Structural Setting of Strong Earthquakes in the Huabei Area of China

Using P and S arrival times, which occurred within the Huabei seismic network, we carried out a tomographic inversion and compared results with the earthquake catalogue of the last 1000uyears in the area. The results are as follows:1) The hypocenters of most of the strong shocks are distributed in the transitional zones between high- and low-velocity areas in the crust, especially at edges of high-velocity blocks.2) Strong shocks predominantly lie above low-velocity blocks, or in transitional zones between low- and high-velocity areas, in the lower crust.3) The tectonic settings for the Tangshan and the Sanhe-Pingu earthquakes are similar. Both are not known near large fault belts, and in zones with a sharp lateral velocity gradient.4) The Ninghe, Tangshan and Luanxia earthquakes are located in high-velocity blocks that differ in size and depth. This difference can explain the focal depth distribution of the Tangshan earthquake sequence, i.e., earthquakes are shallower in the northeastern Luanxian area but deeper in the southwestern Ninghe area.