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Seismicity in the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) region increased noticeably as the water level of the reservoir rises, since the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) was built in 2003. Here, we determined moment tensors of six earthquakes in the 2014 Zigui earthquake sequence (ZGS) in the TGR region using local and regional broadband seismic waveform data. We also determined the focal depth of the mainshock using its teleseismic waveform data and then relocated the epicenter using its travel times at local stations. High-precision locations of 64 events in the sequence were obtained by combining the double-difference relative location result and the mainshock’s absolute location. The event locations and moment tensor solutions indicate that the ZGS occurred between depth 5 and 9 km on a previously unknown fault striking southwest and dipping ∼80° to the northwest. The event depth distribution and coulomb stress change estimation suggest that the ZGS were not induced directly by the reservoir water but triggered by the stress change from the annual reservoir water level variation. We estimated that the newly found fault has the potential for a magnitude 5.7 earthquake for which ground motion has a 16% probability to exceed the designed maximum intensity level at the TGD, though it would take more than 100 yr to accumulate the needed amount of slip.

SUMMARY Detecting and picking the first P-wave arrivals of seismic events in seismograms is fundamental in observational seismology. Recently, several machine-learning-based algorithms have been developed to incorporate human expertise for picking P-wave arrival times automatically. One shortcoming of these models is that they pick arrival times at individual seismic stations separately, which need to be sorted and associated to identify the seismic event. Also, most of them rely on existence of P-wave arrivals in the seismograms to be picked. Here, we developed a machine-learning-based seismic event detection and P-wave arrival time picking method called MultiNet and applied it to acoustic emission (AE) waveform data recorded in laboratory experiments. The MultiNet uses 2-D waveform images from multichannel AE recordings as the input to a convolutional neural network (CNN) to detect whether there is an AE event in an image and, if so, uses a fully convolutional neural network (FCN) to pick the P-wave arrival time at each channel in the image. We tested the MultiNet using 550 known AE events recorded during syn-deformational phase transformation from olivine to spinel in Mg2GeO4 (an analogue to Mg2SiO4) in a high-pressure experiment. Waveform data of 50 events were used to train the neural networks and the rest of data were used to validate the method. At the optimal image length and detection threshold, the CNN was able to detect all 500 known events plus 48 more events missed previously. Overall, 98.7 per cent of P-wave arrival times picked by the FCN were within 0.5 $\mu$s from the manually picked times. The average picking errors at different channels range from 0.01 ± 0.05 to −0.06 ± 0.22 $\mu$s. Our method greatly reduces the amount of human labour in picking P-wave arrival times for event location and source moment tensor inversion. It can be easily adapted to process continuous waveform data of a seismic network for earthquake detection and location in real time.

SUMMARY Interfaces are important part of Earth’s layering structure. Here, we developed a new model parametrization and iterative linearized inversion method that determines 1-D crustal velocity structure using surface wave dispersion, teleseismic P-wave receiver functions and Ps and PmP traveltimes. Unlike previous joint inversion methods, the new model parametrization includes interface depths and layer Vp/Vs ratios so that smoothness constraint can be conveniently applied to velocities of individual layers without affecting the velocity discontinuity across the interfaces. It also allows adding interface-related observation such as traveltimes of Ps and PmP in the joint inversion to eliminate the trade-off between interface depth and Vp/Vs ratio and therefore to reduce the uncertainties of results. Numerical tests show that the method is computationally efficient and the inversion results are robust and independent of the initial model. Application of the method to a dense linear array across the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone (WVSZ) produced a high-resolution crustal image in this seismically active region. The results show a 51–55-km-thick crust with a mid-crustal interface at 14–17 km. The crustal Vp/Vs ratio varies from 1.69 to 1.90. There are three pillow-like, ∼100 km apart high-velocity bodies sitting at the base of the crust and directly above each of them are a low-velocity anomaly in the middle crust and a high-velocity anomaly in the upper crust. They are interpreted to be produced by mantle magmatic intrusions and remelting during rifting events in the end of the Precambrian. The current diffuse seismicity in the WVSZ might be rooted in this ancient distributed rifting structure.

