Spatial Distribution of Time-independent Seismicity in China

—The seismicity in the territory of China, a seismotectonically complicated region, has been examined by using three complete samples of earthquakes which occurred during the last two centuries (1800–1995). The b value of the Gutenberg-Richter relation was estimated by using this data sample. Taking into account the fact that the b value is spatially more stable than the a value, the b values were calculated at the nodes of a normal grid superposing on the entire area studied, and their distribution was examined. The results showed that the b value increases smoothly from 0.4 in inner-Mongolia to 0.8 in the east, south and southwest of China with higher values (b>0.8) in the Taiwan region. Furthermore, keeping fixed the obtained b values, the a value distribution was also examined. In order to display more detailed information about the seismicity, smaller cell surface (10,000 km2) for the calculation of the a values was chosen. The mean return periods for different cutoff magnitudes were also calculated for each of these small cells. It was observed that the mean return periods are the shortest ones in China, which are 10 and 50 years for the magnitude larger than or equal to 6.0 and 7.0, respectively.