TY - JOUR

T1 - Cascading rupture of large strike-slip fault bends

T2 - Evidence from paleoearthquakes in the Xianshuihe fault zone, Eastern Tibetan Plateau

AU - Ma, Jun

AU - Li, Zhengfang

AU - Wang, Mingming

AU - Zhou, Bengang

AU - Ha, Guanghao

AU - Motagh, Mahdi

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2024/9

Y1 - 2024/9

N2 - The restraining and releasing bend region, encompassing the South Qianning, Kangding, and North Moxi segments, occupies a distinctive position within the Xianshuihe fault zone and plays a pivotal role in the analysis of seismic hazards. Our study focused on paleoearthquake research on the Qianning segment of the Xianshuihe fault zone through the integration of tectonic geomorphology, trench excavations, and radiocarbon dating methodologies. Three events, designated as ET1-ET3, have been found, occurring at 635–519, 823–672, and 3515–1482 yr B.P., respectively. A chronological framework for earthquake events has been established since the Holocene. The coefficient of variation (CoV) (0.75 reveals a weakly periodic recurrence model governing the activity of the Qianning segment. Moreover, both the Qianning and Kangding segments exhibit heightened susceptibility to cascading ruptures within the context of a single earthquake. The integration of shallow and deep data reveals a noteworthy transformation in the fault structure, transitioning from a solitary deep structure within the Qianning segment to a flower structure in the Kangding segment. This structural evolution is attributed to the migration of activity from the Yalahe Fault to the Selaha Fault and Zheduotang Fault, resulting in the short-cutting process within the Xianshuihe Fault Zone.

AB - The restraining and releasing bend region, encompassing the South Qianning, Kangding, and North Moxi segments, occupies a distinctive position within the Xianshuihe fault zone and plays a pivotal role in the analysis of seismic hazards. Our study focused on paleoearthquake research on the Qianning segment of the Xianshuihe fault zone through the integration of tectonic geomorphology, trench excavations, and radiocarbon dating methodologies. Three events, designated as ET1-ET3, have been found, occurring at 635–519, 823–672, and 3515–1482 yr B.P., respectively. A chronological framework for earthquake events has been established since the Holocene. The coefficient of variation (CoV) (0.75 reveals a weakly periodic recurrence model governing the activity of the Qianning segment. Moreover, both the Qianning and Kangding segments exhibit heightened susceptibility to cascading ruptures within the context of a single earthquake. The integration of shallow and deep data reveals a noteworthy transformation in the fault structure, transitioning from a solitary deep structure within the Qianning segment to a flower structure in the Kangding segment. This structural evolution is attributed to the migration of activity from the Yalahe Fault to the Selaha Fault and Zheduotang Fault, resulting in the short-cutting process within the Xianshuihe Fault Zone.

KW - Deep structure

KW - Fault activity

KW - Paleoearthquake

KW - Restraining bend

KW - Short-cutting

KW - Xianshuihe fault zone

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85199101085&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jseaes.2024.106255

DO - 10.1016/j.jseaes.2024.106255

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85199101085

VL - 273

JO - Journal of Asian earth sciences

JF - Journal of Asian earth sciences

SN - 1367-9120

M1 - 106255

ER -