Estimating seismic moments and Lg Q using Lg spectra

A multi-event and multi-station inverse method is presented in the paper to simultaneously estimate the seismic moments (M0) and source corner frequencies (fc) of several Jiashi (Xinjiang, China) earthquakes, as well as the apparent Lg Q models for the paths from Jiashi to eight seismic stations (WMQ, AAK, TLG, MAKZ, KUR, VOS, ZRN and CHK) in Central Asia. The resultant seismic moments correlate well with the M0 values obtained by Harvard University using the centroid moment tensor (CMT) inversion and the surface-wave magnitudes as well. After the correction by a typical value of average radiation coefficient for regional SV waves, the M0 values from Lg spectral inversion are still close to the corresponding values obtained from CMT inversion. The obtained ap- parent Q0Lg values (Lg Q at 1 Hz) are consistent with the tectonic features of corresponding propagation paths. The Q0Lg values are 351±87, 349±86 and 300±27 for the paths from Jiashi to AAK, TLG and MAKZ, respectively. They are smaller than Q0Lg values for the paths to KUR, VOS, ZRN and CHK, which are 553±72, 569±58, 550±57 and 603±65, respectively. These results agree with the condition that the paths to AAK, TLG and MAKZ mainly propagate through the mountainous Tianshan area where relatively strong seismic activities and large variations of topography are exhibited, while the paths to KUR, VOS, ZRN and CHK mainly propagate through the stable area of Kazak platform. The Q0Lg value for the path to WMQ is 462±56. This is also in agreement with the condition that the path to WMQ is basically along the border area between Tianshan Mountain and Tarim Basin, and along this path the variations of topography and crustal thickness are moderate in comparison with that along the path to MAKZ.

Evaluation of the seismic hazard for 20 cities in Romania using Monte Carlo based simulations

This work focuses on the evaluation of the seismic hazard for Romania using earthquake catalogues generated by a Monte Carlo approach. The seismicity of Romania can be attributed to the Vrancea intermediate-depth seismic source and to 13 other crustal seismic sources. The recurrence times of large magnitude seismic events（both crustal and subcrustal）, as well as the moment release rates are computed using simulated earthquake catalogues. The results show that the largest contribution to the overall moment release for the crustal seismic sources is from the seismic regions in Bulgaria, while the seismic regions in Romania contribute less than 5% of the overall moment release. In addition, the computations show that the moment release rate for the Vrancea subcrustal seismic source is about ten times larger than that of all the crustal seismic sources. Finally, the Monte Carlo approach is used to evaluate the seismic hazard for 20 cities in Romania with populations larger than 100,000 inhabitants. The results show some differences between the seismic hazard values obtained through Monte-Carlo simulation and those in the Romanian seismic design code P100-1/2013, notably for cities situated in the western part of Romania that are influenced by local crustal seismic sources.

On temporal and spatial distribution of seismic apparent stresses in Yunnan area

The method of radiation energy （ER） of the earthquake wave measured by the peak velocity （r·v） of the ground motion is applied to a detailed study on the temporal and spatial distribution of the seismic apparent stresses （σa） for the moderate and small earthquakes and two aftershock sequences in Yunnan area. The results show that there exists an obvious non-homogeneity for the seismic apparent stresses in the spatial distribution. The concentrated regions of the high apparent stresses are related to the active places of the moderate and small earthquakes. Before the Dayao M=6.2 earthquake, there was a period in which the apparent stresses were high and the value was 5 times of the average value, 0.25 MPa. The relatively high values of apparent stresses distribute around the epicentral area of the major shock and nearby. It indicates that the variation characteristics of the apparent stresses can be taken as a new kind of criterion for the earthquake-risk forecast. Usually the ratio of the apparent stresses of the aftershock sequence σaA to the ones σaM of main shock is less than 1.0.

Applications of seismic moment tensor inversion in fast response to earthquakes

Using the technique of seismic moment tensor inversion, the source mechanisms of 10 earthquakes with Ms5.2that occurred in China from November 1996 to January 1998 were determined rapidly. The determined resultswere sent as 'Bulletins of Source Mechanism Parameters of Earthquakes' to the Seismic Regime Guards' Office,China Seismological Bureau, and the relevant provincial seismological bureaus. These bulletins have played rolein the fast response to large earthquakes.

