Fault Branch Research Articles

Kinematics of the eastern part of the North Anatolian Fault Zone

Abstract The North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ), which marks the boundary between Anatolia and the Eurasian plate, is one of the world's most seismically active structures. Although the eastern part of NAFZ has high seismic hazard, there is a lack of geodetic information about the present tectonics of this region. Even though many scientists would like to study this area, geographical and logistical problems make performing scientific research difficult. In order to investigate contemporary neotectonic deformation on the eastern NAFZ and in its neighborhood, a relatively dense Global Positioning System (GPS) monitoring network was established in 2003. Geodetic observations were performed in three GPS campaigns in an area of 350 km × 200 km with 12-month intervals. In addition, 14 new GPS stations were measured far from the deforming area. Since this region includes the intersection of the NAFZ and the East Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ), deformation is complex and estimating seismic hazard is difficult. One important segment is the Yedisu segment and it has not broken since the 1784 earthquake. After the 1992 Erzincan and 2003 Pulumur earthquakes, the Coulomb stress loading on the Yedisu segment of the NAFZ has increased significantly, emphasizing the need to monitor this region. We computed the horizontal velocity field with respect to Eurasia and strain rates field as well. GPS-derived velocities relative to Eurasia are in the range of 16–24 mm/year, which are consistent with the regional tectonics. The principal strain rates were derived from the velocity field. Results show that strain is accumulating between the NAFZ and EAFZ along small secondary fault branches such as the Ovacik Fault (OF).

Paleoseismic evidence from trench investigation along Hajipur fault, Himalayan Frontal Thrust, NW Himalaya: Implications of the faulting pattern on landscape evolution and seismic hazard

The study area falls within the mesoseismal zone of 1905 Kangra earthquake (Mw 7.8). Two parallel NNW–SSE striking active fault scarps named as Hajipur Faults (HF1 and HF2) along the northwestern end of the Janauri anticline in the foothill zone, have displaced floodplain sediments of the Beas River. The HF1 and HF2 represent the imbricate faults of the Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT), and are the result of lateral propagation of deformation from two fold segments i.e., JF1 and JF2 respectively in northwest direction along the strike. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) profiles and trenching across the HF2 reveal two low-angle thrust fault strands (F1 and F2). Displacements of ∼7.5 m on F2 and ∼1.5 m on the associated branching faults (f a, f b and f c) were observed. Total four stratigraphic units: unit A (gravel) – with a lens of medium sand (unit A′) is the oldest; overlain by units B – medium to coarse sand; unit C – with fine to medium sand; and unit D – fine to medium sand with scattered gravel were observed in trench. Radiocarbon ages of the charcoal samples from unit B and unit D, optical ages of sediments from units A′, B and C, GPR data and trench log, suggest two major events along F1 and F2 strands. Event I along F1 occurred during 2600–800 yr BP and Event II along F2 around 400 yr BP and before 300 yr BP. Given the uncertainty in dates it is suggested that the latest event occurred during 1500–1600 AD. Considering the oldest unit (unit A) exposed in trench with vertical displacement of 7.5–8 m, age of 2600 ± 500 yr BP and net displacement of ∼9 m during single event along low-angle fault ( θ = 25°), implies slip rate = 7.6 ± 1.7 mm/yr, uplift rate = 3.2 ± 0.6 mm/yr, shortening rate = 6.9 ± 1.4 mm/yr and recurrence interval = 1160 ± 250 yr for large-magnitude event with Mw >7.0. With the recurrence of 1100 yr, the penultimate event probably occurred at around 1400–1500 yr BP. Given the recent GPS based slip rate of 14 ± 1 mm/yr in Kangra reentrant ( Baneerjee and Burgman, 2002), the present study suggests that about half of this slip is consumed along the HFT and that this fault is more active compared to those in the hinterland.

