Crustal Medium Research Articles

The Time-Dependent Method for Probabilistic Fault Displacement Hazard Analysis (PFDHA-td)

Coseismic surface displacement can cause major damage to buildings located on faults. Therefore, it is important to quantitatively evaluate the future surface displacement of active faults. The commonly used deterministic evaluation methods often tend to overestimate surface displacement values, so researchers are working toward probabilistic fault displacement hazard analysis (PFDHA). However, the PFDHA assumes that earthquakes occur equally in time, which is not consistent with the physical mechanism of earthquake occurrence. Elastic rebound theory and paleoseismic research results show that the accumulation and release of energy in the crustal medium have cyclical characteristics. In this study, using two parameters, the strong earthquake recurrence period (TRP) and strong earthquake elapsed time (tet), of active faults, the displacements of active faults with different TRP and tet under different exceedance probabilities are obtained. The calculation results indicate that the surface displacement hazard of the weakly active and extremely weakly active faults in the Holocene does not need to be considered; for the moderately and strongly active faults in the Holocene, the surface displacement result is lower than that provided by the deterministic method. According to the importance of the project, the calculation results of the PFDHA-td method under different exceedance probabilities are selected.

Velocity structure of crust and mid-strong earthquake preparation characteristics in the Huoshan region, East China

The Huoshan region, located on the northern margin of the Dabie Orogenic Belt at the junction of the North China Plate and the Yangtze Plate, is one of the most seismically active and concentrated areas in the Dabie Orogenic Belt and adjacent regions. Utilizing the travel time data from 4,427 seismic events observed by 202 stations, we investigated the deep medium structure of the Huoshan region using the double-difference tomography method. The results reveal the medium structure and characteristics of mid-strong earthquake preparation in the region. The crustal medium in the study area exhibits significant lateral heterogeneity. The Dabie Orogenic Belt shows notably high velocity, whereas the North China Plate and the Yangtze Plate display relatively lower velocities. The Tan-Lu Fault Zone exhibits segmentation characteristics; with the crustal medium velocity south of Lujiang being relatively high, north of Jiashan being relatively low, and between Lujiang and Jiashan being intermediate. The epicenters of mid-strong earthquakes are located on the gradient zones of velocity and Poisson’s ratio. The source regions of these earthquakes show significant anomalies of high Poisson’s ratio and low S-wave velocity, which may indicate the presence of fluids. These anomalies possibly reflect the intrusion of deep materials along the fault zone, which could be the driving force for the preparation of mid-strong earthquakes.

Research on the RZB-Type Three-Dimensional Drilling Strain Measurement System.

Borehole strain gauges play a crucial role in geophysical, seismological, and crustal dynamics studies. While existing borehole strain gauges are proficient in measuring horizontal strains within vertical boreholes, their effectiveness in capturing vertical and oblique strains is limited due to technical constraints arising from the cylindrical probe's characteristics. However, the accurate measurement of three-dimensional strain is essential for a comprehensive understanding of crustal tectonics, dynamics, and geophysics, particularly considering the diverse geological structures and force sources within the crustal medium. In this study, we present a novel approach to address this challenge by enhancing an existing horizontal-component borehole strain gauge with a bellows structure and line strain measurement technology to enable vertical and borehole oblique strain measurements. Integrating these enhancements with horizontal strain measurement capabilities enables comprehensive three-dimensional borehole strain measurements within the same hole section. The system was deployed and tested at the Gongxian seismic station in Sichuan Province. Clear observations of solid tides were recorded across horizontal, oblique, and vertical measurement units, with the tidal morphology and amplitude being consistent with the theoretical calculations. The achieved measurement sensitivity of 10-10 meets the requirements for borehole strain measurement, enabling the characterization of three-dimensional strain states within boreholes through association methods.

