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The Tonga subduction zone in the south-west Pacific is the fastest convergent plate boundary in the world with the most active mantle seismicity. This zone shows unique tectonic features including Samoan volcanic lineament of plume-driven origin near the northern rim of the Tonga subducting slab. The proximity of the Samoa hotspot to the slab is enigmatic and invokes debates on interactions between the Samoa plume and the Tonga subduction. Based on long-term observations of intermediate and deep-focus Tonga earthquakes reported in the Global Centroid Moment Tensor (CMT) catalog, we provide novel detailed imaging of this region. Accurate traveltime residua of the P- and S-waves recorded at two nearby seismic stations of the Global Seismographic Network are inverted for the P- and S-wave velocities and their ratio and reveal their pronounced lateral variations. In particular, they differ for the southern and northern parts of the Tonga subduction region. While no distinct anomalies are detected in the southern Tonga segment, striking low-velocity anomalies associated with a high Vp/Vs ratio are observed in the northern Tonga segment close to the Samoa plume. These anomalies spread through the whole upper mantle down to depths of ~ 600 km. Together with the fast extension of the northern back-arc Lau Basin, slab deformation and geochemical enrichment in the northern Tonga region, they trace deep-seated magmatic processes and evidence an interaction of the Tonga subduction with the Samoa plume.

Earthquake focal mechanisms in the Southern Kuril-Kamchatka and Northern Japan subduction zones were analysed to investigate the features of the tectonic stress field inside the Pacific lithospheric plate subducting into the upper mantle. Earthquake focal mechanism (hypocenter depths of more than 200 km) were taken from the 1966– 2018 NIED, IMGiG FEB RAS and GlobalCMT catalogues. The tectonic stress field was reconstructed by the cataclastic analysis method, using a coordinate system related to the subducting plate. In most parts of the studied seismic focal zone, the axis of the principal compression stress approximately coincides with the direction of the Pacific lithospheric plate subduction beneath the Sea of Okhotsk. It slightly deviates towards the hinge zone separating the studied regions. The principal tension stress axis is most often perpendicular to the plate movement, but less stable in direction. This leads to compression relative to the slab in some parts of the studied regions, and causes shearing in others. The hinge zone is marked by the unstable position of the tension axis and high values of the Lode–Nadai coefficient, corresponding to the conditions of uniaxial compression, while the compression direction remains the same, towards the slab movement. Two more areas of uniaxial compression are located below the Sea of Japan at depths of 400–500 km.

In this paper, the relationship between the geodynamics and cosmic expansion is analyzed and demonstrated from the basic physical principles and various natural phenomena, and the conclusion is drawn that cosmic expansion is the dynamic force source of all planetary tectonic movements in the universe. The energy for the formation and change of landscape and the energy of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions all come from the cosmic expansion. With the cosmic expansion, the energy density of space is decreasing, the atoms and molecules of all matter in the universe are growing, and the magma is expanding and producing gases. As the earth’s internal pressure rises, the mechanical energy that accumulates within the magma forms the driving force of the earth’s various tectonic movements, and the release of these energy and matter (expansive magma and high-pressure gases) leads to the formation and the changes of the landform (such as orogenesis, epeirogenesis, the formation of the earth’s plates, the Earth expansion, the seafloor spreading, and the continental drift), as well as to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In this paper, the causes of all kinds of earthquakes, especially deep focus earthquakes, are given and almost all known seismic phenomena are explained, the basic principle and method of earthquake prediction are given, and the direction is pointed out for the elimination of earthquakes and the utilization of earthquake energy. Based on the same principle of physics, this paper also shows that the Ice-Age is caused by the acceleration of the speed of the motion of the solar system relative to the Milky Way in certain regions of the Milky Way. The greater the speed of the solar system relative to the Milky Way, the greater the drop in Earth surface temperature.

A weakened zone in the lithosphere plunging into the mantle can lead to an earthquake after the application of a shear stress only in the case if the effective viscosity of this zone is very low. At low viscosity, in the short time that elapses after the application of stress, significant displacements of the walls of the zone emerge causing high-amplitude seismic waves. The Andrade law describing the transient creep under constant stress applied at the initial time instant leads to very low effective viscosity a few first seconds after the initial time instant. The effective viscosity also decreases due to the temperature rise in the weakened zone caused by the dissipative release of heat. However, this process is not rapid enough to noticeably change the temperature and effective viscosity in a short time.

One of the most active intraplate volcanoes in East Asia, Changbaishan volcano experienced unrest from July 2002 to July 2005. On 2002/06/28, the M 7.2 Wangqing deep-focus earthquake occurred ∼290 km northeast of Changbaishan volcano. While some studies have suggested a possible triggering relationship, the physical mechanism of such distant interaction is still not well understood. Using a template matching technique, which cross-correlates waveform of known events with continuous data, we perform systematic detection of microseismic events recorded by station CBS near Changbaishan volcano from July 1999 to July 2007. The detected earthquakes can be further categorized into three different types: volcano-tectonic (VT) events, long-period (LP) events and harmonic-spectra (HS) events. We detect 3763 VT events between July 2002 and July 2007. The intense VT earthquake swarm during the period from July 2002 to July 2005, along with recurring LPs and HSs and other geodetic/geochemical evidence, suggest magma movement during unrest. Compared with the hand-picked catalogue, the catalogue obtained by template matching technique reveals a delayed-triggering relationship between Wangqing deep-focus earthquake and unrest. The small magnitudes of the VT events and the limited numbers of LP and HS events suggest that the Wangqing mainshock likely triggered bubble excitation in the mid-crust magma system, resulting in overpressure and a small magma injection into the shallow magma chamber at a depth of ∼5 km, leading to the 3-years unrest.

