A Preliminary Study on Seismicity and Stages of Seismic Energy Accumulation in Seismotectonic Regions of Tianshan

Using seismic parameters, the characteristics of the seismic activity in various seismotectonic regions of Tiaushan were studied in this paper. These regions are going through different stages of seismic energy accumulation. Current seismic risk levels of these areas were analyzed synthetically by the tectonic movement rates, as well as the characteristics of the seismic activity and the recurrence intervals of strong earthquakes. We preliminarily studied the characteristics of seismic activity in different seismic energy accumulating stages. The result shows that the characteristics of the seismic activity in various seismotectonic regions of the Tiaushan area are influenced, not only by the regional tectonic movement, but also by the energy accumulating stage of various seismic tectonics. In the intense tectonic movement areas, it is important to estimate its stage of energy accumulating in order to predict the upper limit of the potential earthquake magnitude. In the less intense tectonic movement areas, the estimating of the stage of energy accumulation will help us recognize the dangerous level of the potential strong earthquake. The study shows that the seismotectonic regions in southern Tiaushan have reached the mid-stage and late-stage of energy accumulation, with a higher seismic activity and thus a higher seismic dangerous level than those in the northern and middle Tiaushan. The earthquake risk of southern Tianshan is up to Ms7.0, while that of the middle Tiaushan is up to Ms6.0 and that of northern Tiaushan is only around Ms5.0 - 6.0.

Recent progress and application on seismic isolation energy dissipation and control for structures in China

China is a country where 100% of the territory is located in a seismic zone. Most of the strong earthquakes are over prediction. Most fatalities are caused by structural collapse. Earthquakes not only cause severe damage to structures, but can also damage non-structural elements on and inside of facilities. This can halt city life, and disrupt hospitals, airports, bridges, power plants, and other infrastructure. Designers need to use new techniques to protect structures and facilities inside. Isolation, energy dissipation and, control systems are more and more widely used in recent years in China. Currently, there are nearly 6,500 structures with isolation and about 3,000 structures with passive energy dissipation or hybrid control in China. The mitigation techniques are applied to structures like residential buildings, large or complex structures, bridges, underwater tunnels, historical or cultural relic sites, and industrial facilities, and are used for retrofitting of existed structures. This paper introduces design rules and some new and innovative devices for seismic isolation, energy dissipation and hybrid control for civil and industrial structures. This paper also discusses the development trends for seismic resistance, seismic isolation, passive and active control techniques for the future in China and in the world.

Fractal and chaotic laws on seismic dissipated energy in an energy system of enginering structures

Fractal and chaotic laws of engineering structures are discussed in this paper, it means that the intrinsic essences and laws on dynamic systems which are made from seismic dissipated energy intensity E d and intensity of seismic dissipated energy moment I e are analyzed. Based on the intrinsic characters of chaotic and fractal dynamic system of E d and I e, three kinds of approximate dynamic models are rebuilt one by one: index autoregressive model, threshold autoregressive model and local-approximate autoregressive model. The innate laws, essences and systematic error of evolutional behavior I e are explained over all, the short-term behavior predictability and long-term behavior probability of which are analyzed in the end. That may be valuable for earthquake-resistant theory and analysis method in practical engineering structures.

Characteristics of Far-field Seismic Radiated Energy from the Five Earthquakes with MS≥5. 0 in the Earthquake Swarm Sequence of 2013,MS5. 8,Qianguo,Jilin Province,China

The Qianguo Ms5. 8 earthquake swarm of 2013 occurred in Qianguo, Jilin Province, China. There are five earthquakes with Ms ≥5. 0 in the Qianguo earthquake swarm, with magnitudes of Ms 5. 5, Ms 5. 0, Ms 5. 3, Ms 5. 8 and Ms 5. 0. In this study, the far-field seismic radiated energy characteristics of the earthquakes are compared based on the source spectrum and the ground motion spectrum of the earthquake swarm. The ground motion spectrum of the five earthquakes at Changchun seismic station （CN2）, which is the national standard station, is first investigated with the recorded ground motions, and then the far-field seismic radiated energy is calculated and combined with the relationships of the source spectrum to describe the variable characteristics of the Qianguo earthquake swarm. Research results indicate that the second earthquake （No. 2） with Ms5. 0 is the key event of the earthquake swarm, which occurred on October 31, the same day following the first Ms5. 5 earthquake （No.l）. In fact, the magnitude of event No. 2 decreased compared to event No.l, which did not agree with its large far-field seismic radiated energy. It needs to be pointed out that event No. 2 was the turning point event of the Qianguo earthquake swarm, as being a significant transition before the largest Ms5. 8 earthquake.

