Tectonic and geological setting of the earthquake hazards in the Changning shale gas development zone, Sichuan Basin, SW China

Hydraulic fracturing is a key technology in shale gas extraction,whether hydraulic fracturing induces earthquakes has become a hot topic in the public and the focus of scholars’research.The urgency of shale gas mining and the catastrophic nature of earthquakes highlight the urgent need to study this issue.The Changning anticline at the southern margin of the Sichuan Basin is a key area for shale gas exploitation.Taking this as an example,this paper applies the velocity model of the study area to reposition the M5.7 magnitude earthquake on December 16,2018 and the M5.3 magnitude earthquake on January 03,2019 and their aftershock sequence in this area.Using shale gas exploration drilling and reflection seismic data to carry out structural analysis,and recovering the tectonic geological setting of earthquake occurrence by restoring the formation process of the Changning anticline,to further explore the seismic mechanism.Our results show that the Changning anticline is a large basement fault-bend fold,and the displacement of the fault forming the anticline is 18 km,and the Changning anticline absorbs 33%of the fault slip.The Silurian Longmaxi Formation of the Changning anticline experienced larger-parallel shearing along underlying basement faults,forming a micro-fracture system.The footwall ramp of the basement fault is reactivated at present,earthquakes in this area mostly occur along the footwall ramp of the basement fault and above and below it.The anticlinal and synclinal hinge zones are also the earthquake concentration areas,but the earthquake magnitude decreases upwards along the kink-band,and small earthquakes below M2.0 occur in the Silurian Longmaxi Formation.So far,the earthquake in the Changning anticline mainly occurred in the southern limb of the anticline,which is a natural earthquake formed along the footwall ramp of the basement fault.The earthquakes in the Changning area are possible related to the geo-tectonic setting for the southeast outward compression of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at present,the moderate or large-scale earthquakes in the southwest Sichuan Basin are mainly due to the reactivation during late Quaternary of the earlier formed faults.It is suggested to carry out scientific monitoring of seismic activities in shale gas development zones.

Terrestrial water storage variation in Hebei plain area of China,based on ground surface gravimetry

Variation of terrestrial water storage in the Hebei plain area from March 2010 to June 2014 was studied using ground gravimetry combined with vertical displacement data from the Global Navigation Satellite System.Results show that observed gravity variation in this area increased continuously,basically reflecting a trend toward land subsidence.With the effect of this subsidence removed,a dominantnegative change in gravity variation was evident,reflecting an average rate of decrease in terrestrial water in this area of 0.10±0.053 m/y,and this is equivalent to a volume of 81.5±43.2×108 m^(3)and is consistent with the spatial distribution of groundwater change from measured hydrologic data.These results can be an essential reference and supplement for the study of terrestrial water variation in the Hebei plain area,and indicate that ground surface gravimetry can be used as an important mean for studying changes in terrestrial water.

New Understanding of Variation Characteristics of Well Water Level in Majiagou Mine,Tangshan City,Hebei,China

Based on the well water level data in Majiagou Mine in Tangshan City since 2000,it is suggested that the water level rise from 2008-2014 is possibly associated with reduced infiltration caused by less precipitation,together with the effect of less groundwater exploitation. However,the water level rise from 1992-1998 cannot be interpreted properly if we extend the data source back to 1991. After comparing the data with long-term water level data of five wells with different hydro-geological units in Tangshan and Qinhuangdao, the study indicates that the long-term water level variation cannot be only attributed to the effect of less precipitation and the control of groundwater exploitation,but also with the influence of regional stress field change.With the support of regional geological and tectonic information,combined with the comprehensive analysis of CBM data obtained from the coal field,new understandings of the dynamic characteristics of annual variation are obtained.

Time-varying gravity field model of Sichuan-Yunnan region based on the equivalent mass source model

High-precision time-varying gravity field is an effective way to study the internal mass movement and understanding the spatio-temporal evolution process of the geodynamic system.Compared to the satellite gravity measurement,the repeated terrestrial gravity observation can provide a more high-order signal related to the shallow crust and subsurface.However,the suitable and unified method for gravity model estimation is a key problem for further applications.In this study,we introduce the spherical hexahedron element to simulate the field source mass and forward model the change of gravity field located at the Sichuan-Yunnan region(99—104°E,23—29°N)in the four epochs from 2015 to 2017.Compared to the experimental results based on Slepian or spherical harmonics frequency domain method,this alternative approach is suitable for constructing the equivalent mass source model of regional-scale gravity data,by introducing the first-order smooth prior condition of gravity time-varying signal to suppress the high-frequency component of the signal.The results can provide a higher spatial resolution reference for regional gravity field modeling in the Sichuan-Yunnan region.

