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.     

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.     

HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ACTIVE SANWEISHAN FAULT AND ITS MECHANISM: CONSTRAINTS ON THE GROWTH OF THE NORTHERN QINGHAI-TIBETAN PLATEAU

The northern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is currently the leading edge of uplift and expansion of the plateau. Over the years, a lot of research has been carried out on the deformation and evolution of the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and many ideas have been put forward, but there are also many disputes. The Altyn Tagh Fault constitutes the northern boundary of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and there are two active faults on the north side of the Altyn Tagh Fault, named Sanweishan Fault with NEE strike and Nanjieshan Fault with EW strike. Especially, studies on the geometric and kinematic parameters of Sanweishan Fault since the Late Quaternary, which is nearly parallel with the Altyn Tagn Fault, are of great significance for understanding the deformation transfer and distribution in the northwestward extension of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Therefore, interpretation of the fault landforms and statistical analysis of the horizontal displacement on the Sanweishan Fault and its newly discovered western extension are carried out in this paper. We believe that the Sanweishan Fault is an important branch of the eastern section of the Altyn Tagh fault zone. It is located at the front edge of the northwestern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and is a left-lateral strike-slip and thrust active fault. Based on the interpretation of satellite imagery and microgeomorphology field investigation of Sanweishan main fault and its western segments, it's been found that the Sanweishan main fault constitutes the contact boundary between the Sanweishan Mountain and the alluvial fans. In the bedrock interior and on the north side of the Mogao Grottoes, there are also some branch faults distributed nearly parallel to the main fault. The main fault is about 150km long, striking 65°, mainly dipping SE with dip angles from 50° to 70°. The main fault can be divided into three segments in the spatial geometric distribution:the western segment(Xizhuigou-Dongshuigou, I), which is about 35km long, the middle segment(Dongshuigou-Shigongkouzi, Ⅱ), about 65km long, and the east segment(Shigongkouzi-Shuangta, Ⅲ), about 50km long. The above three segments are arranged in the left or right stepovers. In the west of Mingshashan, it's been found that the fault scarps are distributed near Danghe Reservoir and Yangguan Town in the west of Minshashan Mountain, and we thought those scarps are the westward extension of the main Sanweishan Fault. Along the main fault and its western extension, the different levels of water system(including gullies and rills)and ridges have been offset synchronously, forming a series of fault micro-geomorphology. The scale of the offset water system is proportional to the horizontal displacement. The frequency statistical analysis of the horizontal displacement shows that the displacement has obvious grouping characteristics, which are divided into 6 groups, and the corresponding peaks are 3.4m, 6.7m, 11.4m, 15m, 22m and 26m, respectively. Among them, 3.4m represents the coseismic displacement of the latest ancient earthquake event, and the larger displacement peak represents the accumulation of coseismic displacements of multi-paleoearthquake events. This kind of displacement characterized by approximately equal interval increase indicates that the Sanweishan Fault has experienced multiple characteristic earthquakes since the Late Quaternary and has the possibility of occurrence of earthquakes greater than magnitude 7. The distribution of displacement and structural transformation of the end of the fault indicate that Sanweishan Fault is an "Altyn Tagh Fault"in its infancy. The activities of Sanweishan Fault and its accompanying mountain uplift are the result of the transpression of the northern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, representing one of the growth patterns of the northern margin of the plateau.     

