Work

Quantifying present-day strain rate of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau from high-resolution GNSS data: implications for tectonic interactions and seismic hazards

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: SUMMARY By leveraging a significantly expanded GNSS data set (997 vectors, 335 new), we construct a high-resolution crustal strain rate model for the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau (SETP) that approximately doubles the resolution of previous studies. Our model delineates a prominent J-shaped high-strain zone that follows the Xianshuihe–Xiaojiang fault system (XXFS) and extends ∼600 km southwestward. This feature, combined with unsupervised Euler pole clustering machine learning results, provides further evidence for a mid-to-lower crustal linkage between the XXFS and faults southwest of the Red River fault (RRF), suggesting the active XXFS is propagating across this ancient boundary (RRF) at depth. Within the SETP interior, our model reveals widespread extensional deformation characterized by a systematic clockwise rotation of its principal axes from north to south, alongside discrete rotational domains partitioned by major faults. Shear strain patterns within the SETP indicate that major strike-slip faults, predominantly sinistral, drive regional strain localization. Moreover, the close association between modelled high-strain zones and historical M ≥ 6.0 earthquakes suggests that our high-resolution model can serve as a refined, physically based perspective for regional seismic hazard assessment.

Source: Geophysical Journal International

DOI: 10.1093/gji/ggag369

Authors: Xu Rui, Shangxin Liu, Yuanku Meng

Institutions: Sichuan University, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, Université Paris Cité, Shandong University of Science and Technology

Language: English

Topic: earthquake and tectonic studies

Subfield: Geophysics

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,416

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Department of Science and Technology of Sichuan Province