Variability in interseismic strain accumulation rate and style along the Altyn Tagh Fault

Lin Shen (), Andrew Hooper, John R. Elliott and Tim J. Wright
Additional contact information
Lin Shen: University of Leeds
Andrew Hooper: University of Leeds
John R. Elliott: University of Leeds
Tim J. Wright: University of Leeds

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Major strike-slip faults that develop between strong and weaker regions are thought to focus along narrow shear zones at the rheological boundary. Here we present the InSAR-derived velocity field spanning almost the entire length of one such fault, the 1600 km-long Altyn Tagh Fault (ATF), and analyse the strain distribution. We find that localisation of strain is actually variable, in contrast to other major strike-slip faults that show little variation, with strain concentrated at the fault for some sections and distributed over broad (>100 km) shear zones for others. Slip rate along the ATF is also variable, decreasing along the fault from 11.6 ± 1.6 mm/yr in the west to 7.2 ± 1.4 mm/yr in the central portion, before increasing again to 11.7 ± 0.9 mm/yr over the eastern portion. We show that the variable shear zone width may be linked to geological variability and the influence of heat flow, and the results imply that sub-parallel faults play an important role in the overall deformation field. This demonstrates the significance of accurately characterising strain rates over a broad region when assessing seismic hazard.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51116-z

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