Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Correlation Between Earth Tides and the 2008 Ms8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake Sequence


Affiliations
1 Geophysics Department, School of Resources and Earth Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
2 Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, Tsukuba 305-8567, Japan
3 Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Shale Gas Resource Utilization, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China
 

This study examines the possibility of tidal triggering in the aftershock sequence of the MS 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008. Two methods, the Schuster spectrum and KORRECT (correlation with a rectangular pulse) methods, were used to explore the periodicities of the aftershock sequence. Firstly, we detected the latent periodicities through the Schuster spectrum method; then, we used the KORRECT method to verify and confirm these periodicities. Moreover, the aftershock catalogue was divided into two subsets using 16 km focal depth to discuss the impact of focal depth on tidal triggering. Results show that the aftershocks in the first few days following the mainshock were mainly triggered by semidiurnal and diurnal tides. In the Longmen Shan Thrust Belt, shallow earthquakes were triggered by diurnal tides and deep earthquakes were triggered by semidiurnal tides.

Keywords

Aftershock, Earth Tides, KORRECT Method, Schuster Spectrum, 2008 Ms8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Emter, D., Tidal triggering of earthquakes and volcanic events. In Tidal Phenomena(eds Wilhelm, H., Zürn, W. and Wenzel, H. G.), Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 1997, vol. 66; doi:10.1007/BFb0011468.

  • Berg, E., Triggering of the Alaskan earthquake of March 28, 1964, and major aftershocks by low ocean tide loads. Nature(London), 1966, 210(5039), 893–896; doi:10.1038/210893a0.

  • Mohler, A. S., Earthquake/Earth tide correlation and other features of the Susanville, California, earthquake sequence of June–July 1976. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 1980, 70, 1583–1593.

  • Tanaka, S., Tidal triggering of earthquakes precursory to the recent Sumatra megathrust earthquakes of 26 December 2004 (Mw 9.0), 28 March 2005 (Mw 8.6), and 12 September 2007 (Mw8.5). Geophys. Res. Lett., 2010, 37, L02301; doi:10.1029/2009GL041581.

  • Tanaka, S., Tidal triggering of earthquakes prior to the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake (Mw9.1). Geophys. Res. Lett., 2012, 39, L00G26; doi:10.1029/2012GL051179.

  • Chaodi, X., Xinglin, L., Xiaoyan,Z., Qingbo, M., Simeng, Y. and Yingnan, W., Tidal triggering of earthquakes in the Ning’er area of Yunnan Province, China. J. Asian Earth Sci., 2017, 138, 477– 483; doi:10.1016/j.jseaes.2017.02.029.

  • Li, J. and Jiang, H., A statistical analysis on Wenchuan aftershock activity triggered by earth tide. Earthquake Res. China, 2011, 27(4), 363–375 (in Chinese with English abstract).

  • Li, Q. and Xu, G. M., Tidal triggering of earthquakes in Longmen Shan region: the relation to the fold belt and basin structures. Earth Planet Sp., 2012, 64(9), 771–776; doi:10.5047/eps.2011.06.037.

  • Chen, D. and Yang, M., A study on tidal force triggering of the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 earthquake and its strong aftershocks. Earthquake Res. China, 2012, 26(1), 87–96; doi:10.3969/j.issn.0891-4176.2012.01.007.

  • Ader, T. J. and Avouac, J. P., Detecting periodicities and declustering in earthquake catalogs using the Schuster spectrum, application to Himalayan seismicity. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 2013, 377– 378, 97–105.

  • Kamal, M. L., The triggering of aftershocks by the free oscillations of the earth. Bull. Seismol. Soc. Am., 1996, 86(2), 299– 305.

  • Huang, Y., Wu, J. P., Zhang, T. Z. and Zhang, D. N., Relocation of the M8.0 Wenchuan earthquake and its aftershock sequence. Sci. China(Series D), 2008, 51(12), 1703–1711.

