Study on Active Faults in Quaternary Unconsolidated Sediments by Microstructural Method

Active faults in Quaternary unconsolidated sediments are important indicators to determine paleoearthquake events. They can be studied by macroscopic geological survey, but some problems have been encountered, such as invisible active faults. The authors found an approach to solve these problems by microstructural observation. Firstly, oriented original-state samples of Quaternary unconsolidated sediments in active fault zones are collected. Secondly, the samples are consolidated in laboratory. Thirdly, microstructural slides are ground in three-dimension coordinate system. Lastly, microstructures are observed in the microscopic field. By this method, the movement properties of active faults can be determined in lack of the support of macroscopic data. The invisible faults in Quaternary unconsolidated sediments can be found and described. The mechanisms of die-out faults can be also studied. Moreover, the boundaries between different unconsolidated sediments in engineering sites can be studied to judge whether they are active faults or not.

The Activity of Liaocheng-Lankao Buried Fault During the Quaternary —An Important Buried Active Fault in the Eastern China Plain

On the basis of locating by the geochemical prospecting, shallow seismic sounding, drilling, geological profiling, and neogeochronological dating, we first found out the dislocation amount along the Liaocheng-Lankao buried fault since the Quaternary and the age of its latest activity phase and determined that the upper break point by the fault dislocation reaches 20 m below the surface. The latest activity phase was in the early Holocene and the fault is a shallow-buried active fault. An average dislocation rate along the fault is 0.12 nun/a since the Quaternary. Thus, it is a buried active fault with intermediate to strong movement strength in the eastern China.

Active Feature of the Ganzi-Yushu Fault Zone in the Late Quaternary

Based on regional geological mapping results and interpretation of satellites images and areophotos in combination with detailed field study,this paper gives the spatial distribution of recent surface activity of the Ganzi-Yushu fault zone(GYF).According to faulted landform as well as deformation and displacement of young deposit layers,the slip rates of GYF since the late Quaternary are briefly studied,combined with the results of geological chronology(14C and Thermoluminescene dating).The result shows that the average slip rates of GYF is differentiate along different segments:Ganzi segment:horizontal rate is 3.4±0.3 mm/a,vertical rate is 2.2±0.1 mm/a;Manigange segment:horizontal rate is 7.0±0.7 mm/a;Denke segment:horizontal rate is 7.2±1.2 mm/a;Dangjiang segment:horizontal rate is 7.3±0.6 mm/a.

Late Quaternary Geomorphology of the Tonami Plain and Activity of the Tonami-Heiya Fault Zone, Toyama Prefecture, Central Japan

The Holocene alluvial fans and flood plains formed by the Sho and Oyabe Rivers spread out in the Tonami plain from the central through the northern parts in the Toyama Prefecture, central Japan. Along the foot of the surrounding mountains and hills, higher, middle and lower terraces of late Pleistocene-Holocene in age are distributed. These terraces have been displaced, by the reverse dip-slip activities of Tonami-heiya fault zone in a sense of upheaval in the mountains side, even during the Holocene time. We examined stratigraphic cross section utilizing borehole data and geomorphologically analyzed 5 m-DEM data in order to elucidate the fault trace of the Isurugi fault which Tonami-heiya fault zone. As the results, the northern segment of Isurugi fault seems to run along the northeastern foot of Hodatsu Hills and extends underground through the lower-most Oyabe River into the Toyama Bay. Consequently, its total length reaches about 30 km. In the southern segment, a continuous fault scarplet was recognized to cut across the lower dissected fans. The slip-rate of Isurugi fault is estimated to be 0.31 - 0.64 m/kyr. In the Hokuriku region, reverse faulting and related folding with strike in a NE-SW direction have occurred during the late Quaternary. The hinge line of block movement due to the activities of the Tonami-heiya fault zone is revealed to have shifted from the mountain side into the plain side within the Holocene time. In conclusion, the Quaternary folding and faulting associated with the crustal warping at a wavelength of about 20 km is currently in progress, causing both the subsidence of Tonami plain and the upheaval of surrounding mountains and hills.

