Stress-deformable state near the earthquake focus

The article models the distribution of displacements and stresses of the lithosphere around the earthquake’s focus. It is based on the variational finite element method for elastic multilayered orthotropic shells of rotation and considers the shear rigidity. With increasing thickness of the layer of sedimentary rocks (and, accordingly, decreasing strength of the layers of the crystalline foundation), displacement amplitudes grow, and stress amplitudes become smaller. The change in rock rigidity in the shear direction has the greatest effect on the quantitative and qualitative changes in the distribution of displacements and stresses. Rock rigidity in the vertical direction is somewhat less influential. A decrease in rigidity in this direction leads to a significant increase in the amplitude of vertical movements. The least effect on the displacements’ and stresses’ distribution belongs to rigidity changes in the longitudinal direction, perpendicular to the lithosphere shifting.