On the Consistency of Large Earthquake Moment and Strain Rate Inferred from GPS Data in North China

摘要

The new GPS data can map crustal strain rates over large areas with a useful degree of precision. Stable strain measurement results open the door for improved estimates of earthquake occurrence. The Kostrov's formula (1974) translates the smoothed strain rates in North China into geodetic moment rates. In North China, the ratio of seismic moment released to moment accumulated from GPS measurement is 60.6 % in NS direction, 68.9 % in EW direction, and 104.1% in NE shear direction. The near unit ratio points to the reliability of GPS measurements there. The combination of historical seismicity and GPS measurement offers a powerful attack on earthquake hazard.