An M_S7.4 earthquake occurred in Madoi County, Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province of China at 02:04 (Beijing Time) on May 22, 2021. A total of seven 800~3 000m trans-fault survey lines were targeted laid along different parts of the seismic surface rupture zone(the west, mid-west, mid-east, and the east), one month after the earthquake when the detailed field investigation of the coseismic displacement and the spread of the seismic surface rupture zone had been carried out. The soil gases were collected and the concentrations of Rn, H₂, Hg, and CO₂ were measured in situ.
The results show that the maximum value of Rn, H₂, Hg and CO₂ concentrations in different fracture sections of the surface rupture was 2.10~39.17kBq/m³(mean value: 14.15kBq/m³), 0.4×10^-6~720.4×10^-6(mean value: 24.93×10^-6), 4~169ng/m³(mean value: 30.72ng/m³)and 0.73%~4.04%(mean value: 0.59%), respectively. In general, the concentration of radon is low in the study area, which may be related to the thick overburden and the lithology dominated by sandstone. The concentration characteristics of hydrogen and mercury released from soil have good consistency, and the concentrations are higher at the east and west ends of the surface rupture zones but were lower in the middle of the rupture zone. This is consistent with the field investigation showing that the earthquake-induced surface rupture zone and deformation are more concentrated in the western section, while the eastern section has a large amount of seismic displacement.
The fault strikes at the east and west ends of the Madoi M_S7.4 earthquake surface rupture have deviated from the NW direction to a certain extent, and there also exits two branching faults and rupture complexities at the east end of the main fault of the Madoi earthquake. In the west end of the surface rupture, i.e., the south of Eling Lake, the fault strike turns to EW direction. We laid two survey lines(line 2 and line 3)at the west end of the rupture, the concentration of Rn, H₂ and Hg escaped from line 3 is the lowest one among all lines while the gas concentration of line 2 is significantly higher. In the vicinity of line 3, the field geological survey did not find the cracked and exposed surface rupture, and only a small number of liquefaction points were distributed near the Eling Lake. The soil gas concentrations and morphological characteristics were consistent with the field phenomena. At the east end of the rupture zone, the soil gas morphological characteristics of the south and north fault branches were inconsistent: the soil gas of the south branch showed a single-peak type which was more similar to that at the west end, but the gas concentration pattern of the north fault branch showed a multiple-peaks type. This phenomenon is consistent with the characteristic shown in the surface fracture mapping, that is, the deformation zone of the rupture where is wider.
To find out the source of soil gas and the possible influencing factors of soil gas concentrations in the study area, the carbon isotope and helium isotope of the collected gas samples were analyzed. The value of ³He/⁴He shows that the noble gas in the study area is mainly an atmospheric source, but the results of δ¹³C and CO₂/³He show that the soil gas along the surface rupture of the Madoi earthquake has the mixed characteristics of atmospheric components and crustal components, which to a certain extent reflects the cutting depth of main fault-Jiangcuo fault may be shallow, and it is speculated that the surface rupture caused by Madoi M_S7.4 earthquake may be confined to the shallow crust.

Coseismic surface rupture length is one of the critical parameters for estimating the moment magnitude based on the empirical relationships and later used in assessing the potential seismic risk of a region. On 22 May 2021, the M_W7.4 Madoi earthquake occurred in the northeastern part of the Tibetan plateau(Madoi County in Qinghai Province, China)and ruptured the poorly known Jiangcuo Fault along the extension line of the southeastern branch of the Kunlun Fault. We began our data acquisition using aerial photogrammetry by UAV three days after the earthquake. Between 24 May and 15 June 2021, more than 40000 high-resolution low-altitude aerial photos were acquired covering a total length of 180km along the surface rupture. Based on detailed field investigations, combined with a fine interpretation of sUAV-derived orthophotos and high-resolution DEMs, we determined a total length of~158km of the coseismic surface rupture extending to the eastern end at 99.270°E, which is basically consistent with the position given by previous geophysical methods. Although the extending segment is located beyond the end of the continuous surface rupture trace near Xuema Township, it should be included in the calculation of the length of the surface rupture as part of the tectonic surface rupture. The surface rupture is segmented into four sections, named from west to east: the Eling Lake, Yematan, Yellow River, Jiangcuo branch sections. Additionally, to the east of Dongcaoa’long Lake, we mapped semi-circular arc-shaped continuous tension-shear fractures in the dune area with a short gap(~3km)connecting to the east of the Jiangcuo branch. The surface ruptures along the southeastern Youyunxiang segment also sporadically appear in several sites, locally relatively continuous, covered by the sand dune with vertical displacements of up to 30cm. After passing through the dunes, the surface rupture of the Youyunxiang segment began to spread widely, extending continuously with a strike of nearly east-west. However, it should be noted that the rupture lengths of the Youyunxiang segment and other branches are not counted in the total earthquake rupture length. By comparing the current research results, we believe that the critical factors causing the significant differences of the measured length of coseismic surface ruptures would depend on: 1)more extensive and detailed field investigations combined with a fine interpretation of high-resolution images; 2)avoidance of repeated calculation of superimposed sections on both sides of the complex geometrical area. In this study, combined with the fine interpretation of high-precision image data, many surface rupture traces in the dunes of the Youyunxiang segment were identified(verified and confirmed by field inspection)and more continuous surface rupture segments on the F1 fault, which is difficult to reach by human beings, were discovered, also highlights the important role of digital photogrammetry in the study of active tectonics. The studies of the strong historical earthquakes around the Bayan Har block show that the coseismic surface rupture length is larger than that estimated by the empirical relationships. Further research thus is highly necessary to uncover its mechanism and indicative significance.