阿尔金走滑断裂带昌马段的电性结构样式及构造意义

阿尔金断裂带东段走滑速率沿断裂走向方向存在明显的流失现象,有关阿尔金断裂带的影响范围及走滑速率变化的机制需要有更多的深部结构证据来提供支撑.本文以阿尔金断裂带昌马段为窗口,获取了4条横穿阿尔金断裂带及相邻地区的大地电磁测深剖面.二维电性剖面显示在阿尔金断裂带北侧中上地壳以连续的高阻体为主,而南侧祁连山内部的深部电性结构在横向上有较为复杂的变化.这一点与区域构造背景相对应,即北侧的塔里木盆地东缘依然具有较好的整体性,南侧的祁连山是青藏高原北缘生长的最前端,变形强烈.在断裂带的结构特征上,阿尔金断裂带沿走向方向的切割深度在昌马盆地西侧发生了显著的降低,与阿尔金断裂带相对应的电性边界在这里向南偏移了约15 km,对应F18断裂,并与昌马盆地相接.祁连山北部的断裂带,包括昌马断裂、旱峡—大黄沟断裂总体呈现出低角度南倾的样式,切过高阻异常体的顶部.虽然昌马盆地可以起到连接断裂带的阶区的作用,将部分阿尔金断裂的走滑分量转移到盆地南侧的昌马断裂上,但是昌马断裂的走滑速率从西向东是增加的,东侧的走滑速率甚至大于阿尔金断裂沿走向方向的流失分量.我们认为在青藏高原北部主要断裂带的活动还是受印度—欧亚板块碰撞引起的远程挤压效应的影响,包括阿尔金断裂以及祁连山内部系列断层都处于斜向挤压应力环境.在这种基本构造模式下,阿尔金断裂、断裂F18、昌马盆地、昌马断裂构成了一个局部的走滑速率分解-转换-吸收体系,对局部应力状态产生影响.     

PALEOSEISMOLOGY ON THE YEMAHE SEGMENT OF THE YEMAHE-DAXUESHAN FAULT REVEALED BY TRENCH STUDY

A series of NWW striking faults are obliquely intersected by the NEE striking Altyn Tagh fault zone in the western Qilian Mountains. These faults were mostly active in late Quaternary and play an important role in accommodating regional lateral extrusion by both reverse and sinistral slip. Detailed studies on late Quaternary activity, tectonic transformation, paleoseismology, and strain partitioning not only significantly affect our recognition on seismogenic mechanism and zones of potential large earthquakes, but also provide useful information for exploring tectonic deformation mechanism in the northern Tibetan plateau. The Danghenanshan Fault, Yemahe-Daxueshan fault, and Altyn Tagh Fault form a triplet junction point at southwest of Subei county. The Yemahe-Daxueshan fault is one important branch fault in the western Qilian Mountains that accommodated eastward decreasing slip of the Altyn Tagh Fault, which was active in late Holocene, with a length up to 170km. Based on geometry and late Quaternary activity, the Yemahe-Daxueshan fault was subdivided into 3 segments, i.e. the Subei fault, Yemahe fault and Daxueshan Fault. The Yemahe Fault has the most prominent appearance among them, and is dominated by left-lateral slip with a little normal component. The heights of fresh scarps on this fault are only several tens of centimeters. We dug 2 trenches at the Zhazhihu site, and cleaned and reinterpreted one trench of previous studies. Then we interpreted trench profiles and paleoseismic events, and collected ¹⁴C and Optical Stimulated Luminescence samples to constrain event ages. Finally, we determined 3 events on the Yemahe fault with ages(6 830±30) a BP-(6 280±40) a BP, (5 220±30) a BP, (2 010±30) a BP, respectively. The elapsed time of most recent earthquake is(2 010±30) years before present, which is very close to the recurrence interval, so the possibility of major earthquakes on the Yemahe fault is relatively large.     

阿尔金断裂带东段距今20ka以来的滑动速率

阿尔金断裂带作为青藏高原北部边界 ,其走滑量和走滑速率一直为地学界所关注 ,对这样一条大陆内部巨型走滑断裂带的滑动速率进行研究 ,对于了解阿尔金断裂带左旋走滑和青藏高原北部隆升之间的耦合关系 ,具有重要意义。在阿尔金断裂带东段的疏勒河口以西 ,阿尔金断裂错断了几条规模相近的河流阶地和洪积扇 ,形成典型的走滑断层断错地貌。通过对这些典型断错地貌点的地貌观测和年代学研究 ,得到阿尔金断裂带东段石堡城以东疏勒河以西自 2 0kaBP以来的滑动速率约为 4～ 5mm/a。自 50kaBP以来 ,阿尔金断裂带东段断层平均滑动速率具有较高的时间、空间一致性 ,约为 4～ 6mm/a ,表明利用河流阶地和洪积扇位错作为断层走滑位移标志计算断层滑动速率 ,具有较高的可信度     

ACTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SANWEISHAN FAULT IN THE NORTHERN MARGIN OF THE TIBETAN PLATEAU DURING LATE PLEISTOCENE

