DOCSLIB.ORG

Initial Rupture and Displacement on the Altyn Tagh Fault, Northern Tibetan Plateau: Constraints Based on Residual Mesozoic To

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Initial Rupture and Displacement on the Altyn Tagh Fault, Northern Tibetan Plateau: Constraints Based on Residual Mesozoic To Research Paper GEOSPHERE Initial rupture and displacement on the Altyn Tagh fault, northern Tibetan Plateau: Constraints based on residual Mesozoic to GEOSPHERE; v. 11, no. 3 Cenozoic strata in the western Qaidam Basin doi:10.1130/GES01070.1 Feng Cheng1,2, Zhaojie Guo1, Hillary S. Jenkins3, Suotang Fu4, and Xiang Cheng1 1Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China 11 figures; 1 table; 1 supplemental file 2Laboratoire Géosciences Rennes, CNRS-UMR6118, Université Rennes 1, Observatoire des Sciences de l’Univers, 35042 Rennes, France 3Department of Environmental Studies, University of Redlands, Lewis Hall, 1200 E. Colton Avenue, Redlands, California 92373, USA 4Qinghai Oilfield Company, PetroChina, Dunhuang, Gansu, 736202, China CORRESPONDENCE: [email protected] CITATION: Cheng, F., Guo, Z., Jenkins, H.S., Fu, S., ABSTRACT son, 2000; Tapponnier et al., 2001; Yin et al., 2002; Wang et al., 2014). Recent and Cheng, X., 2015, Initial rupture and displacement on the Altyn Tagh fault, northern Tibetan Plateau: studies have revealed much about the basic geology of the Altyn Tagh Range Constraints based on residual Mesozoic to Cenozoic The Altyn Tagh fault, located in the northern Tibetan Plateau, is a large and the surrounding region (Wang, 1997; Cowgill et al., 2000, 2003; Yue et al., strata in the western Qaidam Basin: Geosphere, v. 11, left-lateral strike-slip fault heavily responsible for the growth and formation 2001, 2004a; Yin et al., 2002; Chen et al., 2003; Dupont-Nivet et al., 2003, 2004; no. 3, p. 921–942, doi:10.1130 /GES01070.1. of the plateau during Cenozoic time. Despite its significance, the initial tim- Ritts et al., 2004; Wu et al., 2012a, 2012b; Cheng et al., 2014; Lu et al., 2014; Received 7 May 2014 ing and kinematic patterns of movement along the Altyn Tagh fault remain Zhang et al., 2014); however, the immense size and extent of the Altyn Tagh Revision received 19 March 2015 highly debated. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the stratigraphy and Range make it difficult to locate ideal piercing points with which to estimate Accepted 20 April 2015 geochronology of three key lithologic sections (Tula, Anxi, and Caishiling) the initial timing of left-slip movement and total displacement along the Altyn Published online 13 May 2015 along the Altyn Tagh fault to better understand this kinematic history. By Tagh fault. As a result, both the timing and amount of slip along the fault are correlating stratigraphic contacts and lithology with the U-Pb age spectra vigorously debated (e.g., Yin et al., 2002; Cowgill et al., 2003; Gehrels et al., of Mesozoic samples within the western Qaidam Basin, we find the Altyn 2003a, 2003b; Ritts et al., 2004; Wu et al., 2012a, 2012b). Tagh fault has experienced a total of ~360 km of displacement during the Although some studies reference Mesozoic shearing in the Altyn Tagh Cenozoic. By combining seismic profile data with geologic observations, Range, the growth of the Tibetan Plateau is largely related to Cenozoic faulting we divide the activity along this fault into two distinct stages of motion: along the Altyn Tagh fault rather than any pre-Cenozoic shearing in the Altyn (1) an initial stage, which occurred between early Eocene (ca. 49 Ma) and Tagh Range (Tapponnier et al., 1986, 2001; Arnaud et al., 2003; Wang et al., mid-Miocene time (ca. 15 Ma) and resulted in ~170 km of offset, and (2) an 2005; Li et al., 2006; L. Liu et al., 2007). Various approaches have been used early stage, which began in the late Miocene Epoch and continues into the to constrain the initial