Exact characteristics of surface rupture zone are essential for exploring the mechanism of large earthquakes. Although the traditional field surface rupture investigation methods can obtain high-precision geomorphic data in a local area, it is difficult to rapidly get an extensive range of high-precision topographic and geomorphic data of the entire fault due to its limited measurement range and low efficiency. In addition, manual measurement is of tremendous workload, high cost, time-consuming and laborious, and the subjective differences in the judgment standards during the manual operation process may also cause the measurement results to be inconsistent with the actual terrain characteristics. In recent years, the development of photogrammetry technology has provided another more effective technical means for the rapid acquisition of high-precision topographic and geomorphic data, which has dramatically changed the way of geological investigation, improved the efficiency of fieldwork. At the same time, it also makes it a reality to reproduce the 3D tectonic features of field tectonic deformation indoors.
Structure from Motion(SfM)multi-view mobile photogrammetry technology is widely concerned for its convenience, fast and low-cost acquisition of high-resolution 3D topographic data in a working area of tens-kilometers scale. The emergence of this method has greatly improved the automation degree of photogrammetry. The technology obtains image sets by motion cameras, uses a feature matching algorithm to extract homonym features from multiple images(at least three images), determines the relative positional relationship of cameras during photography, and continuously optimizes by the nonlinear least square algorithm. Finally, the pose of cameras is automatically solved, and 3D scene structure is reconstructed. The technology can restore the original 3D appearance of the object in the computer by a set of digital images with a certain degree of overlap. In the applications of terrain mapping, this technology only needs to combine a small number of ground control points(GCPs)to quickly establish digital orthophoto maps(DOMs)and digital elevation models(DEMs)with high-precision. In this way, low altitude remote sensing platforms such as small and medium-sized UAVs have provided a foundation for SfM photogrammetry technology.
After the Madoi M_W7.4 earthquake occurred on May 22, 2021, our research team rushed to the site as soon as possible and conducted the rapid photogrammetry of the entire coseismic surface rupture zone in a short period with the use of the CW-15 VTOL fixed-wing UAV. We completed the collection of topographic data in an area with ~180km length and ~256km² area and collected 34302 aerial photographs. We used Agisoft PhotoScan TM software to process the images and generate DOMs quickly. The DOM resolution of the entire surface rupture was 2~7cm/pix, most of which were 3~5cm/pix. Then we used GIS software to vectorize the surface rupture. The centimeter-scale high-resolution DOMs could clearly display the coseismic surface rupture’s spatial distribution and the relative width. On this basis, the surface rupture could be accurately interpreted, and related parameters such as coseismic offsets could be extracted. In this study, the horizontal offsets measured by orthophoto images were basically consistent with the field measurement results, which proved the authenticity and reliability of the data obtained by the UAV photogrammetry method.
In order to obtain more detailed surface rupture vertical offset data, we used DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 UAV to collect terrain information of several areas with the most significant rupture deformation. The DEM resolution obtained could reach centimeter-scale, and the accuracy was greatly improved. The high-resolution topographic and geomorphic data obtained by this method could accurately identify tiny fault features, clearly display sub-meter-level vertical offset features, significantly improve the accuracy of offset measurement, and achieve high-resolution 3D reconstruction of fault geomorphic.
In addition, we selected typical surface ruptures in the field, such as compressional stepovers, tensional cracks, and pressure ridges, and collected their 3D structural features using the iPhone 12 Pro LiDAR scanner. The 3D Scanner application was used to optimize the image, completely restore the “real object” in 3D to realize the indoor reconstruction of the 3D structure of surface ruptures and pressure ridges. The augmented reality(AR)imaging models could truly reflect the characteristics and details of surface ruptures, forming the same effect as field observations. This technology, which creates 3D models of close-range environments without any prior preparation, provides a novel, economical, and time-saving method to rapidly scan morphological features of small and medium-sized landforms(from centimeters to hundreds of meters)at high spatial resolution. This is the fastest and most convenient way to collect 3D models in field geological investigation without using external equipment, which provides a new idea for future geological teaching and scientific research.
Although photogrammetry technology still has some limitations, such as the short flight time of the flight platform, being easily affected by factors such as weather and altitude, and unsatisfactory aerial photography in densely vegetated areas, it is believed that these problems will be solved with the advancement of technology. Once solved, photogrammetry will become an essential technical means in quantitative and refined research on active tectonics.

The coseismic displacements are required to characterize the earthquake rupture and provide basic data for exploring the faulting mechanism and assessing seismic risk in the future. Detailed field investigation is still an important way to acquire reliable coseismic displacements comparing to geodetic measurements. Combining with previous research on other earthquakes, this study tries to discuss distributed deformation along the strike rupture and its implications. The M_W7.4 Madoi earthquake ruptured the southeast section of the Kunlun Shankou-Jiangcuo Fault on May 22, 2021, in Qinghai Province. It is a typical strike slip event, and its epicenter locates at~70km south of the East Kunlun Fault, which is the north boundary of the Bayan Har block. Field investigation results show that the surface rupture extends along the piedmont. The deformation features mainly include compression humps, extensional and shear fissures, and scarps. After the earthquake, we used the unmanned aerial system to survey the rupture zone by capturing a swath of images along the strike. The swath is larger than 1km in width. Then we processed the aerial images by commercial software to build the orthoimage and the digital elevation model(DEM)with high resolutions of 3~5cm. We mapped the surface rupture in detail based on drone images and DEM along the western section. Meanwhile, we also got the commercial satellite images captured before the earthquake, on 2nd January 2021. The images were processed with geometrical rectification before comparison. The spatial resolution of satellite images before earthquake is about 0.5m.
At the south of the Eling Hu(Lake), the clear offset tire tracks provide an excellent marker for displacement measurement. We located the positions of tracks precisely based on remote sensing images, and compared between the tracks lines after earthquake and the corresponding positions before earthquake, then extracted distance difference, which is defined as coseismic displacements. The results show that the total displacement is about 3.6m, which contains the distributed deformation of about 0.9m. The off-fault deformation is about 33% of the on-fault and about 25% of the total deformation. The ratios are similar to previous studies on earthquake worldwide. The fault zone width is probable about 200m. The total horizontal displacement measured by this study is similar to the slip in depth by InSAR inversion, which implies that there is no slip deficit at the west rupture section of the earthquake.
The results also present the asymmetry of distributed deformation that most distributed deformation occurs at the south of the surface rupture zone. Comparing with other earthquakes in the world, it is likely that the asymmetrically distributed deformation is common in strike-slip earthquakes and the asymmetric feature is not related to the property of the material. The characteristics of distributed deformation might be related to fault geometry at depth or local stress state. More work is needed to resolve this question in the future. This study implies that we probably underestimated the slip rates resulting from ignoring distributed deformation in the past. In order to avoid underestimation of slip rates, we can correct the previous results by the ratio of distributed deformation to total slip. It is also suggested that the study sites should be on the segment with narrow deformation and simple geometry.