Discussion of the Horizontal Intensity of Late Quaternary Fault Activity Along the Tianjingshan Fault Zone in Different Time Intervals and Fault Segments

By computing and classifying the data of gully offset obtained from field surveys along the Tianjingshan fault zone and estimating the ages of three types of gullies,the strike-slip rates along the fault zone are discussed in different time intervals and fault segments.The results suggest that the intensity of activity along the fault zone is not strong,but the differences between different time intervals and fault segments since the late Pleistocene have been obvious.The average rates range from 0.23 mm/a to 1.62 mm/a.The largest average rate is 1.40 mm/a,which occurred in the early and middle of late Pleistocene along the western segment of the fault zone.Since the late stage of the late Pleistocene,the center of faulting activity of the fault zone has shifted to the middle segment,and the average slip rates range have changed from 1.30 mm/a to 1.63 mm/a.

New Evidence of Late Quaternary Activity on the Xinyi-Wuhe Segment of the Tancheng-Lujiang Fault Zone

The Tancheng-Lujiang fault zone has great influence in eastern China. Studies have shown obvious signs of neotectonic activities on the Xinyi-Wuhe segment of the Tancheng-Lujiang fault zone. In this study,on the basis of the previous work,many seismological surveys are made along the Tancheng-Lujiang fault zone and trenches are excavated in key sites.Combined with the analysis of the seismic activities along the fault,the fault movement features and future seismic risk are discussed. Much first-hand information obtained in the paper can provide an important reference value for the study of large earthquake recurrence rules and the mid and long-term earthquake prediction on the Xinyi-Wuhe segment of the Tancheng-Lujiang fault zone.

New Activity of the Tanlu Fault Zone in the South of Huaihe to the Nvshanhu Segment since the Late Quaternary

Taking the Huaihe to the Nvshanhu segment of the Tanlu( Tancheng-Lujiang) fault zone as the main research target to explore whether there has been new activity since the late Quaternary,and based on the interpretation of remote sensing images and repeated surface investigations,we excavated trenches at the sections where the tectonic landform is significant,identified and recorded the deformation patterns of the fault and analyzed the activity behavior. Samples of new activity and deformation were collected and oriented slices were ground based on the samples ' original state to make the micro structural analysis and demonstration. All of the above research shows very clear linear tectonic geomorphology along the fault,three trenches across the fault zone all revealed new deformation traces since late Quaternary. The latest stratum dislocated by the fault is the late Quaternary and Holocene. The main slip mode is stick slip,as represented typically by fault scarps,wedge accumulation,the faults and the filled cracks and so on. In general,it shows the characteristics of brittle high-speed deformation and belongs to the prehistoric earthquake ruins. The above understanding was confirmed partially by microscopic analysis. In addition,the similarities and differences and the possible reasons for the characteristics of the latest activities of the Tancheng-Lujiang fault zone in the north and south of the Huaihe River regions are also discussed in this paper.

Fracturing and Displacement Types of Active Faults in Unconsolidated Accumulative Materials and Their Implication for Timing Palaeoseismic Rupture Events

Seismic rupture produced by active faulting causes ground surface fracturing and seriously damages buildings.However,the fracture traces are usually indistinct or non-visible because of complicated deformations in Quaternary unconsolidated materials,so their upper parts can hardly be discovered on exploratory trenches.The aim of this paper is to study the types of fault rupture and displacement in different loose deposit beds from a joint view of mega-,meso-,and microscopic scales,and to find the mark and method for timing the palaeoseismic rupture on exploratory trenches.