Comparison of seismic effects during deep tunnel excavation with different methods

The rapid release of strain energy is an important phenomenon leading to seismic events or rock failures during the excavation of deep rock.Through theoretical analysis of strain energy adjustment during blasting and mechanical excavation,and the interpretation of measured seismicity in the Jin-Ping Ⅱ Hydropower Station in China,this paper describes the characteristics of energy partition and induced seismicity corresponding to different energy release rates.The theoretical analysis indicates that part of the strain energy will be drastically released accompanied by violent crushing and fragmentation of rock under blast load,and this process will result in seismic events in addition to blasting vibration.The intensity of the seismicity induced by transient strain energy release highly depends on the unloading rate of in-situ stress.For mechanical excavation,the strain energy,which is mainly dissipated in the deformation of surrounding rock,releases smoothly,and almost no seismic events are produced in this gradual process.Field test reveals that the seismic energy transformed from the rock strain energy under high stress condition is roughly equal to that coming from explosive energy,and the two kinds of vibrations superimpose together to form the total blasting excavation-induced seismicity.In addition,the most intense seismicity is induced by the cut blasting delay; this delay contributes 50% of the total seismic energy released in a blast event.For mechanical excavation,the seismic energy of induced vibration（mainly the low intensity acoustic emission events or mechanical loading impacts）,which accounts only for 1.5‰ of that caused by in-situ stress transient releasing,can be ignored in assessing the dynamic response of surrounding rock.

Attenuation characteristics of impact-induced seismic wave in deep tunnels:An in situ investigation based on pendulum impact test

The radiated seismic energy is an important index for the intensity assessment of microseismic(MS)events and the early warning of dynamic disasters.However,the energy of MS signals is significantly attenuated due to the heterogeneity and viscous damping of rock media.Therefore,the study on attenuation characteristics of MS signals in underground engineering has practical significance for the accurately estimation of radiated seismic energy.Based on a pendulum impact test facility and MS monitoring system,an in situ investigation was carried out to explore attenuation characteristics at a deep tunnel.The results show that the seismic energy and peak particle velocity(PPV)attenuation are exponentially related to the propagation distance.The attenuation coefficient of energy is larger than that of PPV.With the increase in the input impact-energy,the seismic energy attenuation coefficient decreases as a power function.An empirical relationship between energy attenuation coefficient and wave impedance of rock mass was established in this scenario.Moreover,the time-frequency characteristics and energy distribution laws of impact-induced signals were investigated by the continuous wavelet transform(CWT)and wavelet packet analyses,respectively.The dominant frequency of signals decreases gradually as the propagation distance increases.Based on the energy attenuation characteristics,a new method was proposed to calculate the released source energy of MS events in the field.This study can provide an insight into energy attenuation characteristics of seismic waves and references for attenuation correction in seismic energy calculation.

Analysis of Seismic Activity in the Middle Part of the North-South Seismic Belt——Joint Study on Deep Seismic Sounding Profile and Seismicity Parameters

Using the rich deep seismic sounding data recorded in the middle part of the NorthSouth Seismic Belt in China,the horizontal and vertical profiles are constructed to obtain the seismic velocity structure,analyze the seismic distribution and calculate the seismic energy and the thickness of the seismogenic layer at the same time.On this basis,the seismicity parameters are calculated using the earthquake catalogue of the study area for the past 40 years,and the relationship between the b-value distribution and the velocity structure is analyzed.The results show an uneven b-value distribution in the study area and a segmented feature along the Longmenshan fault zone.Most of the earthquakes occur in the transition zone anomalies from the positive to the negative.In addition,the thickness of the crust drops from ~60 km to ~48 km from the Southeastern to the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,but the thickness of the seismogenic layer increases gradually.It is speculated that the crustal composition of the Northeastern margin contains more felsic materials and has relatively stronger seismic activities than the Southeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,possibly associated with the subduction and compression of the Indian Ocean Plate.

Corresponding Relation Between the Space-time Evolution of Seismic Apparent Strain and the Region of Strong Earthquakes in Yunnan

On the basis of our predecessors' research,we study the distribution and the space-time evolution characteristics of the seismic apparent strain field in Yunnan since the 1970's using the seismic data of Yunnan and its surrounding areas.The result shows that there is a rather strong corresponding relationship between the anomaly region of seismic apparent strain and strong earthquakes.In the nine earthquakes studied,anomaly areas of seismic apparent strain had appeared before eight earthquakes,including five occurring in the anomaly region and three on the edge.Finally,the investigative result is demonstrated primarily.

A brief discussion on the relationship between apparent stress and slip-weakening law based on the energy partition criteria

According to the representation theorem of seismic energy radiation, we know that, at any point on the fault, the instantaneous seismic radiation energy, Es, the seismic moment M0, and the apparent stress σa=μEs /M0 （μ is the shear modulus on the fault plane） should be positive values at any time during an earthquake faulting. However, we have noticed that, in recent source parameter inversion scheme for deriving the critical slip-weakening distance, the apparent stress used as a constraint condition on the fault plane could be less than zero or negative value, and the negative part was considered as dissipation energy and incorporated to the fracture energy. Although the mathematical formula in such case has no influence to the final resolution, however, the earthquake dynamic source process violates obviously the basic physical law, which could results in the overestimating of radiated seismic energy. In this study, we have proposed an alternative way to take account of the apparent stress expression based on the earthquake energy partition principle, and at the same time, we have also suggested that an additional constraint regarding to the radiation energy conservation on the fault could be added into the source parameter inversion in order to estimate the critical slip-weakening distance Dc.

