depth is about 23 km and the buried depth of upper boundary is about 3 kin. This shows that the seismogenic fault is a NNE-trending normal dip-slip fault, southeast wall downward and northwest wall uplift, with the right-lateral strike-slip component. Moreover, the surface rupture zone, intensity distribution of the earth-quake and seismic-wave velocity profile in the focal area all verified our study result.

The Improvement of Earthquake Real-Time Monitoring System of Chinese National Digital Seismic Network

The earthquake real-time monitoring system of the Chinese National Digital Seismic Network has been in operation since"the Ninth Five-year Plan"period,and the stability of the system has been well tested.In recent years,with the continuous improvement of monitoring technology and increase of public demands,the original real-time monitoring system needs to be upgraded and improved in terms of timeliness,stability,accuracy and ease of operation.Therefore,by accessing a total of more than 1,000 seismic stations,reducing the seismic trigger threshold of the monitoring system,eliminating the false trigger stations and optimizing the seismic waveform display interface,the current earthquake monitoring demands can be satisfied on the basis of ensuring the stable operation of the system.

Earthquake relocation using a 3D velocity model and implications on seismogenic faults in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

To enhance the understanding of the geometry and characteristics of seismogenic faults in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region,we relocated 14805 out of 16063 earthquakes(113°E-120°E,36°N-43°N)that occurred between January 2008 and December 2020 using the double-difference tomography method.Based on the spatial variation in seismicity after relocation,the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region can be divided into three seismic zones:Xingtai-Wen'an,Zhangbei-Ninghexi,and Tangshan.(1)The Xingtai-Wen'an Seismic Zone has a northeastsouthwest strike.The depth profile of earthquakes perpendicular to the strike reveals three northeast-striking,southeast-dipping,high-angle deep faults(>10 km depth),including one below the shallow(<10 km depth)listric,northwest-dipping Xinghe fault in the Xingtai region.Two additional deep faults in the Wen'an region are suggested to be associated with the 2006 M 5.1 Wen'an Earthquake and the 1967 M 6.3 Dacheng earthquake;(2)The Zhangbei-Ninghexi Seismic Zone is oriented north-northwest.Multiple northeast-striking faults(10-20 km depth),inferred from the earthquake-intensive zones,exist beneath the shallow(<10 km depth)Xiandian Fault,Xiaotangshan Fault,Huailai-Zhuolu Basin North Fault,Yangyuan Basin Fault and Yanggao Basin North Fault;(3)In the Tangshan Seismic Zone,earthquakes are mainly concentrated near the northeast-striking Tangshan-Guye Fault,Lulong Fault,and northwest-striking Luanxian-Laoting Fault.An inferred north-south-oriented blind fault is present to the north of the Tangshan-Guye Fault.The 1976 M 7.8 Tangshan earthquake occurred at the junction of a shallow northwest-dipping fault and a deep southeast-dipping fault.This study emphasizes that earthquakes in the region are primarily associated with deep blind faults.Some deep blind faults have different geometries compared to shallow faults,suggesting a complex fault system in the region.Overall,this research provides valuable insights into the seismogenic faults in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region.Further studies and monitoring of these faults are essential for earthquake mitigation efforts in this region.

Progress of the earthquake early warning system in Fujian, China

In this article, we systematically introduce the atest progress of the earthquake early warning （EEW） ;ystem in Fujian, China. We focus on the following key echnologies and methods： continuous earthquake location md its error evaluation; magnitude estimation; reliability udgment of EEW system information; use of doubleparameter principle in EEW system information release hreshold; real-time estimation of seismic intensity and available time for target areas; seismic-monitoring network and data sharing platform; EEW system information ; elease and receiving platform; software test platform; and est results statistical analysis. Based on strong ground notion data received in the mainshock of the Wenchuan earthquake, the EEW system developed by the above algorithm is simulated online, and the results show that the ;ystem can reduce earthquake hazards effectively. In lddition, we analyzed four earthquake cases with magniude greater than 5.5 processed by our EEW system since he online-testing that was started one year ago, and results ndicate that our system can effectively reduce earthquake lazards and have high practical significance.

Microearthquake analysis for hydraulic frac－turing proces

The hydraulic fracture technique is widely applied in the enhancement of petroleum and natural gas productions and in the development of geothermal energy. This technique is also used to create an underground fracture zone system for disposal of solid and liquid wastes. This is the most recent development in the application of industrial techniques to environmental protection scientific problems. Knowledge of mechanical properties and geometrical parameters of a hydraulic fracture zone is important for both energy resource development and safe disposal of waste. Hydraulic fracturing often induces many microearthquakes.Analysis of the spatial temporal distribution of the induced seismicity yields the geometry of a hydraulic fracture zone, and kinetic and dynamic parameters associated with the fracture growth process. Applying a waveform correlation analysis and a space time grid search method, we precisely determined hypocentral locations for 157 microearthquakes induced by hydraulic fracturing. Spatial distribution of the induced seismicity celarly shows the dimension and orientation of a hydraulic fracture zone. Variation of the seismicity distribution in time and space was used to infer the growth rate and direction of the fracture zone. An empirical Greens function(EGF) method was applied to earthquake doublets to retrieve relative source time functions(RSTFs) and to estimate source parameters, such as seismic moment, source radius, and stress drop, for larger microearthquakes. Azimuthal variation of the RSTF of a master event indicates that the source ruptured to the northwest, which aggrees with the fracture zone growth direction. Large variation of stress drops for these induced earthquakes reflects the significant heterogeneity of mechanical properties in the hydraulic fracture zone.

Spatiotemporal evolution of the 2021 M_(S)6.4 Yangbi earthquake sequence

Based on the seismic phase reports of the Yangbi area from January 1 to June 25,2021,and the waveform data of M≥4 earthquakes,we obtained the relocation results and focal mechanism solutions of the M_(S)6.4 Yangbi earthquake sequence using the HypoDD and CAP methods.Based on our results,our main conclusions are as follows:(1)the M_(S)6.4 Yangbi earthquake sequence is a typical foreshock-mainshock-aftershock sequence.The fore-shocks of the first two stages have the obvious fronts of migration and their migration rate increased gradually.There was no apparent front of migration during the third stage,and the occurrence of the mainshock was related to stress triggering from a M5.3 foreshock.We tentatively speculate that the rupture pattern of the Yangbi earthquake sequence conforms to the cascading-rupture model;and(2)the main fault of the M_(S)6.4 Yangbi earthquake sequence is a NW-trending right-lateral strike-slip fault.As time progressed,a minor conjugate aftershock belt formed at the northwest end of this fault,and a dendritic branching structure emerged in the southern fault segment,showing a complex seismogenic fault structure.We suggested that the fault of the Yangbi earthquake sequence may be a young sub-fault of the Weixi-Weishan fault.