Faulted terrace risers place new constraints on the late Quaternary slip rate for the central Altyn Tagh fault, northwest Tibet

Abstract

Research Article| May 01, 2011 Faulted terrace risers place new constraints on the late Quaternary slip rate for the central Altyn Tagh fault, northwest Tibet Ryan D. Gold; Ryan D. Gold † 1Department of Geology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA †Current address: Geologic Hazards Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225, USA; e-mail: [e-mail]; [e-mail] Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Eric Cowgill; Eric Cowgill 1Department of Geology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J Ramón Arrowsmith; J Ramón Arrowsmith 2School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Xuanhua Chen; Xuanhua Chen 3Institute of Geomechanics, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100081, People's Republic of China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Warren D. Sharp; Warren D. Sharp 4Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley, California 94709, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Kari M. Cooper; Kari M. Cooper 1Department of Geology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Xiao-Feng Wang Xiao-Feng Wang 3Institute of Geomechanics, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100081, People's Republic of China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Ryan D. Gold † 1Department of Geology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA Eric Cowgill 1Department of Geology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA J Ramón Arrowsmith 2School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, USA Xuanhua Chen 3Institute of Geomechanics, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100081, People's Republic of China Warren D. Sharp 4Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley, California 94709, USA Kari M. Cooper 1Department of Geology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA Xiao-Feng Wang 3Institute of Geomechanics, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100081, People's Republic of China †Current address: Geologic Hazards Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225, USA; e-mail: [e-mail]; [e-mail] Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 31 Dec 2009 Revision Received: 08 Jul 2010 Accepted: 13 Jul 2010 First Online: 08 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 © 2011 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2011) 123 (5-6): 958–978. https://doi.org/10.1130/B30207.1 Article history Received: 31 Dec 2009 Revision Received: 08 Jul 2010 Accepted: 13 Jul 2010 First Online: 08 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Ryan D. Gold, Eric Cowgill, J Ramón Arrowsmith, Xuanhua Chen, Warren D. Sharp, Kari M. Cooper, Xiao-Feng Wang; Faulted terrace risers place new constraints on the late Quaternary slip rate for the central Altyn Tagh fault, northwest Tibet. GSA Bulletin 2011;; 123 (5-6): 958–978. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B30207.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The active, left-lateral Altyn Tagh fault defines the northwestern margin of the Tibetan Plateau in western China. To clarify late Quaternary temporal and spatial variations in slip rate along the central portion of this fault system (85°–90°E), we have more than doubled the number of dated offset markers along the central Altyn Tagh fault. In particular, we determined offset-age relations for seven left-laterally faulted terrace risers at three sites (Kelutelage, Yukuang, and Keke Qiapu) spanning a 140-km-long fault reach by integrating surficial geologic mapping, topographic surveys (total station and tripod–light detection and ranging [T-LiDAR]), and geochronology (radiocarbon dating of organic samples, 230Th/U dating of pedogenic carbonate coatings on buried clasts, and terrestrial cosmogenic radionuclide exposure age dating applied to quartz-rich gravels). At Kelutelage, which is the westernmost site (37.72°N, 86.67°E), two faulted terrace risers are offset 58 ± 3 m and 48 ± 4 m, and formed at 6.2–6.1 ka and 5.9–3.7 ka, respectively. At the Yukuang site (38.00°N, 87.87°E), four faulted terrace risers are offset 92 ± 12 m, 68 ± 6 m, 55 ± 13 m, and 59 ± 9 m and formed at 24.2–9.5 ka, 6.4–5.0 ka, 5.1–3.9 ka, and 24.2–6.4 ka, respectively. At the easternmost site, Keke Qiapu (38.08°N, 88.12°E), a faulted terrace riser is offset 33 ± 6 m and has an age of 17.1–2.2 ka. The displacement-age relationships derived from these markers can be satisfied by an approximately uniform slip rate of 8–12 mm/yr. However, additional analysis is required to test how much temporal variability in slip rate is permitted by this data set. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.