Detailed mapping of coseismic surface rupture can provide valuable information for understanding the geometrical complexities, dynamic rupture processes and fault mechanisms. Fault geometrical complexities, such as bends, branches, and stepovers are common in strike-slip fault systems and can control the coseismic surface rupture characteristics to a certain extent. Observational studies of surface ruptures in past earthquakes suggested that special rupture characteristics would form distributed ruptures and rupture gaps. The detailed mapping has become an important way to study the surface rupture. According to the China Earthquake Networks Center(CENC), the M_W7.4 earthquake occurred at 2:04 PM on May 22, 2021, in Madoi County, Qinghai Province. The epicenter is about 70km south of the eastern Kunlun Fault on the northern boundary of the Bayan Kera block. It is the largest earthquake that hit the Chinese mainland since the Wenchuan M_S8.0 earthquake in 2008. After field investigation and rupture mapping on the computer, Yao et al.(2022)estimated that the length of surface rupture of this earthquake is 158km. Surface ruptures of the M_W7.4 Madoi earthquake broke through the geometric discontinuities such as step-overs and bends, and formed various coseismic surface fractures, especially in the middle segment. In the survey of the Madoi earthquake, we rapidly acquired aerial image data using UAV aerial photogrammetry and obtained high-resolution digital orthograph models(DOMs)and digital elevation models(DEMs)using PhotoScan software based on the SfM algorithm processing. Those data provide an opportunity for detailed mapping of seismic rupture and also provide an important reference for fieldwork. Based on high-resolution topographic data, we carried out detailed surface rupture mapping, classification, geometric structure and strike analysis for the ~30km section of the epicenter segment. At the same time, we conducted field work to supplement and proofread the maps.
According to the characteristics of surface ruptures in the epicenter area, we divided the ruptures into six segments. The surface ruptures along segment S₁ and segment S₆ are concentrated near the main fault, while the surface ruptures in the stepover(segment S₃, S₄, and S₅)are distributed dispersively, and the secondary ruptures along the segment S₂ are also distributed scatteredly, with the main rupture missing. To reveal the distribution characteristics of surface fractures more clearly, the surface ruptures are divided into the main rupture, secondary rupture, surface rupture and collapse rupture, among which the genesis of the surface rupture is uncertain. There are a lot of typical tensile ruptures with left-lateral component in segment S₁, the strike of the ruptures is consistent with the strike of the main fault or intersects the main fault with a small angle. The maximum width of the main rupture in segment S₁ is ~50m. The main ruptures in segment S₆ are developed along with the preexisting tectonic topography and the offset of the left-lateral displaced gully is up to tens of meters in magnitude. The surface ruptures are distributed in an echelon pattern, and all intersected with the strike of the main fault at a large angle. The location and size of the step-over are determined according to the topography and rupture morphology of faults in segment S₁ and segment S₆. The surface ruptures on the floodplain and banks of the Yellow River are in various forms and difficult to classify accurately. Therefore, only the typical seismic ruptures developed along the accumulated tectonic topography are labeled as main ruptures, and other typical seismic ruptures inconsistent with the location of the main fault are labeled as secondary ruptures. The typically collapse ruptures distributed along the river bank or lake bank are labeled as collapse ruptures, while the rest are labeled as surface ruptures. Surface ruptures in segment S₃ are distributed on the planar graph, but they have a dominant strike in the NE direction that can be seen from the diagram map. In the floodplain of the Yellow River, there are typical “grid” cracks, “explosive” cracks, and tensile cracks, and many cracks are accompanied by sand liquefaction which is beadlike, single, and distributed along the cracks. After the earthquake, the geodesic and geophysical data obtained quickly from the InSAR co-seismic deformation map and precise positioning of aftershocks revealed the basic morphological characteristics of earthquake rupture and provided valuable information such as earthquake rupture length, which provided an important reference for the design of UAV aerial photography and fieldwork. Compared with the rupture trace in field investigation by Pan et al.(2021), the surface rupture coverage obtained by mapping based on UAV aerial photogrammetry technology in this study is more extensive and accurate.
In general, surface ruptures of the Madoi earthquake are widely distributed, and we have classified those ruptures into the main seismic ruptures, secondary seismic ruptures, collapse cracks, and other surface ruptures. In addition to the seismic rupture with the same strike, there are also a variety of distributed surface ruptures with different strikes from the main fault. In these distributed surface ruptures, there are also many surface ruptures whose cause is not clear and they may be affected by tectonics or strong quake. For example, the “grid” and “explosive” surface ruptures on the Yellow River floodplain may be related to the strong quake near the epicenter or may also be related to the three-dimensional dynamic ruptures process in the initial stage. In this study, the characteristics of earthquake surface rupture in the step-over and adjacent sections near the epicenter has been described in detail, which provides a deeper understanding of the distributed coseismic surface rupture in the strike-slip fault.