The Sanweishan fault is located in the northern margin of the Tibetan plateau. It is a branch of the Altyn Tagh fault zone which extends to the northwest. A detailed study on Late Quaternary activity characteristics of the Sanwei Shan Fault can help understanding the strain distribution of the Altyn Tagh fault zone and regional seismic activity and northward growth of the Tibetan plateau. Previous research on this fault is insufficient and its activity is a controversial issue. Based on satellite images interpretation, field investigations and geological mapping, this study attempts to characterize this feature, especially its activity during Late Quaternary. Trench excavation and sample dating permit to address this issue, including determination of paleoseismic events along this fault. The results show that the Sanweishan fault is a large-scale active structure. It starts from the Shuangta reservoir in the east, extending southward by Shigongkouzi, Lucaogou, and Shugouzi, terminates south of Xishuigou, with a length of 175km. The fault trends in NEE, dipping SE at angles 50°~70°. It is characterized by left-lateral strike-slip with a component of thrust and local normal faulting. According to the geometry, the fault can be divided into three segments, i.e. Shuangta-Shigongkouzi, Shigongkouzi-Shugouzi and Shugouzi-Xishuigou from east to west, looking like a left-or right-step pattern. Plenty of offset fault landforms appear along the Sanweishan Fault, including ridges, left-lateral strike-slip gullies, fault scarps, and fault grooves. The trench study at the middle and eastern segments of the fault shows its activity during Late Pleistocene, evidenced by displaced strata of this epoch. Identification marks of the paleoearthquakes and sample dating reveal one paleoearthquake that occurred at(40.3±5.2)~(42.1±3.9) ka.     

GPS观测及断裂晚第四纪滑动速率所反映的青藏高原北部变形

断裂晚第四纪滑动速率及现今GPS观测揭示了青藏高原向北扩展与高原边缘隆升的运动特征.主要断裂晚第四纪滑动速率及跨断裂GPS应变速率的结果表明,青藏高原北部边缘的断裂以低滑动速率（＜10 mm/a）为主,特别是两条边界断裂：阿尔金断裂和海原—祁连山断裂.两条主要边界断裂上的滑动速率分布显示了断裂间滑动速率转换及调整特征.阿尔金断裂自95°E以西的8～12 mm/a稳定滑动速率,向东逐渐降低到最东端的约1～2 mm/a,而海原断裂自哈拉湖一带开始发育后滑动速率为1～2 mm/a,到祁连一带（101°E以东）增大到相对稳定的4～5 mm/a,直到过海原后转向六盘山一带,滑动速率降低到1～3 mm/a,甚至更低.滑动速率的变化及分布特征显示,阿尔金断裂滑动主要是通过祁连山内部隆起及两侧新生代盆地变形引起的缩短来吸收的,海原—祁连山断裂的低滑动速率及沿断裂运动学特征表明断裂尾端的陇西盆地变形及六盘山的隆起是断裂左旋走滑速率的主要吸收方式.这一变形特征表明,青藏高原北部边缘的变形模式是一种分布式的连续变形,变形发生自高原内部,边界断裂的走滑被高原内部变形所吸收.     

A PRELIMINARY RESEARCH ON THE RIGHT-LATERAL STRIKE-SLIP CHARACTERISTICS AND THE STRUCTURAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NORTHERN KUANTANSHAN FAULTS,HEXI CORRIDER,BASED ON HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGERY

The sinistral strike-slip characteristic of the Altyn Tagh Fault gradually disappears near the Jiuxi Basin at the west end of Hexi Corridor, and the Kuantanshan Fault and the northern marginal fault of Heishan on its east are thrust structures. There are two faults distributed in the north of Kuantanshan, namely, the Taerwan-Chijiaciwo Fault and the Ganxiashan Fault, both are featured with obvious activity. Predecessors thought that the Taerwan-Chijiaciwo Fault is a thrust fault with low movement rate, but there is few detailed study on its horizontal motion. Is there horizontal strike-slip movement in the northern marginal fault of Kuantanshan? This issue has an important significance to further explore the structural transformation mode between the Altyn Tagh strike-slip faults and the northern thrust faults in the north margin of Qilianshan. Using high resolution remote sensing images and field work, such as combining with UAV SfM photogrammetry, the paper studies the strike-slip characteristics of the Taerwan-Chijiaciwo Fault and Ganxiashan Fault on the northern margin of Kuantanshan, and get two preliminary understandings:(1) The northern marginal fault of Kuantanshan is an active right-lateral strike-slip fault with thrust component, the horizontal to vertical dislocation ratio is about 3-4 times. Based on the statistics of dislocation amount of the gullies and terraces along the north marginal Kuantanshan fault, it is preliminarily estimated that the late Pleistocene right-lateral strike-slip rate is about 0.2-0.25 mm/a and the Holocene right-lateral strike-slip rate is about 0.5-1.5 mm/a. (2) The main driving force to the tectonics at the western end of Hexi Corridor, where the northern marginal fault of Kuantanshan locates, comes from the northward extrusion of the Qilian Mountains, which results in the right-lateral strike-slip of the northern marginal fault of Kuananshan and the thrust movement of several faults inside the Jiuxi Basin. The effect of the Altyn Tagh Fault on other tectonic structures is not obvious in this region.     