The features of the dynamics of weak tsunami waves caused by the deep-focus Okhotsk Sea earthquake on May 24, 2013, are studied with numerical modeling. It is found that the vast area of coseismic deformations along with the shallow depth of the Sea of Okhotsk and high latitudes were favorable for effects of the Earth’s rotation in the dynamics of the 2013 Okhotsk Sea tsunami. The comparison of calculations with and without the Coriolis force showed that the Earth’s rotation significantly affects the wave field, changing the wave forms and the distribution of the maximum amplitudes.

The spatial analysis was conducted to analyze the positions of earthquakes hypocenters in the transit zone of the upper mantle and the focal mechanisms of the strongest earthquakes in the subduction slabs of theOkhotskSeasegment of the Kuril-Kamchatka island arc and theJapanSeasegment of the Japanese island arc. It revealed a significant difference in the morphology of these slabs, as well as in the positions of the earthquake hypocenters relative to the active and stagnating parts of the slabs and the forces that caused the earthquakes. Based on the seismic data presented in the article, it is confirmed that there are two types of subduction of the oceanic lithospheric plates in the mantle. The article discusses relationships between the subduction and various geological processes at the upper–lower mantle boundary. It considers possible causes (including those related to phase transitions) of deep-focus earthquakes, in case of which splitting of the oceanic lithospheric plates takes place at depths near the upper–lower mantle boundary. Subduction of the oceanic lithospheric plates and their splitting predetermine a possibility for the crustal elements to penetrate into the lower mantle and deeper into the D″ layer, wherein new plumes arise and transport the deep magma together with the recycled substance into the crust. Deep-focus earthquakes are a necessary link in the mechanism providing for the recycling of chemical elements in the crust – mantle – D″ layer system and thus leading to the formation of a wide range of mineral deposits.

A negative bay-shaped anomaly in radon volume activity (VA Rn) with an advance time of 10 days was recorded at a network of subsoil gas observing stations in the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii Test Site area before the Zhupanov earthquake (ZhE) of January 30, 2016 whose magnitude was 7.2 and the depth of focus was equal to 177 km. The anomaly was simultaneous with a positive anomaly in the concentration of molecular hydrogen. After a lapse of 98 hours after the ZhE, a sharp increase in VA Rn was recorded by gas-discharge counters at the INS site installed in a well. The increase lasted approximately 2 days and is treated as a postseismic effect in the subsoil radon field. This disturbance was followed by two periods (February 5 through 19 and February 23 to March 15) of “high-frequency” oscillations at frequencies of 0.3–6 day–1. These are thought to have been due to self-excited processes in the annular space. The oscillations are separated by a disturbance that is interpreted as a precursory anomaly before the magnitude 6.4 March 20, 2016 earthquake that occurred at a distance of ~300 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskii. The precursory anomaly before the March 20 earthquake is believed to have been due to a high strain sensitivity of the hydrogeological system due to a change in the state of stress and strain in the earth after the ZhE whose epicenter was 100 km from the recording site.

Mantle seismic anisotropy beneath the Amur Plate is studied using the data of ScS waves reflected from the outer core of the Earth from local deep earthquakes in the area of five stations located in Primorye and Priamurye regions. The results of measuring the parameters of the split ScS waves near the stations show the dominance of the polarization azimuths of the fast wave along the eastern directions and are consistent with azimuthal anisotropy and the direction of motion of the Pacific Plate (300°) and Amur Plate (~120°) depending on the epicenter–station direction. In Primorye, in the vicinity of the TEY station, the polarization azimuths of the fast ScS wave dominate in the interval of NE–E directions orthogonally to the lines of the mantle flow along the complex 3D surface of the subsiding Pacific Plate. It is revealed that the delay time of ScS waves increases to 2 s and 3.4 s in the upper mantle and in the mantle transition zone, respectively, as the depth of events increases. The highest degree of anisotropy manifests itself in the upper mantle. In the case of the vertical propagation of waves under conditions of horizontal mantle flow, the difference in the arrival times of the ScS waves is the lowest. The anisotropy in the upper zone of the transition mantle can be related to the wadsleyite texture with the polarization of the fast ScS wave parallel or orthogonally to the motion of the stagnant plate. The anisotropy in the upper part of the lower mantle is associated with the texture of perovskite and periclase with the orientation of the symmetry axis and the polarization of the ScS waves in parallel to the plate subsidence and the subduction direction.

A description of the initial excitation of spheroidal mode 0S2 initiated by the 2013 Sea of Okhotsk earthquake (Mw = 8.3) is presented. It is based on the newly revealed fact of the origination of a standing P-wave in the epicenter of the Sea of Okhotsk earthquake and excitation of the traveling surface P-waves on the Earth’s surface by this wave. A new interpretation of the nature of the Earth’s free spheroidal oscillations in the case of a strong earthquake (M ≥ 7.5) is proposed. The spheroidal mode 0S2 is interpreted as a combination of standing and traveling P-waves, transferring the energy of Earth’s deformations.

