Characteristics of the crustal structure and hypocentral tectonics in the epicentral area of Nan’ao earthquake (M7.5), the northeastern South China Sea

Abstract

1918 Nan’ao earthquake (M7.5) occurred in the northeast coastal areas of Guangdong Province. With the seismogeological survey of the epicentral area and history materials analyses, the earthquake epicenter was estimated to locate in the intersection part of the Binhai fault zone (Littoral) and Huanggangshui fault, which strikes NEE and NW, respectively. The activities of the NEE-striking thrust fault and NW-striking extensional fault that were attributed to 1918 Nan’ao earthquake occurred in the Dongshan Island of the epicentral area; they reflected the focal stress field with compression in NW-SE direction and extension in NE-SW direction. The isoseismal contour of seismic intensity X shows a shape of ‘X’ composed of two mutually overlapping ellipses with two axes striking NEE and NW, respectively, and such shape implies that the occurrence of this earthquake is controlled by a pair of conjugate seismotectonic faults constituted by the NEE-striking Binhai fault zone and the NW-striking Huanggangshui fault. The Binhai fault zone is a dominant seismogenic structure, and the NW-striking Huanggangshui fault is the subdominant one. The onshore-offshore deep seismic profile that crossed the epicentral area and was perpendicular to the strike of the Binhai fault zone was obtained. According to the analyses of the seismic data, the Binhai fault zone is defined as a low velocity zone with SE dip-slip in the crustal structure section. The Binhai fault zone is a boundary fault between the South China subplate and South China Sea subplate. The crust structure on the northwest side of Binhai fault zone is a normal continental crust with a thickness of 30 km, and the one on the southeast side of the fault zone is a thinning continental crust with a thickness of 25–28 km. The Binhai fault zone is an important seismogenic fault and also is an earthquake-controlling fault. The intersection part between the Binhai fault zone and the low velocity zone of upper crust is advantageous to stress concentration and strain energy accumulation, and presents the deep dynamic conditions for the earthquake’s pregnancy and occurrence.