Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Fold catastrophe model of strike-slip fault earthquake

  • Published:
Applied Mathematics and Mechanics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Using a differential form of the potential energy function and taking the effect of work applied by external force in far field into account, the mechanism of strike-slip fault earthquake is analyzed. The research indicates that each characteristic displayed with a fold catastrophe model in the catastrophe theory corresponds to a specific primary characteristic of the strike-slip fault earthquake. The fold catastrophe can describe the positions of starting and end points of a fault failure and the distance of fault dislocation. These include the description of stability of the surrounding rock-fault system before and after the earthquake. Two different illustrations about elastic energy releasing amount of the surrounding rock with the fault failure are shown with the primary characteristics mutually demonstrated. The intensity of strike-slip fault earthquake is related to the surrounding rock press and the stiffness ratio of surrounding rock and fault. The larger the surrounding rock press, the smaller the stiffness ratio. The larger the included angle between the tangential stress axis and the causative fault surface, the stronger the earthquake.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Stuart, W. D. Quasi-static earthquake mechanics. Reviews of Geophysics and Space Physics 17(6), 1115–1120 (1979)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Stuart, W. D. Strain softening instability model for the San Fernando earthquake. Science 203(4383), 907–910 (1979)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Rice, J. R. New perspectives in crack and fault dynamics. Proceedings of the 20th International Congress of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (eds. Aref, H. and Phillips, J. W.), Kluwer Academic Publishers, Chicago, 1–24 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Rice, J. R. Constitutives relations for fault slip and earthquake instabilities. Pure and Applied Geophysics 121(3), 443–475 (1983)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Ben-Zion, Y. Dynamic rupture in recent models of earthquake faults. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 49(9), 2209–2244 (2001)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  6. Kanamori, H. and Brodsky, E. E. The physics of earthquakes. Reports on Progress in Physics 67(8), 1429–1496 (2004)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  7. Wei, F. L. Cepstrum analysis of seismic source characteristics. Acta Seismologica Sinica 16(1), 50–58 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Wang, R. Q., Jia, X. F., and Hu, T. Y. The precise finite difference method for seismic modeling. Applied Geophysics 1(2), 69–74 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Yin, Y. Q. and Zheng, G. T. A cusp type catastrophic model of fault earthquake (in Chinese). Acta Geophysica Sinica 31(6), 657–664 (1988)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Yong, X. X., Yin, Y. Q., Kang, Z. Y., Liu, G. X., Wang, T. T., Chen, R. J., and Zhang, Y. S. The cusp type catastrophe analyses of compresso-shear fault earthquake (in Chinese). Science in China (Series B) 24(6), 656–663 (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Karcinovic, D. Statistical aspects of the continuous damage theory. Int. J. Solids Struct. 18(3), 551–562 (1982)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Kachanov, L. M. Fundamentals of the Theory of Plasticity (in Chinese) (Transl. Zhou, H. T.), People’s Education Press, Beijing, 147–148 (1982)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Zheng, Y. T. Fundamentals of Elastic-Plastic-Sticky Theory of Rock Mechanics (in Chinese), China Coal Industry Publishing House, Beijing (1988)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Ling, F. H. History, present and advances of the catastrophe theory (in Chinese). Advances in Mechanics 14(4), 289–403 (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Cook, N. G. W. The failure of rock. Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. 2(3), 389–403 (1965)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Chen, Y. Mechanical Properties of Crustal Rock (in Chinese), Earthquake Press, Beijing (1988)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, Qingdao Technological University, Qingdao, 266520, Shandong Province, P. R. China

    Yue Pan  (潘岳)

  2. School of Science, Qingdao Technological University, Qingdao, 266520, Shandong Province, P. R. China

    Ai-wu Li  (李爱武)

Authors
  1. Yue Pan  (潘岳)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ai-wu Li  (李爱武)
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yue Pan  (潘岳).

Additional information

Communicated by Li-qun CHEN

Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 5067059)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pan, Y., Li, Aw. Fold catastrophe model of strike-slip fault earthquake. Appl. Math. Mech.-Engl. Ed. 31, 349–362 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10483-010-0308-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10483-010-0308-9

Key words

Chinese Library Classification

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification

Search

Navigation