ANALYSIS OF THE LATE QUATERNARY ACTIVITY ALONG THE WENCHUAN-MAOXIAN FAULT -MIDDLE OF THE BACK-RANGE FAULT AT THE LONGMENSHAN FAULT ZONE |
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| Authors: | WANG Xu-guang LI Chuan-you L&# Li-xing DONG Jin-yuan |
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| Affiliation: | Key Laboratory of Active Tectonics and Volcano, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China |
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| Abstract: | The Longmenshan fault zone is located in eastern margin of Tibetan plateau and bounded on the east by Sichuan Basin, and tectonically the location is very important. It has a deep impact on the topography, geomorphology, geological structure and seismicity of southwestern China. It is primarily composed of multiple parallel thrust faults, namely, from northwest to southeast, the back-range, the central, the front-range and the piedmont hidden faults, respectively. The MS8.0 Wenchuan earthquake of 12th May 2008 ruptured the central and the front-range faults. But the earthquake didn't rupture the back-range fault. This shows that these two faults are both active in Holocene. But until now, we don't know exactly the activity of the back-range fault. The back-range fault consists of the Pingwu-Qingchuan Fault, the Wenchuan-Maoxian Fault and the Gengda-Longdong Fault. Through satellite image(Google Earth)interpretation, combining with field investigation, we preliminarily found out that five steps of alluvial platforms or terraces have been developed in Minjiang region along the Wenchuan-Maoxian Fault. T1 and T2 terraces are more continuous than T3, T4 and T5 terraces. Combining with the previous work, we discuss the formation ages of the terraces and conclude, analyze and summarize the existing researches about the terraces of Minjiang River. We constrain the ages of T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5 surfaces to 3~10ka BP,~20ka BP, 40~50ka BP, 60ka BP and 80ka BP, respectively. Combining with geomorphologic structural interpretation, measurements of the cross sections of the terraces by differential GPS and detailed site visits including terraces, gullies and other geologic landforms along the fault, we have reason to consider that the Wenchuan-Maoxian Fault was active between the formation age of T3 and T2 terrace, but inactive since T2 terrace formed. Its latest active period should be the middle and late time of late Pleistocene, and there is no activity since the Holocene. Combining with the knowledge that the central and the front-range faults are both Quaternary active faults, the activity of Longmenshan fault zone should have shifted to the central and the front-range faults which are closer to the basin, this indicates that the Longmenshan thrust belt fits the "Piggyback Type" to some extent. |
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| Keywords: | river terrace fault activity Wenchuan-Maoxian fault Longmenshan fault zone |
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