深源地震(deep earthquakes)对于研究地球内部结构及板块的运动、动力学机制等起着重要的作用。从和达清夫首次发现深源地震至今80多年的时间里深源地震得到了广泛关注,获得大批高质量的成果。但是,其成因机制至今仍然是未解之谜。目前,大家广泛接受以脱水脆裂为中源地震的成因机制,反裂隙断层为深源地震的成因机制。剪切失稳等机制也能对中源与深源地震的成因做出较好的解释,但仍需进一步的实验研究。中国东北珲春等地区位于环太平洋地震带上,也是中国唯一存在的深源地震带。对地表地质构造、矿物岩石物理学、深部探测和高温高压实验及数值模拟分析的综合研究是解决深源地震机制问题的有效途径。加强中国东北深源地震机理与西太平洋板块俯冲的研究,对进一步认识我国东部大地构造格局演化有着重要的深部背景意义。
Deep earthquakes(including intermediate-focus and deep-focus earthquakes)play an important role in the study of structure of Earth deep interior,plate motion and dynamical mechanisms.Since the first discovery of deep earthquakes by Wadati,they have attracted extensive attention worldwide and had many high quality papers during this eighty years.However,the mechanism of deep earthquakes is still an unsolved problem.Now,it is commonly accepted that dehydration embrittlement is the mechanism of intermediate-focus earthquakes while transformational faulting is responsible for the deep-focus earthquakes.Although some researchers thought that the adiabatic shear instability is also suitable for intermediate-focus and deep-focus earthquakes,it needs more experimental evidence.Northeast China,located in the border of the Pacific Ocean Seismic Area,is also the only deep-focus earthquake zone in China.Combing the study of the structural geology of Earth surface,mineral rock physics,deep exploration,high temperature and high pressure experiments and numerical simulation analysis is an effective way to solve the problem of the mechanism of deep earthquakes.To strengthen the research of the mechanism of deep-focus earthquakes in the northeast area of China and western Pacific plate subduction is of a great significance for further studying the evolution of the tectonic patterns.