We used recent seismic data and advanced techniques to investigate 3D fault geometry over the transition from the partially coupled to the fully coupled plate interface inboard of the Nankai Trough off the Kii Peninsula, Japan. We found that a gently dipping plate boundary decollement with a thick underthrust layer extends beneath the entire Kumano forearc basin. The 1 April 2016 Off-Mie earthquake (Mw6.0) and its aftershocks occurred, where the plate boundary decollement steps down close to the oceanic crust surface. This location also lies beneath the trenchward edge of an older accretionary prism (∼14 Ma) developed along the coast of the Kii peninsula. The strike of the 2016 rupture plane was similar to that of a formerly active splay fault system in the accretionary prism. Thus, the fault planes of the 2016 earthquake and its aftershocks were influenced by the geometry of the plate interface as well as splay faulting. The 2016 earthquake occurred within the rupture area of large interplate earthquakes such as the 1944 Tonankai earthquake (Mw8.1), although the 2016 rupture area was much smaller than that of the 1944 event. Whereas the hypocenter of the 2016 earthquake was around the underplating sequence beneath the younger accretionary prism (∼6 Ma), the 1944 great earthquake hypocenter was close to oceanic crust surface beneath the older accretionary prism. The variation of fault geometry and lithology may influence the degree of coupling along the plate interface, and such coupling variation could hinder slip propagation toward the deeper plate interface in the 2016 event.

The M w 7.8 Ecuador earthquake on 16 April 2016 is the sixth earthquake larger than M w 7 to rupture the subduction megathrust between the Nazca and South American plates since the M w 8.8 Colombia–Ecuador earthquake in 1906. We use Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) images from Sentinel‐1A to determine coseismic surface displacements associated with this earthquake. The interferograms exhibit a relatively simple pattern of deformation, with maximum displacements of 0.7 and 0.3 m on the descending and ascending images, respectively. We invert the interferograms for both rupture geometry and slip distribution in the earthquake. We find that the data are best described by slip on a fault dipping 17° to the east and that these InSAR data cannot uniquely constrain the strike. The maximum inferred slip is just over 2.5 m at about 20 km depth, with the main slip in the depth range of about 10–25 km. The geodetic moment of our preferred slip model is 7.15×10 20 N·m, equivalent to M w 7.87. Our results suggest that there is little, if any, partitioning of the oblique plate convergence. The 2016 Ecuador earthquake is coincident with the location of the 1942 M w 7.8 earthquake, with both earthquakes most likely rupturing an asperity that also failed in the 1906 M w 8.8 earthquake.

This paper presents the results of reconstruction of the modern tectonic stress field of the northern part of the Kuril–Okhotsk region prior to the May 24, 2013 deep-focus earthquake. This earthquake is the strongest deep-focus earthquake not only in the Okhotsk region but also in the world over the entire period of seismic observations. The tectonic stress field is reconstructed using the method of cataclastic analysis (MCA) of the earthquake source mechanism data. New data on the depth variations of regional tectonic stress field are obtained.

The deep-focus Sea of Okhotsk earthquake that occurred on May 24, 2013 (h = 630 km, Mw = 8.3) was accompanied by anomalous effects that were unknown previously. A combined analysis of published data concerning the source rupture evolution and some features of the deep structure provided an explanation of some anomalous effects, such as the large number of aftershocks and the low level of ground shaking in the epicentral area. However, GPS observations revealed high coseismic vertical displacements in the area. The seafloor uplift in the Sea of Okhotsk and the adjacent coasts was 3–12 mm, peaking at the approximate center of the sea, while Kamchatka and the North Kuril Islands subsided by 3–18 mm, peaking at the Apacha station 190 km east of the earthquake epicenter. These maximum estimates are 1.2–1.8 times the analogous values (10 mm) for the Chile mega-earthquake of May 20, 1960 (Mw ~ 9.5). It is known that the large distances at which ground shaking is felt during deep-focus earthquakes are due to the fact that the body waves travel through the high-Q lower mantle. However, this does not explain the paradox of the present earthquake in the Sea of Okhotsk, viz., a constant intensity of shaking (two grades) in the range of epicentral distances between 1300 and 9500 km. The explanation requires consideration of the earth’s free oscillations excited by the earthquake.

We described the February 1, 2011 (Mw = 4.7) Zagan earthquake occurred in the area of the Zagan range. This event is one of the most significant in western Transbaikalia. Macroseismic effects of this seismic event were felt over a wide territory: the intensity of II was observed at the distance of more than 300 km. Earthquake focal parameters (hypocentral depth, seismic moment, moment magnitude and focal mechanism) calculated from the data on surface wave amplitude spectra correspond to the structural position of the origin connected with a zone of plastic flow (slip) bordering the northwest slope of the Zagan range (similar complex of the metamorphic core). The results obtained prove the existence of the continental extension processes in this area.

We analyzed macroseismic data and considered the effect of extremely long range propagation of sensible shocks during the deep-focus earthquake in the Sea of Okhotsk on May 24, 2013 (Mw = 8.3). In order to explain this effect, we formulated and qualitatively solved the problem of superposition of P-waves over the radial mode 0S0 of the natural oscillations of the Earth during this earthquake. Our results confirmed the possibility of such an interpretation of the observed macroseismic effect and also allowed us to explain the fact of anomalously low decay of seismic disturbances with distance.

