THE PALEOSEISMIC SURFACE RUPTURE AT SOUTH OF CENTRAL ALTYN TAGH FAULT AND ITS TECTONIC IMPLICATION

In this study, we described a 14km-long paleoearthquakes surface rupture across the salt flats of western Qaidam Basin, 10km south of the Xorkol segment of the central Altyn Tagh Fault, with satellite images interpretation and field investigation methods. The surface rupture strikes on average about N80°E sub-parallel to the main Altyn Tagh Fault, but is composed of several stepping segments with markedly different strike ranging from 68°N~87°E. The surface rupture is marked by pressure ridges, sub-fault strands, tension-gashes, pull-apart and faulted basins, likely caused by left-lateral strike-slip faulting. More than 30 pressure ridges can be distinguished with various rectangular, elliptical or elongated shapes. Most long axis of the ridges are oblique(90°N~140°E)to, but a few are nearly parallel to the surface rupture strike. The ridge sizes vary also, with heights from 1 to 15m, widths from several to 60m, and lengths from 10 to 100m. The overall size of these pressure ridges is similar to those found along the Altyn Tagh Fault, for instance, south of Pingding Shan or across Xorkol. Right-stepping 0.5~1m-deep gashes or sub-faults, with lengths from a few meters to several hundred meters, are distributed obliquely between ridges at an angle reaching 30°. The sub-faults are characterized with SE or NW facing 0.5~1m-high scarps. Several pull-apart and faulted basins are bounded by faults along the eastern part of the surface rupture. One large pull-apart basins are 6~7m deep and 400m wide. A faulted basin, 80m wide, 500m long and 3m deep, is bounded by 2 left-stepping left-lateral faults and 4 right-stepping normal faults. Two to three m-wide gashes are often seen on pressure ridges, and some ridges are left-laterally faulted and cut into several parts, probably owing to the occurrence of repetitive earthquakes. The OSL dating indicates that the most recent rupture might occur during Holocene.
Southwestwards the rupture trace disappears a few hundred meters north of a south dipping thrust scarp bounding uplifted and folded Plio-Quaternary sediments to the south. Thrust scarps can be followed southwestward for another 12km and suggest a connection with the south Pingding Shan Fault, a left-lateral splay of the main Altyn Tagh Fault. To the northeast the rupture trace progressively veers to the east and is seen cross-cutting the bajada south of Datonggou Nanshan and merging with active thrusts clearly outlined by south facing cumulative scarps across the fans. The geometry of this strike-slip fault trace and the clear young seismic geomorphology typifies the present and tectonically active link between left-lateral strike-slip faulting and thrusting along the eastern termination of the Altyn Tagh Fault, a process responsible for the growth of the Tibetan plateau at its northeastern margin. The discrete relation between thrusting and strike-slip faulting suggests discontinuous transfer of strain from strike-slip faulting to thrusting and thus stepwise northeastward slip-rate decrease along the Altyn Tagh Fault after each strike-slip/thrust junction.     

Active intracontinental transpressional mountain building in the Mongolian Altai: Defining a new class of orogen

Mountain ranges that are actively forming around the western and northern perimeter of the Indo-Eurasia collisional deformational field, such as the Mongolian Altai, comprise a unique class of intracontinental intraplate transpressional orogen with structural and basinal elements that are distinct from contractional and extensional orogens. Late Cenozoic uplift and mountain building in the Mongolian Altai is dominated by regional-scale dextral strike-slip faults that link with thrust and oblique-slip faults within a 300-km-wide deforming belt sandwiched between the more rigid Junggar Basin block and Hangay Precambrian craton. Dominant orogenic elements in the Mongolian Altai include double restraining bends, terminal restraining bends, partial restraining bends, single thrust ridges, thrust ridges linked by strike-slip faults, and triangular block uplifts in areas of conjugate strike-slip faults. The overall pattern is similar to a regional strike-slip duplex array; however, the significant amount of contractional and oblique-slip displacement within the range and large number of historical oblique-slip seismic events renders the term “transpressional duplex” more accurate. Intramontane and range flanking basins can be classified as ramp basins, half-ramp basins, open-sided thrust basins, pull-apart basins, and strike-slip basins. Neither a classic fold-and-thrust orogenic wedge geometry nor a bounding foredeep exists. The manner in which upper crustal transpressional deformation is balanced in the lower crust is unknown; however, crustal thickening by lower crustal inflation and northward outflow of lower crustal material are consistent with existing geological and geodetic data and could account for late Cenozoic regional epeirogenic uplift in the Russian Altai and Sayan regions.     