Seismic Velocity Response to the Ocean Waves Based on Borehole Array

The ambient noise correlation in recent years has been widely used to study the seismic velocity temporal variation related to volcanoes, geothermal fields, earthquake source regions. However, in some regions and times, seasonal seismic velocity changes which could be attributed to environmental factors, including temperature, atmospheric pressure and groundwater, can also be observed. Eliminating the influence of these environmental factors in the temporal variation monitoring results of subsurface media will be helpful to obtain the clear changes of shallow media due to tectonic activities. We used the ambient noise correlation technique of multi-component and multi-frequent-band to obtain the seismic velocity variation of crustal media in Hailing Island, Guangdong Province, China. The results show that the seismic velocity variation of crustal medium in the study area has a strong correlation with the ocean wave height

Estimation of Site Effects and Equivalent Source Parameters of Wenchuan Earthquake Based on Generalized Chaotic Particle Inversion Technique

Abstract Based on the advantages of the chaos particle swarm optimization algorithm and the generalized inversion technology, this article estimates the source parameters and site effects of the Wenchuan earthquake. We used 440 sets of strong-motion records obtained from 43 aftershocks, and the area covered by the records was divided into subregions A and B. Initial separation of source, path, and site from the seismic spectra of subregions A and B using generalized inversion technique and then the source-site optimization model is established using chaotic particle swarm technology. From path-corrected records, we obtained absolute site effects for 33 stations and equivalent source parameters for 43 earthquakes. We made the following conclusions: (1) The moment magnitude Mw was lower than the local magnitude MLdetermined by China Earthquake Network Center. The self-similarity of the Wenchuan earthquake was confirmed. The stress drop averaged 2.31 MPa, and it was independent of the magnitude size and focal depth. (2) In the frequency 1–10 Hz, the quality factor values in subregions A and B are 110.9f0.6 and 116.1f1.2. The decay rate of the crustal medium in the western region of the west Sichuan plateau is significant compared to the eastern part. (3) Bedrock stations 51MXT and L2007 have site effects within a certain frequency. The effect of slope topography on site predominant frequency is not apparent, and the site effects increase with the increase in elevation. The shape of the site amplification curve is more similar in the middle- and low-frequency bands, and different attenuation phenomena will appear in the high-frequency band.

Estimation of wave velocity and analysis of dispersion characteristics based on wavelet decomposition

Due to the complexity of the crustal medium and stratigraphic boundaries, seismic waves typically exhibit attenuation and dispersion after propagation through the medium. By studying the regularity of seismic wave dispersion, soil layer information can be extracted. Current spectral decomposition techniques take less account of signal filtering processing of seismic waves, and the complexity of the stratigraphy tends to reduce the accuracy of dispersion analysis. Based on the above, a new method for calculating the dispersion characteristics of a site from surface and downhole ground vibration recordings is proposed, which is simpler than the spectra analysis of surface waves (SASW) method and eliminates the need for multiple pickups and additional equipment. This method is based on wavelet decomposition and seismic wave filtering, and a numerical simulation example is established to verify the effectiveness of the method. Then, the records of the Tohoku earthquake on March 11, 2011 are used as actual strong earthquake examples for filtering and dispersion analysis. Finally, it is concluded that the seismic wave dispersion analysis method based on wavelet decomposition can effectively filter and analyze seismic waves in specific frequency bands.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of upper-crust seasonal velocity changes in North–South Seismic Belt and South China block in China

Investigating mechanisms and characteristics of the non-tectonic deformation has crucial implications for evaluating the subsurface stress evolution. In this study, we continuously tracked the seasonal velocity changes of Rayleigh wave at 2–10 s with the ambient noise interferometry and discrete wavelet decomposition, in different regions along the actively deforming North–South Seismic Belt (NSSB) and the stable Guangdong region in the South China block in China. The seasonal velocity changes exhibit strong lateral variations across different regions, with much larger seasonality (annual periodicity) and amplitude along the NSSB than those in the stable Guangdong region. There are also small-scale lateral variations inside of each region and generally larger amplitudes of the seasonal velocity changes at greater depth, but the phases (peaks, mostly in winter or summer) at different depths are consistent. The mechanism of the seasonal changes is most likely the direct loading effect of the precipitation, as indicated by consistency in their phases. However, the amplitudes of the seasonal velocity changes seem not controlled by the amount of precipitation, but are more dependent on the tectonic deformation at the different scales, from the correlation between the amplitude of the velocity change and the absolute strain rate. We demonstrate that the crustal media in the regions with larger tectonic background stress are more sensitive to the seasonal loadings. The new finding also highlights the role of the external seasonal loadings in the modulation of seismic activities and risk evaluations. Keypoints•Seasonal seismic velocity variations are found in different regions in China, likely from direct hydrological loadings of precipitation.•The spatial pattern of the seasonal velocity changes is consistent with the distribution of tectonic deformation at multi-scales.•The amplitude of the seasonal velocity changes is more dependent on the magnitude of local deformation than the amount of precipitation.