Preliminary seismic anisotropy in the upper crust of the south segment of Xiaojiang faults and its tectonic implications

The Xiaojiang faults,striking north-tosouth(NS),and the Honghe faults,striking north-to-west(NW),are first-order block boundaries that intersect to form a concentrated stress zone at an acute angle in the southern part of the Sichuan-Yunnan rhombic block(SYB).It is also a crucial zone for material escaping from the Tibetan Plateau(TP)due to the collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate.In December 2017,the Institute of Earthquake Forecasting of the China Earthquake Administration(CEA)deployed a linear temporary seismic broadband array,the Honghe-Xiaojiang temporary Seismic Array(HX Array),across first-order block boundaries in the southern SYB.By using the waveform data of small earthquakes recorded by stations in the HX Array across Xiaojiang faults from 2017 to 2019,and by permanent seismic stations of the China National Earthquake Networks from 2012 to 2019,this paper adopts the systematic analysis method of shear-wave splitting(SWS),SAM method,to obtain preliminary results for seismic anisotropy in the upper crust.The study area can be divided into two subzones according to the spatial distribution of the directions of polarization of the fast shear-wave(PFS)at the stations:the northern zone(zone A,where the HX Array is located)and the southern zone(zone B,to the south of the HX Array).The results show that the directions of the PFS at stations in zone A were highly consistent,dominant in the NE direction,correlated with the in-situ principal compressive stress,and were seemingly unaffected by the Xiaojiang faults.The directions of the PFS as recorded at stations in zone B were more complicated,and were dominant in the NS direction parallel to that of the regional principal compressive stress.This suggests the joint influence of complex tectonics and regional stress in this narrow wedge area.By referring to the azimuthal anisotropy derived from seismic ambient noise in the southeast margin of the TP,the NS direction of the PFS in the middle and lower crust,and its EW direction in the upper mantle,this paper concludes that azimuthal anisotropy in the upper crust differed from that in the lower crust in the south segment of Xiaojiang faults,at least beneath the observation area,and azimuthal anisotropy in the crust was different from that in the upper mantle.The results support the pattern of deformation of ductile flow in the lower crust,and the decoupling between the upper and lower crusts as well as that between the crust and the mantle in the study area.The crustal directions of the PFS appeared to be independent of the Xiaojiang faults,suggesting that the influence of the South China block on the SYB passed through the Xiaojiang faults to the Yimen region.The results of this study indicate that anisotropic studies based on data on the dense temporary seismic array can yield clearer tectonic information,and reveal the complex spatial distribution of stress and deformation in the upper crust of the south segment of Xiaojiang faults.

An analysis of the characteristics of crustal magnetic anomaly in China based on CHAMP satellite data

Based on the observation data of CHAMP satellite from 2006 to 2009, a 2D crustal magnetic anomaly model in China is established to study the distribution characteristics of crustal magnetic anomaly. In this paper, the 2D anomaly model is derived from the Legendre polynomial expansion of harmonic term N =6-50. The result shows that many elaborate structures reflected in magnetic anomaly map well correspond to the geologic structures in China and its adjacent area. The magnetic anomaly at low satellite height behaves complexly, which is mainly caused by the magnetic disturbance of shallow rocks.In contrast, the magnetic field isolines at high satellite height are relatively sparse and only magnetic anomalies of deep crust are reflected. This fact implies that the 2D model of crustal magnetic anomaly provides an important method of the space prolongation of geomagnetic field, and is of theoretical and practice importance in geologic structure analysis and geophysical prospecting.

Analysis of Power Supply Interference of Geomagnetic Second Data Observation-Take Changli Seismic Station as An Example

This paper analyzes two types of power supply interference encountered in the observation of geomagnetic second data: the HVDC interference and the discharge interference of electrified railway. By taking the FGM fluxgate magnetometer of Changli Seismic Station as the research object,we analyze interference characteristics and conduct intensive observational experiment of electrified railway interference.Finally,several conclusions are obtained:(1) HVDC interference is closely related to the changes in the current system of the interference source,such as current size,distance or orientation of the interference source. Although the characteristics of each change are not the same, the main changes are variable.(2) The discharge phenomenon caused by the contact of the pantograph system or other reasons during the operation of the electrified railway is a factor that may cause random small interference in the geomagnetic second data at Changli Seismic Station. This study explains similar phenomena discovered in previous years and meanwhile correct previous misjudgments including unstable working systems,unstable power supply,and occasional sudden jumps that are considered to be discrete.

