The Weixi-Qiaohou Fault is located in the west boundary of Sichuan-Yunnan rhombic block, and also the north extension segment of active Red River fault zone. Strengthening the research on the late Quaternary activity of Weixi-Qiaohou Fault is of great theoretical and practical significance for further understanding the seismogeological background in northwest Yunnan and the structural deformation mechanism of the boundary of Sichuan-Yunnan block. Based on the 1︰50 000 active fault mapping and the research results of the National Natural Science Fund project, this paper mainly elaborates the latest active times of the fault and paleoseismic events along it revealed by exploration trenches at Matoushui, Shiyan, and Yushichang. Matoushui trench revealed three faults developed in late Pleistocene and Holocene pluvial fan accumulation, and the latest ages of faulted strata are(638±40)a BP and(1 335±23)a BP, respectively. The Shiyan trench revealed six faults, three in the western section and three in the eastern section. The three faults in the western section dislocated the late Pleistocene and Holocene accumulation, and the 14C ages of the latest faulted strata are(4 383±60)a BP, (4 337±52)a BP and(4 274±70)a BP, respectively; the other three faults revealed in the eastern part of the trench offset the Holocene fluvial facies accumulation, the 14C age of the latest faulted strata in the footwall of the main fault is(9 049±30)a BP, and the 14C ages of two sets of faulted sag pond deposits in the hanging wall are(1 473±41)a BP and(133±79)a BP, separately. Five active faults are revealed in Yushichang trench. Among them, the F1 and F2 dislocated the gray-white gravelly clay layer and the black peat soil layer. The 14C age of the gray-white gravelly clay layer is(1 490±30)a BP, and 14C ages of the upper and lower part of the black peat soil layer are(1 390±30)a BP and(1 190±30)a BP, respectively. The F3 and F4 faults offset the gray-white gravelly clay layer, the black peat soil layer and the brown yellow sand bearing clay, and the OSL age of brown yellow sand bearing clay is(0.6±0.2)ka. The F5 fault dislocated the gray-white gravelly clay layer, its 14C age is(1 490±30)a BP. According to the relationship between strata and the analysis of dating data, the Yushichang trench revealed two seismic events, the first one occurred at(1 490±30)~(1 390±30)a BP, as typified by the faulting of F5, the second paleoseismic event is represented by the faulting of F1, F2, F3 and F4.The F1 and F2 faulted the gray-white gravelly clay layer and the black peat soil. Fault F3 and F4 dislocated the gravelly clay, the peat soil and the sandy clay, and a seismic wedge is developed between fault F3 and F4, which is filled with the brownish yellow sandy clay. The OSL dating result of the brownish yellow sandy clay layer is(0.6±0.2)ka. Judging from the contact relationship between strata and faults, F3 and F4may also faulted the upper brownish yellow sandy clay layer, but the layer was eroded due to later denudation. Therefore, fault F1, F2, F3 and F4 represent the second event. Combined with the analysis of fault scarps with a height of 2~2.5m and clear valley landform in the slope near the fault, it is estimated that the time of the second paleoearthquake event is about 600 years ago, and the magnitude could reach 7. The trench at Gaichang reveals that the seismic wedge, soft sedimentary structure deformation and the medium fine sand uplift(sand vein)and other ancient seismic phenomena are well developed near the fault scarp. All these phenomena are just developed below the fault scarp. The vertical dislocation of the strata on both sides of the seismic wedge is 35cm, and 14C ages of the misinterpreted peat clay are(36 900±350)a BP and(28 330±160)a BP, respectively, so, the occurrence time of this earthquake event is estimated to be about 28 000a BP. If the fault scarp with a height of 2m was formed during this ancient earthquake, and considering the 0.35m vertical offset revealed by the trench, the magnitude of this ancient earthquake could reach 7.The Matoushui trench revealed three faults, which not only indicated the obvious activity of the faults in late Pleistocene to Holocene, but also revealed two paleoseismic events. Among them, the OSL age of the faulted sand layer by fault F1 is(21.54±1.33)ka, which represents a paleoearthquake event of 20 000 years ago. The faulted strata by fault F2 and F3 are similar, which represent another earthquake event. The 14C dating results show that the age of the latest faulted strata is(638±40)Cal a BP, accordingly, it is estimated that the second earthquake time is about 600 years ago. A clear and straight fault trough with a width of several ten meters and a length of 4km is developed from Meiciping to Matoushui. Within the fault trough, there are fault scarps with different heights and good continuity, the height of which is generally 3~5m, the lowest is 2~3m, and the highest is 8~10m. Tracing south along this line, the eastern margin of Yueliangping Basin shows a fault scarp about 5m high. After that, it extends to Luoguoqing, and again appears as a straight and clear fault scarp several meters high. In addition, in the 2km long foothills between Hongxing and Luoguoping, there are huge rolling stones with diameters of 2~5m scattered everywhere, the maximum diameter of which is about 10m, implying a huge earthquake collapse occurred here. According to the length, height, width and dislocation of the rupture zone, and combined with the experience of Yiliang M≥7 earthquake and Myanmar Dongxu M7.3 earthquake, this earthquake magnitude is considered to be ≥7.
The southern segment of the Xiaojiang Fault (SSXF) is located at the intersection of the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang Fault and Red River-Ailao Shan fault systems in the southeast margin of the Tibetan plateau. Based on the interpretation of remote sensing image, the SSXF clearly shows the linear feature and continuous distribution as a single, penetrating fault. It has a total length of about 70km, trends generally about 20° to the northeast and protrudes slightly in the middle to the east. A typically geomorphologic phenomenon about the synchronous left-lateral dislocation of ridges and gullies can be found at Liangchahe, Longtan Village along the SSXF. The distribution of faults, the sedimentary features, attitude variance and the primary dating results of the offset strata in the trench section across fault sag ponds reveal three paleoseismic events rupturing obviously the surface, which demonstrates that the SSXF has the ability of recurrence of strong earthquakes. High-precision topographic map about two gullies and the platform between them with synchronous dislocation is acquired by using the Trimble 5800 GPS real-time difference measurement system. The dislocation is (18.3±0.5)m. As the top geomorphologic surface between the above two gullies and their adjacent area, the terrace surface T2 stopped accepting deposits at ~2606a, based on the linear regression analysis of three dating data. According to the geological method, a sinistral strike-slip rate of (7.02±0.20)mm/a on the SSXF in the Holocene is obtained, which has a good consistency with the results provided by using GPS data. The preliminary results about the Holocene activity and slip rate of the SSXF demonstrate that the southward or south-southeast motion of the Sichuan-Yunnan block in the SE Yunnan region has not been absorbed by the possible shortening deformation and the sinistral strike-slip rate of the SSXF has not been drastically reduced. The SSXF is a Holocene fault with obvious activity. This preliminary understanding provides some basic geological data for the seismic risk evaluation of the SSXF in the future, and for the establishment and inspection of the seismotectonic model about the Sichuan-Yunnan block.