Activity Features and Slip Rate of the Lingwu Fault in Late Quaternary

The I ingwu fault is in the eastern boundary of the southern section of Yinchuan graben. It hasa close relation to seismicity in the Lingwu-Wuzhong region.Few researches have been done.In this Paper,on the basis of tee data obtained from field investigation,the activity features inLate Quaternary have been discussed.The vertical displacement and its slip rate have been alsoestimated.The fault is 48km in length,being divided into 3 segments according to geologicaland topographical characteristics.The last rupture along its northern and middle segments wasoccurred in late of Late Pleistocene or early Holocene while that along the southern segmentwas occurred in midle Holocene.The vertical slip rate is estimated as 0.23～025mm/a sinceabout 66ka B.P.based on the vertical displacements of terracesⅠ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ and their ages.

Geological Structure and Quaternary Activity of the Zhangjiakou Fault, Northern China

Based on detailed field investigations, this paper describes the geometrical characteristics and tectonic activities of the Zhangjiakou fault at the northwest of Beijing. This fault strikes mainly northwest to west, short parts of which strike near east to west, dipping north, and extends over a length of 70km. It is a major geological and geomorphologicai margin, controlling the neotectonic movement in this region. On the south side of the Zhangjiakou fault are the Late Quaternary unconsolidated deposits, forming basins; while on the other side are Mesozoic volcano debris and Pre-Mesozoic metamorphic rocks, forming lower mountains and hills. The Zhangjiakou fault consists mainly of high-angle inverse strike-slip fault and partially of normal strike-slip fault. Among these, the north-dipping NW-NWW-trending secondary faults, constituting the main fracture of the fault, have inverse characteristics; those near the EW-trending secondary faults are links of the former faults, with a smaller length and normal faulting characteristics. Thus, the Zhangjiakou fault is a north-dipping inverse and partially south-dipping normal strike-slip fault. The Zhangjiakou fault has been continuously active since the Quaternary. With the exception of the western end extension, which has been active since the late Pleistocene, the main part of the fault has been active since the Holocene. The central main segment of the Zhangjiakou fault is more active. Since the mid-late period of the late Pleistocene, the average vertical slip rate of a single fault has been over 0. 07mm/a - 0. 30mm/a. The Zhangjiakou fault has multi-slip surfaces, and the total vertical slip rate reaches 1.33mm/a, estimated from the Qingshuihe river terraces and the relevant drilling data.

Remote Sensing Interpretation and Extraction of Structural Information about Active Faults at Hangzhou,China,and Their Surroundings

It is important to explore active faults in urban areas and their surroundings for earth- quake disaster mitigation. Satellite remote sensing techniques can play an important role in such active fault exploration. It can not only reveal the pattern of active faults and active tectonics on a macroscop- ic scale, but also monitor the occurrence, development and rules of temporal-spatial evolution of active faults. In this paper, we use the Hangzhou area as an example to introduce methods of extracting de- tailed active fault information when covered by thick unconsolidated Quaternary sediment, using im- age enhancement and image fusion etc. to improve the definition and precision of satellite images and presenting a three-dimensional （3D） image to illustrate tectono-geomorphic features along the relevant faults. We have also collected aeromagnetic anomaly data, shallow seismic exploration data and dating data, and carried out field surveys to validate the characteristics of active faults based on remote sens- ing images. The results revealed about the faults showed a high consistency with traditional geological knowledge, and demonstrate that it is feasible to explore active faults in a weakly active tectonic area by using satellite remote sensing techniques and contribute to large engineering projects and research on neotectonics.

Quaternary tectonic history of seismically active intraplate Kachchh Rift Basin,western India:A review

Since the recorded historical period,the Kachchh Rift Basin(KRB)has encountered numerous moderate to large magnitude earthquakes.According to the series of seismicity research so far,there are several important points of debate regarding the tectonic history and evolution of the KRB,especially during the Quaternary period.Therefore,the main objective of the present research is to inspect and perceive the association amongst the strain build-up,earthquake provenance,landform evolution and progression as archived by the Quaternary deposits of the KRB.The previous studies demonstrated the evolutions of various landforms,such as the uplifted fluvial terraces,formation of the gorges,uplifted alluvial fan sequences,which can be ideally used to reconstruct the neotectonic history along active faults of KRB.Considering this,the analysis of the accessible and supportive data,including geochronology provided by earlier studies along with some new dataset for a superior knowledge on the Quaternary tectonic forces prevailing in the KRB,have been carried out.Furthermore,we also emphasized the differences and directions for future potential research issues.The observations of variability in uplift rates across the various active faults in the KRB suggest a complex geological history during the Quaternary period.The results show that the vertical uplift rate along the significant active faults range from 0.8 to 2.8 mm/yr,demonstrating the variable tectonic stress regime prevailing in the KRB.The uplift rates constricted from geomorphic and chronological aspects suggest that the tectonic movements within the Kachchh intraplate region is regulated by the fault segments and the present tectonic stress field is in accordance with the encompassing tectonic stress field associated with the northward movement of the Indian plate corresponding to the Eurasian plate.

