China Seismic Experimental Site: Theoretical Framework and Ongoing Practice

This book introduces an integrated conceptual framework of the China Seismic Experimental Site (CSES), describes its scientific challenges and research priorities, and reports preliminary results coming out of observational infrastructure in seismology, tectonophysics, geodesy, geophysics and geochemistry. Preliminary community fault model, community velocity model, and community strain rate model in the CSES are described in this book. A multidisciplinary test observation system includes GNSS, seismic array, and deep drilling system under construct around middle segment of the Xiansuihe-Xiaojiang fault and other seismogenic faults in the CSES which are also introduced. This book introduces multidisciplinary topics and a wide spectrum of solid earth system to describe various disciplines, methods, and techniques through the CSES.

This book presents a vision of the CSES that is dedicated to deepen the scientific understanding of continental earthquake preparation and occurrence and enhance the disaster resilience of the society. It aims at establishing a field laboratory of earthquake science, in which international and interdisciplinary cooperation could be fostered and supported. Contents of this book include the following:

- History of Seismic Experiment Sites in the World.

- Launching of CSES Project: Seismicity, Existed Earthquake Monitoring Networks, and Historical Seismic Disasters.

- Seismotectonics and Geodynamics of the Eastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau with Implication for the CSES.

- Theoretical Framework of CSES in View of Natural Science and in view of Social Science.

- Updated Earthquake Monitoring Network in China.

- CSES Community Models of Geology, Structure, and Deformation.

- Earthquake Forecasting Models.

- CSES Products: Massive Data Procession and Distribution.

- A Review of the Field Expedition of the June 17, 2019, Changning, Sichuan, M6.0 Earthquake.

- Rupture Structure and Earthquake Risk of the South Longmenshan Fault Viewed by Guided Waves.

- Seismic Risk Assessment.

- Model of a Seismic Experimental Site with Application to the Comparative Study between CSES and ASES.

Prof. Yong-Gang Li is 1. Research Professor of Earth Sciences at University of Southern California, Southern California Earthquake Center, 2. Honorary Professor of Chinese Academy of Geological Science, 3. Editor of Book Series in Global Change and Earth System Science for Higher Education Press, 4. Editorial Board of Journal, 5. Former President of Chinese-American Professor Association of Southern California and 6. Who’s Who in America.

Prof. Yong-Gang Li is Distinguished Earthquake Specialist. He was graduated from Fudan University in 1967 and came to USA as Visiting Scholar in 1981. He received his Ph.D. of Geophysics & Seismology at USC in 1987 since then Prof. Li is Principal Investigator of multiple research projects awarded by National Science Foundation, US Geological Survey, and SCEC. His pioneering research in discovery of fault zone trapped waves and new findings in characterizing spatiotemporal features of active earthquake faults in 4D have been recognized by earth scientists world widely. These breakthrough findings input new ingredients in earthquake investigation. Dr. Li has published 4 important papers in prestigious scientific journals and since 1990, and more than 100 refereed papers and scientific articles, in which he is Lead Author. Prof. Li serves Editorial Board of Journal and convened professional sessions and gave invited talks at International Conferences and Academic Institutions often. He was Specially Invited Professor of Fudan University and Ningbo Nottingham University in China and University of Auckland in New Zealand. He is Honorary Professor of China Academy of Geological Science, and Overseas Intelligent Specialist of China Association for Science & Technology. His researches at the San Andreas Fault System in California associated with the 2004 M6 Parkfield earthquake and the 2014 M6 South Napa earthquake, the Longman-Shan Fault of the 2008 M8 Wenchuan-2013 M7 Lushan Earthquakes in Sichuan, the 2010-2011 M7.1-M6.3 earthquakes in South Island of New Zealand are among the multidisciplinary earth science major research projects in USA, China, Japan, and New Zealand. Prof. Li is also often interviewed by news media in USA and China for outreach of his scientific expertise to public communities, leading them to have a better understanding of earthquakes and natural hazards. His biography and research are listed and reported in Gale-American Men and Women of Science, Geo-Times, and Who’s Who publications.

Yongxian Zhang, Head of the Department of Earthquake Numerical Prediction, Institute of Earthquake Forecasting, China Earthquake Administration; Deputy chair of the APEC Cooperation for Earthquake Science; Committee member of China Seismological Society.

Prof. Yongxian Zhang studied Geophysics in Peking University during 1984-1988. She got her master’s degree from the Center for Analysis of Prediction, China Earthquake Administration in 1991, and received her doctorate from the Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration in 1999. She visited UC Davis of USA as a senior visiting scholar in 2012.

Her study interests are model of seismogenic process, seismicity pattern, mechanics of earthquake anomaly, synthetic method of earthquake prediction, etc. She has published about 100 papers (more than 20 of them are in English).

She has been a practitioner of earthquake forecasting in China for about 27 years since 1991 in China. She won several national awards in China such as National Excellent Scientist from China Association for Science and Technology, Special Allowance of the State Council of China, etc.

Zhongliang Wu got his B.Sc. (1985), M.Sc. (1988), and Ph.D. (1991) degrees from Peking University, Beijing, China. He has been working as post-doc (1991-1993), associate research scientist (1993-1996), and research scientist (1996-2002; 2008-2017) in the Institute of Geophysics, State Seismological Bureau (SSB, now China Earthquake Administration, CEA) and the Institute of Earthquake Forecasting, CEA (2017-2023). From 2002 to 2007, he worked as a professor of geophysics in the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (now University of CAS).

He has been serving as a deputy director (1996-2002) and director (2004-2017) of the Institute of Geophysics, CEA, vice dean of the College of Earth Science, Graduate School of CAS (2003-2004), vice chairman of the Committee for Science and Technology of CEA (2010-2020), and director of the Institute of Earthquake Forecasting, CEA (2017 ). He was elected as the vice-president of the Seismological Society of China (SSC, 2002-2010, 2015-2020).

His research interests are earthquake seismology and physics of earthquakes, with application to the reduction of earthquake disaster risk. He had joined in the Wenchuan Earthquake Fault Scientific Drilling (WFSD, 2008 2016) project as co-PI, the China Array (Phases I and II, 2010-2016) project as team leader, the Field Expedition of the 2013 Lushan, Sichuan, MS7.0 earthquake and the 2014 Ludian, Yunnan, MS6.5 earthquake as team leader, and the China Seismic Experimental Site (CSES, phase I, 2018 2019) as coordinator. He had been working as Editor of Earth, Planets, and Space, Tokyo (2002 2016), and its Advisory Board Member (2016 2019), Associate of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste (2003 2008), and international advisor of the Global Survivability Studies (GSS) Program of the Educational Initiative Inter-Graduate School Program for Sustainable Development and Survivable Societies, Kyoto University, Kyoto (2012 2016). Serving the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), he was elected as the member of Executive Committee (1999-2003; 2011-2015), first vice-president (2003 2007), and president (2007 2011) of the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth’s Interior (IASPEI). He served as the chairman of the IASPEI Commission on Earthquake Hazard, Risk, and Strong Ground Motion (SHR) from 2001 to 2007, and member of and IASPEI representative to the IUGG Commission for Geophysical Risk and Sustainability (GRC) for the periods 2003-2007 and 2015-2019, respectively. In 2015, he was conferred Fellow of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG).