Geophysical Research Letters - 2021 - Lu -A Paleoseismic Record Spanning 2-Myr RevealsEpisodicLate Pliocene Deformation in the Western Qaidam BasinNE Tibet.pdf
paleoseismology; regional deformation; seismites; seismo-tectonic evolution; slump; soft-sediment deformation; Detachment surfaces; Disturbance records; Local deformations; Regional deformations; Sedimentological analysis; Soft-sediment deformation; Tectonic evolution; Western Qaidam basin; Geophysics; Earth and Planetary Sciences (all); General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Abstract :
[en] The western Qaidam Basin, NE Tibet contains numerous NW-SE-trending thrusts that extend over a distance of ∼300 km along the Altyn Tagh Fault and north of the Kunlun Range. However, little is known about the long-term seismo-tectonic evolution of this active thrust zone due to the absence of an extended paleoseismic record. We present a 2-Myr-long disturbance record established from a core drilled on the crest of a thrust-cored anticline. Based on detailed sedimentological analysis, the disturbances (micro-faults, soft-sediment deformation, slumps, and detachment surfaces) are interpreted as paleoearthquake/tectonic indicators. The core records five seismite clusters which occurred at 3.6-3.5, 3.4-3.2, 3.15-3.1, 3.0-2.9, and 2.8-2.75 Ma. This suggests the rate of tectonic strain accommodated by the folds and thrusts in the region varies and thus reveals episodic local deformation. During the clusters, regional deformation is concentrated more in the fold-and-thrust system than along regional major strike-slip faults.
Disciplines :
Earth sciences & physical geography
Author, co-author :
Lu, Yin ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de géographie > Géomorphologie et Géologie du Quaternaire ; Institute of Earth Sciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany ; Department of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Marco, Shmuel ; Department of Geophysics, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Wetzler, Nadav ; Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, Israel
Fang, Xiaomin ; Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China ; CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Alsop, G. Ian ; Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom
This research was inspired by Prof. Lin Ding's comments on the doctoral thesis proposal of Yin Lu in May 2014 at the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, China. We thank Profs. Todd Ehlers, Erwin Appel, and Oliver Friedrich for fruitful discussions in the early stage of this research. We appreciate the editor Germán Prieto for handling our manuscript, Jérôme Nomade and one anonymous reviewer for constructive reviews. We thank Werner Fielitz for comments, A. Koutsodendris, K. S. Nakajima, and H. Campos for help with lab work, and W. Rösler and H. Schulz for help with core sampling. Financial support was provided by the German Research Foundation (# FR2544/13‐1 to O. Friedrich) and the University of Liege under Special Funds for Research, IPD‐STEMA Program (R.DIVE.0899‐J‐F‐G to Y. Lu).
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