华北盆地滑脱构造的地震学证据

在华北盆地中西部的临城一巨鹿深地震反射剖面上，ＣＤＰ叠加剖面在双程走时２．５-４．５ｓ部分显示出一系列连续性好、能量强的低角度反射事件，在剖面上显示的延伸距离达４０ｋｍ．这些反射事件解释为滑脱断层，它自西向东倾角变缓，发育在深度为ｓｋｉｎ（剖面西端）至１０ｋｍ（东端）的结晶基岩中．在剖面的浅部显示出两个相似的单边断陷盆地，其主断裂以铲形归并到这一滑脱构造．上盘在伸展过程中向东滑移，拉张和重力滑动作用可能是形成这些断裂的主要原因．剖面东部的中下地壳内众多的反射事件具有叠层状的特征，并遭受强烈的变形，可能表示地幔物质上涌侵入至地壳内．岩浆侵入在地壳上部形成附加的伸展应力场，同时使下地壳增热，粘度下降，某些矿物发生脱水作用，脱出的水上移并储存于中地壳内．伸展应力场及热和水的作用促进滑脱构造的形成．邢台地震的震源深度分布表明，这一地区脆韧过渡带的深度为１０-２５ｋｍ，滑脱面为过渡带的上界面．     

红河断裂带第四纪右旋走滑与尾端拉张转换关系研究

红河断裂带早第四纪以来发生的大规模右旋走滑运动，导致断裂北段尾端的质量亏损，形成了拉张区。右旋走滑量为７．１ｋｍ左右，拉张区右旋方向上的扩张量为５．３５ｋｍ左右，二者相互转换的量级是基本一致的，从而定量地证实了它们之间的成因联系     

Late Cenozoic stress states around the Bolu Basin along the North Anatolian Fault, NW Turkey

This study defines the Late Cenozoic stress regimes acting around the Bolu Basin along the North Anatolian Fault in northwestern Turkey. The inferred regional stress regime, obtained from the inversion of measured fault-slip vectors as well as focal mechanism solutions, is significant and induces the right-lateral displacement of the North Anatolian Fault. The field observations have also revealed extensional structures in and around the Bolu Basin. These extensional structures can be interpreted as either a local effect of the regional transtensional stress regime or as the result of the interaction of the fault geometries of the dextral Duzce Fault and the southern escarpment of the North Anatolian Fault, bordering the Bolu Basin in the north and in the south, respectively.The inversion of slip vectors measured on fault planes indicates that a strike-slip stress regime with consistent NW- and NE-trending σ_Hmax(σ₁) and σ_Hmin(σ₃) axes is dominant. Stress ratio (R) values provided by inversion of slip vectors measured on both major and minor faults and field observations show significant variations of principal stress magnitudes within the strike-slip stress regime resulting in older transpression to younger transtension. These two stress states, producing dextral displacement along NAF, are coaxial with a consistent NE-trending σ₃ axis. The earthquake focal mechanism inversions confirm that the transtensional stress regime has continued into recent times, having identical horizontal stress axis directions, characterized by NW and NE-trending σ₁ and σ₃ axes, respectively. A locally consistent NE-trending extensional, normal faulting regime is also seen in the Bolu Basin. The stress-tensor change within the strike-slip stress regime can be explained by variations in horizontal stress magnitudes that probably occurred in Quaternary times as a result of the westward extrusion of the Anatolian block.     