timing of left-slip movement along the Altyn Tagh fault, present, resulting in ~190 km of offset along the fault. We identify the Tula and the estimates vary greatly. Initial movement along the Altyn Tagh fault is and Anxi sections as piercing points along the western segment of the Altyn estimated to have occurred broadly between the Eocene and Miocene Epochs Tagh fault and define these regions as residual parts of the original Qaidam (Chen et al., 2001; Meng et al., 2001; Wan et al., 2001; Yue et al., 2001; Yin et al., Basin. These estimates suggest that motion along the Altyn Tagh fault has 2002; Robinson et al., 2003; Wu et al., 2012a, 2012b), and estimates of the total accelerated from an average left-lateral strike-slip rate of ~5.0 mm/yr during displacement along the Altyn Tagh fault vary anywhere from ~1200 km to less initial stage faulting to a rate of ~12.6 mm/yr between the late Miocene Ep- than 90 km (Tapponnier et al., 1986; CSBS, 1992; Wang, 1997; Yin and Harrison, och and present day. 2000; Yang et al., 2001; Yin et al., 2002; Cowgill et al., 2003; Gehrels et al., 2003a, 2003b; Ritts et al., 2004). The wide variety of estimates regarding the initial tim- ing and offset of the Altyn Tagh fault highlight the incomplete understanding of INTRODUCTION this remote region. In particular, Jurassic strata in both the southeast Tarim and northwest Qa- As a major strike-slip fault on the Tibetan Plateau, the Altyn Tagh fault plays idam Basins across the Altyn Tagh fault have been used as the geologic pierc- a significant role in the Cenozoic deformation of northern Tibet (Fig. 1). Under- ing point to constrain the total displacement along the Altyn Tagh fault (e.g., standing the Cenozoic kinematic patterns of the Altyn Tagh fault holds import- Ritts and Biffi, 2000; Meng et al., 2001). However, Jurassic strata in western ant implications for unraveling the evolution of northern Tibet, deciphering China are widespread and well developed in the foothills of several mountain For permission to copy, contact Copyright the growth history of the entire Tibetan Plateau, and contributing to oil and belts (e.g., the Tian Shan, Altun Shan, Qilian Shan, and western Kunlun Moun- Permissions, GSA, or [email protected]. gas exploration in the surrounding region (Yue and Liou, 1999; Yin and Harri- tains). These Jurassic strata are regionally similar, mainly characterized by a © 2015 Geological Society of America GEOSPHERE | Volume 11 | Number 3 Cheng et al. | Initial rupture and displacement on the Altyn Tagh fault Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-pdf/11/3/921/3338977/921.pdf 921 by guest on 24 September 2021 Research Paper 8°6E 88°E 90°E 92°E 94°E 80 90 100 A Shan Tian Fig.1B Tarim 40 ) N basin Tarim basin 35 8 Tibetan Plateau Himalay h R ange 4 30 Alty n T ag 2 a 0200 400km n Elevation(km India l basi 1 Xorko Lenghu Caishiling ault 38° agh F 38° Alty n T Anxi Qaidam N Tula N basin Gansen Tula subbasin Kumukol basin 0 100km E ast Kunlu Town n R ange Major 36° Fault 36° 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kunlu n fault N Basin N Range Elevation (km) B Figure 1. Digital topographic map of the center segment of the Altyn Tagh fault and surrounding area. Topography is from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data. succession of terrestrial detrital rocks with coal-bearing deposits, locally inter- REGIONAL GEOLOGY calated with relatively few volcanic rocks (Hendrix et al., 1992; Hendrix, 2000; Li et al., 2004; Yue et al., 2004b; Yang et al., 2013; D.D. Liu et al., 2013). While lith- Altyn Tagh Range ologically similar, these sedimentary features do not provide a distinct linear feature that can be matched across the Altyn Tagh fault; thus, Jurassic strata The Altyn Tagh Range is located at the northern edge of the Tibetan Pla- alone on either side of the Altyn Tagh fault are inadequate and insufficient to teau, separating