トレンチ調査からみた十日町盆地東縁断層の変位様式と活動履歴

The Eastern Marginal Fault of the Tokamachi Basin is located on the right bank of the Shinano River, the longest river in Japan, in the Niigata area, within the Neogene fold and thrust belt of central Japan. The activity of this fault is partly responsible for the formation of the Tokamachi tectonic basin. The fault zone is composed of several subparallel fault branches that strike N-S to NNW-SSE and deformed late Pleistocene to Holocene fluvial terraces. These fault branches are characterized by west-facing scarps with some subsidiary east-facing scarps to the east of the basin. Although the destructive 2004 and 2007 earthquakes occurred in the northern part of this fold and thrust belt, no historical rupture has been recorded in the Tokamachi Basin. To obtain paleoseismic records in this tectonically formed basin, we excavated four trenches across different fault branches. The Banba South, Banba North, and Shinmiya trenches are located across the west-facing scarps, and the Miyakuri trench is on an east-facing scarp. Fault exposures and deformed terrace deposits are present in these four trenches. These results confirm that these geomorphic scarps are indeed produced by faulting. At the Banba S trench, three fault traces that have nearly horizontal to very shallow dipping fault planes with upthrown side on the east are present, and show clear evidence of the latest event at ca. 3,500-3,100 yrs BP (BC 1,965-1,630 to BC 1,505-1,145). A penultimate event possibly occurred at after ca.11,000 yrs BP. (BC 11,810-9,800), although its exact timing is not determined. At the Banba N trench, the terrace deposits of ca. 5,300 yrs BP (BC 4,225-3,965) are deformed. This suggests the age of deformation is younger, and probably coincides with the latest event at the Banba S trench. At the Shinmiya trench, the late Pleistocene terrace is divided into two parts by a flexural scarp, probably produced by a blind reverse fault. The scarp is formed prior to 14,000 yrs BP (BC 14,710-13,700). In addition, a younger event is recognized to have occurred between 9,400 and 8,900 yrs BP (BC 8,555-8385 to BC 8,000-7,910). In contrast to those trenches on the west-facing scarps, trench logs at Miyakuri, located on an east-facing scarp, show possibly two events with relatively steep fault planes during the last 32,000 yrs. The latest activity at Miyakuri occurred between 9,500 and 7,400 yrs BP (BC 8,955 to BC 6,365-6,045), but the age of the penultimate event cannot be precisely determined. However, we suggest that the faulting interval at Miyakuri is longer than that of other fault branches. In summary, from this study, we can identify at least three paleoseismic events, namely, I, II, and III, and a possible event IV for the Eastern Marginal Fault of the Tokamachi Basin. Event I is clearly identified at Banba S and N trench. Three faults probably moved simultaneously by Event II. Two other events are only recognized locally. Faulting on the west-facing scarp is more frequent and has a high slip rate, reaching nearly 1 m/ky.

Growth Normal Faulting at the Western Edge of the Metropolitan Taipei Basin since the Last Glacial Maximum, Northern Taiwan

Growth strata analysis is an useful tool in understanding kinematics and the evolution of active faults as well as the close relationship between sedimentation and tectonics. Here we present the Shanchiao Fault as a case study which is an active normal fault responsible for the formation of the 700-m-thick late Quaternary deposits in Taipei Basin at the northern tip of the Taiwan mountain belt. We compiled a sedimentary record, particularly the depositional facies and their dated ages, at three boreholes (SCF-1, SCF-2 and WK-1, from west to east) along the Wuku Profile that traverses the Shanchiao Fault at its central segment. By incorporating the global sea level change curve, we find that thickness changes of sediments and changes of depositional environments in the Wuku area are in a good agreement with a rapid sea level rise since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) of about 23 ka. Combining depositional facies changes and their ages with their thickness, we are able to introduce a simple back-stripping method to reconstruct the evolution of growing strata across the Shanchiao Fault since the LGM. We then estimate the vertical tectonic slip rate since 23 ka, which exhibits 2.2 mm yr-1 between SCF-2 and WK-1 and 1.1 mm yr-1 between SCF-1 and SCF-2. We also obtain the Holocene tectonic subsidence rate of 2.3 mm yr-1 at WK-1 and 0.9 mm yr-1 at SCF-2 since 8.4 ka. We thus conclude that the fault zone consists of a high-angle main fault to the east between SCF-2 and WK-1 and a western lower-angle branch fault between SCF-1 and SCF-2, resembling a tulip structure developed under sinistral transtensional tectonism. We find that a short period of 600-yr time span in 9 8.4 ka shows important tectonic subsidence of 7.4 and 3.3 m for the main and branch fault, respectively, consistent with possible earthquake events proposed by previous studies during that time. A correlation between geomorphology and subsurface geology in the Shanchiao Fault zone shows that an array of subtle geomorphic scarps corresponds to the branch fault, however, that the surface trace of the main fault seems to be completely erased by the surface force of erosion and sedimentation. We recommend that analysis in the light of growth-faulting scheme should be conducted in a more systematic way for earthquake geology study in other portions of the Shanchiao Fault within the Taipei Basin, as well as other areas worldwide currently under extensional deformation.