Crustal attenuation structure of the Tianshan tectonic belt and its spatiotemporal variations

The quality factor value (Q) of the crustal medium, which can describe the anelasticity within the Earth’s interior, is a sensitive indicator of changes in the crystalline structure induced by temperature and phase transformations. Although the velocity structure of the Tianshan region in Central Asia has been extensively studied, studies regarding its Q values are limited. These studies focus mainly on the crustal attenuation structure of the Tianshan region; however, their results are limited to the qualitative analyses of the local areas or averages over large areas. Therefore, in this study, we conducted seismic attenuation tomography to create a Q map of the crust underneath the Tianshan tectonic belt (TTB) at a resolution of 0.8° × 0.8° using data from 24,273 near-source waveforms recorded by 51 observation stations of the Xinjiang regional seismic network from 2009 to 2020. The regional distribution of the static and sliding-average values (QS) was calculated. The average value (Q0) of TTB was approximately 523. Additionally, Qs exhibited considerable lateral variations that strongly correlate with the surface tectonics of the TTB region. Furthermore, the velocity and attenuation structures of the TTB were positively correlated. The main part of the TTB exhibited high velocities and Q (indicating low attenuation), whereas the areas adjoining the Tarim and Junggar basins (at the South and North of the TBB, respectively) and their margins exhibited low velocities and Q (indicating high attenuation). This suggested that the attenuation structure of the TTB was highly consistent with its velocity and density structures. Since 1900, most earthquakes in the TTB having magnitudes ≥6.0 earthquakes have occurred at the junctions of high- and low-Q-value areas, or in areas with low Q values. According to the Qs values in different periods, the average Qs of the entire TTB only varied between 500 and 540. However, the average Qs in the middle TTB region portrays an upward trended over time (from 494 in 2010 to 554 in 2020). The average Qs of the southwestern TTB region has been relatively stable, varying between 490 and 530. The Q0 of the southwestern TTB region was lower than that observed in the middle TTB region in most of the time. This observation is more consistent with the tectonic activity recorded in the southwestern TTB region (with greater intensity) than that observed in the middle Tianshan. In addition, the number of earthquakes with magnitudes ≥4.0 correlated positively with the regional average Qs in the middle and southwestern Tianshan. Notably, the higher the regional average Q value, the larger the number of moderate earthquakes. This correlation suggests that in earthquake-prone regions, the accumulation and release of stress influence the opening or closure of crustal fractures, resulting in noticeable changes in the Q values. The findings of our study provide novel insights into the mechanisms of earthquakes and their correlation with the structure of the Earth’s crust.

Shear wave splitting analysis of local earthquakes from dense arrays in Shimian, Sichuan

The Shimian area of Sichuan sits at the junction of the Bayan Har block, Sichuan-Yunnan rhombic block, and Yangtze block, where several faults intersect. This region features intense tectonic activity and frequent earthquakes. In this study, we used local seismic waveform data recorded using dense arrays deployed in the Shimian area to obtain the shear wave splitting parameters at 55 seismic stations and thereby determine the crustal anisotropic characteristics of the region. We then analyzed the crustal stress pattern and tectonic setting and explored their relationship in the study area. Although some stations returned a polarization direction of NNW-SSE, a dominant polarization direction of NW-SE was obtained for the fast shear wave at most seismic stations in the study area. The polarization directions of the fast shear wave were highly consistent throughout the study area. This orientation was in accordance with the direction of the regional principal compressive stress and parallel to the trend of the Xianshuihe and Daliangshan faults. The distribution of crustal anisotropy in this area was affected by the regional tectonic stress field and the fault structures. The mean delay time between fast and slow shear waves was 3.83 ms/km, slightly greater than the values obtained in other regions of Sichuan. This indicates that the crustal media in our study area had a high anisotropic strength and also reveals the influence of tectonic complexity resulting from the intersection of multiple faults on the strength of seismic anisotropy.