Prediction and verification of earthquakes induced by the Xiluodu hydropower station reservoir

Research has been conducted on reservoir-induced earthquakes in China since the Xinfengjiang reservoir-induced earthquakes in the 1960s.Regulations now require the risk of reservoir-induced earthquakes to be evaluated in the pre-research stage of all hydropower projects.Although nearly 40 cases of reservoir-induced earthquakes have been reported in China,analyses comparing the changes in seismic activity following reservoir impoundment with predictions are rare.In this study,we compared seismic activities observed in the reservoir area before and after the impoundment of the Xiluodu hydropower station in terms of the spatial distribution,frequency,and focal depths of the earthquakes,and clarified the correlation between their frequency/timing and reservoir level after impoundment.We then concluded that the seismic events in the head region were karst-type earthquakes,while those in the second segment of the reservoir were tectonic earthquakes.The spatial distribution of the earthquake epicenters and the seismic intensities validated some of the results for the reservoir-induced seismic risk assessment for the Xiluodu hydropower station,indicating that the proposed earthquake triggers and predictive models are reasonable.This study can provide a valuable reference for investigating the mechanism(s)of reservoir-induced earthquakes,revising reservoir-induced earthquake hazard assessment codes,and predicting the hazard zones of reservoir-induced seismicity under similar conditions.

Accurate Location of the Yao'an Earthquake Sequence and the Yongsheng Earthquake Sequence

The Yao’an M_S6.5 earthquake occurred on Jan. 15, 2000 and the Yongsheng M_S6.0 earthquake occurred on Oct. 27, 2001 in Yunnan Province, China. They are both located in the middle of the Dian block. Their epicenters are close to each other, the tectonic and strain characters of the earthquakes were similar, and there were many aftershocks after the two main shocks. In order to further study the spatial-temporal distributions and fault rupture characters of the main shocks and aftershocks, the latter are located using the Geiger earthquake location algorithm (Geiger) and the double difference earthquake location algorithm (DD) based on the seismic phase data of the two earthquake sequences. They were recorded by two Near Source Digital Seismic Networks (YNSSN and YSNSSN) deployed by the Yunnan Seismological Bureau (YNSB). Then, two main shock parameters were relocated using DD based on the data of larger magnitude aftershocks and the two main shocks that were recorded by the Kunming Regional Digital Seismic Network (KMSN). Combining the spatial-temporal distributions of the two earthquake sequences, the tectonic and strain characters of earthquakes, the rupture processes of the two aftershock sequences along faults are analyzed and discussed contrastively.

Precursory specialties of apparent stresses in Yunnan earthquake series

On the basis of the assumption that ω^2 model accords with source displacement spectra, we have obtained the mathematical expressions for calculating apparent stresses of moderate-small shocks from low-frequency flat level and comer frequency. By using digital seismic records, apparent stress values are calculated for 823 moderate-small shocks of 4 earthquake series in Yunnan area following corrections for instrument response, propagation influence and site effect. The results show that for the 4 earthquake series in Yunnan area, apparent stress hints precursory information, which means that if a moderate-small shock occurs with apparent stress larger than 1 MPa in an earthquake series, a moderate-strong earthquake will occur afterwards; and if there is not moderate-small shock with apparent stress larger than 1 MPa after a moderate-strong event in an earthquake series, strong aftershock will not occur. The research also indicates that the average apparent stress value is 0.8 MPa in Yunnan area, therefore, apparent stress is not obviously related to seismic magnitude.

Hardrock burst mechanisms and management strategies

Rockbursts occur as a direct consequence of underground mining or civil excavation.The general scale of their seismic disturbance and consequences depend upon known factors.However,uncertainty remains as to exactly when and where rockbursts will occur,as well as the effectiveness of ground support measures to fully mitigate their consequences.While the uncertainty in when and where is a dilemma shared with earthquake prediction,that associated with ground support capability is both a design and a management concern.Following a brief review of the known mechanisms that produce rockbursts,the paper explores the sources and scales of energy demands that characterize the risk of their damaging consequences upon underground excavations.We note that some of this risk continues to be associated with uncertainty with respect to rockmass properties and in situ stress,particularly in the context of deep mining.A review is presented of all available yielding ground support systems and their necessary design requirements,identifying practical weaknesses and limitations where these are known.The paper concludes with some suggested areas where further study and development could provide the ways and means to reduce the design uncertainty in managing rockbursts.