Crustal movement in Chinese mainland observed from 1998 to 1999

Abstract

In this paper, GPS observations during 1998 to 1999 at fiducial stations in the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC) and GPS observation data processing with Bernese Software are briefly introduced. The processed results of crustal movement in the network during the period from early September 1998 to early July 1999, including the displacements at each fiducial station and strains in different part of the network, are discussed in detail. During the above mentioned period of observations, the eastern part of China was relatively stable. In contrast, the southwest part of China moved northwards about 17 mm with a dominant compression in NNE; the northwestern part of China moved northwestwards about 11 mm; and the Yunnan area moved southwards about 14 mm. The North-South seismic belt in the middle part of China is a belt of strong shear deformation. The maximum principal strain in the network is 2.9×10−8. The observation result shows that the northward push by the Indian Plate has still played the dominant role in the crustal movement in China.