Preliminary Evaluation of Crustal Medium Parameters in Western China

The establishment of attenuation relation of ground motion is always an important research content in engineering earthquake field. In seismology-based ground motion attenuation relationship and ground motion simulation using the stochastic method, regional parameters are necessary. These parameters involve stress drop Δσ, two segmentation points R1 and R2 of the geometric spreading item, Q0 and η of the inelastic attenuation item and the near-surface high-frequency decay parameter κ0, which reflect the regional crustal medium and site characteristics and have little relation with the earthquake size. In this paper, we take Sichuan, Yunnan and Xinjiang regions in western China as examples and we inverse the parameters for each region by micro-genetic algorithm. The inversion ranges of crustal media parameters in the three regions were determined respectively. Finally, we get the inversion results of every parameters and find that the parameters of the three regions have a great difference.

Precursory tidal triggering and b value variation before the 2011 Mw 5.1 and 5.0 Tengchong, China earthquakes

Recent studies have suggested that tidal triggering may preferentially occur when a region is critically stressed, and that tidal stresses provide a potential tool for forecasting earthquakes. Most tidally triggered precursors before large earthquakes are found in subduction zones. We examined tidal triggering of earthquakes near the intracontinental Gaoligong Shear Zone, which is also a geothermally active region. We observed statistically significant correlations between tidally induced stresses and earthquake times, which only appeared approximately two years before the 2011 Tengchong Mw 5.1 and 5.0 earthquakes. The Schuster spectrum shows two peaks at ∼0.5 and ∼1.0 days related to the tidal period. The tidal phase distribution in the pre-mainshock time period shows that most earthquakes occur during phases of positive tidal shear stress and dilatancy strain. Our findings provide a typical case of tidal triggering of earthquake precursors in a continental setting. The stress state can be inferred using the Gutenberg–Richter b value, which characterizes the relative proportion between small and large earthquakes and correlates negatively with differential stress. We investigated the temporal changes of the b value and found that it retains a long-term low value but has a prominent short-term decline prior to mainshocks. The coincidence of low Schuster probability ps with a low b value suggests that the crustal medium is near a critical state, making it more sensitive to external perturbations. The results of epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) modelling revealed that the seismic activity is affected by not only cascading earthquake triggering but also external forcing. Taking the collective results of the Schuster test, b value, ETAS modelling, and other evidence, we suggest that tidal triggering of earthquakes is likely when the fault is in a near-critical stress state, and geothermal fluid may play an important role in the triggering mechanism.

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Reservoir-Induced Earthquakes Using P-Wave Velocity Structures

In this study, through the seismic phase observation report obtained by a river reservoir seismic network from September 2012 to July 2015, the joint inversion method of source and velocity structure is employed, combined with the regional seismic geological environment data. Such method gives the P-wave velocity structure of different sections in the reservoir area and tries to find out the impact range of the reservoir water depth. And the impact of reservoir water infiltration on crustal medium is discussed. The obtained location results show that the earthquake activity is mainly concentrated in the first reservoir tail and the second reservoir head. As such, the spatial distribution characteristics of the recorded earthquakes are given, and the resolution results of detection board at different depths are speculated and discussed.