Global shear stress pattern in main seismic active belts

Based on the relationship between body wave magnitued m b and seismic moment M 0 presented by PEI SHAN CHEN (1981), by using the moment tensor and focal mechanism solution in the earthquake reports of EDR, a global shear stress pattern including shear stress values and directions of P and T principal axis was obatained. The distribution of ambient shear stress values in the globe is: the highest in intraplate followed by subduction zone, and the lowest in oceanic ridge. The horizontal directions of the maximum principal stresses we got are coincident very well with the result of Zoback (1989). The detail analysis of the stress state in Tonga region shows that: The subduction slab bends down in shallow by press and bends up in deep because of the resistance from deeper part. Between them, the slab is in an equilibrum state. After analysizing the global stress distribution, we got the result that: the plate is driven by a drag force from under its bottom, the plate motion results in its extensional state in oceanic ridge and compressive state in subduction zone.

Evaluation of the seismic moment of the April 20,2013 Lushan earthquake

The April 20, 2013 Lushan earthquake which occurred in Sichuan, China had only moderate thrust. However, the computed seismic moments （M0） for the Lushan earthquake calculated by several institutions differ significantly from 0.4 × 1019 to 1.69 ×019 Nm, up to four times difference. We evaluate ten computed Mos by using normal mode observations from superconducting gravimeters in China's Mainland. We compute synthetic normal modes on the basis of moment tensor solutions and fit them to the observed normal modes. Comparison of our results indicates that Mo is the main cause for some large differences between observations and synthetics. We sug- gest that a moment magnitude of Mw6.6, corresponding to a Mo of 0.97-1.08 × 1019 Nm, characterizes the size and strength of the seismic source of the Lushan earthquake.

Estimation of seismic stress drop from the peak velocity of ground motion

According to the source dislocation model suggested by Brune(1970), the authors have calculated the displacement spectra of S wave and source parameters of the Heqing M S 5 3 earthquake sequence, using the digital data of this sequence obtained in the Western Yunnan Earthquake Prediction Experimental Field (WYEPEF). Based on this calculation we have studied the dependence of the peak velocity ( rv ) of ground motion on the seismic stress drop Δ σ . From the seismic scaling law we obtained ( rv )∝Δ σ 2/3 , thus the three formulae of calculating seismic stress drop Δ σ using the peak velocity parameters can be derived: lg( rv)=d 1+13lg M 0+23lgΔ σ ; lg( rv) =d 2+13 M L+23lgΔ σ ; lgΔ σ =-1 0+1 5lg( rv ) Assuming that the average stress drop Δ σ =3.0×10 6 Pa for great and small earthquakes, then the constants d 1=-3 88 and d 2=-0 38 are determined by the observational data of the Heqing M S5 3 sequence. Results of the source parameters for this sequence show that the seismic moment M 0 is between 10 11 N·m and 10 15 N·m, the rupture radius a of the source is between 200 m and 600 m, the stress drop Δ σ is between 0 1 MPa and 10 MPa and the average stress drop Δ σ =3 7 MPa calculated from the peak velocity parameter of the ground motion. Δσ values measured from these scaling relations are basically in agreement with the results given by Brune′s method( 1970). Results of this study show that the dependence of the ground motion peak velocity parameter (rv) on the stress drop Δσ is even stronger than that on the seismic moment M 0 .

Seismic moment tensor representations and radiation patterns in unbounded media with elipsoidal cavities driven by low frequency pressure

Seismic waves generated in elastic media by ellipsoidal cavities driven by low frequency pressure can be solved by Eshelby′s method. In this paper we prove that this method, originally presented for elastostatic ellipsoidal inclusion problems, can also be applied to dynamic problems on the assumption that wavelengths are much longer than the dimensions of cavities. Comparison between the approximate solution for spherical cavities and its relevant precise solution shows that this method may be used for radii of cavities smaller than 100 m and for frequencies below 10 Hz. By this approach we show that, for low frequency seismic waves in the far field an explosive load on an ellipsoidal cavity can be equivalent to three dipoles oriented along the principal axes of that cavity. Seismic radiation patterns are given analytically and results thus obtained show that an explosion detonated in an ellipsoidal cavity may radiate significant S waves.

