{
  "abstract": "The Gutenberg-Richter power-law relationship essentially governs the frequency-magnitude distribution (FMD) of seismic activity. The b-value, as the slope of this distribution, is widely recognized not only as a quantifier of the relative proportion of small to large events but also as a diagnostic precursor of crustal differential stress and potential big to huge earthquakes. This study investigates the spatiotemporal evolution of b-values across major tectonic regions in mainland China, for instance, the Sichuan-Yunnan, North China, and Northwest regions. Our analysis of over 50 years of seismic records systematically examines b-value variations across major seismogenic zones in mainland China to evaluate their utility as precursors for moderate-to-strong earthquakes. Moreover, our comparison suggests that the b-positive estimator is less affected by changes in detection capability and short-term aftershock incompleteness than the classical b-value estimator in the cases examined. While the Sichuan-Yunnan region displays a complex \"mosaic\" of high and low b-values reflecting fluid-driven processes and localized locking, the North China Plain and Northwest regions exhibit consistently lower b-values, suggesting high background stress and rigid crustal integrity. We also find that several of the rupture areas of moderate-to-large earthquakes in our catalog coincide with localized low-b patches identified in earlier long-term windows. This study provides a foundation for systematic, prospective evaluation of b-value-based precursor monitoring in mainland China.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": "2609.20239",
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Yuxin Zhou"
    },
    {
      "name": "Huai Zhang"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. Mostafa Mousavi"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a3kjtdhdt43j7.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.48550/arxiv.2609.20239",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "a3kjtdhdt43j7",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.20239",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "LicenseRef-arXiv-nonexclusive-1.0",
  "licence_label": "arXiv licence",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
  "metadata_licence": "CC0-1.0",
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "arxiv",
      "physics.geo-ph"
    ],
    [
      "arxiv",
      "stat.AP"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1908|earthquake and tectonic studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7213577788",
  "pdf_url": "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2609.20239",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-01",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a3kjtdhdt43j7.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:22:19Z",
      "native_id": "2609.20239",
      "source": "arxiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.20239"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "arxiv:physics.geo-ph",
      "subfield": "geophysics"
    },
    {
      "field": "mathematics",
      "origin": "arxiv:stat.AP",
      "subfield": "statistics"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Spatiotemporal Analysis for Frequency-Magnitude Distribution of Earthquakes Across Mainland China: Comparing Classical and b-positive b-values Across Tectonic Regimes",
  "title_text": "Spatiotemporal Analysis for Frequency-Magnitude Distribution of Earthquakes Across Mainland China: Comparing Classical and b-positive b-values Across Tectonic Regimes",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:22:29Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a3kjtdhdt43j7",
  "venue": "arXiv",
  "versions": []
}