The 30 May 2015 Chichi-jima M8 earthquake is one of the largest deep focus earthquakes ever recorded and its depth of 682 km puts it near the base of the mantle transition zone. Before source mechanisms and slip models of this earthquake can be reliably assessed, a better understanding of the tectonic setting and structures of the region near the origin is required. Here we present evidence from receiver functions, a method of isolating subsurface material contrast with converted seismic waves, that the earthquake initiated within the upper mantle transition zone, above a significantly depressed 660 km phase boundary. Additionally, we observe multiple conversions within and below the transition zone, which we associate with seismic waves passing into and out of segments of the subducting Pacific plate. From this, we infer slab material is piling up at the base of the transition zone and segments are penetrating into the lower mantle.

In this study, the source location of the 30 May 2015 (Mw 7.9) deep-focus Bonin earthquake was constrained using P wave seismograms recorded across Japan. We focus on propagation characteristics of high-frequency P wave. Deep-focus intraslab earthquakes typically show spindle-shaped seismogram envelopes with peak delays of several seconds and subsequent long-duration coda waves; however, both the main shock and aftershock of the 2015 Bonin event exhibited pulse-like P wave propagations with high apparent velocities (~12.2 km/s). Such P wave propagation features were reproduced by finite-difference method simulations of seismic wave propagation in the case of slab-bottom source. The pulse-like P wave seismogram envelopes observed from the 2015 Bonin earthquake show that its source was located at the bottom of the Pacific slab at a depth of ~680 km, rather than within its middle or upper regions.

Robust relations correlating 10 different magnitudes of intermediate‐depth and deep‐focus earthquakes to moment magnitude are proposed, in order to be efficiently incorporated into the compilation process of homogeneous (with respect to magnitude) earthquake catalogs. By using global data available from International Seismological Centre (ISC), National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC), Comprehensive Nuclear‐Test‐Ban Treaty Organization’s International Data Centre (IDC), Institute of Physics of the Earth in Moscow, Russia, and China Earthquake Networks Center in Beijing, the performance of several widely used magnitude scales, such as body wave ( m b , m B ) and surface wave ( M s ), is examined with respect to the moment magnitude scale ( M w ). Similarly, appropriate M w ‐calibrated relations are also provided for regional magnitude scales such as the M JMA magnitude calculated by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The analysis also involves the integration of focal depth as an additional variable to some of the above magnitude‐conversion relations. This depth effect proved to be important for ISC/NEIC’s body‐wave ( m b IN) and surface‐wave ( M s IN) magnitudes, leading to significant corrections for the estimated magnitudes. More specifically, a major change in the magnitude residual variation around the depth of 230 km was identified for the case of m b IN. Furthermore, the obtained results provide important observations on the behavior of certain magnitude scales. A typical case is the m b scale reported by IDC, which shows a systematic and large bias, with respect to the published M w data values.

The earthquake that occurred on May 24, 2013, in the basin of the Sea of Okhotsk with a magnitude of 8.3 was the strongest in this region. We have modeled a possible tsunami caused by such an earthquake. The simulations confirm that the wave heights were sufficiently small because the earthquake epicenter depth was 640 km. We analyze the oscillations of the DART buoys in the vicinity of the earthquake source and show that they were not associated with the tsunami waves. Analysis of the available pressure gauge records at different points of the Sea of Okhotsk show that only in one case (Iturup Island) can the observed oscillations of the sea level with a height of approximately 4 cm be classified as tsunami waves.

The idea of the formation of deep-focus earthquakes does not fit into the framework of Mr. Reid's theory of Elastic recoil explaining the origin of earthquakes as the emission of the energy of elastic deformations by the rocks of the earth's interior due to the simple physical fact of the absence of elastic deformations at a depth of several tens of kilometers. More can be said, if humanity had not experienced the devastating catastrophes caused by deep-focus earthquakes, scientists, in the person of Cambridge University professor Mr. Jeffries, would still have argued that such events cannot take place in the bowels of the Earth. Indeed, it is a very, very dubious occupation to expect elastic deformations in hot, semi-molten rocks at depths of hundreds of kilometers. On the other hand, seismologists represented by Mr. C. Frohlich of the University of Austin, Texas continue to cling stubbornly to the idea of mythical elastic stresses of the rocks, allegedly occurring in the Wadati-Benioff subduction zones. As a result of the dispute between the two schools, deep-focus earthquakes turned out to be an established scientific fact, therefore, Mr. Jeffries and Co. were wrong. But Mr. Frohlich and Co turned out to be wrong, for the deep-focus earthquakes that occurred outside the subduction zones completely and without any hope destroyed the idea of elastic deformations at great depths. Is the intrigue preserved? Not! In fact, the process of forming a deep focus earthquake is simple and is a classic hydraulic shock. From hydrodynamics, it is known that where fluid flows through pipelines, in our case, magma flows through cracks in the Earth’s mantle, there have always been, are and will happen, hydraulic shocks.