Earthquake surface ruptures are the key to understand deformation pattern of continental crust and rupture behavior of tectonic earthquake, and the criteria to directly define the active fault avoidance zone. Traditionally, surface fissures away from the main rupture fault are usually regarded as the result triggered by strong ground motion. In recent years, the earth observation technology of remote sensing with centimeter accuracy provides rich necessary data for fine features of co-seismic surface fractures and fissures. More and more earthquake researches, such as the 2019 M_W7.3 Ridgecrest earthquake, the 2016 M_W7 Kumamoto earthquake, the 2020 M_W6.5 Monte Cristo Range earthquake, suggest that we might miss off-fault fissures associated with tectonic interactions during the seismic rupture process, if they are simply attributed to effect of strong ground motion. Such distribution pattern of co-seismic surface displacement may not be isolated, it encourages us to examine the possible contribution of other similar events. The 22 May 2021 M_W7.4 Madoi earthquake in Qinghai Province, China ruptured the Jiangcuo Fault which is the extension line of the southeastern branch of the Kunlun Fault, and caused the collapse of the Yematan bridge and the Cangmahe bridge in Madoi County. The surface rupture in the 2021Madoi earthquake includes dominantly ~158km of left-lateral rupture, which provides an important chance for understanding the complex rupture system.
The high-resolution UAV images and field mapping provide valuable support to identify more detailed and tiny co-seismic surface deformation. New 3 to 7cm per pixel resolution images covering the major surface rupture zone were collected by two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in the first months after the earthquake. We produced digital orthophoto maps (DOM), and digital elevation models (DEM) with the highest accuracy based on the Agisoft PhotoScan^TM and ArcGIS software. Thus, the appearance of post-earthquake surface displacement was hardly damaged by rain or animals, and well preserved in our UAV images, such as fractures with small displacement or faint fissures. These DOM and DEM data with centimeter resolution fastidiously detailed rich details of surface ruptures, which have been often easily overlooked or difficult to detect in the past or on low-resolution images. In addition, two large-scale dense field investigation data were gathered respectively the first and fifth months after the earthquake. Based on a lot of firsthand materials, a comprehensive dataset of surface features associated with co-seismic displacement was built, which includes four levels: main and secondary tectonic ruptures, delphic fissures, and beaded liquefaction belts or swath subsidence due to strong ground motion. Using our novel dataset, a complex distributed pattern presents along the fault guiding the 158km co-seismic surface ruptures along its strike-direction. The cumulative length of all surface ruptures reaches 310km. Surface ruptures of the M_W7.4 Madoi earthquake fully show the diversity of geometric discontinuities and geometric complexity of the Jiangcuo Fault. This is reflected in the four most conspicuous aspects: direction rotation, tail divarication, fault step, and sharp change of rupture widths.
We noticed that the rupture zone width changed sharply along with its strike or geometric complexity. Near the east of Yematan, on-fault ruptures are arranged in ten to several hundred meters. Besides clearly defined surface ruptures on the main fault, many fractures near the Dongo section and two rupture endpoints are mainly along secondary faulting crossing the main fault or its subparallel branches. Lengths of fracture zones along two Y-shaped branches at two endpoints are about 20km. At the rupture endpoints, the fractures away from the main rupture zone are about 5km. Some authors suggested the segment between the Dongcao along lake and Zadegongma was a “rupture gap”. In our field investigation, some faint fractures and fissures were locally observed in this segment, and these co-seismic displacement traces were also faintly visible on the UAV images.
It is also worth noting that near the epicenter, Dongo, and Huanghexiang, a certain amount of off-fault surface fissures appear locally with steady strike, good stretch, and en echelon pattern. Some fissures near meanders of the Yellow River, often appear with beaded liquefaction belts or swath subsidences. In cases like that, fissure strikes are, in the main, orthogonal to the river. Distribution pattern of these fissures is different from usual gravity fissures or collapses. But they can’t be identified as tectonic ruptures because clear displacement marks are always absent with off-fault fissures. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the mechanism of off-fault co-seismic surface fissures. Some research results suggested, that during the process of a strong earthquake, a sudden slip of the rupturing fault can trigger strain response of surrounding rocks or previous compliant faults, and result in triggering surface fractures or fissures.
Because of regional tectonic backgrounds, deep-seated physical environments, and site conditions(such as lithology and overburden thickness), the pattern and physicalcause of co-seismic surface ruptures vary based on different events. Focal mechanisms of the mainshock and most aftershocks indicate a near east-west striking fault with a slight dip-slip, but focal mechanisms of two M_S≥4.0 aftershocks show a thrust slip occurring near the east of the rupture zone. On the 1︰250000 regional geological map, the Jiangcuo Fault is oblique with the Madoi-Gande Fault and the Xizangdagou-Cangmahe Fault at wide angles, and with several branches near the epicenter and the west endpoint at small angles. Put together the surface fissure distribution pattern, source parameters of aftershocks and the regional geological map, we would like to suggest that besides triggered slip of several subparallel or oblique branches with the Jiangcuo Fault, inheritance faulting of pre-existing faults may promote the development of off-fault surface fissures of the 2021Madoi earthquake. Why there are many off-fault distributed surface fissures with patterns different from the gravity fissures still needs further investigation. The fine expression of the distributed surface fractures can contribute to fully understanding the mechanism of the seismic rupture process, and effectively address seismic resistance requirements of major construction projects in similar tectonic contexts in the world.

In this study, we described a 14km-long paleoearthquakes surface rupture across the salt flats of western Qaidam Basin, 10km south of the Xorkol segment of the central Altyn Tagh Fault, with satellite images interpretation and field investigation methods. The surface rupture strikes on average about N80°E sub-parallel to the main Altyn Tagh Fault, but is composed of several stepping segments with markedly different strike ranging from 68°N~87°E. The surface rupture is marked by pressure ridges, sub-fault strands, tension-gashes, pull-apart and faulted basins, likely caused by left-lateral strike-slip faulting. More than 30 pressure ridges can be distinguished with various rectangular, elliptical or elongated shapes. Most long axis of the ridges are oblique(90°N~140°E)to, but a few are nearly parallel to the surface rupture strike. The ridge sizes vary also, with heights from 1 to 15m, widths from several to 60m, and lengths from 10 to 100m. The overall size of these pressure ridges is similar to those found along the Altyn Tagh Fault, for instance, south of Pingding Shan or across Xorkol. Right-stepping 0.5~1m-deep gashes or sub-faults, with lengths from a few meters to several hundred meters, are distributed obliquely between ridges at an angle reaching 30°. The sub-faults are characterized with SE or NW facing 0.5~1m-high scarps. Several pull-apart and faulted basins are bounded by faults along the eastern part of the surface rupture. One large pull-apart basins are 6~7m deep and 400m wide. A faulted basin, 80m wide, 500m long and 3m deep, is bounded by 2 left-stepping left-lateral faults and 4 right-stepping normal faults. Two to three m-wide gashes are often seen on pressure ridges, and some ridges are left-laterally faulted and cut into several parts, probably owing to the occurrence of repetitive earthquakes. The OSL dating indicates that the most recent rupture might occur during Holocene.
    Southwestwards the rupture trace disappears a few hundred meters north of a south dipping thrust scarp bounding uplifted and folded Plio-Quaternary sediments to the south. Thrust scarps can be followed southwestward for another 12km and suggest a connection with the south Pingding Shan Fault, a left-lateral splay of the main Altyn Tagh Fault. To the northeast the rupture trace progressively veers to the east and is seen cross-cutting the bajada south of Datonggou Nanshan and merging with active thrusts clearly outlined by south facing cumulative scarps across the fans. The geometry of this strike-slip fault trace and the clear young seismic geomorphology typifies the present and tectonically active link between left-lateral strike-slip faulting and thrusting along the eastern termination of the Altyn Tagh Fault, a process responsible for the growth of the Tibetan plateau at its northeastern margin. The discrete relation between thrusting and strike-slip faulting suggests discontinuous transfer of strain from strike-slip faulting to thrusting and thus stepwise northeastward slip-rate decrease along the Altyn Tagh Fault after each strike-slip/thrust junction.

