Quick Search:    advanced search

GSW Home   GeoRef Home   My GSW Alerts   Contact GSW   About GSW   Journals List   Help

This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by BUTLER, R. Articles by KANAMORI, H. Search for Related Content GeoRef GeoRef Citation

The July 27, 1976 Tangshan, China earthquake—A complex sequence of intraplate events

SEISMOLOGICAL LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91125

Abstract

The Tangshan earthquake (M_s = 7.7), of July 27, 1976 and its principal aftershock (M_s = 7.2), which occurred 15 hr following the main event, resulted in the loss of life of over 650,000 persons in northeast China. This is the second greatest earthquake disaster in recorded history, following the 1556 Shensi Province, Chinese earthquake in which at least 830,000 persons lost their lives. Detailed analyses of the teleseismic surface waves and body waves are made for the Tangshan event. The major conclusions are: (1) The Tangshan earthquake sequence is a complex one, including strike-slip, thrust, and normal-fault events. (2) The main shock, as determined from surface waves, occurred on a near vertical right-lateral strike-slip fault, striking N40°E. (3) A seismic moment of 1.8 x 10²⁷ dyne-cm is obtained. From the extent of the aftershock zone and relative location of the main shock epicenter, symmetric (1:1) bilateral faulting with a total length of 140 km may be inferred. If a fault width of 15 km is assumed, the average offset is estimated to be 2.7 meters with an average stress drop of about 30 bars. (4) The main shock was initiated by an event with a relatively slow onset and a seismic moment of 4 x 10²⁶ dyne-cm. The preferred fault-plane solution, determined from surface-wave analyses, indicates a strike 220°, dip 80°, and rake –175°. (5) Two thrust events follow the strike-slip event by 11 and 19 sec, respectively. They are located south to southwest of the initial event and have a total moment of 8 x 10²⁵ dyne-cm. This sequence is followed by several more events. (6) The principal aftershock was a normal-fault double event with the fault planes unconstrained by the P-wave first motions. Surface waves provide additional constraints to the mechanism to yield an oblique slip solution with strike N120°E, dip 45°SW, and rake –30°. A total moment of 8 x 10²⁶ dyne-cm is obtained. (7) The triggering of lesser thrust and normal faults by a large strike-slip event in the Tangshan sequence has important consequences in the assessment of earthquake hazard in other complex strike-slip systems like the San Andreas.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Robinson and S. Zhou Stress Interactions within the Tangshan, China, Earthquake Sequence of 1976 Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2005; 95(6): 2501 - 2505. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. A. Ozacar and S. L. Beck The 2002 Denali Fault and 2001 Kunlun Fault Earthquakes: Complex Rupture Processes of Two Large Strike-Slip Events Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 2004; 94(6B): S278 - S292. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Lisbon 1755: A Case of Triggered Onshore Rupture? Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, October 1, 2003; 93(5): 2056 - 2068.

				K. Matsunami, W. Zhang, K. Irikura, and L.-l. Xie Estimation of Seismic Site Response in the Tangshan Area, China, Using Deep Underground Records Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, June 1, 2003; 93(3): 1065 - 1078. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B.-S. Huang and Y. Tein Yeh The fault ruptures of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake sequence inferred from coseismic crustal deformation Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, August 1, 1997; 87(4): 1046 - 1057. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K. DAN, T. ISHII, and M. EBIHARA Estimation of strong ground motions in meizoseismal region of the 1976 Tangshan, China, earthquake Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 1993; 83(6): 1756 - 1777. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. F. PACHECO and L. R. SYKES Seismic moment catalog of large shallow earthquakes, 1900 to 1989 Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, June 1, 1992; 82(3): 1306 - 1349. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. KIKUCHI and Y. FUKAO Seismic wave energy inferred from long-period body wave inversion Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, October 1, 1988; 78(5): 1707 - 1724. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. G. SOMERVILLE, J. P. MCLAREN, L. V. LEFEVRE, R. W. BURGER, and D. V. HELMBERGER Comparison of source scaling relations of eastern and western North American earthquakes Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 1987; 77(2): 322 - 346. [Abstract] [PDF]

				Y. ZHUO and H. KANAMORI Regional variation of the short-period (1 to 10 second) source spectrum Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, April 1, 1987; 77(2): 514 - 529. [Abstract] [PDF]

				H. HOUSTON and H. KANAMORI Source spectra of great earthquakes: Teleseismic constraints on rupture process and strong motion Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, February 1, 1986; 76(1): 19 - 42. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. CHEN and O. W. NUTTLI Estimates of magnitudes and short-period wave attenuation of Chinese earthquakes from Modified Mercalli intensity data Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, June 1, 1984; 74(3): 957 - 968. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. H. Sibson Continental fault structure and the shallow earthquake source Journal of the Geological Society, October 1, 1983; 140(5): 741 - 767. [Abstract] [PDF]

				T. H. HEATON Tidal triggering of earthquakes Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 1982; 72(6A): 2181 - 2200. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. S. BARKER and C. A. LANGSTON Inversion of teleseismic body waves for the moment tensor of the 1978 Thessaloniki, Greece, earthquake Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, October 1, 1981; 71(5): 1423 - 1444. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. A. Jackson, T. J. Fitch, and D. P. McKenzie Active thrusting and the evolution of the Zagros fold belt Geological Society, London, Special Publications, January 1, 1981; 9(1): 371 - 379. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. BUTLER and H. KANAMORI Long-period ground motion from a great earthquake Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, August 1, 1980; 70(4): 943 - 961. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. BUTLER Shear-wave travel times from SS Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 1, 1979; 69(6): 1715 - 1732. [Abstract] [PDF]