The 4.20 Lushan M _S7.0 earthquake occurred on the southwest segment of the Longmenshan fault on 20 April 2013. Some meaningful information on the preparation and occurrence of this earthquake was found based on the dynamic variation of gravity (DVG). To examine the great progress of the Lushan earthquake, we obtained the density variation (DENV) derived from the DVG using the compact gravity inversion method in this article. The inversion results reveal three main findings: (1) the DENV in the crust in the Jinshajiang fault area changed from positive in 2010–2011 to negative in 2011–2012. (2) The DENV in the Xianshuihe fault area decreased continuously from 2010 to 2012. (3) The DENV of the uppermost mantle of South China decreased in 2010–2011 and increased in 2011–2012. We propose that the flow/expansion of the middle-lower crust beneath the Bayan Har block and Moho subsidence on the southwest margin of the Chuan-Dian block may have been the major causes of the Lushan earthquake.

The pattern evolution and dynamic mechanism of the dynamic changes of regional gravity fields occurring before and after the Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake are analyzed, based on five epochs of 1998–2007 mobile gravity data from the middle-south section of the north–south seismic belt, and two epochs of field research data collected after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in combination with GPS data, leveling observations, and geotectonic environment data. The regional dynamic gravity changes demonstrate the effects of the eastward flow of solid matter in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau and the preparation of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake (2–10yr). The two most meaningful gravity indicators of the Wenchuan earthquake preparation are the positive (increasing) gravity changes occurring over many years in the southwest epicenter and the large-scale gradient zone of gravity variation, with the cumulative difference between the two sides of the gradient zone of gravity exceeding 200 μGal. The positive gravity changes may facilitate a constant energy accumulation and the gradient belt may support seismic shear breakage. Overall, the gravity changes associated with the earthquake preparation indicate a pattern of accelerating increase-decelerating increase-earthquake occurrence. The Songpan-Ganzi block generally displays a negative gravity change, providing evidence for a local upwarping of the deep crust-mantle and an interior expansion of the deep crust attributable to high temperatures. The viewpoint is consistent with the dilatant mechanism for earthquake preparation

By using GPS and gravity data before and after the Wenchuan Ms8.0 earthquake and combining data from geological surveys and geophysical inversion studies, an initial coseismic fault model is constructed. The dip angle changes of the fault slip distribution on the fault plane are inversed, and the inversion results show that the shape of the fault resembles a double-shovel. The Yingxiu–Beichuan Fault is approximately 330 km long, the surface fault dip angle is 65.1°, which gradually reduces with increasing depth to 0° at the detachment layer at a depth of 19.62 km. The Guanxian–Jiangyou Fault is approximately 90 km long, and its dip angle at the surface is 55.3°, which gradually reduces with increasing depth; the fault joins the Yingxiu–Beichuan Fault at 13.75 km. Coseismic slip mainly occurs above a depth of 19 km. There are five concentrated rupture areas, Yingxiu, Wenchuan, Hanwang, Beichuan, and Pingwu, which are consistent with geological survey results and analyses of the aftershock distribution. The rupture mainly has a thrust component with a small dextral strike–slip component. The maximum slip was more than 10 m, which occurred near Beichuan and Hanwang. The seismic moment is 7.84 × 1020 Nm (Mw7.9), which is consistent with the seismological results

North China is a key region for studying geophysical progress. In this study, ground-based and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) gravity data from 2009 to 2013 are used to calculate the gravity change rate (GCR) using the polynomial fitting method. In general, the study area was divided into the Shanxi rift, Jing-Jin-Ji (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Province), and Bohai Bay Basin (BBB) regions. Results of the distribution of the GCR determined from ground-based gravimetry show that the GCR appears to be “negative-positive-negative” from west to east, which indicates that different geophysical mechanisms are involved in the tectonic activities of these regions. However, GRACE solutions are conducted over a larger spatial scale and are able to show a difference between southern and northern areas and a mass redistribution of land water storage.

The Barkam–Jiuzhaigou–Wuqi gravity profile extends across the Jiuzhaigou Ms7.0 earthquake (in 2017) zone and passes through several historical big earthquakes’ zones. We have obtained Bouguer gravity anomalies along the profile composed of 365 gravity observation stations with Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, analyzed the observed data and inverted subsurface density structure. The results show that the Moho depth has a big lateral variation from southwest to northeast, which shallows from 57 km to 43 km with maximum variation up to 14 km within 800 km. The most acute depth change of the Moho is in the boundary region between the Bayan Har block and West Qinling–Qilian block. According to our analysis, it is related to the eastward movement of the Bayan Har block. There are three main pieces of evidence that support it: (1) Density is higher in the east of the Bayan Har block and smaller in the west, which is the same as seismic activity; (2) Two thin low-density layers exist in the upper and middle crust of the Bayan Har block, which may promote inter-layer slip and the Jiuzhaigou Ms7.0 earthquake occurred in the boundary area of the two low-density layers, where the crustal density and Moho surface fluctuate sharply; (3) the GPS velocity field in the southwestern part gravity profile is significantly larger than that of the northeastern part, which is consistent with the density structure. Our studies also suggest that the large undulation of the Moho prevents the movement of the Bayan Har block, and strain is prone to accumulate here. The dynamic background analysis of the crust in this area indicates that the Moho surface uplifts in the West Qinling–Qilian block, which decelerates the eastern migration of material on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, and leads to the weak tectonic activity of the north part of the Bayan Har block.