Active normal faulting along the Mt. Morrone south-western slopes (central Apennines, Italy)

In the present work we analyse one of the active normal faults affecting the central Apennines, i.e. the Mt. Morrone normal fault system. This tectonic structure, which comprises two parallel, NW-SE trending fault segments, is considered as potentially responsible for earthquakes of magnitude ≥ 6.5 and its last activation probably occurred during the second century AD. Structural observations performed along the fault planes have allowed to define the mainly normal kinematics of the tectonic structure, fitting an approximately N 20° trending extensional deformation. Geological and geomorphological investigations performed along the whole Mt. Morrone south-western slopes permitted us to identify the displacement of alluvial fans, attributed to Middle and Late Pleistocene by means of tephro-stratigraphic analyses and geomorphological correlations with dated lacustrine sequences, along the western fault branch. This allowed to evaluate in 0.4 ± 0.07 mm/year the slip rate of this segment. On the other hand, the lack of synchronous landforms and/or deposits that can be correlated across the eastern fault segment prevented the definition of the slip rate related to this fault branch. Nevertheless, basing on a critical review of the available literature dealing with normal fault systems evolution, we hypothesised a total slip rate of the fault system in the range of 0.4 ± 0.07 to 0.8 ± 0.09 mm/year. Moreover, basing on the length at surface of the Mt. Morrone fault system (i.e. 22–23 km) we estimated the maximum expected magnitude of an earthquake that might originate along this tectonic structure in the order of 6.6–6.7.

Variations of the velocity contrast and rupture properties of M6 earthquakes along the Parkfield section of the San Andreas fault

SUMMARY We investigate the seismic velocity contrast across the San Andreas fault (SAF) in the Parkfield area using fault zone head waves (FZHW) that propagate along the bimaterial fault interface and direct P waves. We systematically analyse large data sets of near-fault waveforms recorded by several seismic networks over the period 1984–2005. Clear FZHW are observed at many stations on the NE side of the fault in the creeping section of the SAF north of Middle Mountain (MM). This indicates the presence of a sharp bimaterial interface and that the NE side of the fault has lower seismic velocities in that region. The obtained P-wave velocity contrast is about 5–10 per cent north of MM, and it systematically decreases to 0–2 per cent near Gold Hill (GH). The along-strike variations of the velocity contrast are consistent with geological observations of a sliver of high-velocity rock immediately to the NE of the SAF near GH, associated with the GH fault, and existing 3-D seismic tomography results. The obtained imaging results offer an explanation for the mixed rupture directions of the M6-type Parkfield earthquakes. The strong velocity contrast around MM is expected to produce a preferred propagation direction to the SE for earthquakes that nucleate near MM (e.g. the 1934 and 1966 Parkfield earthquakes). In contrast, the near-zero velocity contrast and multiple fault branches near GH imply that earthquakes that nucleate near GH (e.g. the 2004 Parkfield earthquake) are not expected to have a preferred propagation direction to the SE, and are likely to propagate in directions that are controlled by other factors such as structural and stress heterogeneities. The observed systematic reduction of the velocity contrast along the SAF from NW of MM to SE of GH provides a dynamic arrest mechanism for earthquakes that nucleate in the northern part of the Parkfield section and propagate to the SE, and a dynamic arrest mechanism for earthquakes that nucleate in the southern section and propagate to the NW.

Structural development and tectonic evolution of Gunsan Basin (Cretaceous–Tertiary) in the central Yellow Sea

