The reservoir-induced earthquakes in China

This paper analyses and discusses the distributions, types and geological structures of the 13 reservoir-induced earthquakes in China. The reservoir earthquakes in China are mostly distributed in the peneseismic and weak seismic areas. They are in a low strain state, and the equilibrium state of their strain can be easily changed by the impoundment of the reservoir. \n The occurrence of the reservoir-induced earthquakes in China is far more effected by the geological structures and the hydrogerolocical conditions of the respective area than the seismic activity frequency there. The reservoirs that induce earthquakes can be regarded as the “window” for prying into seismic activities of the area. The chart of seismic activities in large areas may be helpful to assess the attenuation process of the induced earthquakes. Finally, it is proposed in the paper that the reservoir-induced earthquakes should be classified into two types: “swarm earthquake type” and “foreshock-main shock-aftershock type". Their characteristics and formation processes are different from each other.