Xianshuihe fault system

Map of major active fault zones in the Tibetan Plateau

The Xianshuihe fault system is a major active sinistral (left-lateral) strike-slip fault zone in southwestern China, at the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. It has been responsible for many major earthquakes, and is one of the most seismically active fault zones in this part of China.

Tectonic setting

The Xianshuihe fault system lies within the complex zone of continental collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It forms one of a set of sinistral fault zones that help accommodate the eastward spreading of the Tibetan Plateau.[1] The fault zone defines the northern and eastern edges of the Sichuan-Yunnan block.

Geometry

The Xianshuihe fault system comprises several distinct segments, with an overall length of about 350 km. The main segments are the Ganzi (or Ganzi-Yushu), the Xianshuihe, the Anninghe-Zemuhe, and the Xiaojiang faults.[2]

Seismicity

Movements on this fault system have been responsible for many large historical earthquakes, with more than 20 events of magnitude greater than 6.5 since 1700.[3] Some of these earthquakes have formed linked sequences, with each event being triggered by the previous one due to stress changes.[4]

Notable earthquakes

References

  1. ↑ Wang S., Fan C., Wang G. & Wang E. (2008). "Late Cenozoic deformation along the northwestern continuation of the Xianshuihe fault system, Eastern Tibetan Plateau" (PDF). Geological Society of America Bulletin 120 (3-4): 312–327. doi:10.1130/B25833.1.
  2. ↑ Kato N, Lei X & Wen X. (2007). "A synthetic seismicity model for the Xianshuihe fault, southwestern China: Simulation using a rate- and state-dependent friction law". Geophysical Journal International 169 (1): 286–300. doi:10.1111/j.1365-246X.2006.03313.x.
  3. ↑ Wang H., Wright T.J. & Biggs J. (2009). "Interseismic slip rate of the northwestern Xianshuihe fault from InSAR data" (PDF). Geophysical Research Letters 36 (3). doi:10.1029/2008GL036560.
  4. ↑ Zhang, Q.; Zhang P., Wang C., Wang Y. & Ellis M.A. (2003). "Earthquake triggering and delaying caused by fault interaction on Xianshuihe fault belt, southwestern China". Acta Seismologica Sinica 16 (2): 156–165. Bibcode:2003AcSSn..16..156Z. doi:10.1007/s11589-003-0018-5.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, December 14, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.