This study analyzes the structural development of the Gunsan Basin in the central Yellow Sea, based on multi-channel seismic reflection profiles and exploratory well data. The basin comprises three depressions (the western, central, and eastern subbasins) filled with a thick (ca. 6000 m) Cretaceous to Paleogene nonmarine succession. It was initiated in the early Cretaceous due to intracontinental extension caused by oblique subduction of the Izanagi plate under the Eurasian plate and sinistral movement of the Tan-Lu fault. The basin appears to have undergone transtension in the late Cretaceous–Eocene, caused by dextral movement of the Tan-Lu and its branching faults. The transtension was accommodated by oblique intra-basinal normal faults and strike-slip (or oblique-slip) movement of a NE-trending bounding fault in the northern margin of the central subbasin. The entire basin was deformed (NE–SW contraction) in the Oligocene when tectonic inversion occurred, possibly due to the changes in strike-slip motion, from right- to left-lateral, of the Tan-Lu fault. During the early Miocene, extension resumed by reactivation of the pre-existing normal and transpressional faults. A combination of extension, uplift, and erosion resulted in differential preservation of the early Miocene succession. At the end of the early Miocene, extension ceased with mild contraction and then the basin thermally subsided with ensued rise in sea level.

Microseismicity at the North Anatolian Fault in the Sea of Marmara offshore Istanbul, NW Turkey

The North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) below the Sea of Marmara forms a “seismic gap” where a major earthquake is expected to occur in the near future. This segment of the fault lies between the 1912 Ganos and 1999 İzmit ruptures and is the only NAFZ segment that has not ruptured since 1766. To monitor the microseismic activity at the main fault branch offshore of Istanbul below the Çınarcık Basin, a permanent seismic array (PIRES) was installed on the two outermost Prince Islands, Yassiada and Sivriada, at a few kilometers distance to the fault. In addition, a temporary network of ocean bottom seismometers was deployed throughout the Çınarcık Basin. Slowness vectors are determined combining waveform cross correlation and P wave polarization. We jointly invert azimuth and traveltime observations for hypocenter determination and apply a bootstrap resampling technique to quantify the location precision. We observe seismicity rates of 20 events per month for M < 2.5 along the basin. The spatial distribution of hypocenters suggests that the two major fault branches bounding the depocenter below the Çınarcık Basin merge to one single master fault below ∼17 km depth. On the basis of a cross‐correlation technique we group closely spaced earthquakes and determine composite focal mechanisms implementing recordings of surrounding permanent land stations. Fault plane solutions have a predominant right‐lateral strike‐slip mechanism, indicating that normal faulting along this part of the NAFZ plays a minor role. Toward the west we observe increasing components of thrust faulting. This supports the model of NW trending, dextral strike‐slip motion along the northern and main branch of the NAFZ below the eastern Sea of Marmara.

Finding Faults in the Charleston Area, South Carolina: 1. Seismological Data

Macroscopic observations following the 1886 Charleston, South Carolina, earthquake and analyses of instrumentally recorded seismicity between 1974 and 2004 suggest the presence of two or more active faults. In order to more clearly define the active faults and determine their seismotectonic framework, instrumentally located hypocenters were relocated using the double-difference algorithm HypoDD. The revised hypocentral locations were associated with different faults based on the first motions recorded at different locations. The result is a plausible framework that shows several important changes from earlier interpretations. This framework defines a localized stressed volume, which consists of the ∼50-km-long ∼N30°E striking, NW dipping Woodstock fault associated with oblique right-lateral strike-slip motion with a ∼6-km-long antidilatational left step near Middleton Place. Three ∼NW-SE striking reverse faults, two NE dipping and one SW dipping, were recognized within this left step; of these, the NE dipping Sawmill Branch fault zone lying between Middleton Place and Summerville is the most active. Minor activity was observed on the NE dipping Lincolnville and the SW dipping Charleston faults. The southernmost Sawmill Branch fault zone also shows evidence of left-lateral strike-slip motion. The ∼N55°W trending Ashley River fault lying between Middleton Place and the Magnolia Plantation appears to be currently inactive.

