Discussion of the Horizontal Intensity of Late Quaternary Fault Activity Along the Tianjingshan Fault Zone in Different Time Intervals and Fault Segments

By computing and classifying the data of gully offset obtained from field surveys along the Tianjingshan fault zone and estimating the ages of three types of gullies,the strike-slip rates along the fault zone are discussed in different time intervals and fault segments.The results suggest that the intensity of activity along the fault zone is not strong,but the differences between different time intervals and fault segments since the late Pleistocene have been obvious.The average rates range from 0.23 mm/a to 1.62 mm/a.The largest average rate is 1.40 mm/a,which occurred in the early and middle of late Pleistocene along the western segment of the fault zone.Since the late stage of the late Pleistocene,the center of faulting activity of the fault zone has shifted to the middle segment,and the average slip rates range have changed from 1.30 mm/a to 1.63 mm/a.     

The slip rate and strong earthquake recurrence interval on the Qianning-Kangding segment of the Xianshuihe fault zone

IntroductionLocated in the western part of Sichuan Province, China, the Xianshuihe fault zone is a notable strong earthquake zone in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. At its northwestern end, the Xianshuihe fault zone overlaps the Ganzi-Yushu fault in a left-stepping pattern. The fault zone extends southeastwards through Luhuo, Daofu, Kangding, and Moxi and disappears near Shimian, with a total length of 400 km. The fault trends N40(-50°W in the north, and N20(-30°W to the south of Kangdi…     

Preliminary study on active features of Fenghuangshan-Tianshui fault, West Qinling north boundary fault zone since the late of Late Pleistocene

West Qinling north boundary fault zone (WQNBFZ) is a major NWW-striking fault in the east boundary of Tibetan Plateau, which is parallel to the Xianshuihe fault zone, Eastern Kunlun fault zone and Haiyuan fault zone. It is of mainly sinistral strike-slip. England and Molnar (1990) and WANG and MA (1998) proposed that these strike-slip faults divided the east part of Tibetan Plateau into elongate blocks, which slide successively towards the east, accompanied possibly by the clockwise …     

The Late Pleistocene activity of the eastern part of east Kunlun fault zone and its tectonic significance

The nearly EW-trending East Kunlun fault zone is the north boundary of the Bayan Har block.The activity characteristics and the position of the eastern end of its eastward extension are of great significance to probing into the dynamic mechanism of formation of the east edge of the Tibetan Plateau,and also lay the foundation for seismic risk assessment of the fault zone.The following results are obtained by analysis based on satellite image interpretation of landforms,surface rupture survey,terrace scarp deformation survey,and terrace dating data on the eastern part of the East Kunlun fault zone:(1)the Luocha segment is a Holocene active fault,where a reverse L-shape paleoearthquake surface rupture zone of about 50 km long is located;(2)the Luocha segment is characterized by left-lateral slip movement under the compression-shear condition since the later period of the Late Pleistocene,with a rate of 7.68–9.37 mm/a and a vertical slip rate of 0.7–0.9 mm/a,which are basically in accord with the activity rate of segments on its west side.The results indicate that it is a part of eastward extension of the East Kunlun fault zone;(3)the high-speed linear horizontal slip of the nearly EW-trending East Kunlun fault zone is blocked by the South China block at east,and transforms into the vertical movement of the nearly SN-NNE trending Minjiang fault zone and the Longmenshan fault zone,and the uplift of Longmenshan and Minjiang.The area where transform of the two tectonic systems occurred confines the position of the east end;(4)Luocha segment and Maqu segment constitute the"Maqu seismic gap",so,seismic risk at Maqu segment is higher than that at Luocha segment,which should attract more attention.     

Newly-generated Daliangshan Fault Zone—Shortcutting on the central section of Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system

The Daliangshan fault zone is the eastern branch in the central section of Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system. It has been neglected for a long time, partly because of no destructive earthquake records along this fault zone. On the other hand, it is located on the remote and inaccessible plateau. So far it was excluded as part of the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system. Based on the interpretation of aerophotographs and field investigations, we document this fault zone in detail, and give an estimation of strike-slip rate about 3 mm/a in Late Quaternary together with age dating data. The results suggest that the Daliangshan fault zone is a newly-generated fault zone resulted from shortcutting in the central section of Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system because of the clockwise rotation of the Southeastern Tibetan Crustal Block, which is bounded by the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system. Moreover, the shortcutting may make the Daliangshan fault zone replace the Anninghe and Zemuhe fault zones gradually, and finally, the later two fault zones will probably die out with the continuous clockwise rotation.     