Significance The exothermic metamorphic reaction in orthopyroxene (Opx), a major component of oceanic lithospheric mantle, is shown to trigger brittle failure in laboratory deformation experiments under conditions where garnet exsolution takes place. The reaction product is an extremely fine-grained material, forming narrow reaction zones that are mechanically weak, thereby facilitating macroscopic faulting. Oceanic subduction zones are characterized by two separate bands of seismicity, known as the double seismic zone. The upper band of seismicity, located in the oceanic crust, is well explained by dehydration-induced mechanical instability. Our newly discovered metamorphism-induced mechanical instability provides an alternative physical mechanism for earthquakes in the lower band of seismicity (located in the oceanic lithospheric mantle), with no requirement of hydration/dehydration processes.

Because an oceanic plate colliding with a continental plate will usually be subducted and recycled into the deep mantle, a fossil oceanic plate after the closure of an ancient ocean has rarely been imaged in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. This has led to a long-standing debate about the fate of subducted ocean plates. The problem can be addressed by imaging the lithosphere in a continental accretion zone with past ocean subduction. We present a study using long-period magnetotelluric data that reveals a large shallow-mantle conductor in a Phanerozoic accretion area in northwestern Xinjiang, China. This conductor extends >300 km laterally at depths from 120 to 220 km and resembles a segment of a fossil oceanic plate. The reduced resistivity is ascribed to the volatile-bearing metasomatic minerals, based on its relatively fertile nature and low temperature. Our results demonstrate that an oceanic plate can be trapped in continental lithosphere, underscoring the significance of oceanic plate subduction to continental accretion, and shedding new light on our understanding of continental formation and evolution.

SUMMARYSlippage on a deep fault, which cannot be directly measured, can be inferred from repeating earthquakes. Here, we use a matched filter technique (MFT) to detect missing earthquakes near the Xiannvshan fault in the Three Gorges Reservoir region of Central China. We detected 13 repeating aftershock sequences (RASs) containing 107 events after a Ms 4.4 local earthquake that occurred on 26 March 2014. The RASs occurred in the vicinity of the Ms 4.4 main shock hypocentre and were concentrated within a depth range of 4–7 km. The short-term slip rates estimated from these RASs varied from ∼0.001 to 0.31 mm d–1. The slip rates of the RASs followed an approximately logarithmic decay with RAS duration, suggesting that the deep Xiannvshan fault behaviour tended to follow the logarithmic velocity-strengthening friction law. Relatively high-stress RAS events seemed to influence the occurrence of other RAS events whereas we found no evidence that high-stress nearby events, including a Ms 4.6 local earthquake that occurred on 29 March 2014, triggered the RAS events. We suggest that the fault stress change caused by the Ms 4.4 main shock played a role in triggering the RAS events. Our results demonstrate that the MFT can effectively help identify repeating aftershocks, which could help decipher fault zone rheology.

P-wave waveforms in the distance range between 12° and 30° were analyzed to investigate upper-mantle P velocity structures beneath the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding areas. The waveform data from 504 earthquakes with magnitudes larger than 5.0 between 1990 and 2005 that occurred within 30° from the center of the Plateau were modelled. We divided the study area into 6 regions and modeled upper-mantle-distance P waveforms with turning points beneath each region separately. The results show that the upper-mantle P-wave velocity structures beneath India, the Himalayas, and the Lhasa Terrane are similar and contain a high-velocity lid about 250 km thick. The upper-mantle velocities down to 200 km beneath the Qiangtang Terrane, the Tarim Basin, and especially the Songpan-Garze Terrane are lower than those in the south. The 410-km discontinuity beneath these two terranes is elevated by about 20 km. High-velocity anomalies are found in the transition zone below 500 km under the Lhasa and Qiangtang Terranes. The results suggest that the Tibetan Plateau was generated by thrusting of the Indian mantle lithosphere under the southern part of Tibet. Portions of the thickened Eurasian mantle lithosphere were delaminated; they are now sitting in the transition zone beneath southern Tibet and atop of the 410-km discontinuity underneath northern Tibet.