Anisotropic zoning in the upper crust of the Tianshan Tectonic Belt

The Tianshan Tectonic Belt is an intracontinental orogenic belt formed by continental convergence that has undergone long-term tectonic evolution. The reactivation that began during the Cenozoic Period has led to complex structural changes. The goals of this study are to review the seismic observational data obtained during 2009–2019 in the Xinjiang regional seismic network and analyze the anisotropy of the upper crust in the Tianshan area. Therefore, a shear-wave splitting system was adopted to collect and analyze shear-wave splitting parameters of 33 stations in the study area. The anisotropy of the upper crust of the Tianshan is spatially diverse, and the dominant polarization directions of fast shear-wave reflect the spatial variations of regional tectonic stress. In addition, the time delays of slow waves are proportional to the intensities of anisotropy in the upper crustal medium. The dominant polarization direction of the fast waves in the western segment of the North Tianshan Mountain, northwestern corner of the Tarim Basin, and northeastern edge of Pamir is consistent with the tectonic stress fields in the area. In the northern part of the Keping Block, the dominant polarization directions of the fast waves are consistent with the fault trends; however, they are at a high angle to the dominant directions of the regional tectonic stress field indicating that the anisotropy is affected by the faults in the area. The anisotropy of the eastern segment of the South Tianshan Mountains and the surrounding area of Urumqi are affected by the local stress field and fault structure. The polarization directions at some of the stations are sub-parallel to the directions of the regional principal stress. However, for other stations, the polarization directions are aligned with the neighboring faults. The polarization directions of the fast waves in most of the study area are consistent with the local tectonic stress fields. Thus, stress compression phenomena such as the Tarim Basin being thrusted and subducted between the Tianshan crust and the upper mantle due to the far field effects of the convergence between the Indian and Siberian plates are evident. Furthermore, the zoning of the time delays is distinct, and the time delays share an increasing trend from east to west in the North Tianshan and South Tianshan Mountain ranges. These results are consistent with the north-south convergence deformations across the Tianshan Mountains, where the deformation rate increased from east to west. The average values of time delays in northeastern Pamir are significantly higher than that in the other areas due to the occurrence of the most intensive tectonic movements suggesting that the anisotropy of the zone is significantly stronger than that of the other zones in the Tianshan Tectonic Belt. We successfully deciphered the seismic anisotropy in the upper crust and provided a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the dynamic mechanisms of the Tianshan Tectonic Belt.

Determination of path attenuation and site characteristics of the North-west Himalayan region and adjoining regions within the Indian Territory using Generalized inversion method

North-west Himalayas and its adjoining regions have been experiencing deadly earthqaukes from time to time and are home for a large portion of population of Indian subcontinent. Knowledge of regional path attenuation and site parameters are prerequisite while attempting seismic hazard studies towards minimizing damages during future earthqaukes for a region. Present work focuses on the determination of path attenuation and site characteristics of earthqaukes recording stations, located in the north-west Himalayas and its adjoining regions, within India. It is done using two- step generalized inversion technique. In the first step of inversion, non-parametric attenuation curves are developed by constraining attenuation to be a smooth decaying function with hypocentral distance. Qs = (105 ± 11)f (0.94 ± 0.08) as S wave quality factor is obtained indicating that the region is seismically active having high degree of heterogeneities in the crustal medium. In the second step of generalized inversion, site amplification curve, at each recording station, is computed as the ratio of site spectral amplitude of horizontal and vertical components. In addition, based on Horizontal to vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method, predominant frequency of each recording station is calculated. Values of predominant frequencies based on HVSR and generalized inversion are found matching for each of the recording station. Based on obtained predominant frequency, site class of 101 recording stations, which at present are absent, are determined in this work. Determined path attenuation as well as site parameters can be collectively used for developing regional ground motion models and subsequently for seismic hazard studies for the selected region.

Evaluation of crustal inhomogeneity parameters in the southern Longmenshan fault zone and adjacent regions

Broadband teleseismic waveform data from 13 earthquakes recorded by 70 digital seismic stations were selected to evaluate the inhomogeneity parameters of the crustal medium in the southern Longmenshan fault zone and its adjacent regions using the teleseismic fluctuation wavefield method. Results show that a strong inhomogeneity exists beneath the study region, which can be divided into three blocks according to its structure and tectonic deformation features. These are known as the Sichuan-Qinghai Block, the Sichuan-Yunnan Block, and the Mid-Sichuan Block. The velocity fluctuation ratios of the three blocks are approximately 5.1%, 3.6%, and 5.1% in the upper crust and 5.1%, 3.8%, and 4.9% in the lower crust. The inhomogeneity correlation lengths of the three blocks are about 10.1 km, 14.0 km, and 10.7 km in the upper crust and 11.8 km, 17.0 km, and 11.8 km in the lower crust. The differences in the crustal medium inhomogeneity beneath the Sichuan-Yunnan Block, the Sichuan-Qinghai Block, and the Mid-Sichuan Block may be related to intensive tectonic movement and material flow in the crust and upper mantle.

