Holocene activity and seismic hazard analysis of faults in Damxung, Tibet

Based on interpretation of remote sensing and geological field survey result, three secondary faults are distributed in parallel in Damxung of the southeastern piedmont fault of Nyainqentanglha mountain, which form landform profile across normal faults of graben due to cut platform margin of grade I terrace scarp formation. Through researching the displacements and the collected sediments dates, it is obtained that the horizontal slip rate is about 0.6 mm/a (millimeter per year), and the vertical slip rate is about 1.7 mm/a since 4 ka B.P. (kilo years before present). The northern margin of Damxung basin is a seismic gap, which continuously accumulated strain energy is not released in the M7.5 Damxung earthquake and the M8.0 Yangbajain earthquake. The fracture length of the seismic space can be regarded as the minimum length of potential surface rupture. The maximum moment magnitude of potential earthquakes is at least M6.8.in northern margin of Damxung basin the normal fault magnitude estimation formulas from Wells and Coppersmith (Bull Seismol Soc Am 84(4):974–1002, 1994).