We introduced a P-velocity model into the traditional joint inversion of P receiver function (RF) and surface wave dispersions to reduce model ambiguity. The method was implemented using a global search-based algorithm and a flexible parameterization of a sedimentary layer and spline-based parameterization that can represent sharp discontinuities. We applied the method to a dense array in SE Tibet (longitude ~97.5 °E to 107 °E, latitude ~25.3 °N). Extensive tests using synthetic and real data suggest that the method is suitable and robust for a variety of velocity structures and Moho discontinuities, and can simultaneously provide the crustal Vp/Vs profile and better-constrained Moho depth. The flexibility of the parameterization and the inclusion of the Vp constraint are crucial in the improved model recovery. Artifacts may be created without including the sedimentary layer. Even when it is less perfect, a reasonable Vp model is valuable in such a joint inversion. We showed that crustal multiples in RFs may bias the traditional H-k results when the crust structure is complex and should be avoided in a joint inversion before appropriate corrections can be made. The results from the joint inversion show two low-velocity zones (LVZs) reported previously and were identified as channels of crustal flow. A prominent isolated LVZ is observed in the mid-lower crust under the Xiaojiang fault area, which correlates with anomalously high Vp/Vs ratios, indicating possible partial melting. However, the other LVZ is imaged to be in the brittle shallow upper crust without very high Vp/Vs ratios, which is likely associated with crustal fault zones rather than partial melting. We observe clear low-velocity structures in the mantle beneath the two crustal LVZs, which also correlate with zones of low resistivity. The crust-mantle correlation may suggest influence of mantle processes on crustal deformation.

We present a new 3-D lithospheric Vs model for the NE Tibetan Plateau (NETP) and the western North China Craton (NCC). First, high-frequency receiver functions (RFs) were inverted using the neighborhood algorithm to estimate the sedimentary structure beneath each station. Then a 3D Vs model with unprecedented resolution was constructed by jointly inverting RFs and Rayleigh wave dispersions. A low-velocity sedimentary layer with thicknesses varying from 2 to 10 km is present in the Yinchuan-Hetao graben, Ordos block, and western Alxa block. Velocities from the middle-lower crust to the uppermost mantle are generally high in the Ordos block and low in the Alxa block, indicating that the Alxa block is not part of the NCC. The thickened crust in southwestern Ordos block and western Alxa block suggests that they have been modified. Two crustal low-velocity zones (LVZs) were detected beneath the Kunlun Fault (KF) zone and western Qilian Terrane (QLT). The origin of the LVZ beneath the KF zone may be the combined effect of shear heating, localized asthenosphere upwelling, and crustal radioactivity. The LVZ in the western QLT, representing an early stage of the LVZ that has developed in the KF zone, acts as a decollement to decouple the deformation between the upper and lower crust and plays a key role in seismogenesis. We propose that the crustal deformation beneath the NETP is accommodated by a combination of shear motion, thickening of the upper-middle crust, and removal of lower crust.

Knowledge of heat flow and associated variations of temperature with depth is crucial for understanding how the Earth functions. Here, we demonstrate possible heat shielding effects that result from the occurrence of mafic intrusions/layers (granulitic rocks) within a dominantly granitic middle crust and/or ultramafic intrusions/layers (peridotitic rocks) within a dominantly granulitic lower crust; heat shielding is a familiar phenomenon in heat engineering and thermal metamaterials. Simple one-dimensional calculations suggest that heat shielding due to the intercalation of granitic, granulitic and peridotitic rocks will increase Moho temperatures substantially. This study may lead to a rethinking of numerous proposed lower crustal processes.

