NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF DEFORMATION MOVEMENT AND STRESS ACCUMULATION IN LONGMENSHAN AND ITS ADJACENT FAULTS BEFORE WENCHUAN EARTHQUAKE

In order to reveal the deformation and cumulative stress state in Longmenshan and its adjacent faults before Wenchuan earthquake,a 3D viscoelastic finite element model,which includes Longmenshan,Longriba,Minjiang and Huya faults is built in this paper.Using the GPS measurement results of 1999-2004 as the boundary constraints,the deformation and movement of Longmenshan fault zone and its adjacent zones before Wenchuan earthquake are simulated.The conclusions are drawn in this paper as follows:First,velocity component parallel to Longmenshan Fault is mainly absorbed by Longriba Fault and velocity component perpendicular to the Longmenshan Fault is mainly absorbed by itself.Because of the barrier effect of Minjiang and Huya faults on the north section of Longmenshan Fault,the compression rate in the northern part of Longmenshan Fault is lower than that in the southern part.Second,extending from SW to NE direction along Longmenshan Fault,the angle between the main compressive stress and the direction of the fault changes gradually from the nearly vertical to 45 degrees. Compressive stress and shear stress accumulation rate is high in southwest segment of Longmenshan Fault and compressive stress is greater;the stress accumulation rate is low and the compressive stress is close to shear stress in the northeast segment of the fault.This is coincident with the fact that small and medium-sized earthquakes occurred frequently and seismic activity is strong in the southwest of the fault,and that there are only occasional small earthquakes and the seismic activity is weak in the northeast of the fault.It is also coincident with the rupture type of thrust and right-lateral strike-slip of the Wenchuan earthquake and thrust of the Lushan earthquake.Third,assuming that the same type and magnitude of earthquake requires the same amount of stress accumulation,the rupture of Minjiang Fault,the southern segment of Longmenshan Fault and the Huya Fault are mainly of thrust movement and the earthquake recurrence period of the three faults increases gradually.In the northern segment of Longriba Fault and Longmenshan Fault,earthquake rupture is of thrusting and right-lateral strike-slip. The earthquake recurrence period of former is shorter than the latter.In the southern segment of Longriba Fault,earthquake rupture is purely of right-lateral strike-slip,it is possible that the earthquake recurrence period on the fault is the shortest in the study region.