Studies on seismic source

During the period of 1999~2002, the Chinese seismologists made a serious of developments in the study on seismic sources including observations, experiments and theory. In the field of observation, the methods of the accuracy location of earthquake sources, the inversion of seismic moment tensor and the mechanism of earthquake source are improved and developed. A lot of important earthquake events are studied by using these methods. The rupture processes of these events are inverted and investigated combined with the local stress fields and the tectonic moment by using the measurements of surface deformation. In the fields of experiments and theory, many developments are obtained in cause of seismic formation, condition of stress and tectonics, dynamics of earthquake rupture, rock fracture and nucleation of strong earthquakes.

Seismic Waves in Layered Media

This paper is organized as follows. After a discussion of the differential equations for wave propagation in the horizontally stratified medium and of the initial and boundary conditions, the displacements are derived on the free surface of the layered medium for plane waves when a point source is located on the s-th imaginary boundary at the depth -s （physical parameters of the layers s and （s ＋ 1） are put to be identical）. Then, the source will be represented as a single force of arbitrary orientation and a general moment tensor point source. Further, ＂a primary field＂ for a point source will be introduced. Matrix method for the solution of the direct seismic problem is considered based on the matrix method of Thomson-Haskell and its modifications.

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.

Relationships between moment magnitude and fault parameters:theoretical and semi-empirical relationships

Fault parameters are important in earthquake hazard analysis.In this paper,theoretical relationships between moment magnitude and fault parameters including subsurface rupture length,downdip rupture width,rupture area,and average slip over the fault surface are deduced based on seismological theory.These theoretical relationships are further simplified by applying similarity conditions and an unique form is established.Then,combining the simplified theoretical relationships between moment magnitude and fault parameters with seismic source data selected in this study,a practical semi-empirical relationship is established.The seismic source data selected is also to used to derive empirical relationships between moment magnitude and fault parameters by the ordinary least square regression method.Comparisons between semi-empirical relationships and empirical relationships show that the former depict distribution trends of data better than the latter.It is also observed that downdip rupture widths of strike slip faults are saturated when moment magnitude is more than 7.0,but downdip rupture widths of dip slip faults are not saturated in the molnent magnitude rangcs of this study.

Distribution of apparent stress in western China

Distribution of apparent stress in Chinese mainland and its surrounding regions was presented using the NEIC broadband radiated energy catalogue and the Harvard CMT catalogue from January 1987 to December 1998. Due to the limitation on the number of samples, reliable results are only for the western China. It is observed that the average apparent stress in Chinese mainland is 0.8 MPa; The maximum apparent stress to the east of the Tibetan plateau is 2.6 MPa; And the average apparent stress in the north-south seismic belt is more than one time higher than its adjacent regions. Distribution pattern of apparent stress seems to have a large-scale correlation with the cumulative energy release level in the 20th century.

Stress drop assessment of the August 8, 2017, Jiuzhaigou earthquake sequence and its tectonic implications

By using a broadband Lg attenuation model developed for the Tibetan Plateau,we isolate source terms by removing attenuation and site effects from the observed Lg-wave displacement spectra of the M 7.0 earthquake that occurred on August 8,2017,in Jiuzhaigou,China,and its aftershock sequence.Thus,the source parameters,including the scalar seismic moment,comer frequency and stress drop,of these events can be further estimated.The estimated stress drops vary from 47.1 kPa to 7149.6 kPa,with a median value of 59.4 kPa and most values falling between 50 kPa and 75 kPa.The estimated stress drops show significant spatial variations.Lower stress drops were mainly found close to the mainshock and on the seismogenic fault plane with large coseismic slip.In contrast,the highest stress drop was 7.1 MPa for the mainshock,and relatively large stress drops were also found for aftershocks away from the major seismogenic fault and at depths deeper than the zone with large coseismic slip.By using a statistical method,we found self-similarity among some of the aftershocks with a nearly constant stress drop.In contrast,the stress drop increased with the seismic moment for other aftershocks.The amount of stress released during earthquakes is a fundamental characteristic of the earthquake rupture process.As such,the stress drop represents a key parameter for improving our understanding of earthquake source physics.

Crustal deformation measurements by global positioning system(GPS)along NSL,western India

The Narmada Son Lineament(NSL)is a major palaeo-rift system and seismically active intra-plate region.In this paper,we processed and analyzed the GPS data from 2009 to 2016 to study the geodynamic characteristics of NSL.The velocities derived from GPS were used to calculate the associated deformation and crustal strain,while the slip deficit was estimated using the horizontal motion of GPS sites.The investigation reveals that the maximum deformation of western NSL is 1.6 mm per year,and the upper bound of the seismic moment(M;)is 2.0×10;dyn/cm,corresponding to an earthquake of about 6.0 magnitude.The study highlights the significance of Aravalli and Satpura mobile belts.The estimated strain of 0.03μstrain/yr is low but comparable to the stable continental region,and a close association of factors(the fragility,crustal conductors,and compressive tectonics)is considered responsible for seismogenic activities in western NSL.

