Body-wave waveform constraints on the source parameters of the Yangjiang, China, earthquake of July 25, 1969: A devastating earthquake in a stable continental region

Abstract

On July 25, 1969, an Ms 5.9 earthquake shook the Kwangtung Province near Yangjiang, China. Casualties and extensive damage were reported in the epicentral area. The Yangjiang earthquake occurred within the passive margin located along China's southeast coast. This stable continental setting is seismically one of the most quiet regions of China; historic records indicate this earthquake to have been the first devastating one in the area. A remarkable feature of this earthquake sequence is that its foreshocks and aftershocks are relatively small in terms of number and magnitude despite the relatively large main shock. Waveforms of long-and short-period teleseismic P and long-period teleseismic SH waves have been modeled to estimate the source parameters for this earthquake. The focal mechanism determined is predominately strike-slip with a small normal component (strike=263°, dip=79°, rake=194°) and is in good agreement with observations in the epicentral area regarding dislocation direction of fissures, distribution of aftershocks, and isoseismals. The average seismic moment is 5.15×1024 dyne-cm and the focal depth is estimated to be 9 km. The earthquake is characterized by a rather short source-time function and a high stress drop of approximately 380 bars. The observed pattern of the foreshock-main shock-aftershock sequence is interpreted in terms of the large stress drop associated with the main shock and the material properties at and near the source. The P-axis orientation lies roughly NW-SE and is consistent with the maximum compressive stress observed along the coast of southeast China. This stress orientation is consistent with the NW subducting Philippine Sea plate and the SE ward push from central China due to the convergence between Indian and Eurasian subcontinents. © 1991 Birkhäuser Verlag.