Fault interaction and strain partitioning deduced from deformed fluvial terraces of the Eastern North Qilian foreland, NE Tibetan Plateau

Faulting and folding of basement rocks together accommodate convergence within continental orogens, forming complex zones of intraplate deformation shaped by the fault interaction. Here we use the river terraces along the Dongda river to examine the tectonic deformation patterns of the hinterland and the foreland of the eastern North Qilian Shan, a zone of crustal shortening located at the northeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Five Late Pleistocene-Holocene terraces of Dongda river are displaced by three major reverse faults: Minle-Damaying fault, Huangcheng-Ta’erzhuang fault, and Fengle fault, from south to north. Based on displaced terrace treads, we estimated vertical slip rates along the Minle-Damaying fault as 0.7–1.2 mm/a, and along Fengle fault as 0.5–0.7 mm/a. Deformed terraces suggest additional uplift of ~ 0.2 mm/a through folding of the Dahuang Shan anticline. Inhomogeneous uplift of the intermontane basins between the Minle-Damaying fault and the Dahuang Shan anticline indicates a 0.9 ± 0.2 mm/a uplift rate along the Huangcheng-Ta’erzhuang fault. Kinematic modeling of this thrust system shows that deformation propagated northward toward the foreland along a south-dipping 10° décollement rooted into Haiyuan fault at the depth of 20–25 km. This system accommodates 2.7–3.8 mm/a total crustal shortening rate. We suggest this broad thrust belt and the relatively high rate of shortening within this part of the eastern Qilian Shan is as a result of the oblique convergence along a restraining bend of Haiyuan fault system. The elevated shortening rate within this area indicates high potential seismic hazard.