The Daqingshan Fault located in the northern margin of the Hetao Basin has experienced intensive activity since late Quaternary, which is of great significance to the molding of the present geomorphology. Since basin geomorphological factors can be used to reflect regional geomorphological type and development characteristics, the use of typical geomorphology characteristics indexes may reveal the main factors that control the formation of topography. In recent years, more successful research experience has been accumulated by using hypsometric integral(HI) values and channel steepness index(k_sn)to quantitatively obtain geomorphic parameters to reveal regional tectonic uplift information. The rate of bedrock uplifting can be reflected by channel steepness index, the region with steep gradient has high rate of bedrock uplifting, while the region with slower slope has low rate of bedrock uplifting. The tectonic uplift can shape the geomorphic characteristics by changing the elevation fluctuation of mountains in study area, and then affect the hypsometric integral values distribution trend, thus, the HI value can be used to reflect the intensity of regional tectonic activity, with obvious indicating effect.
Knick point can be formed by fault activity, and the information of knick point and its continuous migration to upstream can be recorded along the longitudinal profile of stream. Therefore, it is possible and feasible to obtain the information of tectonic activity from the geomorphic characteristics of Daqinshan area. The research on the quantitative analysis of regional large-scale tectonic activities in the Daqingshan area of the Yellow River in the Hetao Basin is still deficient so far. Taking this area as an example, based on the method of hypsometric integral(HI) and channel steepness index(k_sn), we use the DEM data with 30m resolution and GIS spatial analysis technology to extract the networks of drainage system and seven sub-basins. Then, we calculate the hypsometric integral(HI) values of each sub-basin and fit its spatial distribution characteristics. Finally, we obtain the values of channel steepness index and its fitting spatial distribution characteristics based on the improved Chi-plot bedrock analysis method. Combining the extraction results of geomorphic parameters with the characteristics of fault activity, we attempt to explore the characteristics of drainage system development and the response of stream profile and geomorphology to tectonic activities in the Daqingshan section of the Yellow River Basin.
The results show that the values of the hypsometric integral in the Daqingshan drainage area are medium, between 0.5~0.6, and the Strahler curve of each tributary is S-shaped, suggesting that the geomorphological development of the Daqingshan area is in its prime, and the tectonic activity and erosion is strong. Continuous low HI value is found in the tectonic subsidence area on the hanging wall of the Daqingshan Fault. The distribution characteristics of the HI value reveal that the Daqingshan Fault controls the geomorphic difference between basin and mountain. Longitudinal profiles of the river reveal the existence of many knick points. The steepness index of river distributes in high value along the trend of mountain which lies in the tectonic uplift area on the footwall of the Daqingshan Fault. It reflects that the bedrock uplift rate of Daqingshan area is faster. The distribution characteristics of the channel steepness index show that the uplift amplitude of Daqingshan area is strong and the bedrock is rapidly uplifted, which is significantly different from the subsidence amplitude in the depression basin at the south margin of the fault, indicating that the main power source controlling the basin mountain differential movement comes from Daqingshan Fault. Based on the comparison and analysis on tectonic, lithology and climate, there is no obvious corresponding relationship between the difference of rock erosion resistance and the change of geomorphic parameters, and the precipitation has little effect on the geomorphic transformation of Daqingshan area, and its contribution to the geomorphic development is limited. Thus, we think the lithology and rainfall conditions have limited impact on the hypsometric integral, longitudinal profiles of the river and channel steepness index. Lithology maybe has some influences on the channel knick points, while tectonic activity of piedmont faults is the main controlling factor that causes the unbalanced characteristics of the longitudinal profile of the channel and plays a crucial role in the development of the channel knick points. So, tectonic activity of the Daqingshan Fault is the main factor controlling the uplift and geomorphic evolution of the Daqingshan area.

The river system is very sensitive to landscape fluctuations and the pattern of drainage contains the past and present tectonic information and can record the latest even tiny change along the orogenic belt system. Therefore, fluvial geomorphology is always used to describe the shapes of river channels and recognize the different segments of active faults. Qualitative and quantitative geomorphic analyses can provide useful information on detecting active tectonic features and the influence of landscape change and evolution. Quantitative analysis such as analysis of river longitudinal profile and geomorphic indices can help researchers evaluate the relative level of tectonic activity and characterize the geomorphic features of landscape quantitatively.
Our study focuses on the geomorphic analysis of Shiyanghe River Basin which is located in the eastern part of Qilianshan Mountains. The tectonic deformation is very strong since late Cenozoic, and Quaternary active thrust faults, strike-slip faults and active folds are distributed all over the region, indicating that the whole region is suffering from crustal shortening and sinistral shear. In this region, the latest tectonic deformation and tectonic activities have been recorded by its fluvial system.
Based on GIS spatial analysis technology, the longitudinal profiles of seven tributaries(including Gulanghe River, Huangyanghe River, Jintahe River, Zamuhe River, Xiyinghe River, Dongdahe River and Xidahe River)in the Shiyanghe River Basin are extracted by using digital elevation models(DEM)and Matlab script. In channel longitudinal profiles, most tributaries in Shiyanghe River Basin exhibit an increased channel gradient in their midstream and downstream area. This pattern is consistent with the models of transient channel profile which suggests an increase in rock uplift rate or base level fall. The longitudinal profiles of seven tributaries are analyzed synthetically by using the method of bedrock channel erosion model, and the concavity(θ), steepness index(k_sn), as well as the knickpoints information(including distribution, elevation, distance from mouth and drainage area)of seven tributaries are obtained. The result shows that each of the tributaries in the Shiyanghe River Basin at least has one major knickpoint. The comprehensive study of the longitudinal profiles, knickpoints and the lithology of the river basin show that the Gulanghe River, Jintahe River, Zamuhe River, Xiyinghe River, Dongdahe River and Xidahe River all have ‘slope-break’ knickpoints, which suggest that they are in a transient state. The knickpoints represent a transient response to the dynamic surface uplift since late Cenozoic. Therefore, we can conclude that the evolution of fluvial geomorphology in eastern Qilian Mountains is mainly related to tectonic activities. Channel segments upstream of knickpoints exhibit lower concavities(mean θ is 0.458±0.053)and higher channel steepness indices(mean k_sn is 129.09±1.82). In contrast, lower channel segments are more complanate(mean k_sn is 68.162±0.821)and exhibit a higher concavity(mean θ is 0.831±0.147). The distribution of concavity is related to the erosion rate, thence, we can infer that the higher value of concavity in downstream area indicates the higher erosion rate. Because the different steepness index(k_s)and the concavity(θ)below and above the reach of knickpoints indicate that they have different development trends in different channel segments, and the distribution of knickpoints represent the evolution process of the longitudinal section of the tributaries. Using the concavity value of the knickpoint, each lower reach longitudinal profile of tributary is fitted. According to the fitted result, the calculated approximate average erosion volume of the Shiyanghe River Basin is 488m since it formed, and the average erosion volume of the six tributaries, which originated in Gulang nappe, is 508.5m. The total amount of erosion is positively correlated with rock uplift when a river is in transient state. Thence, it concludes that the Gulang nappe has experienced a strong uplift. Furthermore, we obtained the spatial distribution of k_sn values of the whole fluvial system in the Shiyanghe River Basin from calculating and interpolating the k_sn values, and combined the geomorphic parameters results to analyze the tectonic significance of the Shiyanghe River Basin synthetically. The spatial distribution of k_sn values of the Shiyanghe River Basin represent the accommodation of geomorphic landscape to the tectonic force and the manner of channels responding to tectonic forces. In this study, most of the channel gradients obtained from midstream are higher than upstream and downstream and k_sn values in downstream reaches is less than 60m^0.9, the high k_sn values are in the Gulang nappe, reaching over 1 400m^0.9, which indicates that the Gulang nappe has experienced uplift since the Quaternary. Therefore, we conclude that the regional difference of the k_sn is mainly controlled by the uplift rate of bedrocks.
Based on the comprehensive analysis of geomorphic parameters and tectonic background, we conclude that the geomorphic evolution of the Shiyanghe River Basin is in a non-equilibrium state, and the tectonic deformation is the main factor affecting the geomorphic evolution of the eastern Qilianshan Mountains and controlling the present tectonic pattern, geomorphic development and evolution history of the study area.
According to the river longitudinal profiles and modeling analysis, this study indicates that the quantitative geomorphic analyses can provide useful and effective information on detecting active tectonic features and the influence of landscape change and evolution, and the geomorphic indices are useful and appropriate tools to analyze the coupling of tectonic and geomorphy.

