Slip Rate on the Altyn Tagh Fault on the West of the Cherchen River （Between 85°～85°45＇E） Since Late Quaternary

BecauseofthesignificancetotheformationandevolutionoftheTibetanplateau,thedisplacementandsliprateoftheAltynTaghfaulthavebeentopicsfullofdisputation.ScientistswhoholddifferentopinionsontheevolutionofTibetinsistondifferentslipratesanddisplacementsofthefaultzone.Inthearticle,studyisfocusedonthelateQuaternarysliprateoftheAltynTaghfaultwestoftheCherchenRiver(between85°Eand85°45'E).OnthebasisofhighresolutionSPOTimagesoftheregion,threesites,namelyKoramlik,AqqanpastureandDalakuansay,werechosenforfieldinvestigation.Tocalculatethesliprateofthefault,displacementofterraceswasmeasuredonSPOTsatelliteimagesorinsituduringfieldworkandthermo-luminescence(TL)datingmethodwasused.Togettheagesofterraces,samplesofsandwerecollectedfromtheuppermostsandbedsthatliejustunderloess.Themethodforcalculatingsliprateoffaultistodividethedisplacementofterracerisersbytheageofitsneighboringlowerterrace.Thedisplacementofriversisnotconsideredinthisarticlebecauseofitsuncertainties.AtKoramlik,thesliprateoftheAltynTaghfaultis11.6±2.6mm/asince6.02±0.47kaB.Pand9.6±2.6mm/asince15.76±1.19kaB.P.AtAqqanpasture,about30kmwestofKoramlik,thesliprateis12.1±1.9mm/asince2.06±0.16kaB.P.AtDalakuansayi,thesliprateofthefaultis12.2±3.0mm/asince4.91±0.39kaB.P.Hence,wegettheaveragesliprateof11.4±2.5mm/aforthewesternpartoftheAltynTaghFaultsinceHolocene.ThisresultisclosetothelatestresultsfromGPSresearch.