DISCOVERY OF SURFACE RUPTURE ZONE IN JIUXI BASIN,GANSU PROVINCE |
| |
| Authors: | LIU Xing-wang YUAN Dao-yang LEI Zhong-sheng SHAO Yan-xiu |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1.Lanzhou Institute of Seismology, China Earthquake Administration, Lanzhou 730000, China;2.Lanzhou National Observatory of Geophysics, Lanzhou 730000, China |
| |
| Abstract: | Qilian Shan-Hexi Corridor is located at the northeastern margin of Tibetan plateau. Series of late Quaternary active faults are developed in this region. A number of strong earthquakes even large earthquakes occurred in history and present-day. In the past, the study of active faults in the area was mostly concentrated in the northern margin fault zone of the Qilian Shan on the south side of the corridor, while the research on the interior and the north side of the corridor basin was relatively rare. We found a new fault scarp in the northern part of the Baiyanghe anticline in Jiuxi Basin in 2010. It is an earthquake surface rupture zone which has never been reported before. In this paper, we carried out palaeoearthquake trench analysis on the newly found earthquake surface rupture zone and textual research of relevant historical earthquakes data.
According to the interpretation of aerial photo and satellite image and field investigation, we found the surface rupture has the length of about 5km. The rupture shows as an arc-shaped line and is preserved intact comparably. The lower terrace and the latest flood alluvial fan are offset in addition to modern gullies. By differential GPS measurement, the height of the scarp is about 0.5~0.7m in the latest alluvial fan and about 1.5m in the T1 terrace. From the residual ruins along the earthquake rupture zone, we believe the surface rupture might be produced by an earthquake event occurring not long ago. In addition, the rupture zone locates in the area where the climate is dry and rainless and there are no human activities induced damages. These all provide an objective condition for the preservation of the rupture zone. The trench along the fault reveals that the surface rupture was formed about 1500 years ago, and another earthquake event might have happened before it. Based on the textural research on the historical earthquake data and the research degree in the area at present, we believe that the surface rupture is related to the Yumen earthquake in 365, Yumen Huihuipu earthquake in 1785 or another unrecorded historical earthquake event. |
| |
| Keywords: | surface rupture Jiuxi Basin historic earthquake Gansu |
|
|
