SURFACE TRACKS AND SLIP RATE OF THE FAULT ALONG THE SOUTHERN MARGIN OF THE WUWEI BASIN IN THE LATE QUATERNARY

The fault along the southern margin of the Wuwei Basin, located in the eastern Hexi Corridor, NW China, plays an important role in the thrust fault system in the northern Qilian Mountains. The activities of this fault resulted in the generation of the Gulang earthquake(M_S8.0) in 1927. Based on remote sensing image interpretation, geological and geomorphic observations in the field and ¹⁴C geochronological dating results, we conducted a detailed research on the geometry and kinematics of the fault. According to the discontinuous geometric distribution and variable strike directions, we divide this fault into 5 segments: Kangningqiao Fault(F₁), Nanyinghe Fault(F₂), Shangguchengcun-Zhangliugou Fault(F₃), Tajiazhuang Fault(F₄)and Yanjiazhuang Fault(F₅). Results indicate that this fault, with a total of 60km long trace at the surface, has been active since the late Pleistocene. It behaves predominantly as a thrust fault and is accompanied with a locally sinistral strike-slip component along the Nanyinghe Fault(F₂). Intensive activities of this fault in Holocene have caused extensive occurrence of dislocated landforms along its strike. Some measured displacements of the dislocated geologic or geomorphic units, combined with the ¹⁴C dating results, yield a vertical slip rate of (0.44±0.08)mm/a on this fault in Holocene, and a sinistral strike-slip rate of (1.43±0.08)mm/a on the Nanyinhhe Fault (F₂) in late Pleistocene.