At transition zone depths in subduction zones, deep-focus earthquakes (300–690 km depth) are thought to be associated with faulting that arises from phase transformations. In order to test the viability of this mechanism experimentally, an investigation was conducted on fayalite at high pressure, P, and high temperature, T, under deviatoric stress in order to initiate transformational faulting. Experiments were performed in a 3000-ton multi-anvil press using an 18/11 octahedral cell with 6 piezoelectric transducers mounted on the rear side of the anvils to monitor acoustic activity in situ. Acoustic emission (AE) signals were collected at a sampling rate of 40 MHz using a triggered system and a data buffer for capturing full waveforms of AE events. The use of multiple transducers distributed in a micro-seismic array allowed for events to be located within the sample based on the arrival time of signals and non-linear least squares inversion techniques. Uncertainty in location estimates were on the order of ~1 mm. The system was tested by comparing the contrasting mechanical properties of quartz beads and AgCl samples. The multi-anvil apparatus constitutes an inherently noisy environment both acoustically and electrically, therefore methods of noise reduction were developed. Results of AE experiments on Fe2SiO4 under high pressure (3.7–9.2 GPa) and high temperature (673–1273 K) conditions in the spinel stability field showed acoustic events that locate within or within 1σ of the sample in five experiments defined by the P,T envelope P = 3.9–8.4 GPa and T = 748–923 K. Optical and scanning electron microscopy of the recovered specimens displayed conjugated faulting associated with transition from fayalite (olivine structure) to ahrensite (spinel structure) and microstructural analysis revealed microstructural morphology identical to that found in similar faulting experiments on Mg2GeO4. This is the first time an olivine→spinel structured transition in a silicate mineral has demonstrated macroscopic faulting and associated microstructures, as well as acoustic activity, under conditions that nominally promote plastic deformation.

An earthquake with a reported magnitude of 4.4 (ML) was detected on 13 June 2015 in western central Alberta, Canada. This event was the third felt earthquake this year near Fox Creek, a shale gas exploration region. Our results from full moment tensor inversions of regional broadband data show a strong strike-slip mechanism with near-vertical fault plane solutions. The decomposition of the moment tensor solution is overwhelmingly double couple, while only a modest (∼20%) contribution is attributed to compensated-linear-vector-dipole. The depth of this earthquake is 3–4 km, near the base of the sedimentary layer, and the moment magnitude (M = 3.9) of this event is considerably smaller than the initial reported ML value. The hypocenter location, depth, and mechanism are favorable to a possible association between this earthquake and hydraulic fracturing operations within the Duvernay shale.

The 2014 M w 7.9 Rat Islands intermediate-depth (∼107 km) earthquake is studied using seismic observations at teleseismic distances. The nodal plane with a steep-dip angle (87°) and a strike of 308° inferred from the Global CMT solution is selected as the causative fault plane because of the consistency with the distribution of the aftershocks relocated using the Joint Hypocenter Determination method. Its slip history is constrained using broadband P and SH waveforms and long-period (3–6 mHz) seismic waves in vertical and transverse components. The rupture process associated with this plane shows a rupture propagating at ∼2 km/s. The rupture essentially breaks one large slip patch (peak slip amplitude of 3.5 m) located 30 km west of the hypocenter. The size of this slip patch extends from 80 to 140 km depth, which would be the largest depth extent of earthquake slip ever documented. We show that this earthquake breaks the entire cold core of the subducting slab defined by the depth of the 600–650 °C isotherm. In addition, the lateral extent of the rupture appears to be bounded by the heterogeneities of subducting slab. Our results further indicate that, along this segment of Aleutian Arc, the intermediate-depth earthquakes might contribute to the westward transporting motion of Rat block. Lastly, the slip distribution of this earthquake as well as that of two other well studied M w > 7.5 intermediate-depth earthquakes suggests that the coldest portion of the subducting slab, outlined by the double Wadati–Benioff zone, is seismic during large intermediate-depth earthquakes. Such a result is important for estimating the seismic hazard of future large intermediate-depth earthquakes.

Large deep-focus earthquakes (magnitude > 7.0, depth > 500 km) have exhibited strong seasonality in their occurrence times since the beginning of global earthquake catalogs. Of 60 such events from 1900 to the present, 42 have occurred in the middle half of each year. The seasonality appears strongest in the northwest Pacific subduction zones and weakest in the Tonga region. Taken at face value, the surplus of northern hemisphere summer events is statistically significant, but due to the ex post facto hypothesis testing, the absence of seasonality in smaller deep earthquakes, and the lack of a known physical triggering mechanism, we cannot rule out that the observed seasonality is just random chance. However, we can make a testable prediction of seasonality in future large deep-focus earthquakes, which, given likely earthquake occurrence rates, should be verified or falsified within a few decades. If confirmed, deep earthquake seasonality would challenge our current understanding of deep earthquakes.

The existence of earthquakes within continental lithospheric mantle remains a highly controversial topic. Here, we present a detailed set of seismological analyses confirming the occurrence of a mantle earthquake beneath the Wind River Range of central Wyoming. Combining regional waveform inversion with the analysis of the delay and relative amplitudes of teleseismically-observed depth phases, we demonstrate that the 2013 Wind River earthquake – a M W 4.7 highly-oblique thrust-faulting event – occurred at 75 ± 8 km , well beneath the base of the crust. The magnitude, mechanism, and location of this earthquake suggest that it represents simple brittle failure at relatively high temperatures within the mantle lithosphere, as a result of tectonic, rather than magmatic, processes.

