Crustal deformation along the Altyn Tagh fault system, western China, from GPS

Shen, Zheng‐Kang; Wang, Min; Yan-xing, LI; Jackson, David D.; Yin, An; Dong, Danan; Fang, Peng

doi:10.1029/2001jb000349

Cited by 191 publications

(197 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…It is also consistent with InSAR results of 11˘5 mm/year estimated from ERS data [16]. Similar to other geodetic measurements [15][16][17]68], we also identified the asymmetric deformation pattern between the two sides of the fault. The possible mechanisms to explain this interseismic velocity asymmetry maybe a variation of the elastic crustal thickness from rheological contrast on two sides of the ATF [68] or variation in fault dip angle.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…The real tectonic setting is definitely more complex than the simple model we have used in this study. The reasons we used this simple model are that reliable SAR data near the fault were not available, which may be insufficient for a distributed slip inversion in this case; and the fault-normal and vertical deformations across the ATF are relative less with respect the strike slip [1,2,14,15]. Our results may include contributions of surrounding secondary faults or other mechanisms like the shrinkage or expansion of clay minerals, or even excessive water pumping or significant seasonal variations of the water table.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Late Quaternary slip rates have been reported along most of the ATF at both decadal and millennial time scales. Geodetic measurements at the decadal time scale indicating that the ATF slips at~10 mm/year [12][13][14][15] have been used to support continuum deformation of the Tibetan Plateau [1,2,8,15] or block-like deformation [3,4]. Elliott et al [16] investigated the same location as this study using ERS data and the stacking method and concluded that the slip rate was 11˘5 mm/year, Remote Sens.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interseismic Deformation of the Altyn Tagh Fault Determined by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) Measurements

Zhu

Wen

et al. 2016

Remote Sensing

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Abstract:The Altyn Tagh Fault (ATF) is one of the major left-lateral strike-slip faults in the northeastern area of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, the interseismic deformation across the ATF at 85˝E was measured using 216 interferograms from 33 ENVISAT advanced synthetic aperture radar images on a descending track acquired from 2003 to 2010, and 66 interferograms from 15 advanced synthetic aperture radar images on an ascending track acquired from 2005 to 2010. To retrieve the pattern of interseismic strain accumulation, a global atmospheric model (ERA-Interim) provided by the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecast and a global network orbital correction approach were applied to remove atmospheric effects and the long-wavelength orbital errors in the interferograms. Then, the interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) time series with atmospheric estimation model was used to obtain a deformation rate map for the ATF. Based on the InSAR velocity map, the regional strain rates field was calculated for the first time using the multi-scale wavelet method. The strain accumulation is strongly focused on the ATF with the maximum strain rate of 12.4ˆ10´8/year. We also show that high-resolution 2-D strain rates field can be calculated from InSAR alone, even without GPS data. Using a simple half-space elastic screw dislocation model, the slip-rate and locking depth were estimated with both ascending and descending surface velocity measurements. The joint inversion results are consistent with a left-lateral slip rate of 8.0˘0.7 mm/year on the ATF and a locking depth of 14.5˘3 km, which is in agreement with previous results from GPS surveys and ERS InSAR results. Our results support the dynamic models of Asian deformation requiring low fault slip rate.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interseismic Deformation of the Altyn Tagh Fault Determined by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) Measurements

Zhu

Wen

et al. 2016

Remote Sensing

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“…This was subsequently updated by Wallace et al (2004) and yielded an estimate of 5-13 mm a À1 (Table 3). Further GPS campaign measurements by Chen et al (2000), Shen et al (2001), Zhang et al (2004) and Gan et al (2007) gave estimates of 4-16 mm a À1 covering 89-1008E, with a decrease in slip rate from west to east ; Fig. 14).…”

Section: Geodetically Modelled Slip Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crustal–lithospheric structure and continental extrusion of Tibet

Searle

Elliott

Phillips

et al. 2011

JGS

240

154

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Crustal shortening and thickening to c. 70-85 km in the Tibetan Plateau occurred both before and mainly after the c. 50 Ma India-Asia collision. Potassic-ultrapotassic shoshonitic and adakitic lavas erupted across the Qiangtang (c. 50-29 Ma) and Lhasa blocks (c. 30-10 Ma) indicate a hot mantle, thick crust and eclogitic root during that period. The progressive northward underthrusting of cold, Indian mantle lithosphere since collision shut off the source in the Lhasa block at c. 10 Ma. Late Miocene-Pleistocene shoshonitic volcanic rocks in northern Tibet require hot mantle. We review the major tectonic processes proposed for Tibet including 'rigid-block', continuum and crustal flow as well as the geological history of the major strikeslip faults. We examine controversies concerning the cumulative geological offsets and the discrepancies between geological, Quaternary and geodetic slip rates. Low present-day slip rates measured from global positioning system and InSAR along the Karakoram and Altyn Tagh Faults in addition to slow long-term geological rates can only account for limited eastward extrusion of Tibet since Mid-Miocene time. We conclude that despite being prominent geomorphological features sometimes with wide mylonite zones, the faults cut earlier formed metamorphic and igneous rocks and show limited offsets. Concentrated strain at the surface is dissipated deeper into wide ductile shear zones.

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“…These findings show that strong compressive stresses exist on the southern, western, and northern boundaries of the plateau. Moreover, the GPS data show that the northward annual slip rates on the northern margin of the plateau, for example, in the Altyn and Qilian mountains, are one tenth of those on the Himalayan front [22,[35][36][37]. These findings imply that the northward motion of the Tibetan plateau shortened in the N-S direction probably encounters strong obstructions at the western and northern margins [38].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

Extensional Seismogenic Stress and Tectonic Movement on the Central Region of the Tibetan Plateau

Zhao

2009

International Journal of Geophysics

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Various earthquake fault types, mechanism solutions and stress fields, as well as GPS and geothermal data are analyzed for the study of the crustal movements on the Tibetan plateau and their tectonic implications. The results show that a lot of the normal faulting type-event concentrated at altitudes greater than 4000 m on the central Tibetan plateau. The altitudes concentrating normal faulting type-events can be zoned two parts: the western part, the Lhasa block, and the eastern part, the QiangtangChangdu region. The azimuths of T-axes are in a general E-W direction in the Lhasa block and NW-SE or NNW-SSE in the Qiangtang-Changdu region at the altitudes of the Tibetan plateau. The tensional stresses in E-W direction and NW-SE direction predominate normal faulting earthquake occurrence in the Lhasa block and the Qiangtang-Changdu region, respectively. The slipping displacements of the normal-faulting-type events have great components in near E-W direction and NW-SE direction in the Lhasa block and the Qiangtang-Changdu region, respectively. The extensions are probably an eastward or southeastward extensional motion, being mainly tectonic activity phenomena in the plateau altitudes. The extensional motions due to normalfault earthquakes are important tectonic activity regimes on the high altitudes of the plateau. The easterly crustal extensions on the plateau are attributable to the gravitational collapse of the high plateau and eastward extrusion of hotter mantle materials beneath the eastern boundary of the plateau. Numbers of thrust-fault and strike-slip-fault earthquakes with strong compressive stress in a general NNE-SSW direction occur on the edges of the plateau.

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Crustal deformation along the Altyn Tagh fault system, western China, from GPS

Cited by 191 publications

References 65 publications

Interseismic Deformation of the Altyn Tagh Fault Determined by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) Measurements

Interseismic Deformation of the Altyn Tagh Fault Determined by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) Measurements

Crustal–lithospheric structure and continental extrusion of Tibet

Extensional Seismogenic Stress and Tectonic Movement on the Central Region of the Tibetan Plateau

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