Variations of shear wave splitting in the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake region

Through the analysis of S-wave particle motion of local events in the shear wave window, the polarization directions of the faster shear wave and the delay times between the faster and the slower shear waves were derived from seismic recordings at the stations near the fault zones. The shear wave splitting results of seven stations in the area of Longmenshan fault zone reveal spatial variation of the polarization directions of the fast shear wave. The directions at stations in the southeastern side of the Longmenshan fault zone (in the Sichuan Basin area) are in the NE direction, whereas the direction at station PWU (in the Plateau), which is in the northwestern side of the faults, is in the EW direction. Systematic changes of the time delays between two split shear waves were also observed. At station L5501 in the southern end of the aftershock zone, the delay times of the slower shear wave decrease systematically after the main shock. After the main shock, the delay times at station PWU were longer than those before the earthquake. Seismic shear wave splitting is caused mostly by stress-aligned microcracks in the rock below the stations. The results demonstrate changes of local stress field during the main-shock and the aftershocks. The stress in the southern part of Wenchuan seismogenic zone was released by the main-shock and the aftershocks. The crustal stresses were transferred to the northeastern part of the zone, resulting in stress increase at station PWU after the main-shock.