Abstract:Intervals of soft‐sediment deformation structures are well‐exposed in Jurassic lacustrine deposits in the western Qaidamu basin. Through field observation, many soft‐sediment deformation structures can be identified, such as convoluted bedding, liquefied sand veins, load and flame structures, slump structures and sliding‐overlapping structures. Based on their genesis, soft‐sediment deformation structures can be classified as three types: seismic induced structures, vertical loading structures, and horizontal shear structures. Based on their geometry and genesis analysis, they are seismic‐induced structures. According to the characteristics of convoluted bedding structures and liquefied sand veins, it can be inferred that there were earthquakes greater than magnitude 6 in the study area during the middle Jurassic. Furthermore, the study of the slump structures and sliding‐overlapping structures indicates that there was a southeastern slope during the middle Jurassic. Since the distance from the study area to the Altyn Mountain and the Altyn fault is no more than 10km, it can be also inferred that the Altyn Mountain existed then and that the Altyn strike‐slip fault was active during the middle Jurassic.
An earthquake of magnitude M5.7 occurred in Yamutu village, Songyuan City, Jilin Province, NE China (45°16′12″N/ 124°42′35″E) on May 28, 2018, with a focal depth of 13 km. The epicenter is located at the intersection of the Fuyu/ Songyuan-Zhaodong Fault, Second Songhua River Fault and Fuyu North Fault which lies northwest of Tancheng-Lujiang Fault (Tan-Lu Fault). The earthquake-induced widespread liquefaction structures and ground surface fissures within 3 km from the epicenter, caused serious disasters to the local surroundings. The visible liquefied structures include sand volcanoes, liquefied sand mounds, sand dikes and sand sills. Sand volcanoes can be divided into sand volcano with a crater, sand volcano without a crater and water volcano (no sand). Other soft-sediment deformation structures (SSDS) induced by the earthquake include deformation lamination, load and flame structures, deformation folds, dish structures, convolute bedding and water-escape structures. The formation process of the sand volcanoes comprises three stages: (1) building up excess pore-fluid pressure in the liquefied layer, (2) cracking of the low-permeable overlying layer, and (3) mixture of sand-water venting out of the ground surface. During the upward movement, the liquefied sand is injected into the low-permeable layer to form sand veins, sand sills and various types of deformation structures. Vertical distribution of seismic liquefaction structure can be divided into four zones: the thoroughly liquefied zone, the lower liquefied zone with SSDS, the upper liquefied zone with SSDS, and the ground surface liquefied zone. The liquefaction occurred at a burial depth of 2-5 m, and the thickness of liquefied sand is 2 m. NE-SW (35°-215°) trending compressive stress is possibly the seismogenic trigger of the Songyuan M5.7 earthquake that caused the fault (Fuyu/Songyuan-Zhaodong Fault) to reactivate. The study of the Songyuan seismic liquefaction structures gives insight into the prediction of modern earthquakes and disasterprone areas. Meanwhile it provides abundant basic material for studying earthquake-induced SSDS in both ancient and modern sediments. The research is obviously of great significance to reveal that the northern Tan-Lu Fault has entered a stage of active seismic activity since the twenty-first century.
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