Distributed deformation around the eastern tip of the Kunlun fault
- Whether active strain within the Indo-Asian collision zone is primarily localized along major strike-slip fault systems or is distributed throughout the intervening crust between faults remains uncertain. Despite refined estimates of slip rates along many of the major fault zones, relatively little is known about how displacement along these structures is accommodated at fault terminations. Here, we show that a systematic decrease in left-lateral slip rates along the eastern similar to 200 km of the Kunlun fault, from > 10 mm/year to < 1 mm/year, is coincident with high topography in the Anyemaqen Shan and with a broad zone of distributed shear and clockwise vorticity within the Tibetan Plateau. Geomorphic analysis of river longitudinal profiles, coupled with inventories of cosmogenic radionuclides in fluvial sediment, reveal correlated variations in fluvial relief and erosion rate across the Anyemaqen Shan that reflect ongoing differential rock uplift across the range. Our results imply that the termination of the Kunlun fault systemWhether active strain within the Indo-Asian collision zone is primarily localized along major strike-slip fault systems or is distributed throughout the intervening crust between faults remains uncertain. Despite refined estimates of slip rates along many of the major fault zones, relatively little is known about how displacement along these structures is accommodated at fault terminations. Here, we show that a systematic decrease in left-lateral slip rates along the eastern similar to 200 km of the Kunlun fault, from > 10 mm/year to < 1 mm/year, is coincident with high topography in the Anyemaqen Shan and with a broad zone of distributed shear and clockwise vorticity within the Tibetan Plateau. Geomorphic analysis of river longitudinal profiles, coupled with inventories of cosmogenic radionuclides in fluvial sediment, reveal correlated variations in fluvial relief and erosion rate across the Anyemaqen Shan that reflect ongoing differential rock uplift across the range. Our results imply that the termination of the Kunlun fault system is accommodated by a combination of distributed crustal thickening and by clockwise rotation of the eastern fault segments.…
MetadatenAuthor details: | Eric Kirby, Nathan Harkins |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-013-0872-x |
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ISSN: | 1437-3254 |
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ISSN: | 1437-3262 |
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Title of parent work (English): | INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES |
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Publisher: | SPRINGER |
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Place of publishing: | NEW YORK |
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Publication type: | Article |
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Language: | English |
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Year of first publication: | 2013 |
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Publication year: | 2013 |
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Release date: | 2017/03/26 |
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Tag: | Active tectonics; Strike-slip faults; Tectonic geomorphology; Tibetan plateau |
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Volume: | 102 |
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Issue: | 7 |
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Number of pages: | 14 |
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First page: | 1759 |
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Last Page: | 1772 |
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Funding institution: | National Science Foundation [EAR-0229955]; NASA; Alexander von Humboldt
Foundation |
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