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.

Application of the predictable model ofregional time-magnitude to North and Southwest China region

In this paper, the method which can combine different seismic data with the different precision and completeness, even the palaeo-earthquake data, has been applied to estimate the yearly seismic moment rate in the seismic region. Based on this, the predictable model of regional time-magnitude has been used in North China and Southwest China. The normal correlation between the time interval of the events and the magnitude of the last strong earthquake shows that the model is suitable. The value of the parameter c is less than the average value of 0.33 that is obtained from the events occurred in the plate boundary in the world. It is explained that the correlativity between the recurrence interval of the earthquake and the magnitude of the last strong event is not obvious. It is shown that the continental earthquakes in China are different from that occurred in the plate boundary and the recurrence model for the continental events are different from the one for the plate boundary events. Finally the seismic risk analysis based on this model for North China and Southwest China is given in this paper.

Scaling of Reduced Energy or Apparent Stress and Its Seismological Significance

Comparison between the NEIC broadband radiated energy catalogue and the Harvard CMT catalogue provides information about apparent stress. In spite of its significant uncertainties and limited reliability, the clues obtained from this comparison seem interesting in the physics of earthquakes. Scaling of apparent stress provides information about the dynamic friction along an earthquake fault. Relation between reduced energy and seismic moment implies that for strike-slip earthquakes, velocity-dependent friction plays a predominant role, while for non-strike-slip earthquakes, slip-dependent friction is predominant. It is also found that strike-slip events with extremely low apparent stress tend to occur “in single”, which is applied to the prediction of the seismic tendency following the 2001 Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) border M W7.8 earthquake.

Contemporary kinematic models and moment deficit of Chinese mainland

There are lots of achievements about kinematics of Chinese mainland and its vicinity determined from historic earthquake data, Quaternary fault rates and geodesy observations, which provide basic data for analysis of seismic hazard in study areas. Based on impreciseness in using energy of 47 earthquakes with magnitude greater than 7.0 in previous study, we firstly collected source parameters, surface ruptures and displacements of major earthquakes carefully, and divided them into small segmentations with these data gathered. Secondly, we determined contemporary deformation field from latest earthquake mechanisms, Quaternary fault slip rates and geodesy observations. Finally, we evaluated moment deficit of study areas from historic earthquake data and predicted deformation field, and removed 10 percent of aseismic deformation. Combining with previous results, we analyzed the seismic hazard of study areas. The results show that there are some areas with large moment deficit in Chinese mainland. There are also large moment deficit areas, including regions around the Ordos Block, southeastern coast of China and the Bakal rift zone. Previous studies show that there may be some potential earthquakes in the near future in Darts of areas mentioned above.

Inversion of source process and related studies of the Taiwan Strait earthquake using genetic algorithm

pplying genetic algorithm to inversion of seismic moment tensor solution and using the data of P waveform from digital network and initial motion directions of P waves of Taiwan network stations, we studied the moment tensor solutions and focal parameters of the earthquake of M=7.3 on 16 September of 1994 in Taiwan Strait and other four quakes of ML5.8 in the near region (21°～26°N, 115°～120°E). Among the five earthquakes, the quake of M=7.3 on September 16, 1994 in Taiwan Strait is the strongest one in the southeastern coast area since Nan′ao earthquake of M=7.3 in 1918. The results show that moment tensor solution of M=7.3 earthquake is mainly doublecouple component, and is normal fault whose fault plane is near NW. The strike of the fault plane resembles that of the distributive bands of earthquakes before the main event and fracture pattern shown by aftershocks. The tension stress axis of focal mechanism is about horizontal, near in NE strike, the compressive stress axis is approximately vertical, near in NWW strike. It seems that this quake is controlled by the force of Philippine plate′s pressing Eurasian plate in NW direction. But from the viewpoint of P axis of near vertical and T axis of near horizontal, it is a normal fault of strong tensibility. There are relatively big difference between focal mechanism solution of this quake and those of the four other strong quakes. The complexity of source mechanism solution of these quakes represents the complexity of the process of the strait earthquake sequences.