Abstract
A new method is proposed to define piecewise continuous fields of velocity gradients of recent horizontal movements of the Earth’s crust from spatially discrete data on horizontal velocities of such movements. The method is designed to identify spatial inhomogeneities in the field of horizontal strain rates (e.g., zones of localized deformation and boundaries between areas with different strain rates) in considerable detail. It is applied to determine the field of horizontal velocity gradient in the region of the Central Asian GPS network which covers vast territories of the Kyrgyz Tien-Shan and Pamirs mountain ranges, the T arim depression, and the Kazakh Shield (Fig. 1). Calculations are based on GPS survey data obtained at 308 sites from 1995 to 2006 (Fig. 4). The resolution of the proposed method is increased by using a triangulation grid which is much denser than a conventional one (Fig. 2 and 3). As a result, point x on the surface under study is covered by several triangles rather than one (Fig. 5). Strain characteristics at point x are calculated by weighted summation of corresponding characteristics in the cover triangles. Thus, for each point we estimate spin tensor W, which defines angular velocity ω, and components of horizontal strain rate tensor E. These components provide for direct calculation of orientation of principal axes and invariants of E, i.e. maximum stretching E1, maximum shortening E2, velocity divergence E=E1+E2, and maximum shear rates Γ=⎪E1−E2⎪/2 (Fig. 6 to 11). The calculated values are presented in maps which demonstrate that spatial distribution of such values is highly inhomogeneous. Regions with increased values of kinematic characteristics mentioned above stand out sharply against the background. At the same time, spatial distribution of the kinematical characteristics in the Tien Shan region is quite regular: zones of increased absolute values of E2 are mainly oriented in the ENE direction, while the NNW orientation dominates in zones of increased values of E1.
Highlights
It is applied to determine the field of horizontal velocity gradient in the region of the Central Asian GPS network which covers vast territories of the Kyrgyz Tien-Shan and Pamirs mountain ranges, the T arim depression, and the Kazakh Shield (Fig. 1)
The calculated values are presented in maps which demonstrate that spatial distribution of such values is highly inhomogeneous
Spatial distribution of the kinematical characteristics in the Tien Shan region is quite regular: zones of increased absolute values of E2 are mainly oriented in the ENE direction, while the NNW orientation dominates in zones of increased values of E1
Summary
Характер деформирования континентальной коры вызывает в настоящее время наибольшие дискуссии в геодинамике (например [Thatcher, 1995]). Что использование GPS-данных сможет окончательно разрешить дискуссию о характере деформирования континентальной коры, во всяком случае в той ее части, которая касается современных горизонтальных деформаций [Gordon, Stein, 1992; Thatcher, 1995], не осуществились. Попытка выявить блоковую структуру поля современных горизонтальных скоростей непосредственно по данным GPS-измерений была предпринята в работе [Мухамедиев и др., 2006]. В этой работе на основе данных Центрально-Азиатской GPS-сети в поле горизонтальных скоростей были выявлены области, которые с некоторой степенью точности движутся как односвязные жесткие 2D тела (домены), т.е. Возможным способом анализа таких особенностей является непосредственный расчет поля градиента современных горизонтальных скоростей ∇⊗v по набору пространственно дискретных данных о скоростях, полученному на основе GPS-сети. В работе [Shen et al, 1996] предложен подход, согласно которому чем ближе GPS-станция x(i) к исследуемой точке x, тем больше вклад скорости v(i)=v(x(i)) в градиент скорости ∇⊗v(x), вычисляемый в x. Для удобства читателей эта система обозначений и некоторые тензорные соотношения приведены в Приложении
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