Range-front alluvial fan deposition in arid and semiarid environments records vast amounts of climatic and tectonic information. Differentiating and characterizing alluvial fan morphology is an important part in Quaternary alluvial fan research. Traditional method such as field observations is a most important part of deciphering and mapping the alluvial fan. Large-scale automatically mapping of alluvial fan stratigraphy before traditional field observations could provide guidance for mapping alluvial fan morphology, thus improving subsequent field work efficiency. In this research, high-resolution topographic data were used to quantify relief and roughness of alluvial fan within the Laohushan. These data suggest that mean surface roughness plotted against the size of the moving window is characterized by an initial increase in surface roughness with increased window size, but it shows no longer increase as a function of windows size. These data also suggest that alluvial fans in this study site smooth out with time until a threshold is crossed where roughness increases at greater wavelength with age as a result of surface runoff and headward tributary incision into the oldest surfaces which suggests the evolution process of alluvial fan.
Researchers usually differentiate alluvial morphology by mapping characteristics of fan surface in the field by describing surface clast size, rock varnish accumulation, and desert pavement development and analysis of aerial photographs or satellite imagery. Recently, the emergence of high-resolution topographic data has renewed interest in the quantitative characterization of alluvial and colluvium landforms. Surface morphology that fan surface initially tends to become smoother with increasing age due to the formation of desert pavement and the degradation of bar-and-swale topography and subsequently, landforms become more dissected due to tectonics and climatic change induced increased erosion and channelization of the surface with time is widely used to distinguish alluvial fan types. Those characteristics would reflect various kinds of morphology metrics extracted from high-resolution topographic data. In the arid and semiarid regions of northwestern China, plenty of alluvial fans are preserved completely for lack of artificial reforming, and there exists sparse surface vegetation. In the meantime, range-front alluvial fan displaced by a number of active faults formed a series of dislocated landforms with different offsets which is a major reference mark in fault activity research. In this research, six map units(Qf₆-Qf₁), youngest to oldest, were observed in the study area by mapping performed by identifying geomorphic features in the field that are spatially discernible using hill-shade and digital orthophoto map. Alluvial fan relief and roughness were computed across multiple observation scales(2m×2m to 100m×100m)based on the topographic parameters of altitude difference and standard deviation of slope, curvature and aspect.
In this research, mean relief keeps increasing with increased window size while mean surface roughness is characterized by a rapid increase over wavelengths of 6~15m, representing the typical length scale of bar-and-swale topography. At longer wavelengths, surface roughness values increase by only minor amounts, suggesting the topographic saturation length is 6~15m for those fan surfaces in which saturation length of standard deviation of curvature is less than 8m. Box and whisker plot of surface roughness averaged over 8m² for each alluvial fan unit in the study area suggests that the pattern of surfaces smoothing out with age and then starting to become rougher again as age increases further beyond Qf₄ or Qf₃ unit. The younger alluvial fan is characterized by prominent bar-and-swale while the older alluvial fan is characterized by tributaries headward incision. Cumulative frequency distributions of relief and surface roughness in Figure 8 are determined in an 8m by 8m moving window for the comparison of six alluvial fan units in the northeast piedmont of Laohushan. From these distributions we know that Qf₆ and Qf₁ reflect the prominent relief which is related to bar-and-swale and tributaries headward incision respectively, while Qf₄ and Qf₃ reflect the moderate relief which is related to subdued topography.
Surface roughness, in addition to facilitating the characterization of individual fan units, lends insight to alluvial landform development. We summarize an alluvial landform evolutionary scheme which evolves four stages depending on characteristics of alluvial fan morphology development and features of relief and roughness. The initial stage in this study site is defined as the active alluvial fan channels with bars of coarse cobbles and boulders and swales consisting of finer-grained pebbles and sand which could be reflected by high mean relief and mean roughness values. As time goes, bar-and-swale topography is still present, but an immature pavement, composed of finer grained clasts, has started to form. In the third stage, the bar-and-swale topography on the fan surface is subdued, yet still observable, with clasts ranging from pebbles to cobbles in size and there exists obvious headward tributary incision. Eventually, tributary channels form from erosion by surface runoff. Headward incision of these tributaries wears down the steep walls of channels that are incised through the stable, planar surface, transforming the oldest alluvial landforms into convex hillslopes, leaving only small remnants of the planar surface intact. Those evolutionary character suggests that alluvial fans in this area smooth out with time, however, relief or roughness would be translated to increase at greater wavelength with age until a threshold is crossed.
This research suggests that relief and roughness calculated from high-resolution topographic data of this study site could reflect alluvial fan morphology development and provide constraint data to differentiate alluvial fan unit.

