Active blocks and strong seismic activity in North China region

Abstract

The active North China block consists of three second-order blocks: Ordos, North China Plain, and East Shandong-Huanghai Sea blocks. Two active tectonic zones, the Anyang-Heze-Linyi and Tangshan-Cixian zones, exist in the active North China Plain block and have separated the active block into 3 third-order active blocks, Taihangshan, Hebei-Shandong, and Henan-Huai blocks. The 3 third-order active blocks are characterized by their entire motion and are clearly different in their Cenozoic structures and deep structures. The active boundary tectonic zones between the third-order active blocks are less than those between the first- and second-order active blocks in their movement strength, extent, and seismic activity. The density of M· ·6 earthquakes in the boundary zones between active blocks is higher than that within the blocks by 9–22 times in the North China region, up to one order of magnitude on average. M· · 7 earthquakes occurred basically in the boundary zones between active blocks. The difference is not occasional, but reflects the nature of intraplate movement and the characteristics of strong seismic activity and is the powerful evidence for hypothesis of active blocks.