the Tarim Basin to the northwest from the Qaidam Basin to document the total offset of the Altyn Tagh fault. the southeast (Figs. 1 and 2). The bedrock of the Altyn Tagh Range is dominated In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of stratigraphy, sediment by Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks and Paleozoic sedimentary types, and detrital zircon U-Pb ages, which enables us to establish strati- rocks, whereas Mesozoic and Cenozoic strata are only sporadically repre- graphic correlations to source terranes and to constrain the amount of tec- sented (Wang, 1997; Sobel et al., 2001; Yin et al., 2002; Chen et al., 2003). Within tonic transport along the Altyn Tagh fault (e.g., Gehrels, 2014). We present a the Altyn Tagh Range, the ~1600-km-long ENE-trending Altyn Tagh fault starts synthesis of the stratigraphic and lithologic data along three sections (Tula, in the western Kunlun Range in the southwest and terminates in the Qilian Anxi, and Caishiling sections) of the western segment of the Altyn Tagh fault Shan Range in the northeast, linking the Kunlun and Qilian Shan thrust belts and the detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology for the Tula and Caishiling sec- (Burchfiel et al., 1989; Wang, 1997; Yue and Liou, 1999; Yin and Harrison, 2000; tions (Figs. 1 and 2). We use this information to constrain the timing of tec- Yin et al., 2002). The origin of the Altyn Tagh fault (Meyer et al., 1998; Chen et al., tonic activity on the northern Tibetan Plateau, to establish a more accurate 2001; Meng et al., 2001; Wan et al., 2001; Yue et al., 2001; Yin et al., 2002; Ritts estimate for the timing of initial movement along the Altyn Tagh fault, and to et al., 2004; Wu et al., 2012a, 2012b) and the total displacement along the Altyn provide a more accurate estimate of the total length of offset along the Altyn Tagh fault remain heavily debated (CSBS, 1992; Ritts and Biffi, 2000; Yang et al., Tagh fault during Cenozoic time.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • High-Resolution Magnetostratigraphy of the Neogene Huaitoutala Section
    Earth and Planetary Science Letters 258 (2007) 293–306 www.elsevier.com/locate/epsl High-resolution magnetostratigraphy of the Neogene Huaitoutala section in the eastern Qaidam Basin on the NE Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai Province, China and its implication on tectonic uplift of the NE Tibetan Plateau ⁎ Xiaomin Fang a,b, , Weilin Zhang a, Qingquan Meng b, Junping Gao b, Xiaoming Wang c, John King d, Chunhui Song b, Shuang Dai b, Yunfa Miao b a Center for Basin Resource and Environment, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 2871, Beilin North Str. 18, Beijing 100085, China b Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems, Ministry of Education of China & College of Resources and Environment, Lanzhou University, Gansu 730000, China c Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA d Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, URI Bay Campus Box 52, South Ferry Road, Narragansett, RI 02882-1197, USA Received 31 December 2006; received in revised form 23 March 2007; accepted 23 March 2007 Available online 31 March 2007 Editor: R.D. van der Hilst Abstract The closed inland Qaidam Basin in the NE Tibetan Plateau contains possibly the world's thickest (∼12,000 m) continuous sequence of Cenozoic fluviolacustrine sedimentary rocks. This sequence contains considerable information on the history of Tibetan uplift and associated climatic change. However, work within Qaidam Basin has been held back by a paucity of precise time constraints on this sequence. Here we report on a detailed paleomagnetic study of the well exposed 4570 m Huaitoutala section along the Keluke anticline in the northeastern Qaidam Basin, where three distinct faunas were recovered and identified from the middle Miocene through Pliocene.