2014年新疆于田MS7.3级地震:巴颜喀喇地块侧向挤出的构造响应

青藏高原中北部的巴颜喀喇地块是近年来强震最为活跃的地区,自1997年以来在地块周围发生了一系列7级以上地震.2014年于田M_S7.3级地震就发生在该地块西边界附近的硝尔库勒盆地南缘,该区是阿尔金断裂、康西瓦断裂和东昆仑断裂等多组不同走向大型走滑活动断裂带的交汇部位,不同断裂走向的突然转变及滑动速率差异使该地区形成局部的拉张应力状态,发育了多条NE和近SN向的左旋正断裂. 通过余震分布、震源机制解结果等资料分析,认为此次地震的发震构造为阿尔金断裂西南端的一条次级断裂——硝尔库勒断裂,地震破裂特征为左旋走滑兼正断性质. 在巴颜喀喇地块这一轮的强震活动中,其北边界和东边界都显示块体向东挤出约7 m的位移量,但块体西边界产生的伸展量明显与整个块体向东的位移量不协调,2014年于田M_S7.3级地震是巴颜喀喇地块向东挤出的构造响应和应变调整.模拟结果显示阿尔金主断裂上的库仑应力有所增加,东昆仑—柴达木地块可能为下一个强震活跃区,特别是阿尔金断裂的中西段,是今后应该重点关注和监视的地区.     

阿尔金北缘断裂带东北段第四纪构造活动与地震

本文概述了阿尔金北缘断裂带东北段(甘肃境内)的地质背景和新构造运动,讨论了断层特性、断层几何学、形变图象及一些特殊走滑运动地貌等问题。根据第四纪后期不同时代的地貌单元被水平左旋错移的幅度,结合C~(14)年代测定,求出5个不同时代至今的平均滑动速率,并分析了断层活动的一些时空特点。文章还探讨了古地震现象,现代地震活动与断裂的关系及地震危险性,较详细地研究了新发现的芦草沟古地震形变带。     

阿尔金断裂带西段莫勒切河河口阶地的构造及气候意义

通过对阿尔金断裂带西段莫勒切河河口附近卫星影像解译、野外调查测量及地貌面样品年龄测定,利用宽谷阶地、堆积阶地获取构造隆升速率、构造变形方式及加积速率,并结合区域气候资料探讨该区阶地发育对气候变化的响应.莫勒切河出山口发育4级阶地(T<‘4>,T<‘3>,T<‘2>,T<‘1>),其中T<‘4>、T<‘3>为宽谷阶地,T...     

