Future earthquake potential in the Bohaia€“Zhangjiakou Seismotectonic Zone (BZSZ) in North Chinadeserves close attention. Tectonic stress accumulation state is an important indicator for earthquakes;therefore, this study aims to analyse the stress accumulation state in the BZSZ via three-dimensionalvisco-elastic numerical modelling. The results reveal that the maximum shear stress in the BZSZ increasesgradually as the depth increases, and the stress range is wider in the lower layer. In the upper layer, themaximum shear stress is high in the Zhangjiakou area, whereas in the lower layer, relatively high valuesoccur in the Penglaia€“Yantai area, which may be affected by the depth of the Moho surface. Besides,weak fault zones will be easily fractured when the maximum shear stress is not sufficiently high due totheir low strengths, resulting in earthquakes. Therefore, based on the modelling results, the upper layerof the Zhangjiakou area and the lower layer of the Penglaia€“Yantai area in the BZSZ in North China aremore likely to experience earthquakes.
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