Co-Seismic Strike-Slip and Rupture Length Produced by the 2001 <i>M</i> <sub>s</sub> 8.1 Central Kunlun Earthquake
Aiming Lin(Shizuoka University), Bihong Fu(Shizuoka University), Jianming Guo(Chinese Academy of Sciences), Qingli Zeng(Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences), Guangming Dang(Qinghai Meteorological Bureau), Wengui He(Institute of Seismology), Yue Zhao(Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences)
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Abstract
Field investigations show that the surface wave magnitude (Ms) 8.1 Central Kunlun earthquake (Tibetan plateau) of 14 November 2001 produced a nearly 400-kilometer-long surface rupture zone, with as much as 16.3 meters of left-lateral strike-slip along the active Kunlun fault in northern Tibet. The rupture length and maximum displacement are the largest among the co-seismic surface rupture zones reported on so far. The strike-slip motion and the large rupture length generated by the earthquake indicate that the Kunlun fault partitions its deformation into an eastward extrusion of Tibet to accommodate the continuing penetration of the Indian plate into the Eurasian plate.