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Causes of the discordance in the south-north distribution of the 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake sequences

  • Natural earthquake and disaster
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Abstract

In the 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake sequence, the distribution of aftershocks in the north of the main earthquake was scattered, while the distribution of aftershocks in the south of the main earthquake was linear and concentrated. The objective of this inquiry is to analyze the dynamic causes underlying such divergent patterns, relying on the horizontal strain rosette, areal strain (As), and the coefficient of accommodation (Ca) based on the regional strain rate. The following two conclusions are obtained: (1) approximately one-third of the aftershocks with focal mechanisms in the north of the main shock are thrust-type earthquakes. Because the direction of regional tectonic principal compressional strain is perpendicular to the fault trend north of the main shock, generating thrust-type earthquakes on low dip-angle faults is indeed easy. Simultaneously, the overall thrust-type focal mechanism north of the main shock and the poor consistency between plate tectonic movement and fault movement caused by the seismic sequence lead to substantial scattered aftershocks in the north of the main shock. (2) One of the aftershocks with focal mechanisms in the south of the main shock is a reverse strikeslip type, while the other 30 are strike-slip type earthquakes. Moreover, the angle between the regional tectonic principal compressional strain direction and the fault trend in the south of the main shock is large, which makes it easier for faults in the south of the main shock to produce strike-slip-type earthquakes. Simultaneously, the overall strike-slip focal mechanism in the south of the main shock, the good consistency between fault movements caused by the seismic sequence, and plate tectonic movements lead to more linear and concentrated aftershocks in the south of the main shock. The findings are significant for investigations into the seismogenic properties and activity of the Huya Fault located on the northeastern margin of Bayan Har Block.

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 42174074, 42364005, 41704053), the East China University of Technology Research Foundation for Advanced Talents (ECUT) (DHBK2019084), the Science and Technology Project of Hebei Education Department (ZD2022160), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. ZY20215117). We are also grateful to Professor Fang Li-hua for presenting the relocation results of the earthquake.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Disaster Prevention, Sanhe, 065201, Hebei, China

    Zhi-Tong Jin, Jia-Lu Liu, Yong-Ge Wan, Fu-Chang Wang & Gan Feng

  2. Beijing Disaster Prevention Technology Co., LTD, Beijing, 101110, China

    Zhi-Tong Jin

  3. School of Geophysics and Measurement-control Technology, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, China

    Shu-Zhong Sheng

  4. Hebei Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Sanhe, 065201, Hebei, China

    Zhi-Tong Jin & Yong-Ge Wan

  5. Hongshan Seismological Observatory of Hebei Earthquake Agency, Xingtai, 054000, China

    Xiao-Tao Zhang

  6. Hebei Hongshan National Observatory on Thick Sediments and Seismic Hazards, Xingtai, 054000, China

    Xiao-Tao Zhang

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  1. Zhi-Tong Jin
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  2. Jia-Lu Liu
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  3. Yong-Ge Wan
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  4. Shu-Zhong Sheng
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  5. Fu-Chang Wang
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  6. Xiao-Tao Zhang
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  7. Gan Feng
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Correspondence to Zhi-Tong Jin.

Additional information

Jin Zhi-Tong, associate professor, graduated from Hebei Normal University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree. In 2010, he obtained a Master of Engineering Science degree from the China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing). In 2021, he obtained a Doctor of Science degree from the Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration. From 2010 to 2023, he worked in the Institute of Disaster Prevention. He is mainly engaged in the research of tectonic stress field and seismicity triggering.

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Jin, ZT., Liu, JL., Wan, YG. et al. Causes of the discordance in the south-north distribution of the 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake sequences. Appl. Geophys. 20, 225–238 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11770-023-1048-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11770-023-1048-5

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