DISTRIBUTION OF 3 EARTHQUAKE RUPTURE ZONES IN ESATERN TIENSHAN AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH 2 HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKES |
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| Authors: | WU Fu-yao RAN Yong-kang CHEN Li-chun LI An |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Key Laboratory of Active Tectonics and Volcano, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China;
2. Institute of Crust Dynamics, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100085, China;
3. State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China |
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| Abstract: | The distribution of earthquake rupture zone plays a very important role in determining location of epicenter and magnitude of historical earthquake. There is still argument about the seismogenic structure of the 1842 M7 Balikun earthquake and the 1914 M7 1/2 Balikun earthquake in the historical records in eastern Tienshan. Through field geological survey, we confirm that there exist 3 rupture zones in Eastern Tienshan. These rupture zones, Tazibulake rupture zone on the Jian Quanzi-Luo Baoquan Fault, north of Shanshan, Xiong Kuer rupture zone on the south Balikun Basin Fault and Yanchi rupture zone on the south Yiwu Basin Fault, are closely related to 2 historical earthquakes. Based on historical literature and current geological evidence analysis, we infer that Xiong Kuer rupture zone was produced by 1842 M7 earthquake and Yanchi rupture zone by 1914 M7 1/2 earthquake, while Tazibukale rupture zone may represent another unrecorded historical event. South Balikun Basin Fault disturbs Quaternary stratigraphy which has a 14C age of 3110±30 B.P in the south of Balikun County, ~100km to the east of Xiong Kuer rupture zone, therefore we can't preclude the possibility that Xiong Kuer rupture zone extends to the south of Balikun County. This region overlaps with the meizoseismal area based on the literature document, together with the fact that the impact of 1842 earthquake is no less than 1914 earthquake, we believe that the magnitude of 1842 earthquake is no less than that of the 1914 earthquake. |
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| Keywords: | Eastern Tienshan Balikun historical earthquake epicenter rupture zone magnitude |
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