Analysis of the synchronous rise of water level in the Tangshan fault zone

Abstract Since 2019, a synchronous and abnormal upward trend in water levels has been observed in the Tangshan and Majiagou observation wells, located within the Tangshan fault zone, coinciding with three earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or higher in the Tangshan area. This study conducted a quantitativ...

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Main Authors: Jie Tang, Suxin Zhang, Dong Ma, Yan Wang, Lina Sun, Wenlou Luan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-05-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02751-z
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author Jie Tang
Suxin Zhang
Dong Ma
Yan Wang
Lina Sun
Wenlou Luan
author_facet Jie Tang
Suxin Zhang
Dong Ma
Yan Wang
Lina Sun
Wenlou Luan
author_sort Jie Tang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Since 2019, a synchronous and abnormal upward trend in water levels has been observed in the Tangshan and Majiagou observation wells, located within the Tangshan fault zone, coinciding with three earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or higher in the Tangshan area. This study conducted a quantitative analysis of the influence of environmental factors on water level rises, based on data regarding groundwater exploitation, reservoir storage, and precipitation in the recharge areas surrounding the observation wells. The stress state of the observed aquifers was quantitatively determined, and regional stress changes were analyzed in conjunction with digital seismology and deformation observation data. The degree of water-rock interaction was evaluated using two-period testing data for ions and hydrogen and oxygen isotopes. Comprehensive analysis indicates that the recent abnormal changes in water levels at the Tangshan and Majiagou observation wells cannot be attributed solely to precipitation and surrounding environmental factors but also be associated with variations in stress fields and tectonic activity in the Tangshan area. This study shows that the vertical stress variations in the wellbore of the inversion of groundwater hydrogeological parameters and the water-rock interactions within the observation wells can to some extent reflect the changes in the regional stress field, which provides a theoretical basis for determining the seismicity by using the changes in groundwater in the future.
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spelling doaj-art-13df69be6e26440fb674cd376d0c64dc2025-08-20T02:34:02ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-05-0115111210.1038/s41598-025-02751-zAnalysis of the synchronous rise of water level in the Tangshan fault zoneJie Tang0Suxin Zhang1Dong Ma2Yan Wang3Lina Sun4Wenlou Luan5Hongshan National Observatory on Thick Sediments and Seismic HazardsHongshan National Observatory on Thick Sediments and Seismic HazardsHongshan National Observatory on Thick Sediments and Seismic HazardsTangshan Earthquake Monitoring Center StationHongshan National Observatory on Thick Sediments and Seismic HazardsInstitute of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Hebei GEO UniversityAbstract Since 2019, a synchronous and abnormal upward trend in water levels has been observed in the Tangshan and Majiagou observation wells, located within the Tangshan fault zone, coinciding with three earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or higher in the Tangshan area. This study conducted a quantitative analysis of the influence of environmental factors on water level rises, based on data regarding groundwater exploitation, reservoir storage, and precipitation in the recharge areas surrounding the observation wells. The stress state of the observed aquifers was quantitatively determined, and regional stress changes were analyzed in conjunction with digital seismology and deformation observation data. The degree of water-rock interaction was evaluated using two-period testing data for ions and hydrogen and oxygen isotopes. Comprehensive analysis indicates that the recent abnormal changes in water levels at the Tangshan and Majiagou observation wells cannot be attributed solely to precipitation and surrounding environmental factors but also be associated with variations in stress fields and tectonic activity in the Tangshan area. This study shows that the vertical stress variations in the wellbore of the inversion of groundwater hydrogeological parameters and the water-rock interactions within the observation wells can to some extent reflect the changes in the regional stress field, which provides a theoretical basis for determining the seismicity by using the changes in groundwater in the future.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02751-zTangshan fault zoneSubsurface fluidsWater level riseAbnormal causes
spellingShingle Jie Tang
Suxin Zhang
Dong Ma
Yan Wang
Lina Sun
Wenlou Luan
Analysis of the synchronous rise of water level in the Tangshan fault zone
Scientific Reports
Tangshan fault zone
Subsurface fluids
Water level rise
Abnormal causes
title Analysis of the synchronous rise of water level in the Tangshan fault zone
title_full Analysis of the synchronous rise of water level in the Tangshan fault zone
title_fullStr Analysis of the synchronous rise of water level in the Tangshan fault zone
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of the synchronous rise of water level in the Tangshan fault zone
title_short Analysis of the synchronous rise of water level in the Tangshan fault zone
title_sort analysis of the synchronous rise of water level in the tangshan fault zone
topic Tangshan fault zone
Subsurface fluids
Water level rise
Abnormal causes
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-02751-z
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AT dongma analysisofthesynchronousriseofwaterlevelinthetangshanfaultzone
AT yanwang analysisofthesynchronousriseofwaterlevelinthetangshanfaultzone
AT linasun analysisofthesynchronousriseofwaterlevelinthetangshanfaultzone
AT wenlouluan analysisofthesynchronousriseofwaterlevelinthetangshanfaultzone