The 23 June 2014 Mw=7.9 earthquake that struck the Rat Islands region of Alaska was a rare intermediate-depth event followed by a vigorous aftershock sequence. The earthquake's location within a regional network has allowed us to study it in rich detail. Double-difference relocations of aftershocks and static stress modeling reveal some intriguing features; most aftershocks are not located on the main shock rupture plane, but are concentrated in the adjacent Wadati-Benioff zone in areas of increased stress. Further, a secondary plane of seismicity aligns well with a moderately dipping nodal plane reported by the Global Centroid Moment Tensor Project, and the separation of these locations and the main shock hypocenter from the slab indicates that the main shock ruptured into the oceanic mantle.

We apply a multiple source inversion method to systematically study the source processes of 25 large deep-focus (depth >400 km) earthquakes with Mw > 7.0 from 1994 to 2012, based on waveform modeling of P, pP, SH and sSH wave data. The earthquakes are classified into three categories based on spatial distributions and focal mechanisms of the inferred sub-events: 1) category one, with non-planar distribution and variable focal mechanisms of sub-events, represented by the 1994 Mw 8.2 Bolivia earthquake and the 2013 Mw 8.3 Okhotsk earthquake; 2) category two, with planar distribution but focal mechanisms inconsistent with the plane, including eighteen earthquakes; and 3) category three, with planar distribution and focal mechanisms consistent with the plane, including six earthquakes. We discuss possible physical mechanisms for earthquakes in each category in the context of plane rupture, transformational faulting and shear thermal instability. We suggest that the inferred source processes of large deep-focus earthquakes can be best interpreted by cascading failure of shear thermal instabilities in pre-existing weak zones, with the perturbation of stress generated by a shear instability triggering another and focal mechanisms of the sub-events controlled by orientations of the pre-existing weak zones. The proposed mechanism can also explain the observed great variability of focal mechanisms, the presence of large values of CLVD (Compensated Linear Vector Dipole) and the super-shear rupture of deep-focus earthquakes in the previous studies. In addition, our studies suggest existence of relationships of seismic moment ∼ (source duration) 3 and moment ∼ (source dimension) 3 in large deep-focus earthquakes.

Coseismic gravity changes stem from (1) vertical deformation of layer boundaries with density contrast (i.e., surface and Moho) and (2) density changes of rocks at depth. They have been observed in earthquakes with Mw exceeding ~8.5 by Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, but those of M8 class earthquakes have never been detected clearly. Here we report coseismic gravity change of the 24 May 2013 Okhotsk deep earthquake (Mw8.3), smaller than the detection threshold. In shallow thrust faulting, factor (2) is dominant, while factor (1) remains secondary due to poor spatial resolution of GRACE. In the 2013 Okhotsk earthquake, however, factor (2) is insignificant because they occur at depth exceeding 600 km. On the other hand, factor (1) becomes dominant because the centers of uplift and subsidence are well separated and GRACE can resolve them. This enables GRACE to map vertical ground movements of deep earthquakes over both land and ocean.

Based on the analysis of different seismological data on the Sea of Okhotsk, two of the fullest catalogs of shallow-focus earthquakes are made for the historical (1735–2010; M ≥ 5.0) and instrumental (1962–2010; M ≥ 4.0) periods. The peculiarities of the lateral and depth distributions of seismicity are considered, and earthquake recurrence on three shelf zones of the Sea of Okhotsk is estimated. Maps of earthquake hypocenters are compared with the Moho depth scheme. With the data of seismic continuous profiling (SCP) and common depth point studies (CDP) taken into account, the probable relationship between the tectonic nature of seismicity in the Sea of Okhotsk and the mobility and allochthonous occurrence of the crust (divergent glide on the Okhotsk Swell, regional thrusts along the island arc margins, subsidence of the Kuril Basin’s bottom) is examined.

SUMMARY Deep focus earthquakes within the underthrust Indian lower crust beneath the Himalaya occur in very specific regions and have distinct source characteristics. The study of the source mechanisms of these earthquakes provides valuable constraints on the kinematics of deformation of the underthrust Indian Plate, and its influence on the active deformation of the overlying Himalayan wedge. One of the most significant regions of these deep focus earthquakes is beneath the Sikkim and Bhutan Himalaya. We study the source characteristics of the 2011 September 18 (Mw 6.9) deep focus Sikkim main shock and its major aftershocks using global, regional and local waveform data. We determined the focal mechanism of the main shock using moment tensor inversion of global P and SH waveforms, and ascertained the earthquake fault plane using rupture directivity from regional P-wave spectra. The main shock originated at 53 ± 4 km depth and ruptured at least 20 km thickness of the underthrust Indian lower crust. Faulting occurred on a near vertical dextral strike-slip fault oriented NW-SE (strike 127 ◦ ,d ip 81 ◦ and rake 167 ◦ ), oblique to the local strike of the Himalayan arc. The rupture initiated from the SE end of the fault and propagated to the northwest. The main shock was followed by 20 small-to-moderate aftershocks (mb > 3.0), which we relocated using phase arrival times. We computed the focal mechanisms of the larger ones (mb ≥ 3.5) using local waveform inversion. We find that all aftershocks originated SE of the main shock, between depths of 12 and 50 km, and have dominantly strike-slip mechanisms. Our results, combined with the source mechanisms of earthquakes from previous studies, reveals that the entire underthrust Indian crust is seismogenic and deforms by dextral strikeslip motion on oblique structures beneath the Sikkim and Bhutan Himalaya. These active oblique structures with transverse motion possibly mark the western boundary of the clockwise rotating ‘microplates’ in northeast India observed from GPS geodesy.

