Modeling of Stress-Strain State and Coseismic Effects of Epicentral Zone of Tangshan Earthquake (Southeastern China)

Abstract

The paper presents the results of numerical modeling and analysis of stress-strain state of the epicentral zone of the strong earthquake in the north-east of China, which occurred on 27.07.1976 with Ms=7.8. Many present-day works continue to discuss the reasons for such a strong earthquake, which occurred in tectonic conditions ‒ far from interplate boundaries, inside the Tangshan tectonic block bounded by tectonic faults. However, published new geodynamic, seismological, geophysical and geodetic data provide confidence in the determining role of fault tectonics in this region. Based on the analysis of the results of modeling of the stress-strain state preceding the Tangshan earthquake with coseismic geophysical and geodetic data, we propose a model of earthquake rupture formation. The results of comparison of independent estimates of shear stresses with the results of modeling in the sources of strong earthquakes suggest that the areas of tectonic stress concentration are localized in the interfault rupture of the Tangshan fault, reaching maximum values at the termination of fault ruptures σi ≈ 50 MPa и τxy ≈ 20 MPa. The hypocenter of the main seismic event (taking into account the error of coordinate determination) is located in the region of stress intensity 35‒50 MPa and the ratio of main stresses σxx/σyy ≈ 8–10. It should be expected that these zones are the starting site of rupture, the extent of which depends on the amount of accumulated elastic potential energy of tectonic stresses in the adjacent region. For the Tangshan earthquake, this area corresponds to a high intensity of stresses exceeding 30 MPa in a band with a length more than 30 km and a width reaching 4.5 km.