Holocene left-slip rate determined by cosmogenic surface dating on the Xidatan segment of the Kunlun fault (Qinghai, China)
- Inst. de Physique du Globe, Paris (France)
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States). Inst. of Geophysics and Planetary Physics
- State Seismological Bureau, Beijing (China). Inst. of Crustal Dynamics
Cosmogenic dating, using in situ {sup 26}Al and {sup 10}Be in quartz pebbles from alluvial terrace surfaces, constrains the late Holocene slip rate on the Xidatan segment of the Kunlun fault in northeastern Tibet. Two terrace risers offset by 24 {+-} 3 and 33 {+-} 4 m, having respective ages of 1799 {+-} 388 and 2914 {+-} 471 yr, imply a slip rate of 12.1 {+-} 2.6 mm/yr. The full range of ages obtained ({le}22.8 k.y., most of them between 6.7 and 1.4 k.y.) confirm that terrace deposition and incision, hence landform evolution, are modulated by post-glacial climate change. Coupled with minimum offsets of 9--12 m, this slip rate implies that great earthquakes (M {approximately}8) with a recurrence time of 800--1000 yr, rupture the Kunlun fault near 94 E.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 655516
- Journal Information:
- Geology, Vol. 26, Issue 8; Other Information: PBD: Aug 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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