3-D velocity structure of the middle and upper crust in the Yunnan Region, China

Using short-period (1-18 s) surface wave data recorded by 23 stations of the Yunnan Digital Seismic Network of China we determined phase velocities of the fundamental Rayleigh wave along 209 paths by the two-station narrowband filtering and cross-correlation method, followed by an inversion for phase velocity distributions at various periods using the Ditmar-Yanovskaya method. We then obtained a 3-D S-wave velocity structure of the middle and upper crust in the Yunnan region using the genetic algorithm. The results show strong lateral variation of phase velocity in the region. The short-period phase velocity variation is closely related to thickness variation of sedimentary layer in the shallow crust. Within the depth range of 26-30 km, the S-wave velocity in the Sichuan-Yunnan rhombic block is lower than in the surrounding areas. Most large earthquakes of M > 6.0 in Yunnan occurred in the transition zones between low and high velocities.