Faulting on the Anninghe fault zone, Southwest China in Late Quaternary and its movement model

The Anninghe fault is one of the significant earthquake-generating fault zones in the Southwest China. Local his-torical record shows that a M≥7 strong earthquake occurred in the year of 1536. On the basis of the detailed air-photographic interpretation and field investigation, we have acquired the following knowledge: 1 The average sinistral strike-slip rate since the Late Pleistocene is about 3~7 mm/a; 2 There is important reverse faulting along the fault zone besides the main left-lateral strike-slip motion, and the shortening rate across the Anninghe fault zone due to the reverse faulting is about 1.7~4.0 mm/a. If the Xianshuihe fault zone is simply partitioned into the Anninghe and Daliangshan faults, we can also get a slip rate of 3~7 mm/a along the Daliangshan fault zone, which is the same as that on the Anninghe fault zone. Moreover, on the basis of our field investigation and the latest knowledge concerning the active tectonics of Tibetan crust, we create a dynamic model for the Anninghe fault zone.     

垂直和倾斜断层围陷波的谱元法数值模拟及其波场特征对比

Fault zone trapped waves( F ZTWs) m ainly travel along the fractured fault zone( F Z)which is of low velocity and high attenuation. FZTWs often carry significant information about a fault  s internal structure,so it is important to understand their wave field characteristics for FZ structure inversion. Most previous simulations are based on vertical faults,while in this paper we implement the FZTW simulations on vertical or inclined faults and compare their wave fields in both time and frequency domains. The results show that the existence of fault zone and inclined angle of fault can significantly influence the features of waves near faults. In amplitude,a fault zone can generate a larger amplitude of waves. The velocity contrast between two walls of fault may lead to amplification of amplitudes in the low velocity fault wall. In frequency,a fault zone tends to influence the waves in the low frequency range. In a pattern of particle polarization of FZTWs,it tends to be single direction for vertical faults but fork to multiple directions for inclined faults,which might provide a new way to study the fault zone with FZTWs. These conclusions may be valuable for FZ structure inversion,and will enhance the knowledge on near-fault strong ground motions.     

Discovery of the Longriba fault zone in eastern Bayan Har block,China and its tectonic implication

Re-measured GPS data have recently revealed that a broad NE trending dextral shear zone exists in the eastern Bayan Har block about 200 km northwest of the Longmenshan thrust on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The strain rate along this shear zone may reach up to 4-6 mm/a. Our interpretation of satellite images and field observations indicate that this dextral shear zone corresponds to a newly generated NE trending Longriba fault zone that has been ignored before. The northeast segment of the Longriba fault zone consists of two subparallel N54°±5°E trending branch faults about 30 km apart, and late Quaternary offset landforms are well developed along the strands of these two branch faults. The northern branch fault, the Longriqu fault, has relatively large reverse component, while the southern branch fault, the Maoergai fault, is a pure right-lateral strike slip fault. According to vector synthesizing principle, the average right-lateral strike slip rate along the Longriba fault zone in the late Quaternary is calculated to be 5.4±2.0 mm/a, the vertical slip rate to be 0.7 mm/a, and the rate of crustal shortening to be 0.55 mm/a. The discovery of the Longriba fault zone may provide a new insight into the tectonics and dynamics of the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Taken the Longriba fault zone as a boundary, the Bayan Har block is divided into two sub-blocks: the Ahba sub-block in the west and the Longmenshan sub-block in the east. The shortening and uplifting of the Longmenshan sub-block as a whole reflects that both the Longmenshan thrust and Longriba fault zone are subordinated to a back propagated nappe tectonic system that was formed during the southeastward motion of the Bayan Har block owing to intense resistance of the South China block. This nappe tectonic system has become a boundary tectonic type of an active block supporting crustal deformation along the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from late Cenozoic till now. The Longriba fault zone is just an active fault zone newly-generated in late Quaternary along this tectonic system.     