Local magnitude ( M L), body‐wave magnitude ( m b), and surface‐wave magnitude ( M s), which are saturated at certain values and may lead to an incorrect energy estimation of a large earthquake, are largely used in quantifying the size of an earthquake in western China. Based on the catalog from the China Earthquake Data Center (CEDC) and moment magnitude ( M w) provided by the Global Centroid Moment Tensor (Global CMT) Project, we test the general orthogonal regression (GOR) and the ordinary least‐squares (OLS) methods in M w– M L, M s, and m b conversions for earthquakes in three different tectonic structures of western China. For M L and m b, linear trends vary according to tectonic structures, which implies different body‐wave attenuations in the three structures. For M s, the results are similar, whether using the GOR or the OLS method, but slopes of regression lines are not close to 1, which indicates routine misestimates of M s in western China. The GOR slopes are uniformly larger than the OLS slopes in all magnitude conversions. Standard deviations are between 0.06 and 0.13 for the GOR method but are between 0.12 and 0.25 for the OLS. Thus, the GOR is found to be superior to the OLS method and its use is recommended. Conversions of different magnitudes to M w not only imply different patterns of seismic‐wave attenuations but will also benefit immediate assessment of seismic damage after occurrence of a destructive earthquake in the future. Online Material: Earthquake catalog and tables showing differences between magnitude estimates for M w, M L, m b, and M s.

Source inversion of small-magnitude events such as aftershocks or mine collapses requires use of relatively high frequency seismic waveforms which are strongly affected by small-scale heterogeneities in the crust. In this study, we developed a new inversion method called gCAP3D for determining general moment tensor of a seismic source using Green's functions of 3D models. It inherits the advantageous features of the “Cut-and-Paste” (CAP) method to break a full seismogram into the Pnl and surface-wave segments and to allow time shift between observed and predicted waveforms. It uses grid search for 5 source parameters (relative strengths of the isotropic and compensated-linear-vector-dipole components and the strike, dip, and rake of the double-couple component) that minimize the waveform misfit. The scalar moment is estimated using the ratio of L 2 norms of the data and synthetics. Focal depth can also be determined by repeating the inversion at different depths. We applied gCAP3D to the 2013 M s 7.0 Lushan earthquake and its aftershocks using a 3D crustal-upper mantle velocity model derived from ambient noise tomography in the region. We first relocated the events using the double-difference method. We then used the finite-differences method and reciprocity principle to calculate Green's functions of the 3D model for 20 permanent broadband seismic stations within 200 km from the source region. We obtained moment tensors of the mainshock and 74 aftershocks ranging from M w 5.2 to 3.4. The results show that the Lushan earthquake is a reverse faulting at a depth of 13–15 km on a plane dipping 40–47° to N46° W. Most of the aftershocks occurred off the main rupture plane and have similar focal mechanisms to the mainshock's, except in the proximity of the mainshock where the aftershocks' focal mechanisms display some variations.

Lithosphere thickness variation is important for understanding the significant tectonic reactivation of the North China Craton (NCC) in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic time. Here, we determined the lithospheric structure in the northeastern NCC using S receiver functions from 305 teleseismic events recorded by 223 seismic stations. The Moho and lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB) are imaged clearly beneath the region. The Moho depth decreases from ~45 km beneath the western NCC to ~25 km beneath the eastern NCC. We found that the lithospheric thickness varies from 60 to 80 km beneath the Trans-North China Orogen (TNCO) and eastern NCC with no significant change of the LAB depth. The lithosphere thickness beneath the northwestern Ordos plateau is 100–130 km. In addition, there is a mid-lithosphere discontinuity at a depth of 80 km beneath the plateau that is connected to the base of thinned lithosphere in TNCO and eastern NCC. We suggest that the mid-lithosphere discontinuity represents a mechanically weak zone in the original cratonic lithosphere of the NCC. The material in the lower lithosphere of the craton, when warmed and hydrated by water released from the subducting slab of Western Pacific, became weak due to decrease in viscosity and/or partial melting and was subsequently removed through small-scale mantle convections.

The spatial autocorrelation (SPAC) method is one of the most efficient ways to extract phase velocities of surface waves from ambient seismic noise. Most studies apply the method based on the assumption that the wavefield of ambient noise is diffuse. However, the actual distribution of sources is neither diffuse nor stationary. In this study, we examined the reliability and limitations of the SPAC method with a directional wavefield. We calculated the SPAC coefficients and phase velocities from a directional wavefield for a four-layer model and characterized the limitations of the SPAC. We then applied the SPAC method to real data in Karamay, China. Our results show that, 1) the SPAC method can accurately measure surface wave phase velocities from a square array with a directional wavefield down to a wavelength of twice the shortest interstation distance; and 2) phase velocities obtained from real data by the SPAC method are stable and reliable, which demonstrates that this method can be applied to measure phase velocities in a square array with a directional wavefield.

