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The 2022 M (sub s) 5.8 and 6.0 Maerkang earthquakes; two strike-slip events occurred on V-shaped faults

Yang Ting, Jia Ke, Zhu Aiyu, Wang Shiguang and Fang Lihua
The 2022 M (sub s) 5.8 and 6.0 Maerkang earthquakes; two strike-slip events occurred on V-shaped faults
Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (December 2023) 113 (6): 2432-2446

Abstract

Within four hours on 10 June 2022, three consecutive earthquakes of M (sub s) > or =5.0 with a maximum magnitude up to M (sub s) 6.0 struck Maerkang, Sichuan, where is supposedly less prone to earthquakes. This article uses seismic observations recorded by the Sichuan Seismic Network to relocate the earthquake sequences and refine velocity models in Maerkang using a double-difference seismic tomography method. The results show that the aftershocks align along northwest and north-northwest directions with a V-shaped pattern, and the M (sub s) 5.8 and 6.0 earthquakes are located in the center of the sequences. The seismogenic faults of the Maerkang earthquake are the two intersecting secondary faults on the east side of the Songgang fault that dip to the northeast and southwest, respectively, with dip angles of about 80 degrees . Analysis of the seismicity parameters and Coulomb stress changes revealed that the M (sub s) 5.8 and 6.0 earthquakes occurred on two separate faults, and the M (sub s) 5.8 earthquake triggered the M (sub s) 6.0 earthquake, while the M (sub s) 6.0 earthquake prevented the rupture of the M (sub s) 5.8 earthquake. The apparent high-velocity anomaly in the upper crust and the low-velocity and high-conductivity layer in the middle-lower crust of the source region suggest that drag forces exerted by the ductile middle-lower crust may have caused the brittle upper crust to move under the eastward extrusion of the Tibetan plateau, leading to the stresses accumulate and release on the causative faults. The Maerkang earthquake highlighted the lateral movement of deep materials and energy redistribution in the intrablock deformation of the Bayan Har block.


ISSN: 0037-1106
EISSN: 1943-3573
Serial Title: Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America
Serial Volume: 113
Serial Issue: 6
Title: The 2022 M (sub s) 5.8 and 6.0 Maerkang earthquakes; two strike-slip events occurred on V-shaped faults
Affiliation: China Earthquake Administration, Institute of Geophysics, Beijing, China
Pages: 2432-2446
Published: 202312
Text Language: English
Publisher: Seismological Society of America, Berkeley, CA, United States
References: 64
Accession Number: 2024-006237
Categories: Seismology
Document Type: Serial
Bibliographic Level: Analytic
Illustration Description: illus. incl. geol. sketch maps, 2 tables, sects.
N32°12'00" - N32°22'00", E101°43'60" - E101°54'00"
Secondary Affiliation: Northwestern Polytechnical University, CHN, China
Country of Publication: United States
Secondary Affiliation: GeoRef, Copyright 2024, American Geosciences Institute. Abstract, Copyright, Seismological Society of America. Reference includes data from GeoScienceWorld, Alexandria, VA, United States
Update Code: 2024
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