Study on Dynamic Characteristics of Crustal Deformation in the Yunnan Area Using GPS

Based on the GPS velocity field data of 1999-2007 and 2011-2013,we used the least squares configuration method and GPS velocity profile results to synthetically analyze the dynamic evolution characteristics of crustal deformation in the Yunnan area before and after the Wenchuan earthquake. The dynamic evolution of GPS velocity field shows that the direction is gradually changed from the south in the southern part of the Sichuan-Yunnan block to the south-west in the southern Yunnan block and there is a clear relative motion characteristic near the block boundary fault zone. Compared with the GPS velocity of 1999-2007, the results of 2011-2013 also reflect segmental deformation characteristics of the block boundary fault zone. Southeast movement shows a significant increase, which may be related to crustal deformation adjustment after the Wenchuan earthquake. The dynamic evolution of strain parameters shows a pattern of "extension in the middle and compression at both ends" in the whole area and the distribution of deformation (shear, extension or compression) is closely related to the background motion and deformation characteristics of the main fault zone. Compared with the results of the period of 1999-2007, the extensional deformation zone of 2011-2013 is expanded eastward and southward. The compressional deformation of the eastern boundary (the Xiaojiang fault zone) of the Sichuan-Yunnan block is no longer significant, which is mainly concentrated in the northern section of the Xiaojiang fault zone and may be related to the post-seismic deformation adjustment of the Wenchuan earthquake. The GPS velocity profile results show that the left-lateral slip velocity of the Xiaojiang fault zone reduced gradually from north to south (10mm/a-5mm/a), and the width of the northern section is wider. The right-lateral slip rate of the Honghe fault zone is about 4mm/a, and the deformation width is wider. The dynamic results show that the Wenchuan earthquake has little effect on the deformation modes of these two fault zones.     

FAULT ROCKS AND ACTIVITIES OF THE KANGDING-MOXI FAULT ZONE

Mylonite,cataclasite and especially fault rocks subjected to both mylonitization and cata-clasis widely developed along the Kangding-Moxi fault zone.A mylonite zone has formed as a result of ductile shearing in early stage.In later stage brittle fracturing has occurred along this mylonite zone,accompanied by the formation of the present Kangding-Moxi fault zone.Later on,ductile shearing and multiperiods of brittle fracturing occurred along the fault zone.Differential stress magnitude d     

The characteristics of the structure,strain and kinematic vorticity of the Wulian detachment fault zone,Shandong Peninsula,China

As one of the vital tectonic units of the Wulian Metamorphic Core Complex(MCC), the Wulian detachment fault zone(WDFZ), which developed in the Jiaodong peninsula, separates the lower plate of the ultrahigh pressure(UHP) metamorphic rocks in the Sulu orogenic belt from the upper plate of the early Cretaceous Zhucheng basin and the basin basement. The fault zone generally strikes NNE with a dip in the west along the southern portion of the MCC and strikes NE with a dip in the WNWalong the northern portion. The fault zone displays a wavy-tile-shaped extension on the plane, principally composed of the fault breccias and mylonite and transits downward to the mylonitic gneiss. As a whole, the detachment fault zone shows a top-towest or a WNW extension. By calculating the harmonic mean, we obtain a Flynn index K of 0.98–2.0, and the mean value is approximately 1.35 in the fault zone. According to the polar Mohr construction, the extensional crenulation cleavage, the RS/θ,and the quartz C-axial fabric methods, we acquire mean kinematic vorticity values of 0.64–0.97, 0.76–0.93, 0.6–0.92, and 0.63–0.98 with mean values of 0.83, 0.80, 0.78 and 0.86, respectively, for mylonite and promylonite. The strain measurement results and the kinematic vorticity values indicate that the WDFZ is a normal ductile shear zone developed in the extensional setting.The kinematic track shows that the kinematic vorticity value decreases gradually from the NW to the SE as a whole. A simple shear dominates in the middle and upper parts of the shear zone, which is reflected by a higher vorticity value(0.75, up to 0.98),a low thinning rate and a lower K value. In contrast, toward the footwall, the pure shear is increased significantly, showing a lower vorticity value(0.70, low to 0.64), a relatively high thinning rate and a higher K value. Combined with the geotectonic background, the development and evolution of the WDFZ should respond to lithospheric thinning and the destruction of the North China Craton(NCC). As a result, the WDFZ can be defined as a thinning normal shear zone developed in the extension tectonic setting and the combined result of the simple shear caused by the crust extension and pure shear led by the rapid uplift of the footwall and magmatic upwelling.     