    [Show full text]
  • Seismicity of the Earth 1900–2010 THRUST B' Profiles of Earthquake and Volcanoes Are PAMIR Constructed from the Mapped Data
    U.S. Department of the Interior Open-File Report 2010–1083–J U.S. Geological Survey Hindu Kush Focus Inset Map Version 1.1, revised January 28, 2014 70° E 71° E 72° E 73° E 74° E 75° E 76° E 39° N 39° N DEPTH PROFILE EXPLANATION Seismicity of the Earth 1900–2010 THRUST B' Profiles of earthquake and volcanoes are PAMIR constructed from the mapped data. Locations Himalaya and Vicinity of the profile intersection with the surface are MAIN TAJIKISTAN CHINA drawn in the map and labeled to coincide 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 3 2 2 4 2 with the profile label. Box defines extent of Compiled by Bethan Turner, Jennifer Jenkins, Rebecca Turner, Amy L. Parker, Alison Sinclair, Sian Davies, Gaven P. Hayes, Antonio Villaseñor, Richard L. Dart, Arthur C. Tarr, Kevin P. Furlong, and Harley M. Benz earthquakes included in the profile. Length of the profile graphic is the same as in the map. 2013 Distance in kilometers from the trench axis is indicated in the X direction, depth in 68° 70° 72° 74° 76° 78° 80° 82° 84° 86° 88° 90° 92° 94° 96° 98° 100° 102° 104° 106° 108° 110° 38° N kilometers is indicated in the Y direction. Lake amir There is no vertical exaggeration. See 46° Yinchuan 38° N P Balkhash Urumqi Explanation color key. Not all earth layers, earthquake depths or magnitude, are visible obaoho on every profile. Chai W 36° B X Distance (km) X' KAZAKHSTAN -500 -400 -300 -200 -100 0 1911 1932 AFGHANISTAN TRENCH AXIS 0 A' KARAKORAM FAULT 44° Almaty 1920 1927 37° N -100 37° N -200 Dzhambul Bishkek HAIYUAN FAULT Ysk Köl Lake -300 TALAS-FERGHANA FAULT Xining Lanzhou
    [Show full text]
  • Co-Seismic and Cumulative Offsets of the Recent Earthquakes Along The
    Co-seismic and cumulative offsets of the recent earthquakes along the Karakax left-lateral strike-slip fault in western Tibet Haibing Li, Jerome van der Woerd, Zhiming Sun, Jialiang Si, Paul Tapponnier, Jiawei Pan, Dongliang Liu, Marie-Luce Chevalier To cite this version: Haibing Li, Jerome van der Woerd, Zhiming Sun, Jialiang Si, Paul Tapponnier, et al.. Co-seismic and cumulative offsets of the recent earthquakes along the Karakax left-lateral strike-slip fault inwestern Tibet. Gondwana Research, Elsevier, 2011, 21, pp.64-87. 10.1016/j.gr.2011.07.025. hal-00683742 HAL Id: hal-00683742 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00683742 Submitted on 29 Mar 2012 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT Co-seismic and cumulative offsets of the recent earthquakes along the Karakax left-lateral strike-slip fault in western Tibet Haibing Li a,b,*, Jérôme Van der Woerd c, Zhiming Sun d, Jialiang Si a,b, Paul Tapponniere,f, Jiawei Pan a,b, Dongliang Liu a,b, Marie-Luce Chevaliera,b a State Key Laboratory of Continental Tectonic and Dynamics b Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, P.R.
    [Show full text]
  • Active Strike-Slip Faulting and Systematic Deflection of Drainage
    remote sensing Article Active Strike-Slip Faulting and Systematic Deflection of Drainage Systems along the Altyn Tagh Fault, Northern Tibetan Plateau Peng Chen 1,2,3,*, Bing Yan 4 and Yuan Liu 5 1 Institute of Geomechanics, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China 2 Key Laboratory of Active Tectonics and Geological Safety, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing 100081, China 3 Key Laboratory of Deep-Earth Dynamics of Ministry of Natural Resources, Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China 4 College of Oceanography, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China; [email protected] 5 School of Earth Science and Resources, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Systematic deflection of drainage systems along strike-slip faults is the combination of re- peated faulting slipping and continuous headward erosion accumulated on the stream channels. The measurement and analysis of systematically deflected stream channels will enhance our understand- ing on the deformational behaviors of strike-slip faults and the relationship between topographic response and active strike-slip faulting. In this study, detailed interpretation and analysis of remote sensing images and DEM data were carried out along the Altyn Tagh Fault, one typical large-scale strike-slip fault in the northern Tibetan Plateau, and together with the statistical results of offset amounts of 153 stream channels, revealed that (i) the drainage systems have been systematically de- flected and/or offset in sinistral along the active Altyn Tagh Fault; (ii) The offset amounts recorded by Citation: Chen, P.; Yan, B.; Liu, Y.