On the eastern margin of the Himalayan orogenic belt, the rapid uplift of the Namche Barwa metamorphic terrane and significant bending of the Yarlung Zangbo suture zone occur. The formation mechanism and dynamics of the Eastern Himalaya Syntaxis (EHS) is still debated. In order to better understand the deep structures beneath the EHS, we deployed 35 broadband seismic stations around the Namche Barwa Mountain. The data were integrated with existing datasets for a 3-D teleseismic P-wave tomography. The results demonstrate complex deep structures and significantly contrasting Indian subduction styles in the eastern Himalaya. In the western region of the EHS, the Indian slab flatly subducts under southern Tibet and might extend to the Bangong-Nujiang Suture. In contrast, a (north)eastward steep subduction occurred in the eastern region of EHS. The contrasting subduction styles result in tearing and fragmentation of the Indian lithosphere between the flat and steep subducting slabs beneath the EHS. Consequently, the hot asthenospheric mantle may rise through the slab window, which might further lead to the rapid uplift of Namche Barwa and the formation of EHS. The lateral variation in subduction/collision mode and slab tearing induced asthenospheric mantle upwelling is similar to that observed in the Hellenide and Anatolide domains of the Tethyan orogen.

We used teleseismic P-wave receiver functions and the H– κ stacking method to obtain crustal thicknesses beneath 121 permanent stations in the Middle-lower Yangtze craton and its adjacent areas, using nearly 700 teleseismic events in 2009 and 2010. We then combined them with results of previous work to map detailed Moho geometry in the region. The results show that in addition to overall thin crust of ∼30 km in thickness throughout southeastern China, there are two NS-oriented narrow zones of extensive crustal thinning in the region. The western zone passes through the Xiangzhong Basin, the Jianghan Basin, and the Nanxiang Basin, while the eastern zone follows the Tanlu fault. The two merge in the south, forming a V-shaped thin crust area in southeastern China. We suggest different geodynamic mechanisms of crustal thinning north and south of the 29°N Parallel. Crustal thinning in the northern part was caused by the westward subduction of the Pacific plate and its eastward migration of the trench. Crustal thinning in the southern part is mainly controlled by the interaction between the Philippine and the Eurasia plates. The change of subduction polarity from the northward subduction of the Philippine plate under Eurasia to the eastward high-angle subduction of the Eurasian plate under the Philippine plate in Taiwan is responsible for diverse extensional stress regime in South China. The V-shape crustal thinning zone was formed due to a mantle corner flow in the rear of subducting Eurasia plate, in a form of “hot fingers” growing from the mantle corner flow to cause the Moho uplift in the southern part of the region.

The Dabashan orocline is a large thrust belt in central China. Determination of its high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) crustal shear-wave (S-wave) velocity structure can enhance our understanding of the intracontinental evolution of the South China plate and North China plate. In this study, we estimated the Rayleigh wave phase and group velocities at periods of 5–50 s, P-wave receiver functions, and Ps and SsPmp travel times from 63 permanent stations and 29 portable stations; we also constructed a 3D S-wave velocity model and crustal thickness and Vp/Vs ratio maps of the Dabashan orocline and adjacent areas. The crustal thickness and Vp/Vs ratio maps show prominent thick crust (50–55 km) and high Vp/Vs ratios (1.8–1.85), suggesting a mafic lower crust in the Dabashan orocline. The 3D S-wave velocity structure shows northeast-dipping low-velocity anomalies in the upper crust of the Dabashan orocline, and high velocities extended from near the surface to the lower crust in the Hannan-Micang and Shennong-Huangling domes, suggesting deep roots of the two domes. We propose that the two domes acted as rigid indenters and rotated clockwise together with the South China plate, penetrating into the Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt. Weak sediments in the upper crust of the Dabashan orocline were compressed and blocked by the two domes and the rigid Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt, resulting in vertical accretion of the sediments and crust and subsequent formation of the northeast-dipping low-velocity anomalies and the thick crust beneath the Dabashan orocline.