On the dynamics of extensional basin

Geological and geophysical data from the North China-Bohai Basin and “Basin and Range” Province were examined and compared. They are similar to each other in many respects. Surficial geological structures are characterized by a series of half-grabens with their one flank constituted by normal fault. Those extensional structures usually extend to a depth of 6–8 km. Therefore, the stress condition in the upper 8 km can be written as $$\sigma _2 > \sigma _x > \sigma _y$$ wherex, y denote the directions of maximum compression and maximum tension on the horizontal plane, whilez signifies the vertical direction. Some people think that this kind of stress condition exists through the entire crust in the extensional basin. However, the focal mechanisms of the earthquakes in the extensional basins with focal depths usually at 12–20 km are dominated by strike-slip faults. The stress condition in the focal regions can be expressed by $$\sigma _x > \sigma _z > \sigma _y .$$ Geodetic measurements conducted before and after the Tangshan earthquake in 1976 and the Xingtai earthquake in 1966 showed that both horizontal and vertical surficial deformations with magnitudes of a similar order occurred during the earthquakes. The surficial deformations during the earthquakes can be explained by a summation of the motions produced by both stress fields in the upper crust and the middle crust. Dynamical processes other than the homogeneous horizontal regional tectonic field are required to explain the vertical variation of the stress condition in the upper and middle crusts. Evidence from the seismic refractions, reflections and the three-dimensional seismic tomography from both local earthquakes and teleseismic events provide convincing evidence that magmatic intrusions from the uppermost mantle to the middle crust occur near the hypocenters of both the Tangshan and Xingtai earthquakes. The variation from the extensional stress regime at the upper crust to the compressional stress regime in the middle and lower crusts is considered to be the common feature in extensional basins. And the magmatic intrusions from the upper mantle to the middle crust observed in the extensional basin is suggested to be its genetic cause. Numerical simulations of magmatic intrusion from the uppermost mantle to the middle crust were studied. Both the intruded compression and the thermal stress due to magmatic intrusion were considered, also the viscoelasticity of the middle and lower crusts were assumed. The results successfully explain the vertical variation of the stress condition in the crust and the process producing an extensional basin.     

渤海海域主要新构造活动断裂带

渤海位于渤海湾盆地的东部,是我国华北地区新构造活动最强烈的地区之一,盆地内的沉积盖层(N-Q)中断裂极为发育。许多研究者从不同角度对渤海新构造进行过研究,但认识不一。笔者基于以往的工作,对该区新构造作了较深入的分析,确定渤海新构造运动起始于中新世晚期(12~10Ma BP)。从三维空间分析盖层断裂,并按其与盆地基底断裂的成因关系,将新构造活动的断裂分为继续活动断裂和新生断裂,并划分出3条主要的新构造活动断裂带:北东(偏北)向营口-潍坊断裂带北段是继续活动构造带,右旋逆平移活动,活动性弱;北西西向北京-蓬莱断裂带亦为继续活动构造带,左旋正平移活动,活动性较强;北东向庙西北-黄河口断裂带为新生构造带,右旋平移活动,活动性强。后两者组成一对以庙西北-黄河口断裂带为主的偏共轭活动构造带,该区域地震活动与之关系密切。最后探讨了渤海地区新构造期北东东-南西西至近东西向水平挤压的构造应力场及其与新构造活动断裂带发育的关系。提出新构造应力场与古近纪盆地裂陷阶段的应力场截然不同,新构造为地壳共轭剪切破裂系统,古近纪盆地构造是发育于地壳上部的伸展构造系统,这是两期不同体制的构造系统。     

胶东地区晚中生代伸展构造与金成矿:短周期密集台阵背景噪声成像的启示

晚中生代以来,华北克拉通东部经历了以岩石圈减薄作用为主要特征的大规模岩石圈破坏.在此背景下,位于华北克拉通东部的胶东地区形成了大规模的伸展构造、广泛发育的花岗岩类侵入体和巨量的金矿化.为揭示胶东地区控矿构造在上地壳层次的发育特征及其与金成矿之间的联系,本文基于跨胶东半岛的NWW-SEE向短周期密集地震台阵剖面,开展了背景噪声成像研究,获得了胶东地区8km以浅的上地壳S波速度结构,其主要特征为:(1)胶东地区沉积层较薄,基底平均深度为1～2km左右;(2)垂向速度梯度显示胶西北基底/浅层高速间断面错断特征显著,与主要拆离断层对应关系良好,且相对速度扰动显示沿主要拆离断层发育SE倾向的条带状低速异常;(3)牟乳成矿带下方S波速度具有横向分块特征,与五莲—烟台等控矿断裂的陡倾特征吻合,且东部苏鲁造山带上地壳平均速度较胶西北地区明显偏高.综合本文成像结果及已有地质、地球物理资料,我们认为胶西北成矿带的控矿构造深部以大规模拆离断层为主要特征,而东部牟乳成矿带则以高角度的脆性(走滑)断裂为主,故控矿断裂构造的差异可能是胶东成矿区域性差异的主要控制因素.     

