Knowledge of the seismogenic environment of fault zones is critical for understanding the processes and mechanisms of large earthquakes.We conducted a rock magnetic study of the fault rocks and protoliths to investiga...Knowledge of the seismogenic environment of fault zones is critical for understanding the processes and mechanisms of large earthquakes.We conducted a rock magnetic study of the fault rocks and protoliths to investigate the seismogenic environment of earthquakes in the Motuo fault zone,in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis.The results indicate that magnetite is the principal magnetic carrier in the fault rocks and protolith,while the protolith has a higher content of paramagnetic minerals than the fault rocks.The fault rocks are characterized by a high magnetic susceptibility relative to the protolith in the Motuo fault zone.This is likely due to the thermal alteration of paramagnetic minerals to magnetite caused by coseismic frictional heating with concomitant hydrothermal fluid circulation.The high magnetic susceptibility of the fault rocks and neoformed magnetite indicate that large earthquakes with frictional heating temperatures>500℃have occurred in the Motuo fault zone in the past,and that the fault maintained an oxidizing environment with weak fluid action during these earthquakes.Our results reveal the seismogenic environment of the Motuo fault zone,and they are potentially important for the evaluation of the regional stability in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis.展开更多
基金supported by the Fundamental Research Funds of the Institute of Geomechanics(DZLXJK202401)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(42177172,U2244226,42172255)+1 种基金the China Geological Survey Project(DD20230538)Deep Earth Probe and Mineral Resources ExplorationNational Science and Technology Major Project(2024ZD1000500)。
文摘Knowledge of the seismogenic environment of fault zones is critical for understanding the processes and mechanisms of large earthquakes.We conducted a rock magnetic study of the fault rocks and protoliths to investigate the seismogenic environment of earthquakes in the Motuo fault zone,in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis.The results indicate that magnetite is the principal magnetic carrier in the fault rocks and protolith,while the protolith has a higher content of paramagnetic minerals than the fault rocks.The fault rocks are characterized by a high magnetic susceptibility relative to the protolith in the Motuo fault zone.This is likely due to the thermal alteration of paramagnetic minerals to magnetite caused by coseismic frictional heating with concomitant hydrothermal fluid circulation.The high magnetic susceptibility of the fault rocks and neoformed magnetite indicate that large earthquakes with frictional heating temperatures>500℃have occurred in the Motuo fault zone in the past,and that the fault maintained an oxidizing environment with weak fluid action during these earthquakes.Our results reveal the seismogenic environment of the Motuo fault zone,and they are potentially important for the evaluation of the regional stability in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis.