Qilian Shan-Hexi Corridor is located in the northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau, which hosts many active strike-slip and thrust faults as well as folds. Previous study on this area was mostly concerned with large faults at the boundary of the corridor, while rare work on active tectonics in the interior of the corridor. On 25 October 2003, the Minle-Shandan M_S6.1 earthquake occurred in this area, which is related with the Minle-Yongchang fault hidden beneath the south piedmont of the Dahuangshan Mountains. As there is no obvious rupture trace on the surface, the quantitative study of this fault has never been reported so far.
In order to obtain quantitative parameters of this active structure efficiently, the software of ERDAS was used to generate pointscloud data from SPOT6 stereo-pair. Two-meter resolution DEM imagery from point cloud has the line accuracy of height about 1m. Three swath profiles were extracted from the DEM data, which show that high geomorphic surfaces are all uplifted and folded. By differential GPS measurement, the vertical uplift of the thrust-related fold is estimated to be about 2.0m on the T₂, and the strike of the fold deformation is nearly 311°, which is close to the result of the fault parameter determined by aftershocks, and also in agreement with the focal mechanism solutions. Furthermore, the location of fold axial zone is consistent with the actual investigation data. These indicate that there is obvious tectonic deformation in the west part of the Minle-Yongchang fault. It supports the view that this fault is the seismogenic structure of the 2003 Minle-Shandan earthquake. Stereo-pair is of high importance in active tectonics research, which can provide significant guidance for field geologic investigations and determining the location of tectonic deformation, according to this research.

Three-dimensional scanning with LiDAR has been widely used in geological surveys. The LiDAR with high accuracy is promoting geoscience quantification. And it will be much more convenient, efficient and useful when combining it with the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). This study focuses on UAV-based Laser Scanning (UAVLS)geological field mapping, taking two examples to present advantages of the UAVLS in contrast with other mapping methods. For its usage in active fault mapping, we scanned the Nanpo village site on the Zhangxian segment of the West Qinling north-edge fault. It effectively removed the effects of buildings and vegetation, and uncovered the fault trace. We measured vertical offset of 1.3m on the terrace T₁ at the Zhang river. Moreover, we also scanned landslide features at the geological hazard observatory of Lanzhou University in the loess area. The scanning data can help understand how micro-topography affects activation of loess landslides. The UAVLS is time saving in the field, only spending about half an hour to scan each site. The amount of average points per meter is about 600, which can offer topography data with resolution of centimeter. The results of this study show that the UAVLS is expected to become a common, efficient and economic mapping tool.

Qilian Shan-Hexi Corridor is located at the northeastern margin of Tibetan plateau. Series of late Quaternary active faults are developed in this region. A number of strong earthquakes even large earthquakes occurred in history and present-day. In the past, the study of active faults in the area was mostly concentrated in the northern margin fault zone of the Qilian Shan on the south side of the corridor, while the research on the interior and the north side of the corridor basin was relatively rare. We found a new fault scarp in the northern part of the Baiyanghe anticline in Jiuxi Basin in 2010. It is an earthquake surface rupture zone which has never been reported before. In this paper, we carried out palaeoearthquake trench analysis on the newly found earthquake surface rupture zone and textual research of relevant historical earthquakes data.
According to the interpretation of aerial photo and satellite image and field investigation, we found the surface rupture has the length of about 5km. The rupture shows as an arc-shaped line and is preserved intact comparably. The lower terrace and the latest flood alluvial fan are offset in addition to modern gullies. By differential GPS measurement, the height of the scarp is about 0.5~0.7m in the latest alluvial fan and about 1.5m in the T₁ terrace. From the residual ruins along the earthquake rupture zone, we believe the surface rupture might be produced by an earthquake event occurring not long ago. In addition, the rupture zone locates in the area where the climate is dry and rainless and there are no human activities induced damages. These all provide an objective condition for the preservation of the rupture zone. The trench along the fault reveals that the surface rupture was formed about 1500 years ago, and another earthquake event might have happened before it. Based on the textural research on the historical earthquake data and the research degree in the area at present, we believe that the surface rupture is related to the Yumen earthquake in 365, Yumen Huihuipu earthquake in 1785 or another unrecorded historical earthquake event.

Because of the strong uplift of the Qilian Shan since late Cenozoic,the drainage basins that are derived from the mountains have undergone strong tectonic deformation.So the typical geomorphology characteristics of these drainage basins may indicate the strong tectonic movement in the region.For example,the Shule River drainage basin,which originates from the western part of the Qilian Shan owns unique geomorphology characteristics which may indicate the neotectonic movement.
Stream networks of the Shule drainage basin extracted from the DEM data based on GIS spatial analysis technology are graded into five levels using Strahler classification method.Four sub-catchments,numbered 1,2,3 and 4 are chosen for detailed analysis.Furthermore,the four sub-catchments,the hypsometric integral curves,Hack profiles,SL index and average slope of the Shule drainage basin are determined by GIS tools.In addition,we analyzed the slope spectrum of the Shule drainage basin.
The average elevation of the Shule drainage basin is very high,however,the slope of the drainage basin is very low,the gentle slope occupies so large area proportion that the slope spectrum shows a unimodal pattern and a peak value is in low slope region (0°~5°),so tectonic movement has a strong influence on the drainage basin.Under the intensive impact of the tectonic movement of the active fault and regional uplift,the hypsometric integral curve is sigmoid,revealing that the Shule drainage basin is in the mature stage.The Hack profile is on a convex,the longitudinal profile is best fitted by linear fitting and the abnormal data of the SL index of the Shule River has a good fit with the section through which the active fault traverses,that means the tectonic movement of the active fault has strong influence on the river's SL index.It is worth noting that lithologic factors also have great impact on the river geomorphology in some sections.
According to the above analysis,we recognize that in the interior of active orogen,the evolution of river geomorphology usually is influenced by tectonic movement and reveals the regional neotectonics in turn.

Jinta Nanshan Fault is an important fault in northeast front of Qing-Zang Plateau, and it is crucial for determining the eastern end of Altyn Tagh Fault. However, there is still debate on its significant strike-slip movement.
In this paper, we study the Late Quaternary activity of Jinta Nanshan Fault and its geological and geomorphic expressions by interpreting aerial photographs and high-resolution remote sensing images, surveying and mapping of geological and geomorphic appearances, digging and clarifying fault profiles and mapping deformation characteristics of micro-topographies, then we analyze whether strike-slip activity exists on Jinta Nanshan Fault.
We get a more complete fault geometry than previous studies from most recent remote sensing images. Active fault traces of Jinta Nanshan mainly include 2 nearly parallel, striking 100°~90° fault scarps, and can be divided into 3 segments. West segment and middle segment form a left stepover with 2~2.5km width, and another stepover with 1.2km width separates the middle and east segment.
We summarize geomorphic and geologic evidence relating to strike slip activity of Jinta Nanshan Fault. Geomorphic expressions are as follows:First, fault scarps with alternating facing directions; second, sinistral offset of stream channels and micro-topographies; third, pull-apart basins and compressive-ridges at discontinuous part of Jinta Nanshan Fault. Geologic expressions are as follows:First, fault plane characteristics, including extremely high fault plane angle, unstable dip directions and coexistence of normal fault and reverse fault; second, flower structures.
Strike-slip rate was estimated by using geomorphic surface age of Zheng et al.(2013)and left-lateral offset with differential GPS measurements of the same geomorphic surface at field site in Fig. 4e. We calculated a strike-slip rate of (0.19±0.05)mm/a, which is slightly larger than or almost the same with vertical slip rate of (0.11±0.03)mm/a from Zheng et al.(2013).
When we confirm the strike-slip activity of Jinta Nanshan, we discuss its potential dynamic sources:First, eastern extension of Altyn Tagh Fault and second, strain partitioning of northeastward extension of Qilian Shan thrust belt. The first one is explainable when it came to geometric pattern of several E-W striking fault and eastward decreasing strike slip rate, but the former cannot explain why the Heishan Fault, which locates between the the Altyn Tagh Fault and Jinta Nanshan Fault, is a pure high angle reverse fault. The latter seems more explainable, because oblique vectors may indeed partition onto a fault and manifest strike-slip activity.