Active faulting of the southeastern-most Zagros (Iran): Microearthquake seismicity and crustal structure

The microseismicity of the southeastern-most Zagros is examined by high-resolution data recorded by a temporary dense local seismic network. The seismicity defines a diffuse pattern, mostly located beneath folds in the southern part of the High Zagros Fault (HZF). Seismicity dips gently northward in the depth range 6–25 km, implying slip on a major intracrustal thrust fault extending to the north of the Main Zagros Reverse Fault (MZRF) which seems to connect to the Mountain Frontal Fault (MFF). Furthermore, observed focal mechanisms suggest transpressive motion on the HZF located west of the Zendan-Minab-Palami (ZMP) fault system and striking obliquely to the convergent motion. These observations suggest that the transition zone between the Zagros continental collision zone and the Makran oceanic subduction zone is not confined to the east of the ZMP and some part of the this diffuse transition is accommodated north of the Hormuz Strait in the west by partitioning between strike-slip and shortening components. The Zagros reverse domain is terminated by a transpressive tectonic regime. Moho depth beneath the MZRF, deduced from receiver functions, is almost 45 km thinner than is observed in the central and northern parts of the Zagros. These observations support a model of active underthrusting of the Arabian plate beneath central Iran in the southeastern-most Zagros.     

Present-day deformation along the El Pilar Fault in eastern Venezuela: Evidence of creep along a major transform boundary

The right-lateral strike-slip El Pilar Fault is one of the major structures that accommodate the relative displacement between the Caribbean and South-America Plates. This fault, which trends East–West along the northeastern Venezuela margin, is a seismogenic source, and shows numerous evidence for active tectonics, including deformation of the Quaternary sediments filling the Cariaco Gulf. Because the main El Pilar Fault strand belongs to a set of strike-slip faults and thrusts between the stable Guyana shield (South) and the Caribbean oceanic floor (North), a GPS network was designed and installed to measure the relative motion of the El Pilar Fault and other faults. The results obtained from the comparison of 2003 and 2005 surveys indicate: (i) a lack of significant displacement (especially shortening) in the Serrania del Interior (Neogene cordillera overthrusted above the Guyana craton), (ii) an eastward displacement (relative to fixed south America plate) up to 22 mm/year of benchmarks located north of the El Pilar Fault.     

Determining and modeling tectonic movements along the central part of the North Anatolian Fault (Turkey) using geodetic measurements

The North Anatolian Fault (NAF), which extends from Karl?ova in Eastern Turkey to the Gulf of Saros in the Northern Aegean Sea, is one of the longest active strike-slip faults in the world with a length of about 1500 km. Within the North Anatolian Shear Zone (NASZ) there are long splays off the main trunk of the NAF veering towards the interior parts of Anatolia. Although the whole shear zone is still seismically active, the major seismicity is concentrated along the main branch of the NAF. Splays of the NAF dissect the shear zone into different continental blocks. The largest splay of the NAF was selected to analyze the distribution of movements between the faults delimiting these blocks. Four years of GPS measurements and modeling results indicate that the differential motion between the Anatolian collage and the Eurasian plate along the central part of the NAF is partitioned between fault splays and varies between 18.7 ± 1.6 and 21.5 ± 2.1 mm/yr with the main branch taking ∼90% of the motion.     

