Uniform slip-rate along the Kunlun Fault: implications for seismic behaviour and large-scale tectonics

Jerome van Der Woerd (1, 2, 3) , F.J. Ryerson (2) , P. Tapponnier (3) , A. S. Mériaux (2) , Y. Gaudemer (3) , B. Meyer (3) , R.C. Finkel (2) , M.W. Caffee (2) , Zhao Guoguang (4) , Xu Zhiqin (5)

1 IPGS - Institut de physique du globe de Strasbourg
2 LLNL - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
3 IPGP - Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
4 Institute of Crustal Dynamics [Beijing]
5 Institute of Geology

A long-term slip-rate is derived from concordant 10Be, 26Al and 14C dating of cumulative offsets along much of the length of the Kunlun Fault. Values at 6 sites indicate uniform slip (11.5±2.0 mm/yr) since ∼40 kyr BP. This relatively high slip rate corresponds to a first-order discontinuity in the Asian crustal velocity field. M∼8 and M∼7.5 earthquakes on 2 segments of the fault recur with characteristic slip (∼10±2 m and 4.4±0.4 m) every ∼850 and ∼420 yrs, respectively.

Domaines: Tectonique

Jerome van Der Woerd, F.J. Ryerson, P. Tapponnier, A. S. Mériaux, Y. Gaudemer, et al.. Uniform slip-rate along the Kunlun Fault: implications for seismic behaviour and large-scale tectonics. Geophysical Research Letters, 2000, 27 (16), pp.2353-2356. ⟨10.1029/1999GL011292⟩. ⟨hal-00016244⟩