Three-dimensional velocity structure and tectonic characteristics of earthquake area in Yibin

In this study, on the basis of absolute first-arrival times of 84756 P- and S-waves from 6085 earthquakes recorded at 56 fixed stations in Yibin and surrounding areas in China from January 2009 to January 2019, focal parameters and three-dimensional (3D) body-wave high-resolution velocity structures at depths of 0–30 km were retrieved by double-difference tomography. Results show that there is a good correspondence between the spatial distribution of the relocated earthquakes and velocity structures, which were concentrated mainly in the high-velocity-anomaly region or edge of high-velocity region. Velocity structure of P- and S-waves in the Yibin area clearly shows lateral inhomogeneity. The distribution characteristics of the P- and S-waves near the surface are closely related to the geomorphology and geologic structure. The low-velocity anomaly appears at the depth of 15–25 km, which is affected by the lower crust current. The Junlian-Gongxian and Gongxian-Changning earthquake areas, which are the two most earthquake-prone areas in the Yibin region, clearly differ in earthquake distribution and tectonic characteristics. We analyzed the structural characteristics of the Junlian-Gongxian and Gongxian-Changning earthquake areas on the basis of the 3D body-wave velocity structures in the Yibin region. We found that although most seismicity in the Yibin area is caused by fluid injection, the spatial position of seismicity is controlled by the velocity structures of the middle and upper crust and local geologic structure. Fine-scale 3D velocity structures in the Yibin area provide important local reference information for further understanding the crustal medium, seismogenic structure, and seismicity.

Lower crustal contribution to the magma formation of the Damiao massif-type anorthosite, North China Craton: Evidence from zircon Hf-O isotopes

The formation of massif-type anorthosites and the associated mangerite, charnockite and (rapakivi-) granite (AMCG suite) are mostly restricted in the “Earth’s Middle Age” (~1.70–0.75 Ga), and the magma sources of massif-type anorthosites are highly debated between the depleted mantle and the mafic lower crust. The ~1.7 Ga Damiao massif-type anorthosite in the North China Craton consists mainly of anorthosite and leuconorite with minor melanorite, mangerite, Fe-Ti-(P) ores and abundant ferrodioritic or gabbroic dykes. In-situ zircon Hf-O isotopic data from anorthosite reveal decoupling of mantle-like δ18O values (5.1–7.4) and ancient crustal-like εHf(T) values (−4.0 to −8.9). Since the significant 177Lu/176Hf reduction in the lower mafic crust, the mafic lower crustal materials derived from depleted mantle could display an ancient crustal medium to high negative εHf(T) values after long period of time (e.g., 0.5–1.0 Ga). In contrast, if no supracrustal materials were added, these mafic crustal materials would retain the mantle δ18O features. Thus, the decoupling of mantle-like δ18O and ancient crustal-like εHf(T) values suggest a lower crustal origin of the Damiao massif-type anorthosite. Compilation of Sr-Nd-O isotopic data of massif-type anorthosites reveal decoupling of εHf(T), initial 87Sr/86Sr and δ18O values, which signifies important lower crustal input in magmas sources of most massif-type anorthosites. We proposed that zircon U-Pb age of the Damiao massif-type anorthosite (~1.70 Ga) and regional age correlation suggest that the anorthosite was emplaced in an intraplate, anorogenic extensional setting after the Paleoproterozoic orogeny had ended.

Local Instability Critical Condition in Continuous Medium and its Parameters Inversion

In this paper, earthquake process is described as the process of local destabilization of system in mathematical and physical view and the critical conditions of local instability are given by variational principle. The unknown of basic properties, evolution characters and disturbance characters of crustal medium in deep and the non-completeness of human knowledge make great hardships in directly determining the stiffness and evolution of lithospheric medium. So an inversion strategy is proposed based on the distribution of a dense number of GPS sites and strain gauges.