UPPER CRUSTAL VELOCITY STRUCTURE AND CONSTRAINING FAULT INTERPRETATION FROM SHUNYI-TANGGU REFRACTION EXPERIMENT DATA

The urban active fault survey is of great significance to improve the development and utilization of urban underground space, the urban resilience, the regional seismic reference modeling, and the natural hazard prevention. The Beijing-Tianjin metropolitan region with the densest population is one of the most developed and most important urban groups, located at the northeastern North China plain. There are several fault systems crossing and converging in this region, and most of the faults are buried. The tectonic setting of the faults is complex from shallow to deep. There are frequent historical earthquakes in this area, which results in higher earthquake risk and geological hazards. There are two seismicity active belts in this area. One is the NE directed earthquake belt located at the east part of the profile in northern Ninghai near the Tangshan earthquake region. The other is located in the Beijing plain in the northwest of the profile and near the southern end of Yanshan fold belt, where the 1679 M8.0 Sanhe-Pinggu earthquake occurred, the largest historical earthquake of this area. Besides, there are some small earthquake activities related to the Xiadian Fault and the Cangdong Fault at the central part of the profile.
The seismic refraction experiment is an efficient approach for urban active fault survey, especially in large- and medium-size cities. This method was widely applied to the urban hazard assessment of Los Angeles. We applied a regularized tomography method to modeling the upper crustal velocity structure from the high-resolution seismic refraction profile data which is across the Beijing-Tianjin metropolitan region. This seismic refraction profile, with 185km in length, 18 chemical explosive shots and 500m observation space, is the profile with densest seismic acquisition in the Beijing-Tianjin metropolitan region up to now. We used the trial-error method to optimize the starting velocity model for the first-arrival traveltime inversion. The multiple scale checker board tests were applied to the tomographic result assessment, which is a non-linear method to quantitatively estimate the inversion results. The resolution of the tomographic model is 2km to 4km through the ray-path coverage when the threshold value is 0.5 and is 4km to 7km through the ray-path coverage when the threshold value is 0.7. The tomographic model reveals a very thick sediment cover on the crystalline basement beneath the Beijing-Tianjin metropolitan region. The P wave velocity of near surface is 1.6km/s. The thickest sediment cover area locates in the Huanghua sag and the Wuqing sag with a thickness of 8km, and the thinnest area is located at the Beijing sag with a thickness of 2km. The thickness of the sediment cover is 4km and 5km in the Cangxian uplift and the Dacang sag, respectively. The depth of crystalline basement and the tectonic features of the geological subunits are related to the extension and rift movement since the Cenozoic, which is the dynamics of formation of the giant basins.
It is difficult to identify a buried fault system, for a tomographic regularization process includes velocity smoothing, and limited by the seismic reflection imaging method, it is more difficult to image the steep fault. Velocity and seismic phase variations usually provide important references that describe the geometry of the faults where there are velocity differences between the two sides of fault. In this paper, we analyzed the structural features of the faults with big velocity difference between the two sides of the fault system using the velocity difference revealed by tomography and the lateral seismic variations in seismograms, and constrained the geometry of the major faults in the study region from near surface to upper crust. Both the Baodi Fault and the Xiadian Fault are very steep with clear velocity difference between their two sides. The seismic refraction phases and the tomographic model indicate that they both cut the crystalline basement and extend to 12km deep. The Baodi Fault is the boundary between the Dachang sag and the Wuqing sag. The Xiadian Fault is a listric fault and a boundary between the Tongxian uplift and the Dachang sag. The tomographic model and the earthquake locations show that the near-vertical Shunyi-Liangxiang Fault, with a certain amount of velocity difference between its two sides, cuts the crystalline basement, and the seismicity on the fault is frequent since Cenozoic. The Shunyi-Liangxiang Fault can be identified deep to 20km according to the seismicity hypocenters.
The dense acquisition seismic refraction is a good approach to construct velocity model of the upper crust and helpful to identify the buried faults where there are velocity differences between their two sides. Our results show that the seismic refraction survey is a useful implement which provides comprehensive references for imaging the fault geometry in urban active fault survey.     

钦杭—武夷山成矿带上地壳速度结构与基底特征:万载—惠安宽角反射/折射地震剖面约束

钦杭成矿带和武夷山成矿带是华南大陆两个重要的成矿带,成矿作用主要发生于中生代陆内造山时期.地质研究表明,基底和地表断裂的特征对成矿过程有重要的控制作用,研究上地壳结构特征对成矿差异性特征的认识有重要的参考价值.为此,本文基于跨越钦杭、武夷山成矿带江西万载至福建惠安的NW-SE向深地震测深剖面初至波数据,利用有限差分走时反演方法,获得了钦杭、武夷山成矿带8 km深度范围内的上地壳P波速度结构,其主要特征为：（1）钦杭、武夷山成矿带上地壳P波速度横向非均匀特征明显,以5.8 km·s^-1速度等值线作为基底参考面,发现剖面基底埋深较浅,约1.0~3.0 km;钦杭成矿带的基底埋深总体小于武夷山成矿带,分别为0.5~2.0 km和1.5~3.0 km;（2）P波高速区（速度正异常区）与地表出露的岩浆岩对应较一致,P波低速区（速度负异常区）与主要的断裂位置或沉积盆地对应较一致,绍兴—江山—萍乡断裂和政和—大浦断裂下方的低速特征显示两条断裂至少向深部延伸8 km以上,暗示两条断裂具备深大断裂的性质,推测绍兴—江山—萍乡断裂可能是扬子块体和华夏块体的边界;（3）综合已有的地质、地球物理资料,我们推测钦杭成矿带和武夷山成矿带上地壳P波速度的不同,反映了深部岩浆作用过程的差异,基底深度及断裂性质是造成两个成矿带成矿差异的重要因素.     

