Intraplate earthquakes in North China

Liu, Mian; Wang, Hui; Ye, Jiyang; Cheng, Jia

doi:10.1017/cbo9781139628921.006

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 63 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Instead, we hypothesize that fault interaction was facilitated by fluid diffusion, local rotation of the stress field proceeding E1, or some combination of these processes. Interacting intraplate faults, with or without a prolonged time lag, have been observed previously in Australia (Jones et al, ; McCue, ), Asia (Liu et al, ; Liu et al, ), central and eastern United States (Li et al, ; Walsh et al, ), and in the Wharton basin beneath the Indian Ocean (Hill et al, ) following large earthquakes. Here we suggest that such fault interactions can take place even with moderate‐sized earthquakes located several fault lengths apart.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…The physics that governs the origin of such earthquakes, however, is still not well understood (Calais et al, ). Recent evidence points to a process where intraplate fault systems located tens to hundreds of kilometers apart interact with each other over many hundreds of years to produce large earthquakes (Liu et al, , ), of which precise knowledge is still missing. The episodic activation and long quiescence (>10,000 years) of individual faults as observed in Australia from paleoseismic studies further confounds analyzing intraplate earthquakes (Clark & McCue, ; Crone et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Interacting Intraplate Fault Systems in Australia: The 2012 Thorpdale, Victoria, Seismic Sequences

Attanayake

Sandiford

Schleicher³

et al. 2019

JGR Solid Earth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Using a new seismic waveform data set, we locate 234 earthquakes and estimate source parameters (focal mechanisms, magnitude, and stress drop) of the two largest earthquakes (E1 and E2) in the 2012 seismic sequence in Thorpdale, Victoria. The focal mechanisms suggest thrust faulting, consistent with previous observations in southeast Australia. The estimated magnitudes are M w 4.9 ± 0.14 (E1) and 4.3 ± 0.1 (E2). The estimates of stress drop 57 ± 7.4 MPa (E1) and 28 ± 2.4 MPa (E2) reflect strength of faults in an intraplate environment. By analyzing spatiotemporal distribution of aftershocks, we show that E1 and E2 reflect two separate seismic sequences about a month apart. E1 and E2 ruptured two adjacent faults with orientations 218°/78°/78°(Fault 1) and 134°/27°/171°(Fault 2), respectively, where angles indicate strike/dip/slip rake. To test causal mechanism of fault interaction, we performed Coulomb stress modeling, which shows very weak unloading of E2 by E1. Thus, we infer that fault interaction might instead reflect remotely triggered fluid diffusion. Also, a local rotation of the stress field proceeding E1 might have favorably reoriented Fault 2 for failure. Finally, we identify an apparent correlation between high heat flow and seismicity in southeastern Australia, suggesting a combination of mechanisms including transient stress perturbations and lithospheric thermal weakening associated with high heat flow as the principal factors localizing intraplate seismicity.Plain Language Summary The 2012 earthquake sequence in Thorpdale is the most recent and significant seismic activity in southeast Australia, during which two moderate-sized earthquakes were felt in the region with the second earthquake thought to be an aftershock of the first. Using a newly assembled data set, we estimate source parameters of these earthquakes and locate 232 smaller earthquakes associated with this seismic sequence. In this study, we show that faults ruptured with thrust motion, the moment magnitude of the two largest earthquakes are 4.9 and 4.3, and the stress release per fault length (57 and 28 MPa) is larger than the global average. By locating aftershocks, we also show that the two largest earthquakes ruptured two separate faults rather than one. The absence of any plausible Coulomb stress loading suggests that these different faults interacted with each other through other mechanisms such as a fluid diffusion. Key Points:• The two largest earthquakes (M w 4.9 and 4.3) in the seismic sequence indicate thrust faulting in southeast Australia • Higher than average stress drop (57 and 28 MPa) suggests the rupture of strong faults with longer recurrence intervals • Adjacent fault planes ruptured, implying fault interaction through interplay between stress conditions and fluid diffusion Supporting Information:• Supporting Information S1

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interacting Intraplate Fault Systems in Australia: The 2012 Thorpdale, Victoria, Seismic Sequences

Attanayake

Sandiford

Schleicher³

et al. 2019

JGR Solid Earth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, the NCP is also famous for its high level of earthquake hazards (Gu et al, 1983;Liu et al, 2011Liu et al, , 2014Shen et al, 2004). However, the NCP is also famous for its high level of earthquake hazards (Gu et al, 1983;Liu et al, 2011Liu et al, , 2014Shen et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The North China Plain (NCP) has been the cradle of Chinese civilization, which is now the political and cultural center of China with a dense population and prosperous economy. However, the NCP is also famous for its high level of earthquake hazards (Gu et al, 1983;Liu et al, 2011Liu et al, , 2014Shen et al, 2004). There have been 13 earthquakes of magnitude greater than 7 during the last 500 years (Figure 1).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contemporary Deformation of the North China Plain From Global Positioning System Data

Zhang

Zheng

Wang

et al. 2018

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The North China Plain (NCP) is a region with high level of seismic hazard. Previous Global Positioning System measurements, however, have shown a near absence of present‐day crustal deformation. Using updated Global Positioning System data covering three blocks of the eastern China, we discover that interseismic deformation in the NCP takes place in an ~1,100 km wide left‐lateral shear zone of roughly east‐west orientation. The 6.0 ± 1.3 mm/yr interseismic left‐lateral shear over the NCP results in contemporary deformation that is eventually accommodated by earthquake ruptures of right‐lateral strike‐slip along the north‐northeast trending faults and anticlockwise block rotates. We suggest that rapid eastward motion of the rigid South China block, with respect to the rigid Amurian block, has created a left‐lateral shear couple to twist the nonrigid NCP to form the contemporary deformation.

show abstract

“…It is likely complete for magnitude M ≥6 events since 1300 (Huang et al, 1994), a period that includes 49 M ≥ 6.5 events and at least four M ≥ 8 earthquakes. These large earthquakes appear to roam between widespread fault zones Liu et al, 2014c). In 1303 the Hongdong earthquake (M 8.0) in the Shanxi rift killed more than 470,000 people.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Mid-continental earthquakes: Spatiotemporal occurrences, causes, and hazards

Liu

Stein

2016

Earth-Science Reviews

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Large earthquakes in North China, Australia, Northwestern Europe, Central and Eastern United States, and other mid-continents show complex spatiotemporal patterns that do not fit existing earthquake models. Individual faults or fault zones tend to fall into long term (thousands of years or longer) dormancy after a cluster of ruptures, whereas large earthquakes seem to roam between widespread faults. These behaviors are characteristic of complex dynamic systems of interacting faults. In such systems, widespread faults collectively accommodate slow tectonic loading, and a major fault rupture both transfers stress to the neighboring faults and perturbs loading conditions on distant faults. Because of the slow tectonic loading, local stress variations from fault interaction or nontectonic processes, or changes of fault strength, could trigger min-continental earthquakes. The precise spatiotemporal occurrence of large mid-continental earthquakes may be unknowable, an intrinsic limitation of complex dynamic systems, but their qualitative system behavior may be understood by a system approach. This approach would render

show abstract

Intraplate earthquakes in North China

Cited by 9 publications

References 63 publications

Interacting Intraplate Fault Systems in Australia: The 2012 Thorpdale, Victoria, Seismic Sequences

Interacting Intraplate Fault Systems in Australia: The 2012 Thorpdale, Victoria, Seismic Sequences

Contemporary Deformation of the North China Plain From Global Positioning System Data

Mid-continental earthquakes: Spatiotemporal occurrences, causes, and hazards

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About