Joint Inversion of the 3D P Wave Velocity Structure of the Crust and Upper Mantle under the Southeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau Using Regional Earthquake and Teleseismic Data

AbstractThe special seismic tectonic environment and frequent seismicity in the southeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau show that this area is an ideal location to study the present tectonic movement and background of strong earthquakes in mainland China and to predict future strong earthquake risk zones. Studies of the structural environment and physical characteristics of the deep structure in this area are helpful to explore deep dynamic effects and deformation field characteristics, to strengthen our understanding of the roles of anisotropy and tectonic deformation and to study the deep tectonic background of the seismic origin of the block's interior. In this paper, the three‐dimensional (3D) P‐wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle under the southeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is obtained via observational data from 224 permanent seismic stations in the regional digital seismic network of Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces and from 356 mobile China seismic arrays in the southern section of the north–south seismic belt using a joint inversion method of the regional earthquake and teleseismic data. The results indicate that the spatial distribution of the P‐wave velocity anomalies in the shallow upper crust is closely related to the surface geological structure, terrain and lithology. Baoxing and Kangding, with their basic volcanic rocks and volcanic clastic rocks, present obvious high‐velocity anomalies. The Chengdu Basin shows low‐velocity anomalies associated with the Quaternary sediments. The Xichang Mesozoic Basin and the Butuo Basin are characterised by low‐velocity anomalies related to very thick sedimentary layers. The upper and middle crust beneath the Chuan–Dian and Songpan–Ganzi Blocks has apparent lateral heterogeneities, including low‐velocity zones of different sizes. There is a large range of low‐velocity layers in the Songpan–Ganzi Block and the sub–block northwest of Sichuan Province, showing that the middle and lower crust is relatively weak. The Sichuan Basin, which is located in the western margin of the Yangtze platform, shows high‐velocity characteristics. The results also reveal that there are continuous low‐velocity layer distributions in the middle and lower crust of the Daliangshan Block and that the distribution direction of the low‐velocity anomaly is nearly SN, which is consistent with the trend of the Daliangshan fault. The existence of the low‐velocity layer in the crust also provides a deep source for the deep dynamic deformation and seismic activity of the Daliangshan Block and its boundary faults. The results of the 3D P‐wave velocity structure show that an anomalous distribution of high‐density, strong‐magnetic and high‐wave velocity exists inside the crust in the Panxi region. This is likely related to late Paleozoic mantle plume activity that led to a large number of mafic and ultra‐mafic intrusions into the crust. In the crustal doming process, the massive intrusion of mantle‐derived material enhanced the mechanical strength of the crustal medium. The P‐wave velocity structure also revealed that the upper mantle contains a low‐velocity layer at a depth of 80–120 km in the Panxi region. The existence of deep faults in the Panxi region, which provide conditions for transporting mantle thermal material into the crust, is the deep tectonic background for the area's strong earthquake activity.

Heterogeneous Fault Mechanisms of the 6 October 2008 MW 6.3 Dangxiong (Tibet) Earthquake Using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar Observations

Most current crustal deformation models do not account for topographic effects, crustal lateral variations, and complex fault geometries. To overcome these limitations, we apply finite element models constrained by interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) images of co-seismic displacements to the 2008 Mw 6.3 Dangxiong earthquake that occurred in Yadong–Gulu rift, southern Tibet. For mountainous plateau environments, InSAR observations are advantageous for studying crustal deformation and crustal medium structure. We evaluate the effect of topography and variations in Poisson’s ratio and elastic moduli on estimation of coseismic deformation from InSAR observations. The results show that coseismic surface displacements are more sensitive to variations in Young’s modulus than to variations in topography and Poisson’s ratio. Therefore, with constant Poisson’s ratio and density, we change the Young’s modulus on each side of the fault to obtain the model that best fits the observations. This is attained when the Young’s moduli in the eastern and western sides of the fault were 2.6 × 1010 Pa and 7.8 × 1010 Pa, respectively. The result is consistent with previous field surveys that the medium on either side of the fault is different.