We described the 2014 January 17 earthquake (M w = 4.3) occurred on the Siberian platform in the area of sublongitudinal part of the Angara river in the zone of possible influence of two large reservoirs—Ust-Ilimsk and Boguchan. This is the first event of such magnitude recorded in this previously aseismic area during the whole period of instrumental observations. A seismic moment, a moment magnitude, a hypocentral depth, and a focal mechanism of the event were calculated on the basis of surface wave amplitude spectra. Analysis of the geological and geophysical data showed that the earthquake origin is connected with high-velocity gradient zone located at the border of the Late Proterozoic cover and the Precambrian basement of the Siberian platform. Some evidences for a natural character of the earthquake were considered.

Constraints on the recurrence times of subduction zone earthquakes are important for seismic hazard assessment and mitigation. Models of such megathrust earthquakes often assume that subduction zones are segmented and earthquakes occur quasi-periodically owing to constant tectonic loading. Here we analyse the occurrence of small earthquakes compared to larger ones—the b-values—on a 1,000-km-long section of the subducting Pacific Plate beneath central and northern Japan since 1998. We find that the b-values vary spatially and mirror the tectonic regime. For example, high b-values, indicative of low stress, occur in locations characterized by deep magma chambers and low b-values, or high stress, occur where the subducting and overriding plates are strongly coupled. There is no significant variation in the low b-values to suggest the plate interface is segmented in a way that might limit potential ruptures. Parts of the plate interface that ruptured during the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake were highly stressed in the years leading up to the earthquake. Although the stress was largely released during the 2011 rupture, we find that the stress levels quickly recovered to pre-quake levels within just a few years. We conclude that large earthquakes may not have a characteristic location, size or recurrence interval, and might therefore occur more randomly distributed in time. The 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake released stress within a subduction zone. Analysis of seismic data shows that stresses returned to pre-quake levels within a few years, implying that large quakes could occur more often than previously thought.

Earthquake activities along the Sumatra-Andaman Subduction Zone (SASZ) were clarified using the derived frequency-magnitude distribution in terms of the (i) most probable maximum magnitudes, (ii) return periods and (iii) probabilities of earthquake occurrences. The northern segment of SASZ, along the western coast of Myanmar to southern Nicobar, was found to be capable of generating an earthquake of magnitude 6.1–6.4 Mw in the next 30–50 years, whilst the southern segment of offshore of the northwestern and western parts of Sumatra (defined as a high hazard region) had a short recurrence interval of 6-12 and 10-30 years for a 6.0 and 7.0 Mw magnitude earthquake, respectively, compared to the other regions. Throughout the area along the SASZ, there are 70– almost 100% probabilities of the earthquake with Mw up to 6.0 might be generated in the next 50 years whilst the northern segment had less than 50% chance of occurrence of a 7.0 Mw earthquake in the next 50 year. Although Rangoon was defined as the lowest hazard among the major city in the vicinity of SASZ, there is 90% chance of a 6.0 Mw earthquake in the next 50 years. Therefore, the effective mitigation plan of seismic hazard should be contributed.

An M 6.8 (Mw 6.5) deep-focus earthquake occurred beneath the Bonin Islands at 21:18 (JST) on June 23, 2015. Observed high-frequency (>1 Hz) seismograms across Japan, which contain several sets of P- and S-wave arrivals for the 10 min after the origin time, indicate that moderate-to-large earthquakes occurred sequentially around Japan. Snapshots of the seismic energy propagation illustrate that after one deep-focus earthquake occurred beneath the Sea of Japan, two deep-focus earthquakes occurred sequentially after the first (Mw 6.5) event beneath the Bonin Islands in the next 4 min. The United States Geological Survey catalog includes three Bonin deep-focus earthquakes with similar hypocenter locations, but their estimated magnitudes are inconsistent with seismograms from across Japan. The maximum-amplitude patterns of the latter two earthquakes were similar to that of the first Bonin earthquake, which indicates similar locations and mechanisms. Furthermore, based on the ratios of the S-wave amplitudes to that of the first event, the magnitudes of the latter events are estimated as M 6.5 ± 0.02 and M 5.8 ± 0.02, respectively. Three magnitude-6-class earthquakes occurred sequentially within 4 min in the Pacific slab at 480 km depth, where complex heterogeneities exist within the slab.

Earthquakes deep in the continental lithosphere are rare and hard to interpret in our current understanding of temperature control on brittle failure. The recent lithospheric mantle earthquake with a moment magnitude of 4.8 at a depth of ~75 km in the Wyoming Craton was exceptionally well recorded and thus enabled us to probe the cause of these unusual earthquakes. On the basis of complete earthquake energy balance estimates using broadband waveforms and temperature estimates using surface heat flow and shear wave velocities, we argue that this earthquake occurred in response to ductile deformation at temperatures above 750°C. The high stress drop, low rupture velocity, and low radiation efficiency are all consistent with a dissipative mechanism. Our results imply that earthquake nucleation in the lithospheric mantle is not exclusively limited to the brittle regime; weakening mechanisms in the ductile regime can allow earthquakes to initiate and propagate. This finding has significant implications for understanding deep earthquake rupture mechanics and rheology of the continental lithosphere., National Science Foundation (U.S.) (EAR-1521534), National Science Foundation (U.S.) (EAR-1261681)