Syn-extensional intra-plate trachydacite-rhyolitic dome volcanism of the Mesa Central, southern Sierra Madre Occidental volcanic province, Mexico

Oligocene dome complexes of trachydacitic to rhyolitic composition are common in the southern portion of the Mesa Central physiographic province, which forms part of the southern Basin and Range extensional province as well as of the southern Sierra Madre Occidental volcanic province. Generally, dome complexes occur aligned with regional fault systems, mostly associated with the southern Basin and Range province, and thus suggesting that faults controlled the felsic magmas that formed these domes. Two distribution patterns are evident, one aligned NE–SW and another aligned NNE. The set of domes were emplaced at 33–28 Ma. Emplacement of domes occurred in three continuous phases starting with those of trachydacite affinity at 33–32 Ma, to trachydacite–rhyolitic at 32–31 Ma, and finally to those with rhyolitic composition at 31–28 Ma. Felsic magmas that originated the domes were apparently generated by partial melting at the base of the continental crust. Contrary to previous hypothesis, our evidence suggest that these magmas in these particular areas of the Mesa Central were not accumulated in large magma reservoirs emplaced at shallow levels in the crust, but crossed the continental crust directly. Since continental crust in this region is relatively thin (30–33 km), we propose that an intense extensional episode favored the direct ascension of these magmas through the brittle crust, with little interaction with the country rock during ascent to the surface, to end up forming aligned dome chains or complexes. Geochemical data favors this model, as the felsic rocks show no depletions in Nb and Th but instead relatively enrichment in these elements. REE show flat or concave up patterns, suggesting that the magmas involved enriched (fertile), metasomatized lithospheric fluids that generated partial melting at the base of the continental crust. Based upon these data, we infer an intra-plate tectonic setting for these rocks.     

南天山及塔里木北缘构造带西段地震构造研究

南天山及塔里木北缘构造带位于帕米尔地区东北侧,地震活动强烈。文中通过地质构造剖面、深部探测资料和地震震源机制解资料,综合研究了该区的地震构造模型。结果认为,该区的构造活动主要表现为天山地块逆冲于塔里木地块之上。天山构造系统包括迈丹断裂及其前缘推覆构造;塔里木构造系统包括深部的塔里木北缘断裂、基底共轭断层和浅部的推覆构造。塔里木北缘断裂是发育于塔里木地壳内部的高角度断裂,其形成原因在于塔里木和天山构造变形方向的差异。塔里木北缘断裂为研究区大地震的主要发震构造,天山推覆构造和塔里木基底断裂系统均具有不同性质的中强地震发震能力     

Late Quaternary deformation on the island on Pantelleria: New constraints for the recent tectonic evolution of the Sicily Channel Rift (southern Italy)

Structural observations carried out on the volcanic Island of Pantelleria show that the tectonic setting is dominated by NNE trending normal faults and by NW-striking right-lateral strike-slip faults with normal component of motion controlled by a ≈N 100°E oriented extension. This mode of deformation also controls the development of the eruptive fissures, dykes and eruptive centres along NNE–SSW belts that may thus represent the surface response to crustal cracking with associated magma intrusions. Magmatic intrusions are also responsible for the impressive vertical deformations that affect during the Late Quaternary the south-eastern segment of the island and producing a large dome within the Pantelleria caldera complex. The results of the structural analysis carried out on the Island of Pantelleria also improves the general knowledge on the Late Quaternary tectonics of the entire Sicily Channel. ESE–WNW directed extension, responsible for both the tectonic and volcano-tectonic features of the Pantelleria Island, also characterizes, at a greater scale, the entire channel as shown by available geodetic and seismological data. This mode of extension reactivates the older NW–SE trending fault segments bounding the tectonic troughs of the Channel as right-lateral strike-slip faults and produces new NNE trending pure extensional features (normal faulting and cracking) that preferentially develop at the tip of the major strike-slip fault zones. We thus relate the Late Quaternary volcanism of the Pelagian Block magmatism to dilatational strain on the NNE-striking extensional features that develop on the pre-existing stretched area and propagate throughout the entire continental crust linking the already up-welled mantle with the surface.     

