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Title: Block Tectonics across Western Tibet and Multi-Millennial Recurrence of Great Earthquakes on the Karakax Fault

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth (Online)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB022033· OSTI ID:1860886
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [1];  [7];  [8]
  1. Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing (China)
  2. Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing (China); Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou (China)
  3. National Institute of Natural Hazards, Beijing (China); Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou (China)
  4. Institut Terre et Environnement de Strasbourg (France)
  5. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  6. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Pasadena, CA (United States). Jet Propulsion Lab. (JPL)
  7. Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing (China); Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou (China).
  8. National Institute of Natural Hazards, Beijing (China)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Abstract Fault slip rates are critical to quantify continental deformation. Those along the Karakax fault (northwestern Altyn Tagh Fault: ATF) have been debated, even though it is one of Tibet's most outstanding active faults. At Taersa, using LiDAR measurements of terrace and fan riser offsets (∼6 to ∼500 m) and 10 Be/ 26 Al dating of alluvial surfaces (<210 ka), we obtain a late Quaternary slip rate of ∼2.5 ± 0.5 mm/yr. This doubles the ∼2.6 ± 0.5 mm/yr rate time span found to the east and west. We interpret the ∼150 km‐long, free‐faced rupture along the fault to be that of the M ∼ 7.6 event felt in Hotan in 1882. Characteristic slip (∼6 m) during four large earthquakes since ∼10 ka implies a ∼2500 ± 500 years return time. A ∼3 mm/yr rate is consistent with the ∼80 km offset of the Karakax river since uplift of the West Kunlun range and sediment deposition in the Tarim foreland accelerated, ∼24 Ma ago. The faster slip rate (∼10.5 mm/yr) on the central ATF matches the sum of those along the reactivated West Tibetan terrane boundaries (Karakax and Longmu‐Gozha Co faults) at the Uzatagh triple junction (∼36°N, 83°E). The abrupt termination and altitude drop of the Karakorum range where the Longmu Co and Karakorum faults meet (Angmong junction), also reflect triple junction kinematics. Such localized changes account for the rise of the Karakorum and West Kunlun ranges and support lithospheric block tectonics rather than diffusely distributed deformation.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); Ministry of Science and Technology of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); China Geological Survey; Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong; French Ministry of Research and Higher Education; Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (CAGS); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344; 2019QZKK0901; 2021FY100101; 41941016; 42020104007; DD20190059; J1901; GML2019ZD0201
OSTI ID:
1860886
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1839107
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-832619; 1050490
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth (Online), Vol. vol. 126; ISSN 2169-9356
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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