Acoustic Detection of the Causative Fault of 1969 Ms7.4 Earthquake in Bohai Sea

AbstractThe Ms7.4 earthquake of 18 July, 1969 is the only strong earthquake in the Bohai Sea that has been recorded by seismometers. Arguments about this large earthquake are focused on its causative fault. To tackle this problem, three cruises in the epicenter region from 2005 to 2008 were executed and 3 kinds of acoustic data with high‐resolution, including shallow penetrated single channel seismic data, sidescan sonar data and CHIRP data were collected. This paper presents the results based on these new acoustic data. A small depression zone 2~3 m beneath the seabed is first found in the Holocene sediments in the epicenter region. The zone with an NE30‐ strike is 20 km long and 3 km wide. CHIRP data reveal that depositional border formed at about 5000 a B.P. has a throw of 1.5 m in the zone. The good match of the locations of the depression zone and the BZ28 fault and aftershocks distribution of the 1969 earthquake suggests that the depression zone is the result of tectonic activities of the BZ28 fault and the bottom deformation of sequence A which was formed since 150 a B.P. is caused by 1969 earthquake. The BZ28 fault with a NE30° strike, a branch fault of the Tan‐Lu Fault Zone, is the causative fault of the Ms7.4 earthquake. CHIRP data show that the latest faulting age is the late Holocene. Based on the forming age of stratigraphic sequences and vertical displacement of the fault, the vertical slip rate of the BZ28 fault since late Pleistocene is calculated. The results show that the rate during the Holocene is 0.3 mm/a, which is larger than 0.05 mm/a during the late Pleistocene‐Holocene, reflecting a trend of aggrandizement.

On-line control flow error detection using relationship signatures among basic blocks

Computer systems operating in space environment are subject to different radiation phenomena, whose effects may lead to a control flow fault occurring in software system, which can cause unpredictable behaviors of computer-based systems. According to the specialty of space environment, We propose a technique called RSCFC (Relationship Signatures for Control Flow Checking) which is based on the partition of programs into basic blocks. Firstly, it exploits the relationship among the blocks, then assigns a signature, into which the relationship is coded, to each basic block. Control flow faults are detected through taking AND operation between the run-time signature and the location info of the current block with extra instructions induced at the beginning and the end of each block. A fault injection experiment was performed with several C benchmark programs. The result suggests that about 33% (20.7–68.8%) of the injected branching faults produced undetected incorrect outputs without RSCFC; however, with RSCFC, the above number declines to 11% (2.8–20.4%). Compared with previous techniques, RSCFC has the characteristics of both high fault coverage and low memory and performance overhead.

Estimation of temperature rise in a shallow slip zone of the megasplay fault in the Nankai Trough

A megasplay fault branching from the subduction boundary megathrust in the Nankai Trough is thought to have caused large tsunamis associated with past Tonankai earthquakes. Because the temperature recorded in the fault can constrain parameters of seismic slip, we evaluated several temperature proxies (fluid-mobile trace element concentrations, Sr isotopes, magnetic minerals, inorganic carbon content, and Raman spectra of carbonaceous material) in material from a localized slip zone, sampled at Site C0004 by Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 316. Our results showed that the shallow part of the megasplay fault has not experienced temperatures above 300 °C. We also found that in addition to shear stress and slip distance, slip rate and porosity are effective parameters for frictional heat, as demonstrated by numerical analysis incorporating thermal diffusion. The slip rate estimated through these proxies may indicate that the fault did not slip with high velocity near the seafloor.

Dynamic path selection along branched faults: Experiments involving sub‐Rayleigh and supershear ruptures

Building upon previous laboratory earthquake experiments of dynamic shear rupture growth taking place along faults with simple kinks, new and complex fault geometries involving cohesively held fault branches are studied. Asymmetric impact at the specimen boundaries controls the incoming shear ruptures, which are manipulated to propagate at either sub‐Rayleigh or supershear velocities. High‐speed photography and dynamic photoelasticity are used with a model material, Homalite‐100, to monitor incoming and outgoing rupture propagation, acceleration, deceleration, or arrest at the vicinity of the branch location. Differences and similarities of rupture velocity history between cases involving faults with either simple kinks or branches, on the one hand, and sub‐Rayleigh and supershear incoming ruptures, on the other, are highlighted and explained. Results of the experiments show a clear general bias toward large branch inclination, smaller branch angles appearing to be overshadowed and suppressed by the stress field associated with the main fault. Of great interest, also, is the sustenance of rupture propagation along a branch by the Mach cone, when the initial rupture is supershear driven. Generally, higher rupture speeds favors larger arrays of branching angles to be triggered. A companion analysis by Templeton et al. (2009) featuring detailed numerical simulations of these experiments provides further insight into the observed phenomena.