Characteristics of Late-Quaternary Activity and Seismic Risk of the Northeastern Section of the Longmenshan Fault Zone

Following the 2008 Wenchuan M8 earthquake,the seismic risk of the northeastern section of the Longmenshan fault zone and the adjacent Hanzhong basin has become an issue that receives much concern.It is facing,however,the problem of a lack of sufficient data because of little previous work in these regions.The northeastern section of the Longmenshan fault zone includes three major faults：the Qingchuan fault,Chaba-Lin＇ansi fault,and Liangshan south margin fault,with the Hanzhong basin at the northern end.This paper presents investigations of the geometry,motion nature,and activity ages of these three faults,and reveals that they are strike slip with normal faulting,with latest activity in the Late Pleistocene.It implies that this section of the Longmenshan fault zone has been in an extensional setting,probably associated with the influence of the Hanzhong basin.Through analysis of the tectonic relationship between the Longmenshan fault zone and the Hanzhong basin,this work verifies that the Qingchuan fault played an important role in the evolution of the Hanzhong basin,and further studies the evolution model of this basin.Finally,with consideration of the tectonic setting of the Longmenshan fault zone and the Hanzhong basin as well as seismicity of surrounding areas,this work suggests that this region has no tectonic conditions for great earthquakes and only potential strong events in the future.

Study on the Activity of the Toupo Fault in Southern Anhui Province

The Toupo Fault, located in southern Anhui Province, strikes N60°～70°E in a linear route that is clear on satellitic image. It plays an important role in controlling the tectonics, geomorphology and distribution of Mesozoic-Cenozoic basins and strata. Detailed field investigation was carried out along the Toupo Fault to study its activity. Profiles, as well as a trench excavated reveal that the Quaternary super stratum above the fault had not been offset. The stratum was sampled and dated with TL methods to be the Mid-Pleistocene time, implying that the fault had been no longer active since then. Three stages can be divided since the fault was formed. The first stage is in the late Yanshan Movement, when the fault movement was of reversal strike-slipping and the tracks formed then are still clear today. The second stage is in the early Himalayan Movement—the late Cretaceous-early Tertiary, when the fault movement turned to be normal faulting and the southern wall became a tensile basin and received clastic sediment. The third stage is since the late Tertiary, when the tectonic movement was very weak. No late Tertiary sediments were formed and the Quaternary sediment was only as thick as ten meters. The geomorphology also suggested an aging form. Neither vertical nor horizontal displacement was evident along the Toupo Fault during this stage, though fault gouge dating suggested that the Toupo Fault might have been active during the Mid-Pleistocene.

Recent Study of the Changjiang Fault Zone

The Changjiang fault zone,also known as the Mufushan-Jiaoshan fault,is a famous fault located at the southern bank of the Changjiang River,near the Nanjing downtown area.Based on multidisciplinary data from shallow artificial seismic explorations in the target detecting area(Nanjing city and the nearby areas),trenching and drilling explorations,classification of Quaternary strata and chronology dating data,this paper provides the most up-to-date results regarding activities of the Changjiang fault zone,including the most recent active time,activity nature,related active parameters,and their relation to seismic activity.