  • Xu, X. et al., The MS8.0 Wenchuan earthquake surface ruptures and its seismogenic structure. Seismol. Geol., 2008, 30(3), 597– 629 (in Chinese with English abstract)

  • Burchfiel, B. et al., A geological and geophysical context for the Wenchuan earthquake of 12 May 2008, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China. GSA Today, 2008, 18(18), 4–11; doi:10.1130/GSATG18A.

  • Zhao, J. et al., Spatiotemporal characteristics of strong after-shocks of the MS8.0 Wenchuan earthquake. Earthquake Sci., 2010, 23(3), 215–221.

  • Xie, C. D. et al., Pattern of stress change and its effect on seismicity rate caused by MS8.0 Wenchuan earthquake. Sci. China Earth Sci., 2010, 53(9), 1260–1270.

  • Datta, A., Kamal, Triggering of aftershocks of the Japan 2011 Earthquake by Earth tides. Curr. Sci., 2012, 102(5), 792–796.

  • Dieterich, J. H., Nucleation and triggering of earthquake slip: effect of periodic stresses. Tectonophysics, 1987, 144, 127–139.

  • Lockner, D. A. and Beeler, N. M., Premonitory slip and tidal triggering of earthquakes. J. Geophys. Res., 1999, 104(B9), 20133– 20151.

  • Beeler, N. M. and Lockner, D. A., Why earthquakes correlate weakly with the solid Earth tides: effects of periodic stress on the rate and probability of earthquake occurrence. J. Geophys. Res., 2003, 108(B8), 2391; doi:10.1029/2001JB001518.

  • Laurent, M. et al., Evidence of earthquake triggering by the solid earth tides. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 2009, 278(3–4), 0–375.

  • Zhang, P.-Z., Xu, X.-W., Wen, X.-Z. and Ran, Y.-K., Slip rates and recurrence intervals of the Longmen Shan active fault zone, and tectonic implications for the mechanism of the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake, 2008, Sichuan, China. Chin. J. Geophys., 2008, 51(4), 1066–1073; doi:10.3321/j.issn:0001-5733.2008.04.015 (in Chinese with English abstract).

  • Robert, A. et al., Crustal structures in the area of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake from seismologic and gravimetric data. Tectonophysics, 2010, 205–210.

  • Lu, R.-J., He, D.-F., John, S., Guan, S.-W., Ma, X.-M., Wang, M.-J. and Gui, B.-L., The discovery of structural wedges in the central Longmen Mountains front belt and its geometric and kinematic characteristics: Constraints on the dynamical mechanism of uplifting in the southeast margin of Qinghai Tibet Plateau. Earth Sci. Front., 2010, 17(5), 93–105 (in Chinese with English abstract).


Abstract Views: 286

PDF Views: 126




  • Correlation Between Earth Tides and the 2008 Ms8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake Sequence

Abstract Views: 286  |  PDF Views: 126

Authors

Ruyu Yan
Geophysics Department, School of Resources and Earth Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
Chaodi Xie
Geophysics Department, School of Resources and Earth Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
Xinglin Lei
Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, Tsukuba 305-8567, Japan
Han Zhang
Geophysics Department, School of Resources and Earth Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
Rui Jia
Geophysics Department, School of Resources and Earth Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
Jianping Liao
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Shale Gas Resource Utilization, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China

Abstract


This study examines the possibility of tidal triggering in the aftershock sequence of the MS 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008. Two methods, the Schuster spectrum and KORRECT (correlation with a rectangular pulse) methods, were used to explore the periodicities of the aftershock sequence. Firstly, we detected the latent periodicities through the Schuster spectrum method; then, we used the KORRECT method to verify and confirm these periodicities. Moreover, the aftershock catalogue was divided into two subsets using 16 km focal depth to discuss the impact of focal depth on tidal triggering. Results show that the aftershocks in the first few days following the mainshock were mainly triggered by semidiurnal and diurnal tides. In the Longmen Shan Thrust Belt, shallow earthquakes were triggered by diurnal tides and deep earthquakes were triggered by semidiurnal tides.

Keywords


Aftershock, Earth Tides, KORRECT Method, Schuster Spectrum, 2008 Ms8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv118%2Fi8%2F1286-1292