    [Show full text]
  • The Crustal Structure from the Altai Mountains to the Altyn Tagh Fault, Northwest China Youxue Wang,1,2,3 Walter D
    JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 108, NO. B6, 2322, doi:10.1029/2001JB000552, 2003 The crustal structure from the Altai Mountains to the Altyn Tagh fault, northwest China Youxue Wang,1,2,3 Walter D. Mooney,2 Xuecheng Yuan,4 and Robert G. Coleman5 Received 30 March 2001; revised 7 November 2002; accepted 17 March 2003; published 28 June 2003. [1] We present a new crustal section across northwest China based on a seismic refraction profile and geologic mapping. The 1100-km-long section crosses the southern margin of the Chinese Altai Mountains, Junggar Accretional Belt and eastern Junggar basin, easternmost Tianshan Mountains, and easternmost Tarim basin. The crustal velocity structure and Poisson’s ratio (s), which provide a constraint on crustal composition, were determined from P and S wave data. Despite the complex geology, the crustal thickness along the entire profile is nearly uniform at 50 km. The thickest crust (56 km) occurs at the northern end of the profile beneath the Altai Mountains and the thinnest (46 km) crust is beneath the Junggar basin. Beneath surficial sediments, the crust is found to have three layers with P wave velocities (Vp) of 6.0–6.3, 6.3–6.6, and 6.9–7.0 km/s, respectively. The southern half of the profile, including the eastern Tianshan Mountains and eastern margin of the Tarim basin, shows low P wave velocities and s = 0.25 to a depth of 30 km, which suggests a quartz-rich, granitic upper crustal composition. The northern half of the profile below the Altai Mountains and Junggar Accretional Belt has a higher Poisson’s ratio of s = 0.26–0.27 to a depth of 30 km, indicative of an intermediate crustal composition.
    [Show full text]
  • Active Structures of the Himalayan-Tibetan Orogen and Their Relationships to Earthquake Distribution, Contemporary Strain fi Eld, and Cenozoic Volcanism
    Active structures of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen and their relationships to earthquake distribution, contemporary strain fi eld, and Cenozoic volcanism Michael Taylor Department of Geology, University of Kansas, 1735 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA An Yin Department of Earth and Space Sciences and Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA ABSTRACT used to correlate surface geology with geo- earthquake distributions, and Cenozoic volca- physical properties such as seismic veloc- nism. The main fi ndings of this study include the We have compiled the distribution of ity variations and shear wave-splitting data following: (1) Tibetan earthquakes with mag- active faults and folds in the Himalayan- across the Himalaya and Tibet. nitudes >5 correlate well with surface faults; Tibetan orogen and its immediate surround- (2) the decadal strain-rate fi elds correlate well ing regions into a web-based digital map. The INTRODUCTION with the kinematics and rates of active faults; main product of this study is a compilation and (3) Tibetan Neogene–Quaternary volcanism of active structures that came from those The Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the is controlled by major strike-slip faults along documented in the literature and from our Himalayan-Tibetan orogen and its surround- the plateau margins but has no relationship with own interpretations based on satellite images ing regions is expressed by the development of active faults in the plateau interior. Our com- and digital topographic data. Our digital tec- complex fault systems, folds, and widespread piled active structures are far from being com- tonic map allows a comparison between the volcanism.
    [Show full text]
  • Cenozoic Tilting History of the South Slope of the Altyn Tagh As Revealed by Seismic Profiling: Implications for the Kinematics GEOSPHERE; V
    Research Paper GEOSPHERE Cenozoic tilting history of the south slope of the Altyn Tagh as revealed by seismic profiling: Implications for the kinematics GEOSPHERE; v. 12, no. 3 of the Altyn Tagh fault bounding the northern margin of the doi:10.1130/GES01269.1 Tibetan Plateau 10 figures; 1 table Haifeng Zhao1, Yanyan Wei1, Ya Shen2, Ancheng Xiao1, Liguang Mao1, Liqun Wang3, Junya Guan2, and Lei Wu1 CORRESPONDENCE: Xiao: xiaoanch@ zju .edu .cn; 1School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China Wu: leiwu@ zju .edu .cn 2Bureau of Geophysical Prospecting Inc., China National Petroleum Corporation, Zhuozhou 072750, China 3Research Institute of Oil and Gas Exploration and Exploitation of Qinghai Oilfield Company, PetroChina, Dunhuang 736202, China CITATION: Zhao, H., Wei, Y., Shen, Y., Xiao, A., Mao, L., Wang, L., Guan, J., and Wu, L., 2016, Ceno- zoic tilting history of the south slope of the Altyn Tagh ABSTRACT is important for understanding the growth of the Tibetan Plateau during the as revealed by seismic profiling: Implications for the Cenozoic era (Tapponnier et al., 2001; Yin et al., 2002; Cowgill et al., 2003; kinematics of the Altyn Tagh fault bounding the north- ern margin of the Tibetan Plateau: Geosphere, v. 12, The Altyn Tagh fault (ATF) plays a significant role in the northward growth Meng et al., 2012), as well as understanding the development of adjacent no. 3, p. 884–899, doi:10.1130/GES01269.1. of the Tibetan Plateau, but its Cenozoic kinematics and related structural re- basins (Chen et al., 2004; Ritts et al., 2004; Yue et al., 2001; Wu et al., 2012a, sponse in adjacent basins remain debated.