The v_P Velocity Structures of Sub-blocks in the North China Craton from Active Source Waveform Modeling and Tectonic Implications

We present the 1-D crustal velocity structure of the major tectonic blocks of the North China Craton(NCC)along 36°N based on synthetic seismogram modeling of long-range wide-angle reflection/refraction data.This profile extends from southwest Yan’an of central Shaanxi Province of China(109.47°E),across the southern Trans-North China Orogen(TNCO),the southwestern part of the North China Plain(NCP),the Luxi Uplift(LU)and the Sulu Orogen(SLO),ending at Qingdao City of Shandong Province,the eastern margin of China(120.12°E)along 36°N.We utilized reflectivity synthetic seismogram modeling of the active source data to develop 1-D velocity structures of the sub-blocks of the NCC.Our final model shows that the NCC crust varies remarkably among the tectonic units with different velocity structure features.Higher lower crustal velocity and Moho depth^42 km is a major feature of the crust beneath southern Ordos Blockt.The TNCO which is composed of Lyuliangshan Mountains(LM),Shanxi Graben(SXG)and Taihangshan Mountains(TM)shows dominant trans-orogenic features.The NCP shows a dominant thickening of sediments,sharp crust thinning with Moho depth^32 km and significant lower average velocity.The SLO and the LU shows a stratified crust,higher average velocity and crust thinning with Moho depth of^35 km.Our model shows the coincidence between the deep structure and the surface geology among all the tectonic sub-blocks of the NCC.

New Explorations of Laboratory and On-site Testing of Broadband Seismographs in China

According to different testing purposes, methods and available environmental conditions, the seismograph testing can be divided into laboratory and on-site testing, respectively. The testing of the seismograph's key parameters and other concerning technical specifications are well described in guide documents(China Earthquake Administration, 2017). This includes seismometer sensitivity, linearity and clip levels based on the shake table test, as well as the seismometer natural period, damping constant based on electrical calibration(Wang Guangfu,1986; Ple?inger A.,1993) and instrumental self-noise collocation estimation(Holcomb L.G., 1989; Sleeman R. et al., 2006). However, with the development of seismic observation technology, many new requirements for the performance evaluation of seismographs have been put forward, and new testing items and methods have emerged.

Inventory and Spatial Distribution of Landslides Triggered by the 8th August 2017 M_W 6.5 Jiuzhaigou Earthquake, China

An accurate and detailed seismic landslide inventory is essential to better understand the landslide mechanism and susceptibility. The 8 th August 2017 MW 6.5 Jiuzhaigou Earthquake of China initiated a large number of coseismic landslides. The results of the post-seismic survey show the actual landslide number might be underestimated in previous publications. Coupled with field investigation and visual interpretation on high-resolution remote sensing images before and after the main shock, we established a detailed inventory of landslides triggered by the earthquake. Results show that this event caused at least 4 834 individual landslides with a total area of 9.64 km^2. They are concentrated in an elliptical area of 434 km^2, dominated by medium-and small-scale rock falls and debris slides. Statistics indicate that, except for slope aspect that seems not significantly correlated with the landsliding, these landslides are most common in the places with following features: elevation of 2 800–3 400 m, slope angle greater than 30o, slope positions of upper, middle and flat slopes, and Carboniferous limestone and dolomite. Besides, the landslide area percentage(LAP) and landslide number density(LND) values decrease with the increasing distance to river channels and roads, implying a positive correlation. Instead of centering around the epicenter, most of these coseismic landslides are distributed along the inferred seismogenic fault, which means that the seismogenic structure played a more important role than the location of the epicenter. Remarkable differences in landslide densities along the fault indicate the varied landslide susceptibility which may be attributed to other varied controls along the fault such as the rock mass strength. In sum, this study presents a more detailed inventory of the landslides triggered by the 2017 MW 6.5 Jiuzhaigou Earthquake, describes their distribution pattern and analyzes its control factors, which would be helpful to understand the genesis of the coseismic landslides and further study their long-term impact on the environment of the affected area.