Late Quaternary Activity of the Huashan Piedmont Fault and Associated Hazards in the Southeastern Weihe Graben,Central China

The Weihe Graben is not only an important Cenozoic fault basin in China but also a significant active seismic zone. The Huashan piedmont fault is an important active fault on the southeast side of the Weihe Graben and has been highly active since the Cenozoic. The well–known Great Huaxian County Earthquake of 1556 occurred on the Huashan piedmont fault. This earthquake, which claimed the lives of approximately 830000 people, is one of the few large earthquakes known to have occurred on a high–angle normal fault. The Huashan piedmont fault is a typical active normal fault that can be used to study tectonic activity and the associated hazards. In this study, the types and characteristics of late Quaternary deformation along this fault are discussed from geological investigations, historical research and comprehensive analysis. On the basis of its characteristics and activity, the fault can be divided into three sections, namely eastern, central and western. The eastern and western sections display normal slip. Intense deformation has occurred along the two sections during the Quaternary; however, no deformation has occurred during the Holocene. The central section has experienced significant high–angle normal fault activity during the Quaternary, including the Holocene. Holocene alluvial fans and loess cut by the fault have been identified at the mouths of many stream valleys of the Huashan Mountains along the central section of the Huashan piedmont fault zone. Of the three sections of the Huashan piedmont fault, the central section is the most active and was very active during the late Quaternary. The rate of normal dip–slip was 1.67–2.71±0.11 mm/a in the Holocene and 0.61±0.15 mm/a during the Mid–Late Pleistocene. As is typical of normal faults, the late Quaternary activity of the Huashan piedmont fault has produced a set of disasters, which include frequent earthquakes, collapses, landslides, mudslides and ground fissures. Ground fissures mainly occur on the hanging–wall of the Huashan piedmont fault, with landslides, collapses and mudslides occurring on the footwall.

The stress change of the major activity faults in the Weihe Graben after the Wenchuan earthquake

The seismicity of small earthquakes in the Weihe Graben has changed after the Wenchuan earthquake.In detail,the seismicity around the Qishan-Mazhao fault in the western Weihe Graben decreased,while the seismicity in Gaoling and Jingyang Counties in the middle portion of the Weihe Graben and that in the area between Hancheng and Yuncheng Cities in eastern Weihe Graben increased.In this paper,the stress loading on the major activity faults in the Weihe Graben induced by the Wenchuan earthquake is discussed based on the Coulomb stress theory.The results show that the Wenchuan earthquake has exerted an unloading effect in the western Weihe Graben and a loading effect in the middle and eastern Weihe Graben.The spatially varied Coulomb stress is consistent with the seismicity distribution,indicating that the seismicity change is closely associated with the stress loading caused by the Wenchuan earthquake.

Crustal structures of the Weihe graben and its surroundings from receiver functions

We use 15 seismic stations, crossing the Qinling orogen （QO）, Weihe graben （WG） and Ordos block （OB）, to study the crustal structures by receiver functions （RFs） methods. The results show quite a difference in crustal structures and materials of three tectonic units （orogenic belt, extentional basin and stable craton）. The average crustal thickness in the northern QO is 37.8 km, and Poisson ratio is 0.247, which indicates the increase of felsic materials in QO. In the southern OB, the average crustal thickness is 39.2 km and Poisson ratio is 0.265. Comparatively high value of Poisson ratio is related with old crystallized base in the lower crust and shallow sediments. The artificial RFs reveal that low-velocity and thick sediments have a significant ef fect on phases of the MohoroviEi6 discontinuity （Moho）. As a result, the Moho phases in WG are tangled. S-wave velocity （Vs） inversion shows that there are shallow sediment layers with 4-8 km＇s thickness and high velocity zones in the middle-lower crust in WG. Complex Moho structure and high velocity zone may have been induced by the activities of the Weihe faults series.

Relationship between Landslides and Active Normal Faulting in the Epicentral Area of the AD 1556 M～8.5 Huaxian Earthquake,SE Weihe Graben(Central China)

In this paper, we focus on the characteristics of the landslides developed in the epicentral area of AD 1556 M^8.5 Huaxian Earthquake, and discuss their relations to the active normal faults in the SE Weihe Graben, Central China. The results from analyzing high-resolution remote-sensing imagery and digital elevation models（DEMs）, in combination with field survey, demonstrate that：（i） the landslides observed in the study area range from small-scale debris/rock falls to large-scale rock avalanches;（ii） the landslides are mostly developed upon steep slopes of ≥30°; and（iii） the step-like normal-fault scarps along the range-fronts of the Huashan Mountains as well as the thick loess sediments in the Weinan area may facilitate the occurrence of large landslides. The results presented in this study would be helpful to assess the potential landslide hazards in densely-populated areas affected by active normal faulting.

Mantle anisotropy across the southwestern boundary of the Ordos block,North China

Located at the northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau,the Ordos block is a stable tectonic unit in North China.With its active boundary fault zones,the Ordos block played an important role in the eastward extrusion mechanism of the Tibetan plateau.Peking University deployed a linear array of 15 portable broadband seismometers across the western Weihe graben during September 2005 to August 2006 and later a 2-D seismic array（Southwest Ordos Array） of 14 portable broadband seismometers during 2007-2008 at its southwestern boundary.Analyses of shear wave splitting of SKS and SKKS phases at these stations show that the fast directions trend ～110° with an average delay time of 0.9 s in the southwestern margin of the Ordos block.The agreement between the lithosphere deformation indicated by GPS data and Quaternary fault slip-rate observations and the mantle flow represented by shear wave splitting implies that accordant deformation patterns from lithosphere to asthenosphere in relation to the eastward extrusion of the Tibetan plateau could extend at least to 200 km depth.Spatial distribution of splitting polarization directions indicates that the mantle flow driven by the Tibetan plateau is blocked by the Ordos block and locally restricted in a narrow channel along the Qinling-Dabie fault zones between the Ordos block and Sichuan basin.