    [Show full text]
  • Structure and in Situ Stress Analysis of the Tazhong Uplift, Nw
    STRUCTURE AND IN SITU STRESS ANALYSIS OF THE TAZHONG UPLIFT, NW CHINA: IMPLICATIONS FOR FAULT REACTIVATION A Thesis by ELIZABETH DA SILVA RODRIGUEZ Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Chair of Committee, Frederick M. Chester Committee Members, Nicholas D. Perez Ding Zhu Head of Department, Michael Pope August 2018 Major Subject: Geophysics Copyright 2018 Elizabeth Da Silva Rodriguez ABSTRACT The Tarim Basin in northwest China is an intracratonic, poly-phase basin with a subsurface structure that records a protracted tectonic history associated with crustal accretion and amalgamation. Currently, the basin is bounded by actively deforming mountain belts but displays little evidence of active deformation within the basin. Here, detailed interpretation of 3D seismic reflection data and analysis of drilling-induced deformation in deep boreholes (e.g. borehole breakouts) are used to resolve uncertainties about the timing and distribution of past deformation, the effect of pre-existing structures on subsequent deformation, and the current in situ stress state in the Tazhong Uplift of the Central Tarim Basin. The geometry and kinematics of Ordovician thrust faults and folds, Silurian-Permian strike-slip faults, and Triassic igneous bodies and normal faults, along with stratigraphic relationships, suggest that creation of new faults, and reactivation of pre-existing faults occurred during tectonic events in the Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic; however, no evidence of faulting is observed in Late Mesozoic or Cenozoic strata in the Tazhong Uplift. The current in situ stress should favor extensional and strike-slip tectonics with maximum horizontal compression directed NE, which contrasts with past stress states in the basin inferred from Paleozoic and Mesozoic structures.
    [Show full text]
  • The Altyn Tagh Fault
    The Altyn Tagh Fault edited by David L. Alles Western Washington University e-mail: [email protected] Last updated 2011-6-4 Note: In PDF format most of the images in this web paper can be enlarged for greater detail. 1 The Altyn Tagh Fault and Integrated Science The study of the Altyn Tagh fault and the geology of China's deserts is an example of the emerging field of Earth systems science, in which geologists and chemists try to document changes in Earth's environment throughout the planet's history, and biologists try to understand how the core metabolic processes of life are distributed on the planet's surface (Falkowski, 2007). China's northwest region, which includes the provinces Xinjiang and Qinghai, is situated near the center of the Eurasian continent. The region's great distance from the ocean and extreme geomorphic features have resulted in some of the Earth's oldest and driest deserts (Guo, et al., 2002). These deserts are a legacy of the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates, which started ~50 Mya (Zhu, et al., 2005) and continues today. The collision of India with Asia has had profound effects on the Earth that include widely distributed deformation and extrusion of continental blocks, the inception of the Indian monsoon, changes in seawater geochemistry, and the uplift of the world’s highest mountains, and largest and highest plateau, the Himalayas and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The high altitude deserts in the Qinghai- Tibetan Plateau have been shown to have the coldest and driest recorded extremes for lithic cyanobacterial communities on Earth (Warren-Rhodes, et al., 2007).
