AUTHOR=Yu Zhongyuan , Yin Na , Xiao Peng , Chen Baixu TITLE=Co-Seismic Surface Ruptures of the CE 1738 M 7.6 Dangjiang Earthquake Along the NW Continuation of the Xianshuihe Fault Zone and Tectonic Implications for the Central Tibetan Plateau JOURNAL=Frontiers in Earth Science VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/earth-science/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.810891 DOI=10.3389/feart.2022.810891 ISSN=2296-6463 ABSTRACT=
The role of large-scale strike-slip faults in high-elevation areas in absorbing the strain resulting from plate convergence has yet to be scientifically understood. The Dang Jiang Fault (DJF), as the NW continuation of the Xianshuihe Fault Zone (XFZ) in the central Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, may provide an excellent testing ground for this question, given its high slip rate, sparse vegetative cover, minimal modification, and possible relationship with the CE 1738 Dangjiang destructive earthquake. However, co-seismic surface ruptures and seismotectonics remain in dispute because of inconvenient transportation and lack of oxygen at high altitudes. Thus, field investigations are conducted here to determine co-seismic surface ruptures. The newly synthesized data from geologic observations, historical record reviews, geomorphic mapping, trench logging, and sample dating indicate that the CE 1738 Dangjiang earthquake produced an ∼100 km-long surface rupture that includes offsets of gullies, linear scarps and troughs, sag ponds,