Fault interaction and along-strike variation in throw in the Pajarito fault system, Rio Grande rift, New Mexico

The seismically active Pajarito fault system (PFS) of northern New Mexico, United States, is a complex zone of deformation made up of many laterally discontinuous faults and associated folds and fractures that interact in ways that have important implications for seismic hazards. Mapping and drilling projects in the PFS provide new insights into the structural geometry and paleoseismic history of the fault system. A 1.25 Ma old datum (the Bandelier Tuff) and high-resolution digital elevation data allow construction of throw-length profiles along the entire length of the PFS, revealing primary geometric features previously unrecognized. The fault system as a whole consists of numerous closely spaced overlapping sections ~8–14 km long. Slip maxima in some cases occur near the centers of these sections, and in others they are shifted toward one end. Along-strike asymmetrical throw profiles and throw deficits indicate fault branching, merging, and strain transfer. This pattern results from processes of fault linkage and conservation of strain on diverse structures of a large fault system. New mapping reveals that the northern end of the Pajarito fault terminates in a wide zone of extensional monoclines and discontinuous, small-displacement faults, and interacts with nearby antithetic faults. New paleoseismic data from a normal fault splay, interpreted in light of previous paleoseismic work, argue for three Holocene surface-rupturing earthquakes; one ca. 1.4 thousand calendar years ago (1.4 cal ka) on the Pajarito fault, a second 6.5–5.2 ka ago on the Pajarito fault that is consistent with an event 6.5–4.2 ka ago on the Guaje Mountain fault, and a third ca. 9 ka ago on both the Pajarito and the Rendija Canyon faults. This paleoseismic event chronology demonstrates that the Pajarito fault often ruptures alone, but sometimes ruptures either with the Rendija Canyon or the Guaje Mountain fault. When this occurs, the resultant seismic moment and therefore the earthquake magnitude are larger than when the main Pajarito fault ruptures alone. Evidence for fault interaction, and the presence of prominent bends in the Pajarito fault system, imply structural control of paleoseismicity and neoseismicity and suggest the potential for stress concentrations and earthquake triggering in complex linking fault systems.

Submarine structures in the Gulf of İzmit, based on multichannel seismic reflection and multibeam bathymetry

Multichannel seismic reflection and multi-beam bathymetry data were used to study the active tectonic and syn-tectonic stratigraphic setting of the Gulf of Izmit in the Marmara Sea (Turkey). The gulf and its near surroundings are deformed by the northern strand of the dextral North Anatolian Fault. Three connected basins of the gulf, the western (Darica), central (Karamursel) and eastern (Golcuk) basins are formed by active faults, as observed in the stacked and migrated seismic sections, as well as the bathymetry map. The main branch and its surrounding sedimentary strata are confined by normal faults to the north and south. These normal faults converge at depth towards the main fault, forming a negative flower structure in the gulf. The average maximum sedimentation rate is 0.4 mm/year according to the three most recent seismo-stratigraphic units that are located to the south of the main fault branch within the central basin. A 20° south-dipping major discontinuity along the northern shoreline of the gulf represents the top of Paleozoic basement.

A VLF survey using current gathering phenomena for tracing buried faults of Fethiye–Burdur Fault Zone, Turkey

Fethiye–Burdur Fault Zone (FBFZ) produces moderate to large earthquakes which can severely affect the surrounding cities spreading towards the basins of the region. In this study, with the aim of feature city planning, very low frequency electromagnetic (VLF) survey was carried out across (FBFZ) to locate subsurface faults covered by basin fills. VLF parameters such as the apparent resistivity, phase (VLF-R response) real and imaginary parts of tipper (VLF-EM response) were obtained using GBZ, a well known radio station in England at Oxford, which give a strong signal in our survey area with a suitable frequency (19.6 kHz) for our purposes. VLF method is called as VLF-EM, when it is only relying on the measurement of horizontal and vertical magnetic fields. However, when it includes measurement of horizontal electric field, providing resistivity values, it is referred as VLF-R method. In this study, the direction of horizontal electric field is perpendicular to fault strike describing the H-polarization mode. Although this mode produces strong VLF-R (resistivity) response, we also obtained quite clear and characteristic VLF-EM anomalies along some of the survey profiles. Both VLF-R and VLF-EM responses with the contribution of the vortex and gathered (direct) currents, in E and H-polarization modes, are reviewed and VLF anomalies observed over FBFZ are discussed. In FBFZ, current gathering anomalies become stronger in the presence of high conductivity contrast and in the presence of parallel fault branches separating the medium into resistors in series. In these conditions, changing electrical charge at the contacts of faults cause successive variations in E-field. As a result VLF-R response is strengthened and also secondary magnetic field which causes VLF-EM anomalies may be enhanced, in H-polarization mode. Interpretation of resistivity, phase and tipper data with current density pseudosections, over our survey lines, showed the location of buried faults of FBFZ beneath the sedimentary covers of the basins.