    [Show full text]
  • Harkins-Kirby Kunlun Fault Tibet Lithosph 2010.Pdf
    Downloaded from lithosphere.gsapubs.org on April 7, 2011 Lithosphere Millennial slip rates along the eastern Kunlun fault: Implications for the dynamics of intracontinental deformation in Asia Nathan Harkins, E. Kirby, X. Shi, E. Wang, D. Burbank and Fan Chun Lithosphere 2010;2;247-266 doi: 10.1130/L85.1 Email alerting services click www.gsapubs.org/cgi/alerts to receive free e-mail alerts when new articles cite this article Subscribe click www.gsapubs.org/subscriptions/ to subscribe to Lithosphere Permission request click http://www.geosociety.org/pubs/copyrt.htm#gsa to contact GSA Copyright not claimed on content prepared wholly by U.S. government employees within scope of their employment. Individual scientists are hereby granted permission, without fees or further requests to GSA, to use a single figure, a single table, and/or a brief paragraph of text in subsequent works and to make unlimited copies of items in GSA's journals for noncommercial use in classrooms to further education and science. This file may not be posted to any Web site, but authors may post the abstracts only of their articles on their own or their organization's Web site providing the posting includes a reference to the article's full citation. GSA provides this and other forums for the presentation of diverse opinions and positions by scientists worldwide, regardless of their race, citizenship, gender, religion, or political viewpoint. Opinions presented in this publication do not reflect official positions of the Society. Notes © 2010 Geological Society of America Downloaded from lithosphere.gsapubs.org on April 7, 2011 RESEARCH Millennial slip rates along the eastern Kunlun fault: Implications for the dynamics of intracontinental deformation in Asia Nathan Harkins1,*, E.
    [Show full text]
  • Late Quaternary Slip Rate of the Aksay Segment and Its Rapidly Decreasing Gradient Along the Altyn Tagh Fault GEOSPHERE
    Research Paper GEOSPHERE Late Quaternary slip rate of the Aksay segment and its rapidly decreasing gradient along the Altyn Tagh fault 1,2 1,2 3,4 2 3,4 5 GEOSPHERE, v. 16, no. 6 Jinrui Liu , Zhikun Ren , Wenjun Zheng , Wei Min , Zhigang Li , and Gang Zheng 1State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China 2Key Laboratory of Seismic and Volcanic Hazards, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China https://doi.org/10.1130/GES02250.1 3Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Geodynamics and Geohazards, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China 4Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China 15 figures; 4 tables; 1 supplemental file 5GNSS Research Center, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China CORRESPONDENCE: [email protected]; 2007; Molnar and Dayem, 2010; Royden et al., 2008; and deformation pattern are critical to understand- [email protected] ABSTRACT Tapponnier et al., 2001). Meanwhile, the fault slip ing the mechanics of intracontinental deformation. CITATION: Liu, J., Ren, Z., Zheng, W., Min, W., Li, Z., Constraining the fault slip rate on a fault can rate pattern along strike is also helpful for under- Several researchers have suggested that a decreas- and Zheng, G., 2020, Late Quaternary slip rate of the reveal the strain accumulation and partitioning standing the strain accumulation pattern, fault slip ing trend in the slip rate can be roughly obtained Aksay segment and its rapidly decreasing gradient pattern. The Aksay segment, the eastern segment history, and the strain adjustment and its influence in the east segment of the Altyn Tagh fault from along the Altyn Tagh fault: Geosphere, v.
    [Show full text]
  • Active Structures of the Himalayan-Tibetan Orogen and Their Relationships to Earthquake Distribution, Contemporary Strain fi Eld, and Cenozoic Volcanism
    Active structures of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen and their relationships to earthquake distribution, contemporary strain fi eld, and Cenozoic volcanism Michael Taylor Department of Geology, University of Kansas, 1735 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA An Yin Department of Earth and Space Sciences and Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1567, USA ABSTRACT used to correlate surface geology with geo- earthquake distributions, and Cenozoic volca- physical properties such as seismic veloc- nism. The main fi ndings of this study include the We have compiled the distribution of ity variations and shear wave-splitting data following: (1) Tibetan earthquakes with mag- active faults and folds in the Himalayan- across the Himalaya and Tibet. nitudes >5 correlate well with surface faults; Tibetan orogen and its immediate surround- (2) the decadal strain-rate fi elds correlate well ing regions into a web-based digital map. The INTRODUCTION with the kinematics and rates of active faults; main product of this study is a compilation and (3) Tibetan Neogene–Quaternary volcanism of active structures that came from those The Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the is controlled by major strike-slip faults along documented in the literature and from our Himalayan-Tibetan orogen and its surround- the plateau margins but has no relationship with own interpretations based on satellite images ing regions is expressed by the development of active faults in the plateau interior. Our com- and digital topographic data. Our digital tec- complex fault systems, folds, and widespread piled active structures are far from being com- tonic map allows a comparison between the volcanism.
    [Show full text]