Response of Sag Pond Sediment to the Paleo‐earthquake Event on the Litang Fault, Eastern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract This study examines a 1.32 m thick sediment sequence from the Cunge sag pond in the Litang Basin, eastern Tibetan Plateau, to assess the seismicity of the Litang fault during the Holocene. High‐resolution geochemical, grain size, magnetic susceptibility, and total organic carbon indicators are employed to obtain a continuous record of changes in elemental, physical, and biological properties within the profile to identify seismic events. The seismic event layer generally comprises two sedimentary rhythms: a lower coarse sand layer and an upper fine silt‐clay layer. These layers represent rapid deposition associated with fault activity (Earthquake A) and slower deposition during calm periods or earthquake recurrence intervals (Seismic interval A). Through six 14 C dating, five seismic events have been identified in the Cunge sag pond section: E1 (before 3955 a B.P.), E2 (3713‐3703 a B.P.), E3 (3492‐3392 a B.P.), E4 (2031‐1894 a B.P.), and E5 (1384‐1321 a B.P.). E1‐E4 had shown a good consistency with the paleo‐earthquake recorded by the trench, and whereas E5 is a newly identified seismic event, further improving the continuous earthquake sequence of the Litang fault. Based on existing trench data and the seismic event record from the Cunge sag pond, a total of 11 paleo‐earthquakes are identified along the Litang fault since the Holocene. The paleo‐earthquake activity of the Litang fault exhibits a clustered pattern, with recurrence intervals of both long periods (1000 a) and short periods (500 a). Since 5000 a, the interval between strong earthquake recurrences gradually decreases, indicating an increasing risk of strong earthquakes along the Litang fault. This study presents a continuous record of paleo‐earthquakes along the Litang fault, eastern Tibetan Plateau, and can enhance the understanding of regional seismic activity.