Southern Tibet is the most active orogenic region on Earth where the Indian Plate thrusts under Eurasia, pushing the seismic discontinuity between the crust and the mantle to an unusual depth of ~80 km. Numerous earthquakes occur in the lower portion of this thickened continental crust, but the triggering mechanisms remain enigmatic. Here we show that dry granulite rocks, the dominant constituent of the subducted Indian crust, become brittle when deformed under conditions corresponding to the eclogite stability field. Microfractures propagate dynamically, producing acoustic emission, a laboratory analog of earthquakes, leading to macroscopic faults. Failed specimens are characterized by weak reaction bands consisting of nanometric products of the metamorphic reaction. Assisted by brittle intra-granular ruptures, the reaction bands develop into shear bands which self-organize to form macroscopic Riedel-like fault zones. These results provide a viable mechanism for deep seismicity with additional constraints on orogenic processes in Tibet., The triggering mechanism of deep seismicity in Tibet remains unclear. Here the authors use experiments to show that granulite when deformed becomes brittle as it passes into the ecologite stability field developing macroscopic riedel fault zones thus providing an explanation for deep seismicity in Southern Tibet.

Accurate earthquake source parameters such as fault mechanism, depth, and moment magnitude are not only important in seismic‐hazard assessment, but also are crucial to studies of earthquake rupture processes and seismotectonics. Although large earthquakes (M_w 7+) may cause substantial damage, they occur less frequently. In contrast, moderate earthquakes (M_w 5.0–6.5) occur with much higher frequency and may occur on faults not geologically identified. Some of the moderate earthquakes cause damage in densely populated communities, especially in developing countries (Baumbach et al., 1994; Hamzehloo, 2005). For example, the 2011 M_w 5 earthquake in Lorca, Spain (Pro et al., 2014), the 2012 M_w 5.9 Ferrara earthquake sequence in northern Italy (Malagnini et al., 2012), the 2010 M_w 5 Suining earthquake in Sichuang Province of China (Luo et al., 2011), and the 1998 M_w 5.7 Zhangbei earthquake in Hebei Province of China (Li et al., 2008) all caused substantial economic loss and casualty. Compared with events larger than M_w 7, rupture processes of these moderate events can be approximated as point sources, which are usually described with a centroid moment tensor (CMT) because the rupture duration is usually shorter than the period used in the waveform inversion.

S U M M A R Y We analyse source tensor properties of seven Mw > 4.2 earthquakes in the complex trifurcation area of the San Jacinto Fault Zone, CA, with a focus on isotropic radiation that may be produced by rock damage in the source volumes. The earthquake mechanisms are derived with generalized ‘Cut and Paste’ (gCAP) inversions of three-component waveforms typically recorded by >70 stations at regional distances. The gCAP method includes parameters ζ and χ representing, respectively, the relative strength of the isotropic and CLVD source terms. The possible errors in the isotropic and CLVD components due to station variability is quantified with bootstrap resampling for each event. The results indicate statistically significant explosive isotropic components for at least six of the events, corresponding to ∼0.4–8 per cent of the total potency/moment of the sources. In contrast, the CLVD components for most events are not found to be statistically significant. Trade-off and correlation between the isotropic and CLVD components are studied using synthetic tests with realistic station configurations. The associated uncertainties are found to be generally smaller than the observed isotropic components. Two different tests with velocity model perturbation are conducted to quantify the uncertainty due to inaccuracies in the Green’s functions. Applications of the Mann–Whitney U test indicate statistically significant explosive isotropic terms for most events consistent with brittle damage production at the source.