CRUSTAL STRUCTURE FROM YUNXIAN-NINGLANG WIDE-ANGLE SEISMIC REFLECTION AND REFRACTION PROFILE IN NORTHWESTERN YUNNAN,CHINA

The Red River Fault in western Yunnan is one of the longest strike-slip faults in China and has a high seismic potential. To investigate its complicated structure, a near-NS directed 300km long wide-angle reflection/refraction seismic profile was laid out from Yunxian to Ninglang, across the Red River Fault. The 2-D velocity structure model along the profile was obtained through 1-D and 2-D analysis and fitting the observed data with combination of first-arrival traveltime tomography and forward modeling. The results indicate:In the crust, the average P-wave velocity is 6.2~6.3km/s and basically shows a positive gradient structure, but there are some low velocity anomalies at different area in upper and lower crust. Regarding the crust boundary, a relative large lateral variation exists in the depth of Moho, which goes deeper from south to north, ranging from 45km to as deep as 54km; compared to other typical continental crust, the study area demonstrates a striking thickening. It should be mentioned that the crustal thickening is mainly observed in the lower crust, while the upper and middle crust possess nearly constant thickness. We observed strong seismic velocity contrast across the Red River Fault, which emphasizes the role of the fault as an important tectonic boundary between Yangtze paraplatform and Sanjiang geosynclinal system. Along the profile, the Moho depth has no remarkable variation when crossing the Red River Fault. Combining with other study results on nearby area, it proves that there is notable heterogeneity between different parts of the Red River Fault.     

Dalrymple Trough: An active oblique-slip ocean–continent boundary in the northwest Indian Ocean

The Dalrymple Trough marks part of the transform plate boundary between India and Arabia in the northern Arabian Sea. Oblique extension is presently active across this portion of the boundary at a rate of a few millimetres per year, and seismic reflection profiles across the trough confirm that it is an extensional structure. We present new swath bathymetric and wide-angle seismic data from the trough. The bathymetric data show that the trough is bounded by a single, steep, 3-km-high scarp to the southeast and a series of smaller, en-echelon scarps to the northwest. Wide-angle seismic data show that a typical oceanic crustal velocity structure is present to the northwest, with a crustal thickness of ~ 6 km. There is an abrupt change in crustal thickness and velocity structure at the northwestern edge of the trough, and the trough itself is underlain by 12-km-thick crust interpreted as thinned continental crust. Therefore we infer that Dalrymple Trough is an unusual obliquely extending plate boundary at which continental crust and oceanic crust are juxtaposed. The extensional deformation is focused on a single major fault in the continental lithosphere, but distributed over a region ~ 60 km wide in the oceanic lithosphere.     