SLIP RATES OF THE RIYUE MT. FAULT AT DEZHOU SEGMENT SINCE LATE PLEISTOCENE

The Riyue Mt. Fault is a secondary fault controlled by the major regional boundary faults (East Kunlun Fault and Qilian-Haiyuan Fault). It lies in the interior of Qaidam-Qilianshan block and between the major regional boundary faults. The Riyue Mt. fault zone locates in the special tectonic setting which can provide some evidences for recent activity of outward extension of NE Tibetan plateau, so it is of significance to determine the activity of Riyue Mt. Fault since late Pleistocene to Holocene. In this paper, we have obtained some findings along the Dezhou segment of Riyue Mt. Fault by interpreting the piedmont alluvial fans, measuring fault scarps, and excavating trenches across the fault scarp. The findings are as follows:(1) Since the late Pleistocene, there are an alluvial fan f_p and three river terraces T₁-T₃ formed on the Dezhou segment. The abandonment age of f_p is approximately (21.2±0.6) ka, and that of the river terrace T₂ is (12.4±0.11) ka. (2) Since the late Pleistocene, the dextral strike-slip rate of the Riyue Mt. Fault is (2.41±0.25) mm/a. In the Holocene, the dextral strike-slip rate of the fault is (2.18±0.40) mm/a, and its vertical displacement rate is (0.24±0.16) mm/a. This result indicates that the dextral strike-slip rate of the Riyue Mt. Fault has not changed since the late Pleistocene. It is believed that, as one of the dextral strikeslip faults, sandwiched between the the regional big left-lateral strike-slip faults, the Riyue Mt. Fault didn't cut the boundary zone of the large block. What's more, the dextral strike-slip faults play an important role in the coordination of deformation between the sub-blocks during the long term growth and expansion of the northeast Tibetan plateau.     

NEW ACTIVITY CHARACTERISTICS AND SLIP RATE OF THE EBOMIAO FAULT IN THE SOUTHERN MARGIN OF BEISHAN,GANSU PROVINCE

The Ebomiao Fault is a newly discovered active fault near the block boundary between the Tibetan plateau and the Alashan Block. This fault locates in the southern margin of the Beishan Mountain, which is generally considered to be a tectonically inactive zone, and active fault and earthquake are never expected to emerge, so the discovery of this active fault challenges the traditional thoughts. As a result, studying the new activity of this fault would shed new light on the neotectonic evolution of the Beishan Mountain and tectonic interaction effects between the Tibetan plateau and the Alashan Block. Based on some mature and traditional research methods of active tectonics such as satellite image interpretation, trenches excavation, differential GPS measurement, Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle Photogrammetry(UAVP), and Optical Stimulated Luminescence(OSL)dating, we quantitatively study the new activity features of the Ebomiao Fault.
Through this study, we complete the fault geometry of the Ebomiao Fault and extend the fault eastward by 25km on the basis of the 20km-fault trace identified previously, the total length of the fault is extened to 45km, which is capable of generating magnitude 7 earthquake calculated from the empirical relationships between earthquake magnitude and fault length. The Ebomiao Fault is manifested as several segments of linear scarps on the land surface, the scarps are characterized by poor continuity because of seasonal flood erosion. Linear scarps are either north- or south-facing scarps that emerge intermittently. Fourteen differential GPS profiles show that the height of the north-facing scarps ranges from (0.22±0.02)m to (1.32±0.1)m, and seven differential GPS profiles show the height of south-facing scarps ranging from (0.33±0.1)m to (0.64±0.1)m. To clarify the causes of the linear scarps with opposite-facing directions, we dug seven trenches across these scarps, the trench profiles show that the south-dipping reverse faults dominate the north-facing scarps, the dipping angles range from 23° to 86°. However, the south-facing scarps are controlled by south-dipping normal faults with dipping angles spanning from 60° to 81°.
The Ebomiao Fault is dominated by left-lateral strike-slip activity, with a small amount of vertical-slip component. From the submeter-resolution digital elevation models(DEM)constructed by UAVP, the measured left-lateral displacement of 19 gullies in the western segment of the Ebomiao Fault are(3.8±0.5)~(105±25)m, while the height of the north-facing scarps on this segment are(0.22±0.02)~(1.32±0.10)m(L₃-L₇), the left-lateral displacement is much larger than the scarp height. In this segment, there are three gullies preserving typical left-lateral offsets, one gully among them preserves two levels of alluvial terraces, the terrace riser between the upper terrace and the lower terrace is clear and shows horizontal offset. Based on high-resolution DEM interpretation and displacement restoration by LaDiCaoz software, the left-lateral displacement of the terrace riser is measured to be(16.7±0.5)m. The formation time of the terrace riser is approximated by the OSL age of the upper terrace, which is (11.2±1.5)ka BP at (0.68±0.03)m beneath the surface, and(11.4±0.6)ka at (0.89±0.03)m beneath the surface, the OSL age (11.2±1.5)ka BP at (0.68±0.03)m beneath the surface is more close to the formation time of the upper terrace because of a nearer distance to sediment contact between alluvial fan and eolian sand silt. Taking the (16.7±0.5)m left-lateral displacement of the terrace riser and the upper terrace age (11.2±1.5)ka, we calculate a left-lateral strike-slip rate of(1.52±0.25)mm/a for the Ebomiao Fault. The main source for the slip rate error is that the terrace risers on both walls of the fault are not definitely corresponded. The north wall of the fault is covered by eolian sand, we can only presume the location of terrace riser by geomorphic analysis. In addition, the samples used to calculate slip rate before were collected from the aeolian sand deposits on the north side of the fault, they are not sediments of the fan terraces, so they could not accurately define the formation age of the upper terrace. This study dates the upper terrace directly on the south wall of the fault.
Since the late Cenozoic, the new activity of the Ebomiao Fault may have responded to the shear component of the relative movement between the Tibetan plateau and the Alashan Block under the macroscopic geological background of the northeastern-expanding of the Tibetan plateau. The north-facing fault scarps are dominated by south-dipping low-angle reverse faults, the emergence of this kind of faults(faults overthrusting from the Jinta Basin to the Beishan Mountain)suggests the far-field effect of block convergence between Tibetan plateau and Alashan Block, which results in the relative compression and crustal shortening. As for whether the Ebomiao Fault and Qilianshan thrust system are connected in the deep, more work is needed.     