长江三峡地区仙女山断裂北端延伸问题探讨

The Xiannvshan fault zone, lying along the western margin of the Huangling anticline, is one of the most important fault zones in the Three Gorges reservoir area. The fault experienced strong activity during the Cenozoic Era. The question of whether the fault zone goes through the Yangtze River has been one of the key problems faced in previous studies as it has a significant influence upon the assessment of geological hazards and earthquake stability in the reservoir area. Based on tectonic and geomorphic observations along the fault zone between the Baixianchi village in Changyang county and Huangkou village in Zigui town, together with the comparisons between the geology in Guizhou and Quyuan town in the north bank of the Yangtze River and the Xiannvshan fault zone, it is suggested that the north end of this fault zone is located around Huangkou village and does not go through the Yangtze rivers northward. The evidence is as follows: ① On the basis of field data collection, it is found that the Xiannvshan Fault zone, which stretches 80km, underwent thrust movement in the Cenozoic period, resulting in ravines and fault scarps, topographically. Whereas, on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, faults are rarely found, and most of the faults are developed in the Jurassic strata,without topographical effects. Therefore, the Xiannvshan Fault zone has not stretched to the north bank of the Yangtze River. ② The fault gouge and tectonite zone were found developed on the Xiannvshan Fault zone at Baixianchi village, but only a tectonite zone was found at Zhouping village. There are also some branch faults close to the northern end of the fault zone. So, the activity of the fault zone weakened from south to north in Cenozoic. The fault zone extends northward and dies out at Huangkou. It doesn’t stretch forward any longer as indicated by continuous strata, sparse joints, and small folds, etc.     

The Fractal Feature of Granulometric Composition in Fault Gouges from the Yishu Fault Zone and Adjacent Northwest-Trending Faults and Its Seismo-geological Implications

In this work,the fractal dimension of granulometric composition in the fault gouge from the Yishu fault zone and northwest-trending faults on its west side is calculated and studied based on the fractal theory of rock fragmentation.The seismo-geological implications of the fractal dimension of granulometric composition in fault gouges are also discussed.The results show that the Yishu fault zone is more active than the northwest-trending faults and the Anqiu-Juxian fault is the most active in the Yishu fault zone.The fractal dimension of fault gouge is a parameter describing the relative active age and rupture mode of the fault and forming age of the fault gouge.The fractal dimension value is also related to the parent rock,thickness,structural position,and clay content of the fault gouge.     

Structural characteristics of the Tan-Lu fault zone in Cenozoic basins offshore the Bohai Sea

The Tan-Lu fault zone across the eastern margin of the Cenozoic basins offshore the Bohai Sea is a NNE-trending right-lateral strike-slip fault system developed in the Cenozoic basin cover. It cuts through NE-to NNE-striking major extensional faults that controlled the formation of Paleogene basins. Recent petroleum exploration indicates that Cenozoic structural activities of the Tan-Lu fault system have directly or indirectly affected oil and gas distribution offshore the Bohai Sea. As part of a deep fault zone the Tan-Lu fault zone has been activated since the Oligocene,and obviously affected the tectonic evolution of offshore Bohai basins since then. The formation of Paleogene rift basins offshore the Bohai Sea has utilized the pre-existing structural elements of the Tan-Lu fault zone that developed in the late Mesozoic.     

东昆仑断裂带东部塔藏断裂地震地表破裂特征及其构造意义

The East Kunlun fault zone is located in the northern margin of the Bayan Har block. The study of earthquake rupture behavior in the fault zone is of importance for understanding the future seismic risk in northwest Sichuan. A number of geological field investigations, typical micro topography DGPS measurements and sample dating show that the earthquake activity of the East Kunlun fault zone extends to the north boundary of Zoige basin, a segment known as the Luocha segment of Tazang fault. In the satellite image, the segment is seen clearly as gray and yellow strips. The earthquake deformation zone mainly features fault scarp, valleys on the slope, offset gullies and terraces, linear distribution of plants, waterfall, fault spring, fault sag pond, and landslide, collapse and talus associated with surface rupturing. These phenomena are distributed intermittently along the re-existing fault and form a ～50km-long inverse L-shaped deformation zone. Fault activities caused left-lateral offset of gullies and terraces, with horizontal displacement concentrated at 5.5m~6m, 18m～23m, 68m～75m, and 200m～220m, respectively. The recent earthquake occurred between 340±30～500±30BP. The macro epicenter is located 5km～7km northwest of Benduo village, with magnitude of MW7.3～7.4, maximum coseismic displacement of 6m, horizontal displacement 5.5m～6m and vertical displacement 0.2m～0.5m, being in a proportion of 5∶1～10∶1. These phenomena show that the Tazang fault is the causative fault of this earthquake. The fault is a Holocene active fault and was dominated recently by left-lateral movement with a small amount of thrust component under compressive shear stress. This characteristic is similar to the movement in other segments of the East Kunlun fault zone. The results of this study support the "continental escape" model.     