ANALYSIS OF EVOLUTION OF THE RIYUESHAN FAULT SINCE LATE PLEISTOCENE USING STRUCTURAL GEOMORPHOLOGY

The northeastern margin of Tibetan plateau is an active block controlled by the eastern Kunlun fault zone, the Qilian Shan-Haiyuan fault zone, and the Altyn Tagh fault zone. It is the frontier and the sensitive area of neotectonic activity since the Cenozoic. There are widespread folds, thrust faults and stike-slip faults in the northeastern Tibetan plateau produced by the intensive tectonic deformation, indicating that this area is suffering the crustal shortening, left-lateral shear and vertical uplift. The Riyueshan Fault is one of the major faults in the dextral strike-slip faults systems, which lies between the two major large-scale left-lateral strike-slip faults, the Qilian-Haiyuan Fault and the eastern Kunlun Fault. In the process of growing and expanding of the entire Tibetan plateau, the dextral strike-slip faults play an important role in regulating the deformation and transformation between the secondary blocks. In the early Quaternary, because of the northeastward expansion of the northeastern Tibetan plateau, tectonic deformations such as NE-direction extrusion shortening, clockwise rotation, and SEE-direction extrusion occurred in the northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau, which lead to the left-lateral slip movement of the NWW-trending major regional boundary faults. As the result, the NNW-trending faults which lie between these NWW direction faults are developed. The main geomorphic units developed within the research area are controlled by the Riyueshan Fault, formed due to the northeastward motion of the Tibet block. These geomorphic units could be classified as:Qinghai Lake Basin, Haiyan Basin, Datonghe Basin, Dezhou Basin, and the mountains developed between the basins such as the Datongshan and the Riyueshan. Paleo basins, alluvial fans, multiple levels of terraces are developed at mountain fronts. The climate variation caused the formation of the geomorphic units during the expansion period of the lakes within the northeastern Tibetan plateau. There are two levels of alluvial fans and three levels of fluvial terrace developed in the study area, the sediments of the alluvial fans and fluvial terraces formed by different sources are developed in the same period. The Riyueshan Fault connects with the NNW-trending left-lateral strike-slip north marginal Tuoleshan fault in the north, and obliquely connects with the Lajishan thrust fault in the south. The fault extends for about 180km from north to south, passing through Datonghe, Reshui coal mine, Chaka River, Tuole, Ketu and Xicha, and connecting with the Lajishan thrusts near the Kesuer Basin. The Riyueshan Fault consists of five discontinuous right-step en-echelon sub-fault segments, with a spacing of 2~3km, and pull-apart basins are formed in the stepovers. The Riyueshan Fault is a secondary fault located in the Qaidam-Qilian active block which is controlled by the major boundary faults, such as the East Kunlun Fault and the Qilian-Haiyuan Fault. Its activity characteristics provide information of the outward expansion of the northeastern margin of Tibet. Tectonic landforms are developed along the Riyueshan Fault. Focusing on the distinct geomorphic deformation since late Pleistocene, the paper obtains the vertical displacement along the fault strike by RTK measurement method. Based on the fault growth-linkage theory, the evolution of the Riyueshan Fault and the related kinetic background are discussed. The following three conclusions are obtained:1)According to the characteristics of development of the three-stage 200km-long steep fault scarp developed in the landforms of the late Pleistocene alluvial fans and terraces, the Riyueshan Fault is divided into five segments, with the most important segment located in the third stepover(CD-3); 2)The three-stage displacement distribution pattern of the Riyueshan Fault reveals that the fault was formed by the growths and connections of multiple secondary faults and is in the second stage of fault growth and connection. With CD-3 as the boundary, the faults on the NW side continue to grow and connect; the fault activity time on the SE side is shorter, and the activity intensity is weaker; 3)The extreme value of the fault displacement distribution curve indicates the location of strain concentration and stress accumulation. With the stepover CD-3 as the boundary, the stress and strain on NW side are mainly concentrated in the middle and fault stepovers. The long-term accumulation range of stress on the SE side is relatively dispersed. The stress state may be related to the counterclockwise rotation inside the block under the compression of regional tectonic stress.     

Relationships between volcanic patterns and neotectonics in Eastern Anatolia from analysis of satellite images and DEM

The late Neogene to Quaternary volcanism in Eastern Anatolia is related to the Arabia–Eurasia convergence but a clear deformation pattern has not yet been established in this region. We have used the distribution and shape of volcanoes and fault geometry as indicators of the tectonic regime. Volcanic edifices and related faults were analyzed in vertical view using SAR–ERS, Spot images and a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). In several places, adjacent volcanoes that form linear clusters or elongated volcanoes are clearly rooted on vertical tension fractures. These are compatible with horizontal σ₃ striking 90°N, associated with σ₁ horizontal (strike-slip regime) or vertical (extensional regime). We mapped the recent faults that are directly associated to volcanoes. Volcanic vents are related to tail-crack, horsetail or releasing bend structures. In this work, it has been possible to define the ESE-striking, 270-km-long Tutak–Hamur–Çaldiran fault that forms a releasing bend testifying to right-lateral motion. Extension is well documented for few places but no recent fold has been observed. Since 8 Ma, the tectonic system is principally strike-slip. Most of the tension fractures being 2 to 10 km in length, so we infer that they affect only part of the crust. Most strike-slip fault zones are of several tens to a few hundred kilometers long and thus not of lithospheric scale. Therefore, the channels used by the magma to reach the surface are crustal structures.