Late Cenozoic sedimentary process and its response to the slip history of the central Altyn Tagh fault,NW China

The ENE-striking Altyn Tagh fault (ATF), extending along the northern edge of the Ti-betan Plateau, is one of the major important strike-slip faults, and has been known as one of the key areas to debate the eastward extrusion and crustral shortening models of the Tibetan Plateau during and after India-Asia collision. This paper mainly presents new evidence of Late Cenozoic sedimentary process to reconstruct the slip history of the ATF during the Late Cenozoic. Field measurements and laboratory analyses of the sedimentary characteristics in the Late Cenozoic basins in the central Altyn Tagh fault suggest that Late Cenozoic sedimentary sequence should be divided into three units according to facies changes. The paleo-topography reconstruction shows that the sedimentarion in these basins was tightly related with the fault, indicating that the ATF has experienced at least three stages of strike slipping in the Late Cenozoic. New geological data from the Late Cenozoic sedimentary basins and the formation of the present Suo’erkuli basin provide evidence for the displacement of the fault. The result shows that the 80–100 km left-lateral strike-slip displacement of the fault has been accumulated in the Late Cenozoic.

     

PRELIMINARY STUDY OF PALEOEARTHQUAKES ON THE MIDDLE-EASTERN SEGMENT OF JINTA NANSHAN FAULT

Hexi Corridor is located at the northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau. Series of late Quaternary active faults are developed in this area. Numerous strong earthquakes occurred in history and nowadays. Jinta Nanshan fault is one of the boundary faults between the Qinghai-Tibet block and the Alxa block. The fault starts from the northwest of Wutongdun in the west, passes through Changshan, Yuanyangchi reservoir, Dakouzi, and ends in the east of Hongdun. Because the Jinta Nanshan fault is a new active fault in this region, it is important to ascertain its paleoearthquakes since late Pleistocene for the earthquake risk study. Previous studies were carried out on the western part, such as field geomorphic investigation and trench excavation, which shows strong activity in Holocene on the western segment of Jinta Nanshan fault. On the basis of the above research, in this paper, we carried out satellite image interpretation, detailed investigation of faulted landforms and differential GPS survey for the whole fault. Focusing on the middle-eastern part, we studied paleoearthquakes through trench exploration on the Holocene alluvial fan and optical luminescence dating. The main results are as follows:Early Pleistocene to late Pleistocene alluvial strata are widely developed along the fault and Holocene sediment is only about tens of centimeters thick. The Jinta Nanshan fault shows long-lasting activity since late Quaternary and reveals tens of centimeters of the lowest scarp which illustrates new strong activity on the middle-east segment of this fault. Since late Pleistocene, 4 paleoearthquakes happened respectively before(15.16±1.29) ka, before(9.9±0.5) ka, about 6ka and after(3.5±0.4) ka, revealed by 4 trenches, of which 2 are laid on relatively thicker Holocene alluvial fan. Two events occurred since middle Holocene, and both ruptured the whole fault.     

