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Some Thoughts on the Seismic Tectonics of Strong Earthquake Occurring Sections in China

LI Ping1, HUANG Guang-si2, YANG Mei-e3   

  1. 1. Geological Institute,State Seismological Bureau,Beijing 100029; 2. Wuhan Seismological Institute,State Seismological Bureau,Wuhan 430000; 3. Institute of Geology,Chinese Academy of Geological Science,Beijing 100037
  • Received:2001-09-20 Revised:2001-09-20 Online:2001-09-20 Published:2001-09-20

Abstract: The term strong earthquake occurring sections(SEOS)is used to specify thee places where strung earthquakes(M≥6)have occurred since Holocene,and will occur repeatedly in the future. The crust of China consists of several plates or blocks. Their boundaries are mostly large fault zones. Quaternary active faults have been forming and developing along the zones under the united effect of India Plate’s collision towards NNE and Pacific Plate’s subduction towards W-Southwest China is an area where SEOS are concentrated. During Q1 and Q2,the Sichuan-Yunnan (Rhombus) Block was pushed to SSE,so that left-lateral strike slipping took place in the Xianshuihe Fault Zone and Xiaojiang Fault Zone. Some fault-basins were formed in the tensional areas nearby these zones. During Q3,due to changed tectonic stress direction,Xiaojiang Fault Zone 1inked with Xianshuihe Fault Zone and formed a huge curve fault Zone,where a lot of SEOS are located. Activation of faults in Q3 has an universa1 significance. Al1 the faults 1ast to the current time,and the faults are called active faults for this reason. SEOS aye 1oeated at specific sections of the active faults. Epicenters in SEOS express characteristics in the tectonophysics and geomorphology. Widely developed graben-horst system ,long-range of remaining fault hills, head-cut rivers,remarkable differential in relief by accending and descending of the operate fault banks in the area where strong earthquakes occurred,are some obvious samples In SEOS,strong earthquakes of similar magnitudes repeated in the same places in certain temporal interva1. The model of the processes is “breaking-healing-breaking again-healing again”. According to the similarity of the map patterns of iso-value of acceleration of Jiji Earthquake (9.21 1999,Taiwan,China)and the iso-intensity for Yuzha Earthquake(1955,Sichuan,China),evident differences of buildings damage between in fault zones and out of fault zones and deformation of young deposition layers,the deformation mechanics of the strong earthquakes can be generalized as follows: 1 SEOS have a three-layer structure: a rupture layer and two complete rock layers as the fault walls located on two sides of the rupture 1ayer. 2 The rupture layer is a place where tectonic stress is concentrated and released. It plays the rule of reflecting seismic wave propagation. 3 Strong earthquakes repeat in certain temporal interval and spatial scope. Determining SEOS and utilizing fully the features mentioned above are very important for engineering construction.