Earthquake surface rupture is the result of transformation from crustal elastic strain accumulation to permanent tectonic deformation. The surface rupture zone produced by the 2001 Kunlunshan earth- quake (Mw7.8) on the Kusaihu segment of the Kunlun fault extends over 426 km. It consists of three relatively independent surface rupture sections: the western strike-slip section, the middle transten- sional section and the eastern strike-slip section. Hence this implies that the Kunlunshan earthquake is composed of three earthquake rupturing events, i.e. the Mw=6.8, Mw=6.2 and Mw≤7.8 events, respec- tively. The Mw≤7.8 earthquake, along the eastern section, is the main shock of the Kunlunshan earth- quake, further decomposed into four rupturing subevents. Field measurements indicate that the width of a single surface break on different sections ranges from several meters to 15 m, with a maximum value of less than 30 m. The width of the surface rupture zone that consists of en echelon breaks de- pends on its geometric structures, especially the stepover width of the secondary surface rupture zones in en echelon, displaying a basic feature of deformation localization. Consistency between the Quaternary geologic slip rate, the GPS-monitored strain rate and the localization of the surface rup- tures of the 2001 Kunlunshan earthquake may indicate that the tectonic deformation between the Ba- yan Har block and Qilian-Qaidam block in the northern Tibetan Plateau is characterized by strike-slip faulting along the limited width of the Kunlun fault, while the blocks themselves on both sides of the Kunlun fault are characterized by block motion. The localization of earthquake surface rupture zone is of great significance to determine the width of the fault-surface-rupture hazard zone, along which direct destruction will be caused by co-seismic surface rupturing along a strike-slip fault, that should be considered before the major engineering project, residental buildings and life line construction.
The East Kunlun active fault zone, which lies in the valley of the Kunlun Mountains above an elevation of 4,000 meters, is an important active fault zone in the Northeast Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau. The 1937, the Tosonhu lake M_S7.5 earthquake occurred in the eastern segment of the East Kunlun active fault zone. Four field investigations were launched on this seism in 1963, 1971, 1980, and between 1986 and 1990. However, due to different extents of the investigations, four different conclusions have been gained. Concerning the length aspect of the surface rupture zone of this earthquake, the unanimous consensus is that its eastern end lies in the west side of the main Ridge of the A'nyêmaqên Mountains, but opinions about the western end and the location of the macro-epicenter are different. Based on investigation and comprehensive study, a series of scientific problems like geometric and kinetic characteristics, the length of the rupture zone, the maximum sinistral horizontal displacement and the macro-epicenter were re-evaluated. We believe that the total length of this earthquake's surface deformation zone is at least 240km; the western end of the zone is at the west of Wusuwuwoguole; the maximum sinistral horizontal displacement is 8m to the west of Baerhalasha gully on the east side of Sanchakou; the maximum vertical displacement is 3.5m in the south of Sanchakou and the macro-epicenter is in Sanchakou.
Li ChenxiaDai HuaguangChen YongmingXu XiweiDai Wei
Re-measured GPS data have recently revealed that a broad NE trending dextral shear zone exists in the eastern Bayan Har block about 200 km northwest of the Longmenshan thrust on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The strain rate along this shear zone may reach up to 4-6 mm/a. Our interpretation of satellite images and field observations indicate that this dextral shear zone corresponds to a newly generated NE trending Longriba fault zone that has been ignored before. The northeast segment of the Longriba fault zone consists of two subparallel N54°±5°E trending branch faults about 30 km apart, and late Quaternary offset landforms are well developed along the strands of these two branch faults. The northern branch fault, the Longriqu fault, has relatively large reverse component, while the southern branch fault, the Maoergai fault, is a pure right-lateral strike slip fault. According to vector synthesizing principle, the average right-lateral strike slip rate along the Longriba fault zone in the late Quaternary is calculated to be 5.4±2.0 mm/a, the vertical slip rate to be 0.7 mm/a, and the rate of crustal shortening to be 0.55 mm/a. The discovery of the Longriba fault zone may provide a new insight into the tectonics and dynamics of the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Taken the Longriba fault zone as a boundary, the Bayan Har block is divided into two sub-blocks: the Ahba sub-block in the west and the Longmenshan sub-block in the east. The shortening and uplifting of the Longmenshan sub-block as a whole reflects that both the Longmenshan thrust and Longriba fault zone are subordinated to a back propagated nappe tectonic system that was formed during the southeastward motion of the Bayan Har block owing to intense resistance of the South China block. This nappe tectonic system has become a boundary tectonic type of an active block supporting crustal deformation along the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from late Cenozoic till now. The Longriba fault zone is just an active
