LARGE-SCALE STRAIN PATTERNS,GREAT EARTHQUAKE BREAKS,AND LATE PLEISTOCENE SLIP-RATE ALONG THE ALTYN TAGH FAULT (CHINA)

Fieldwork along several segments of the Altyn Tagh Fault,between 85 and 95°E,confirms that it ranks as one of the most active faults of Asia.In the East,near Aksay,the active fault trace offsets numerous stream channels,terrace risers and fans tens to hundreds of meters. 14 C dating of organic remains and charcoal within terrace gravels indicates that most of the terraces were emplaced after the beginning of the Holocene,implying a left|slip rate of about 2cm/a.Large mole tracks attest to the occurrence of great earthquakes.Even larger mole tracks are found north of Lenghu,within the Altun Shan push|up,a 6000 m high range in a restraining bend of the fault,now sliced by its most active strand.North of Huatougou,at the transition between another push|up mountain and a recent pull|apart basin,a spectacular sequence of five flat|floored,hanging channels,beheaded by the fault from a unique source in the mountain,have been horizontally displaced by up to 1250m.Cosmogenic dating of the abandonment of these channels and of nearby offset terrace risers confirms the slip|rate at Aksay.Several km to the west,pressure ridges exceeding 10m in height across a large young fan,imply the repeat of several great earthquakes in a relatively short time span.