Nanoseismological analyses on labquakes under controlled conditions shed new lights on mechanisms of deep-focus earthquakes., Global earthquake occurring rate displays an exponential decay down to ~300 km and then peaks around 550 to 600 km before terminating abruptly near 700 km. How fractures initiate, nucleate, and propagate at these depths remains one of the greatest puzzles in earth science, as increasing pressure inhibits fracture propagation. We report nanoseismological analysis on high-resolution acoustic emission (AE) records obtained during ruptures triggered by partial transformation from olivine to spinel in Mg2GeO4, an analog to the dominant mineral (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 olivine in the upper mantle, using state-of-the-art seismological techniques, in the laboratory. AEs’ focal mechanisms, as well as their distribution in both space and time during deformation, are carefully analyzed. Microstructure analysis shows that AEs are produced by the dynamic propagation of shear bands consisting of nanograined spinel. These nanoshear bands have a near constant thickness (~100 nm) but varying lengths and self-organize during deformation. This precursory seismic process leads to ultimate macroscopic failure of the samples. Several source parameters of AE events were extracted from the recorded waveforms, allowing close tracking of event initiation, clustering, and propagation throughout the deformation/transformation process. AEs follow the Gutenberg-Richter statistics with a well-defined b value of 1.5 over three orders of moment magnitudes, suggesting that laboratory failure processes are self-affine. The seismic relation between magnitude and rupture area correctly predicts AE magnitude at millimeter scales. A rupture propagation model based on strain localization theory is proposed. Future numerical analyses may help resolve scaling issues between laboratory AE events and deep-focus earthquakes.

Crustal thicknesses and Poissonʼs ratios in the Ordos block and surrounding regions were estimated by the use of the H – k stacking method on teleseismic receiver functions. The data came from 353 temporary and permanent seismic stations in 2006–2011. Results show that the crustal thickness and Poissonʼs ratio gently vary within the Ordos block, with an average of 41.3 km and 0.265, respectively, consistent with a felsic composition of the crust. Crustal thicknesses predicted on the basis of Airy isostasy are consistent with the estimated thicknesses, implying that the topography is approximately compensated. The reactivated portion of the North China Craton that has undergone Mesozoic–Cenzoic lithospheric thinning is also characterized by the thinning crust, while the Ordos block maintains normal crustal thickness and average crustal velocity. Inferred higher densities in the lower crust and the anti-correlation between Poissonʼs ratio and crustal thickness in the Ordos block may be the result from underplating of mafic magmas in the Precambrian. Around the Ordos block, the Paleoproterozoic khondalite zone in the northern edge has higher Poissonʼs ratio and thickened crust, which is consistent with the lower crust being of more mafic composition. The Weihe–Shanxi graben in the southeastern edge has mid-high Poissonʼs ratio, high heat flow and thinning crust, which is consistent with the known transtensional tectonic setting. In the Liupanshan thrust belt, along the southwestern edge of the Ordos plateau, significant variations in crustal thicknesses and Poissonʼs ratios occur on two sides. Besides a thickened crust, a concaved Moho implies horizontal shortening of this edge of the Ordos block due to its collision with the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The structural differences between the eastern and western edges of the Ordos block reflect that the Ordos block is in tectonic stress environment of the western compression and the eastern extension.

article i nfo Here we report estimates of crustal thickness and Poisson's ratios for northern Vietnam, based on teleseismic receiver function analysis of observations from a dense broadband seismic array. The seismic array comprised of 24 stations distributed evenly over northern Vietnam, from whose records we examined 190 teleseismic events of Mw > 5.5 for the period 2006-2008. Using the radial receiver functions calculated from teleseismic records at individual stations, the optimum crustal thickness and Vp/Vs (where Vp and Vs are the velocities of P- and S-waves, respectively) ratio beneath each station were determined using the H-κ (where H is crustal thickness and κ is defined as the Vp/Vs ratio) stacking algorithm. Determined values of crustal thickness range from 26.5 km to 36.4 km, with an average of 31.0 ± 2.1 km. The simple pattern of variation of crustal thick- ness in the northeastern region of the study area, with a mean of ~31 km, suggests that the sector belongs to the craton of the South China block. A highly variable crustal thickness is found over the northwestern region of northern Vietnam, ranging from ~29.5 km to ~36.4 km, implying that complex tectonic processes have taken place in this region. The thinnest crust is found in the Red River Delta, where it ranges from 26.5 km to 30.4 km, which is suggestive of a recent rifting process. The determinations of crustal thickness show a good linear correlation with Bouguer gravity anomalies. Lower values of Poisson's ratio in the northeastern and Red River Delta sectors suggest a more felsic crust, and larger values in the northwestern sector suggest lithospheric extension in the Song Da depression. The findings enhance our understanding of the geotectonic architecture of the northern Vietnam region.