Quantifying Natural Fault Geometry: Statistics of Splay Fault Angles

Abstract We propose a new approach to quantifying fault system geometry, using an objective fit of the fault geometry to a test function, specifically here a fault branch. Fitting a Y-shaped object using a cost function to dextral faults in California, we find a number of significant results arising from use of a a systematic, objective, quantitative approach. (1) The largest angle of the branch structure is generally very close to 180°, implying that the branch is a splay fault off the primary through-going fault. (2) The distribution of the smallest angle, the splay angle, has a peak near ±17°, symmetric about the primary fault. (3) These features appear independent of scale. These results are not yet explained by any theory, and they pose new questions and constraints for the physics of fault system formation and behavior.

Premonitory acoustic emissions and stick‐slip in natural and smooth‐faulted Westerly granite

A stick‐slip event was induced in a cylindrical sample of Westerly granite containing a preexisting natural fault by loading at constant confining pressure of 150 MPa. Continuously recorded acoustic emission (AE) data and computer tomography (CT)‐generated images of the fault plane were combined to provide a detailed examination of microscale processes operating on the fault. The dynamic stick‐slip event, considered to be a laboratory analog of an earthquake, generated an ultrasonic signal that was recorded as a large‐amplitude AE event. First arrivals of this event were inverted to determine the nucleation site of slip, which is associated with a geometric asperity on the fault surface. CT images and AE locations suggest that a variety of asperities existed in the sample because of the intersection of branch or splay faults with the main fault. This experiment is compared with a stick‐slip experiment on a sample prepared with a smooth, artificial saw‐cut fault surface. Nearly a thousand times more AE were observed for the natural fault, which has a higher friction coefficient (0.78 compared to 0.53) and larger shear stress drop (140 compared to 68 MPa). However at the measured resolution, the ultrasonic signal emitted during slip initiation does not vary significantly between the two experiments, suggesting a similar dynamic rupture process. We propose that the natural faulted sample under triaxial compression provides a good laboratory analogue for a field‐scale fault system in terms of the presence of asperities, fault surface heterogeneity, and interaction of branching faults.

Modeling the near-field effects of the worst-case tsunami in the Makran subduction zone

As a first step towards the development of inundation maps for the northwestern Indian Ocean, we simulated the near-field inundation of two large tsunami in the Makran subduction zone (MSZ). The tsunami scenarios were based on large historical earthquakes in the region. The first scenario included the rupture of about 500 km of the plate boundary in the eastern MSZ, featuring a moment magnitude of M w 8.6. The second scenario involved the full rupture of the plate boundary resulting from a M w 9 earthquake. For each scenario, the distribution of tsunami wave height along the coastlines of the region is presented. Also, detailed runup modeling was performed at four main coastal cities in the region for the second scenario. To investigate the possible effect of splay fault branching on tsunami wave height, a hypothetical splay fault was modeled which showed that it can locally increase the maximum wave height by a factor of 2. Our results showed that the two tsunami scenarios produce a runup height of 12–18 m and 24–30 m, respectively. For the second scenario, the modeled inundation distance was between 1 and 5 km.

Agent-Based Multi-Source Wide-Area Current Protection for Systems With Distributed Generators

With the introduction of distribution generation, the distribution network changes from radial network into multi-source network, so the traditional inverse-time over-current protection based on radial network is not applicable. The demand for the research of a new type of protection strategy is urgent. This paper introduces the application of intelligent agents to the protection of the distribution system with distributed generators (DGs). The method of fault location is accomplished in two steps. First, find out the node with a T-type branch formed by the DG connection, through comparing amplitude of power frequency variation of each branch to lock the fault branch and to narrow down the fault area between two T-type nodes. So as to find out the specific fault area B, namely the smallest power-cut scope, in the sketchy fault area, amplitude comparison of fault current and PFVC at the line section’s two ends is used to discriminate whether fault occurs in this section. Once this method fails the phase relation between PFVC and load current after the shifted phase would be applied, so that fault area B is located. The scheme of protection is applicable in fault area location for complicated networks with distributed generation and the proposed intelligent multi-agent-based architecture is illustrated.