忻定盆地金山凸起东缘断裂展布及晚第四纪最新活动特征

通过野外地质地貌调查结合无人机航拍测量、地质雷达勘探及浅层地震勘探综合分析认为,金山凸起东缘断裂整体呈NE向展布,走向40°,北起忻口村一带,向SW经金山铺村西、前淤泥村西延伸至部落村以北,进而向SWS转折进入盆地区。经探槽开挖和年龄测试,该断裂段最新断错晚更新世早期地层。

滇藏铁路沿线重要活动断裂带晚第四纪活动性初步研究

滇藏铁路位于青藏高原东南缘板块碰撞和构造活跃的地形急变带,沿线活动断裂发育,地震频发,地震烈度强,且地质灾害频繁,其规划施工建设和长期运营面临的地质安全风险问题严峻。滇藏铁路香格里拉—波密段沿线发育了哈巴—玉龙雪山东麓断裂带、中甸—龙蟠断裂带、德钦—中甸—大具断裂带、维西—乔后断裂带、金沙江断裂带、巴塘断裂带、澜沧江断裂带、怒江断裂带、边坝—洛隆断裂带、嘉黎—察隅断裂带等10余条活动断裂带。受断裂黏滑位错、蠕滑变形和引发强震风险的突出影响,迫切需要厘定区域活动断裂带的几何展布和活动性。基于前人资料、遥感解译和野外调查,本文总结分析了沿线10余条活动断裂带的几何展布、运动性质、滑动速率和古地震历史等,以期为滇藏铁路等国家重大工程规划建设与安全运营提供基础资料。

江苏新沂高新区钻孔联合剖面揭示的郯庐断裂带F5几何结构特征

郯庐断裂带安丘—莒县断裂(F5)为1668年郯城81/2级地震的发震断裂。该次地震的地表破裂可能已延至新沂市区南侧的南马陵山一带。新沂市活动断层探测结果显示F5断裂以隐伏断裂形式穿经新沂市区,为全新世活动断裂。在此工作基础上,我们对F5断裂在高新区一带的空间展布和晚第四纪活动性开展了多条钻孔联合剖面精确定位和综合分析,揭示该段断裂分为东、西两支,东支为晚更新世断裂,西支为全新世断裂,并呈不连续的右阶斜列状,并非简单的剪切拉张阶区样式。探测结果为郯庐断裂带未来地震危险性评价和新沂市抗震设防提供了新的资料和认识。

综合物探和钻探技术在第四纪隐伏断层探测中的应用

采用以高分辨率地震勘探为主,配合瞬变电磁和高密度电阻率探测的方法,快速、准确圈定了北坞断裂的上断点位置、埋深等信息;通过跨断层联合剖面钻探和地球物理测井工作,查明了晚第四纪地层特征和层序,精确定位了目标断层的空间位置和断层位移量,进而揭示了目标断层的活动性。结果表明:综合物探技术的解释结果和钻探结果基本吻合,证明了方法的有效性。

青藏高原东北缘榆木山东缘断裂地表破裂带的新发现及其地震地质意义

榆木山东缘断裂的晚第四纪构造变形及最新的活动特征反映了祁连山的向N扩展过程及印度板块向N挤压的远程碰撞效应。文中结合遥感影像解译、探槽古地震、无人机航空摄影测量和晚第四纪测年等方法,调查并新发现了榆木山东缘断裂的地表破裂带及其活动特征。结果表明,榆木山东缘断裂整体走向NW330°,现今的运动学特征以逆冲为主。以黑河为界,断裂的活动习性存在明显差异。在黑河口段(F_(1-1))发现了全新世晚期最新强震活动的地表破裂带。破裂带整体走向NW330°,倾向SW,长约10km,宽3~10m。地表破裂断错年轻的河流阶地、冲沟及台地,地表陡坎的最大高度为(3.3±0.2)m。光释光年代学结果显示,最新的地表破裂事件发生于(0.6±0.07)ka BP,经验公式估算其震级约为M 7.5。研究结果表明榆木山东缘断裂的变形特征为前展式逆冲推覆,其最新前缘的变形已经到达盆地内部。