New slip rates for the Tianjingshan fault using optically stimulated luminescence, GPS, and paleoseismic data, NE Tibet, China

The left-lateral slip rate of the Tianjingshan fault (TJSF) has been debated for several decades. Here, we measured displacements of geomorphic landforms and dated landform ages at two sites along the TJSF, to determine a late Pleistocene to Holocene slip rate of ~1.1 ± 0.2 mm/yr. We also derived a slip rate of ~1.1 ± 0.5 mm/yr using modern GPS data. Finally, by correlating available offset measurements with trenching-derived paleoseismic data, we obtained an average Holocene slip rate of ~1.2 ± 0.1 mm/yr for the TJSF. These fault slip rates over different time scales are in good agreement and are well constrained to 1.1 ± 0.2 mm/yr. The kinematics of the TJSF suggest that the TJSF has played an important role in accommodating the tectonic deformation of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. •The slip rates of the TJSF over different time scales are in good agreement and are well constrained to 1.1 ± 0.2 mm/yr;•The fault behavior of the TJSF is characterized by a lower left-lateral slip rate.•The TJSF accommodates complex deformation between the Tibetan Plateau, Alashan block, and Ordos block.