Kinematical and Structural Patterns of the Yingjing-Mabian- Yanjin Thrust Fault Zone, Southeast of the Qinghai-Xizang （Tibet） Plateau and Its Segmentation from Earthquakes

INTRODUCTIONThe Yingjing-Mabian-Yanjinthrust fault zone lies on the southeastern margin of Tibet .It startsfromthe south of Tianquaninthe north,and it extends southwards through Yingjing, Emei , Ebian,Mabian,Lidian to the north of Yanjin of Yunnan, with a total length of 275 km. The fault zoneintersects withthe southernsegment of the Longmengshanthrust fault zone onits northernsegment andborders the Huayingshan-Lianfengfault zone onits southernsegment .It is a 30 km-wide NW-trendin…     

Crust and upper mantle structure of the Ailao Shan-Red River fault zone and adjacent regions

Using arrival data of the body waves recorded by seismic stations, we reconstructed the velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath the southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and the northwestern continental margin of the South China Sea through a travel time tomography technique. The result revealed the apparent tectonic variation along the Ailao Shan-Red River fault zone and its adjacent regions. High velocities are observed in the upper and middle crust beneath the Ailao Shan-Red River fault zone and they reflect the character of the fast uplifting and cooling of the metamorphic belt after the ductile shearing of the fault zone, while low velocities in the lower crust and near the Moho imply a relatively active crust-mantle boundary beneath the fault zone. On the west of the fault zone, the large-scale low velocities in the uppermost mantle beneath western Yunnan prove the influence of the mantle heat flow on volcano, hot spring and magma activities, however, the upper mantle on the eas     

Bouguer gravity study of middle section of Tanlu fault

Although Tanlu fault is one of the most important tectonic fault zones and active earthquake belts in eastern China, little is known about its deep structure. In this study, we use the existing Bouguer gravity data to study the middle section of the Tanlu fault zone, which is also known as the Yishu fault zone. Our gravity inversion results indicate that the Moho has an abrupt offset in depth at the Tanlu fault zone and it has a relatively smooth variation away from the fault zone. The crustal structures on both sides are different from each other. Sediment is thin on the west side with an average thickness of less than 5 km, while it is as thick as 6 km on the east side. The thinnest sediment （3-4 km） is at the fault zone. Moho depth increases from 33 to 34 km on east side and from 36 to 38 km on west side. Tanlu fault zone is shown as a wide zone of linear gradient in the Bouguer gravity anomaly.     

GPS monitoring of temporal deformation of the Xianshuihe fault

Highly precise (σ ~1 mm) temporal deformation measurements are taken across the Xianshuihe fault from two pairs of continuous GPS stations straddling the fault. Baseline vector changes of the two pairs of stations show clearly the difference in deformation behavior between the Qianning and Daofu segments of the fault: the former deforms steadily, and the latter deforms with a strong transient component. The transient deformation across the Daofu segment is possibly related to its irregular geometry, where the fault splits into two branches, that is, the east and west branches. An attempt is made to interpret the baseline vector changes using a kinematic fault model composed of a brittle layer in the upper crust, a ductile layer in the lower crust, and a transition zone in between. The slip in the transition zone of the south segment of the Xianshuihe fault is steady. The slips in the transition zones of the north and Daofu segments of the Xianshuihe fault, however, are not steady, and the average slip rates there are higher than that of the south segment. The difference in deformation behavior is probably associated with the rheological properties of the fault interface, suggesting that the overall fault strength of the south segment is greater than those of the north and Daofu segments, corresponding to longer earthquake recurrence time.