We decompose a general seismic potency tensor into isotropic tensor, double-couple tensor and compensated linear vector dipole using the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the full tensor. Two dimensionless parameters are used to quantify the size of the isotropic and compensated linear vector dipole components. The parameters have well-defined finite ranges and are suited for non-linear inversions of source tensors from seismic waveform data. The decomposition and parametrization for the potency tensor are used to obtain corresponding results for a general seismic moment tensor. The relations between different parameters of the potency and moment tensors in isotropic media are derived. We also discuss appropriate specification of the relative size of different source components in inversions of seismic data.

The main goal of this study is to provide moment tensor solutions for small and moderate earthquakes of the 2009 L’Aquila seismic sequence (central Italy). The analysis was performed by using data coming from the permanent Italian seismic network run by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and the “Cut And Paste” (CAP) method based on broadband waveform inversion. Focal mechanisms, source depths and moment magnitudes are determined through a grid search technique. By allowing time shifts between synthetics and observed data the CAP method reduces dependence of the solution on the assumed velocity model and on earthquake location. We computed seismic moment tensors for 312 earthquakes having local magnitude in the range between 2.7 and 5.9. The CAP method has made possible to considerably expand the database of focal mechanisms from waveform analysis in the lowest magnitude range (i.e. in the neighborhood of magnitude 3) without overlooking the reliability of results. The obtained focal mechanisms generally show NW–SE striking focal planes in agreement with mapped faults in the region. Comparisons with the already published solutions and with seismological and geological information available allowed us to proper interpret the moment tensor solutions in the frame of the seismic sequence evolution and also to furnish additional information about less energetic seismic phases. Focal data were inverted to obtain the seismogenic stress in the study area. Results are compatible with the major tectonic domain. We also obtained a relation between moment and local magnitude suitable for the area and for the available magnitude range.

Trade-off between the depth of an interface and the average velocity above the interface is well known in receiver function inversion. To resolve model ambiguity, surface wave dispersion data, which are sensitive to vertical shear velocity average, are commonly combined with P receiver functions in the inversion. In this paper, we design a joint inversion scheme using the neighborhood searching algorithm to solve shear velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle with receiver function and surface wave dispersion data. Two sets of stretched splines are implemented in the inversion to obtain smooth velocity profiles, separated by a specifically defined Moho discontinuity. We apply this method to the dense Hi-CLIMB seismic array in the central Tibetan Plateau (TP). The Indian crust is observed to subduct and underplate the Tibetan crust between the Yarlung-Zangbo suture and the Bangong-Nujiang suture, at the latitude of about 31.5°N. The crust thickens from about 50 km below the Indian foreland to over 75 km south of Bangong-Nujiang suture and turns shallower at around 65 km under the Qiangtang block. We identify two zones with complicated Moho structure beneath the northern Lhasa block and southern Qiangtang block, indicating highly deformed Moho morphology, and beneath the Himalaya block associated with the underthrusting of the Indian Plate, respectively. A low velocity zone is present in the mid-crust in most parts of the profile under the TP with up to more than 10% velocity reduction. The low velocity structure is not continuous, forming discontinuous patches rather than channels, calling for a revision of the channel flow model.

We determined the location, size, mechanism, and the frequency content of the first 4.0 s of the 2011 Tohoku–Oki earthquake. Since the beginning of this earthquake is very small, we develop a comparative approach against a near-by reference earthquake, the master event. We first determined the water depth near the master event using the differential timing between the water phase pwP reflected from the air–water interface and the depth phase pP reflected from the water–crust interface. Then we located the master event using the well-known ocean bathymetry in the area. After calibrating teleseismic arrays (Δ = 30° to 90°) at short periods for timing and amplitude with respect to the master event, we were able to determine the initiation of the main event. It began as a small (M w = 4.9) thrust event located at 38.19°N, 142.68°E at a depth of 21 km, and, a few seconds later, evolved into a slower extremely large slip event up-dip.

Author Posting. © The Authors, 2011. This article is posted here by permission of John Wiley & Sons for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Journal International 186 (2011): 760-770, doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2011.05055.x.