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Japan's 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake and the accompanying tsunami have reminded us of the potential tsunami hazards from the Manila and Ryukyu trenches to the South China and East China Seas. Statistics of historical seismic records from nearly the last 4 decades have shown that major earthquakes do not necessarily agree with the local Gutenberg-Richter relationship. The probability of a mega-earthquake may be higher than we have previously estimated. Furthermore, we noted that the percentages of tsunami-associated earthquakes are much higher in major events, and the earthquakes with magnitudes equal to or greater than 8.8 have all triggered tsunamis in the past approximately 100 years. We will emphasize the importance of a thorough study of possible tsunami scenarios for hazard mitigation. We focus on several hypothetical earthquake-induced tsunamis caused by M 8.8 events along the Manila and Ryukyu trenches. We carried out numerical simulations based on shallow-water equations (SWE) to predict the tsunami dynamics in the South China and East China Seas. By analyzing the computed results we found that the height of the potential surge in China's coastal area caused by earthquake-induced tsunamis may reach a couple of meters high. Our preliminary results show that tsunamis generated in the Manila and Ryukyu trenches could pose a significant threat to Chinese coastal cities such as Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macao. However, we did not find the highest tsunami wave at Taiwan, partially because it lies right on the extension of an assumed fault line. Furthermore, we put forward a multi-scale model with higher resolution, which enabled us to investigate the edge waves diffracted around Taiwan Island with a closer view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate earthquakes in the lower crust of North China Basin (NCB), we develop a new method of resolving very accurately the focal depth for local earthquakes in the sedimentary regions by using P and S to P converted wave (Sp) at the sedimentary interface. Theoretical analysis shows clearly that the travel-time difference between the Sp and P wave almost linearly correlates with the focal depth. This finding provides tight constraints on the depth. With this method, we obtain well-constrained depths of 44 events in the NCB, with uncertainties in the depth of about 2 km. Such a fine resolution can have great potential in asking questions regarding the crustal rheology. The depth distribution shows abundance of earthquakes in depth interval of ∼20 km, with some events in the lower crust, but also reveals the absence of seismicity deeper than 25 km. We find a good fit between the depth-frequency distribution in this region and the Yield Strength Envelope (YSE) in the Baikal Rift Systems (BRS). We infer that, the seismogenic thickness is ∼25 km in the NCB and the main deformation mechanism is brittle fracture. We further hypothesize that: (1) the rheological layering of dominant rheology in the NCB is similar to that of the BRS, which can be explained with a quartz rheology at 0–10 km depth and a diabase rheology at 10–35 km depth; (2) the temperature is moderate in the seismogenic zone of crust. We emphasize that many accurately resolved earthquake locations can shed light on the local nature of the crustal rheology, and this strategic method can be employed in other sedimentary regions, which are seismically active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On December 16, 2013, right after the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) reached its highest annual water level, a powerful M5.1 earthquake occurred in Badong County, China’s Hubei Province. The epicenter is 5.5 km away from the upstream boundary and 100 km from the dam. Was this earthquake triggered by the impoundment of the TGR, and what are its subsequences? To answer these questions, we constructed a coupled three-dimensional poroelastic finite element model to examine the ground surface deformation, the Coulomb failure stress change (ΔCFS) due to the variation of elastic stress and pore pressure, and the elastic strain energy potential accumulation in the TGR region upon the occurrence of this event. Our calculated maximum surface deformation values beneath the TGR compare well with GPS observations, which validates our numerical model. At the hypocenter of the earthquake, ΔCFS is around 8.0 ∼ 11.0 kPa, revealing that it may be eventually triggered by the impoundment. We also discovered that the total elastic strain energy potential accumulation due to the impounded water load is around 1.7 × 10 12 J, merely equivalent to 0.01% of the total energy released by this event, indicating that this earthquake is predominately controlled by the typical regional tectonic settings as well as the weak fault zones, and the reservoir impoundment might only facilitate its procedure or occurrence. Furthermore, the stress level in this region remains high after this earthquake and the subsequent reservoir-triggered micro-seismicity or even bigger event are highly possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Using high-dense regional body waves for three deep earthquakes that occurred around Russia–China border, we investigate both S and P wave velocity structures in the mantle transition zone beneath Northeast China and northern part of North China Craton, where the northwestern Pacific plate is imaged to subhorizontally lie above the 660-km discontinuity. We observe an increasing trend of S–P travel time residuals along the epicentral distance within a distance range of 11–16.5°, indicating a velocity anomaly in MTZ. We seek the simplest model that explains the observed broadband waveforms and relative travel times of triplication for a confined azimuth sector. Both SH and P data suggest a ∼140±20km high velocity layer lying above a slightly depressed and broad 660-km discontinuity. Shear velocity reduction of ∼2.5% in the deeper part of the transition zone is required to compensate for the significantly large relative time between AB and CD triplicate branches and the increased trending of S–P travel time residuals as well. The MTZ, as a whole, is featured by low shear velocity and high V p /V s ratio. A water-rich mantle transition zone with 0.2–0.4wt% of H2O may account for the discrepancy between the observed V p and V s velocity structures. Our result supports the scenario of a viscosity-dominated stagnant slab with an increased thickness of ∼140km, which was caused by the large viscosity contrast between the lower and upper mantles. The addition of water and eastward trench retreat might facilitate stagnation of the subducting Pacific slab beneath Northeast China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]