Statistical study of earthquakes in the past, due to the small-medium size magnitude earthquake associated with surface rupture are rare, considers that only the earthquakes beyond magnitude 6 1/2 could produce surface ruptures in the most cases. Identification of paleoseismic events is also often based on this assumption. In this paper, we summarized 56 historical moderate size earthquakes worldwide, which have clearly documented about surface ruptures from 1950 to 2014.Results show that the magnitude lowest limit of the earthquake associated with surface rupture may be lower than the 6 1/2 , probably is about 5, even can be as low as 3.6 under extreme conditions. Additionally, from the view of theory and practice, this paper explored the effect of control factors on surface rupture, so as to indicate that the shallow focal depth is one of the most important factors for small-medium size earthquake associated with surface rupture, also included are the high heat flow values, tensile tectonic environment and active fault with weak friction strength. Although the probability that small magnitude earthquake produces surface rupture is low, it is not impossible. In the interpretation of paleoearthquake events, it also cannot overgeneralize that the corresponding earthquake magnitude must be 6.5 or greater as long as the fracture appeared, while ignoring the possibility of some moderate size earthquakes.

The Hexi Corridor-Qilian Fault systems,the Altyn Tagh Fault and the Haiyuan Fault jointly control the north boundary and deformation of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. The Changma Fault,as one of the Hexi Corridor-Qilian Fault systems,is a highly active strike-slip fault,and connects the Altyn Tagh Fault and the Haiyuan Fault. Based on the active characteristics and geometrical distribution,this fault is divided into four segments. We obtain the left-lateral strike-slip rates of three segments,which are 1.33±0.39mm/yr at the west segment,3.11±0.31mm/yr at the middle-west segment,and 3.68±0.41mm/ya at the middle-east segment,respectively,and the shortening rate at the west segment(0.70±0.20mm/yr).The result shows that the sinistral slip rate of the fault is significantly increased from west segment to east segment. The activity of Changma Fault accommodates～30%reduction of Altyn Tagh Fault slip rate. The studies in this paper confirm that the sinistral slip and shortening of Changma Fault and other secondary faults in accompany with deformation inside the basin absorb most of displacement of east segment of Altyn Tagh Fault,and this structural change mode supports the hypotheses that the northeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet plateau has a continuous crust thickening mode with lateral displacement.

The Yabrai range-front fault is a normal fault,which is about 120km long,trends N60°E and distributes along the southeast margin of the Alashan block. In this paper,we focus on the geomorphology and kinematics of the Yabrai range-front fault,and discuss the implications of the fault for the regional tectonics.
This fault consists of three segments and the most active one is located in the southwest,which has a length of about 35km. The about 1～2m-high scarp,stretching almost the full segment,might be the result of the latest earthquake event. Fresh free surface indicates that the elapsed time of the last event should not be long.
The middle segment is about 31km in length. The results suggest that just a single fault is developed along the piedmont of the Yabrai Shan,and there is no evidence of recent activity on this fault. In contrast to the simple geometric structure of the middle segment,the northeast segment consists of several faults. The scarps of the most recent earthquake event,which are clear but discontinuous,are about 0.5～1.5m high and some are up to 2m. Although the scarps along the southwest and northeast segments of the fault are similar,it is difficult to suggest they are caused by the same earthquake without precise dating.
The seismic reflection profile suggests that the Yabrai range-front fault came into being as a normal fault in Cretaceous,when the Tibetan plateau did not emerge at that time. Therefore,we conclude that the Yabrai range-front fault is not the consequence of the Indo-Asian collision. But this region plays a great role in constraining the tectonic evolution of the Alashan block and therefore,the Tibetan plateau.

In recent years,many big earthquakes(M≥7) struck China and other nations.These big earthquakes may indicate that the earth is in a globally seismic active period.Therefore,in order to mitigate future earthquake disasters,the assessment of future big earthquake risk for major active boundary faults has been done as an important approach for mitigation.In this paper,our focus area is Northern Qilianshan-Hexi Corridor locating in northeastern of Qinghai-Tibet plateau.We collected and summarized the active faults' data sets systematically,e.g.geometrical characteristic,slip rate,rupture segmentation,latest rupture event and paleo-earthqakes.And based on these data sets,we use the methods of seismic gap identification and b value mapping to analyze the characteristics of historical earthquakes and b value.And then,high risk zones or faults of big earthquakes were identified synthetically.We think the Northern Yumushan Fault has the most probability of generating big earthquake in the future.Because the elapse time from the last event is long and b value along it is remarkably low,which betokens high stress.Meanwhile, attention should be paid too to the Jiayuguan Fault,where seismic gap and low b value zone exist too.

We divide the north margin of Western Qingling Fault zone into six segments on the basis of new geology data,namely,Baoji,Tianshui,Wushan,Zhangxian,Huangxianggou and Guomatan segment from east to west.Each segment not only can rupture independently,but also can rupture together with others.The probability of seismic potential on these six segments and two combination segments is computed with the time-dependent seismic potential probability estimate method.We find from the result that,both the Huangxianggou and Zhangxian segments have the biggest probability of rupture in the future; and Tianshui segment is the second.If there will be a combined rupture,it is most likely to happen in Huangxianggou and Zhangxian segments,both of which have higher earthquake risk.We also compute b value along the fault zone.The image of b value indicates a high accumulated stress on the Huangxianggou and Tianshui segments.So we suppose that the two areas are the main locations where strong earthquakes may occur in the future.