用阶地测量方法探讨阿尔金断裂中段全新世滑动速率

通过分析高精度数字化SPOT卫星影像 ,结合野外考察和年代学测试 ,对阿尔金南缘走滑断裂带的 3个典型走滑断层断错地貌点进行了研究。在安南坝沟 ,阿尔金南缘走滑断裂带一主要分支自 (9.36± 0 .73)kaBP以来的左旋滑动速率为 (7.5± 1.7)mm/a ;在七个泉子阿尔金南缘走滑断裂带有 4条分支 ,其中 1条规模较小的断层分支自 (13 86± 1 0 7)kaBP以来的左旋滑动速率为 (2 .3±0 5 )mm/a ,由此推断七个泉子附近断裂带全新世以来的滑动速率为 (6 .9± 1.5 )～ (9.2± 2 .0 )mm/a ;约马克其断裂带自 (4 .73± 0 .38)kaBP以来的左旋滑动速率为 (10 .6± 3.0 )mm/a。综合以上各点结果 ,阿尔金南缘走滑断裂带中段 88°30′E与 93°0 5′E之间全新世以来的水平滑动速率为 7～ 11mm/a ,与最新的GPS观测结果非常接近     

Did the Altyn Tagh fault extend beyond the Tibetan Plateau?

The pre-Miocene northeastern termination of Altyn Tagh fault is a critical outstanding problem for understanding the mechanics of Cenozoic deformation resultant from the Indo-Asian collision and mechanisms of Tibetan Plateau formation. Structures beyond the widely accepted NE end of the Altyn Tagh fault, near the town of Yumen, are needed in order to accommodate strike-slip deformation related to plate-like lateral extrusion tectonics, but structures with the necessary slip magnitudes and histories have not been identified. We report on a series of newly recognized and documented E to ENE-striking faults within the Alxa block, NE of the Tibetan Plateau, that are visible on remotely sensed images and confirmed by field studies. These structures are demonstrably left-lateral faults based on offset geology and kinematic indicators such as striae and s-c fabrics in fault gouge. The faults have post-Cretaceous offsets of at least tens to possibly > 150 km, but limited post-Miocene displacement, constrained by offset sedimentary basins. These characteristics suggest that strike-slip faults of the Alxa region have a similar structural history as the central-eastern Altyn Tagh fault and can provide a mechanism for accommodating Oligocene-Early Miocene extrusion along the Altyn Tagh fault.     

LATE-QUATERNARY GEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF JIANQUANZI-BARKOL SINISTRAL FAULT SYSTEM IN EASTERNMOST TIENSHAN

As we all know, Eastern Tienshan and Altaid in central Asia accommodate~10mm/a crustal shortening, accounting for 1/4 shortening between India and Eurasia(~40mm/a). A substantial portion of these deformations was absorbed in Altaid in the north through a combination of right-lateral strike-slip and counterclockwise vertical axis rotation of crustal blocks, but how the crustal deformation was accommodated in Eastern Tienshan is still in debate. Based on the field investigation in Jianquanzi, Barkol Tagh and Karlik Tagh in Eastern Tienshan in recent years, we identified a sinistral strike-slip fault system mapped in Eastern Tienshan. From west to east, the Jianquanzi-Tuolaiquan Fault(JTF), South Barkol Basin Fault (SBF) and Central Karliktagh Fault(CKF)constitute the tectonic frame of this large-scale fault system, which plays an important role in adjusting the strain distribution during the process of orogening in Eastern Tienshan in Quaternary even since Ceonozoic era. The fault system displays different late-Quaternary characteristics when its orientation changes with regional tectonic principal stress(NE). Specifically, the EW-trending JTF exhibits sinistral slip with little vertical component which can extend to Xiongkuer segment on EW-NW-trending SBF. The EW-NW SBF displays sinistral slip from east of Luobaoquanto, Barkol County and reverse slip with little horizontal component at east of Barkol County. In easternmost, the WNW-EW trending CKF shows sinistral slip with no obvious vertical motion. This fault system's activity coupled in the orogenic process of easternmost Tienshan, adjusting and accommodating a portion of deformation included in the orogenic process, and in turn we suggest that the deformation associated with range front fault in the orogen root may not be the only decisive way of deformation releasing.     

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.