globalchange  > 全球变化的国际研究计划
项目编号: 1621878
项目名称:
In situ Seismic Anisotropy in the Source Region of Global Deep Earthquakes
作者: Yingcai Zheng
承担单位: University of Houston
批准年: 2017
开始日期: 2017-01-01
结束日期: 2018-12-31
资助金额: 136992
资助来源: US-NSF
项目类别: Standard Grant
国家: US
语种: 英语
特色学科分类: Geosciences - Earth Sciences
英文关键词: earthquake ; deep earthquake ; anisotropy ; shallow earthquake ; earthquake radiation pattern ; slab ; typical inverted shear-wave anisotropy ; moment tensor source analysis ; study ; deep-focus earthquake ; source focal mechanism solution ; single common anisotropy ; important earthquake source mechanic ; deep-earthquake group ; large anisotropy value ; anomalous earthquake source process ; such anisotropy
英文摘要: Earthquakes deeper than ~60km occur at subduction zones in the downgoing lithospheres known as slabs. Depending on the depth range at which they occur, they are known as either intermediate-depth, which can be destructive to human society, or deep-focus earthquakes. It is very challenging to explain the occurrence of these events since normal mantle rocks become ductile and this, in principle, should inhibit the occurrence of earthquakes. Yet more than 20% of the earthquakes worldwide occur at 60 km or larger depths. Moreover, it has been observed that a large proportion of deep earthquakes radiate seismic waves differently than that expected from the double-couple mechanism of shallow earthquakes. These lines of evidence often lead to believe that the physics of deep earthquakes are fundamentally different from that of shallow earthquakes. The research goal of this study is to understand the physics of deep earthquakes and their seismic radiation by taking into account the seismic structure of the subducting oceanic slab where they occur.

The focus of this project is to elucidate why many deep earthquakes show a large non-double-couple-components in the results of moment tensor source analysis. The source focal mechanism solution is often used to infer important earthquake source mechanics. Specifically, this study tests the following well-formulated hypothesis for a particular subduction zone: could the presence of a uniform seismic anisotropic layer in a small volume inside the slab explain the non-double-couple component observed in all earthquakes contained in that region without the need of invoking anomalous earthquake source processes? Such anisotropy is expected since significant shearing should occur at the plate interface due to slab sinking. First, by using forward modeling, this study validates the approach of using earthquake radiation patterns to directly invert for in situ anisotropy around the earthquakes. Then 22 deep-earthquake groups in six global subduction zones: Tonga, Mariana, Japan, Kurile, South America, and Java subduction zones are analyzed. Second, for each of the 22 groups, the researchers invert for a single common anisotropy. Preliminary results show that the existence of the in situ laminated anisotropic fabric (i.e., tilted transverse isotropy) around the earthquakes could produce the observed non-double couple component in earthquake radiation pattern using earthquakes with conventional double-couple mechanisms due to faulting. In all subducting slabs, the inverted anisotropic fabric is parallel to the subducting slab interfaces, regardless of depth. The typical inverted shear-wave anisotropy is large, ~25%, in slabs worldwide. The consistency of the inferred anisotropy with respect to the slab geometry and large anisotropy values across many subduction zones fill an important knowledge gap regarding the slab internal structure produced by stress and chemical metamorphism. These new results can provide a critical synergistic link for a wide range of deep slab processes in understanding slab dynamics and plate tectonics.
资源类型: 项目
标识符: http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/90694
Appears in Collections:全球变化的国际研究计划
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Recommended Citation:
Yingcai Zheng. In situ Seismic Anisotropy in the Source Region of Global Deep Earthquakes. 2017-01-01.
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