The systematic behavior of earthquake rupture as a function of earthquake magnitude and/or tectonic setting is a key in our understanding of the physical mechanisms involved during earthquake rupture. Geophysical evidence suggests that although deep earthquakes—including intermediate-depth and deep—are similar to shallow ones, the mechanism involved during deep earthquakes is different from that of shallow ones. In particular, the magnitude and depth dependence of scaled duration, a measure of earthquake rupture duration, has led to controversy of what controls deep earthquake behavior. Here we estimate scaled source durations for 600 intermediate-depth and deep-focus earthquakes recorded at teleseismic distances and show deviation from self-similar scaling. No depth dependence is observed which we interpret as due to little differences between intermediate-depth and deep-focus earthquake mechanisms. The data show no correlation between durations and plate age or thermal parameters, suggesting that the thermal properties of the plate have little effect on source durations. We nevertheless report differences in average source duration and scaling between subduction zones and along-strike variations of source durations that more closely resemble the geometry of subduction (flat or steep subduction) rather than plate age.

The parameters of split shear ScS and S waves from the strongest (Mw = 8.4) Okhotsk earthquake and its strong aftershocks that occurred in the mantle’s transitional zone in the backarc part of the Kamchatka subduction zone are measured. The measurement results show domination of the fast ScS wave’s east azimuths (110°–149°), which are orthogonal to the trench orientation, and the time difference between the arrivals of the ScS waves (δt) in the range of 0.9–1.6 s. The fast S wave from the Okhotsk earthquake is east-directed (89°), and the time difference between its arrivals is up to 2.5 s. As for aftershocks, the azimuths of the fast S waves are oriented in parallel to the trench, and δt are estimated at 1.2–1.3 s. The orientations of the azimuths for the ScS and S waves are consistent with the model of the transverse-isotropic symmetry of the medium with the symmetry axis tilted along the plate dip and/or along the trench strike.

The great Sanhe-Pinggu M8 earthquake occurred in 1679 was the largest surface rupture event recorded in history in the northern part of North China plain. This study determines the fault geometry of this earthquake by inverting seismological data of present-day moderate-small earthquakes in the focal area. We relocated those earthquakes with the double-difference method. Based on the assumption that clustered small earthquakes often occur in the vicinity of fault plane of large earthquake, and referring to the morphology of the long axis of the isoseismal line obtained by the predecessors, we selected a strip-shaped zone from the relocated earthquake catalog in the period from 1980 to 2009 to invert fault plane parameters of this earthquake. The inversion results are as follows: the strike is 38.23°, the dip angle is 82.54°, the slip angle is −156.08°, the fault length is about 80 km, the lower-boundary depth is about 23 km and the buried depth of upper boundary is about 3 km. This shows that the seismogenic fault is a NNE-trending normal dip-slip fault, southeast wall downward and northwest wall uplift, with the right-lateral strike-slip component. Moreover, the surface rupture zone, intensity distribution of the earthquake and seismic-wave velocity profile in the focal area all verified our study result.

The results of a study of the macroseismic effects in the territory of Moscow of a remote deepfocus earthquake that occurred on May 24, 2013 in the Sea of Okhotsk are reported. On the surface of the earth and on the first floors of the buildings the seismic effect was not felt. The effect of the shock began to manifest itself at levels higher than the fifth floor of the buildings. The distribution of points on the map where the earthquake was felt is non-uniform. Points where tremor was felt do not appear to correspond with certain types of Quaternary deposits or with zones of different depth. There is also no significant correlation of the parts of the surface with high intensities of tremor and areas of ground-water flooding. Comparison between the surface manifestations of the seismic event and the tectonic features and deep structure of the metropolis was made. Based on the results of the implemented statistical estimation of distribution points where the earthquake was felt on the territory of the city it is visible that fault zones govern the largest number of points, while block structures characterize almost half of them. Thus, we can reasonably suggest a certain macroseismic increase of vibrations from earthquakes in the areas of large faults in the city. The study of deformations of the asphalt cover of walkways on the landslide-affected slope of Vorobyovy Hills showed that the tremor caused by the Okhotsk deep focus earthquake of May 24, 2013, caused the activation of a small landslide at all levels of the hillside.

After the occurrence of the 2011 magnitude 9 Tohoku earthquake, the seismicity in the overriding plate changed. The seismicity appears to form distinct belts. From the spatiotemporal distribution of hypocenters, we can quantify the evolution of seismicity after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. In some earthquake swarms near Sendai (Nagamachi-Rifu fault), Moriyoshi-zan volcano, Senya fault, and the Yamagata–Fukushima border (Aizu-Kitakata area, west of Azuma volcano), we can observe temporal expansion of the focal area. This temporal expansion is attributed to fluid diffusion. Observed diffusivity would correspond to the permeability of about 10−15 (m2). We can detect the area from which fluid migrates as a seismic low-velocity area. In the lower crust, we found seismic low-velocity areas, which appear to be elongated along N–S or NE–SW, the strike of the island arc. These seismic low-velocity areas are located not only beneath the volcanic front but also beneath the fore-arc region. Seismic activity in the upper crust tends to be high above these low-velocity areas in the lower crust. Most of the shallow earthquakes after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake are located above the seismic low-velocity areas. We thus suggest fluid pressure changes are responsible for the belts of seismicity.