The Influence of the Kunlun Mountains and Wenchuan Strong Earthquakes on the Crustal Movement and Strain Accumulation in the Northeastern Margin of Qinghai-Xizang Block
昆仑山与汶川强烈地震对青藏块体东北缘地壳运动及应变积累的影响

Making full use of crustal deformation data obtained from GPS, regional leveling and cross-fault means, aided by the inversion of negative dislocation, and combined with seismic activities, the authors studied the influence of the Ms8.1 Kunlun Mountains Great Earthquake of November 14, 2001 on the crustal movement and strain accumulation in the northeastern margin of Qinghai-Xizang block. The result shows that it was the adjustment ac-tion of disturbance stress field caused by this enormous seismic energy releasing inside Qinghai-Xizang block in the northeastward compressional background field that led to the variation of the crustal difference movement and the stress-strain state in the block boundary. To some extent and for a period of time, the action mainly found ex-pression in the reduction of strain accumulation in the eastern segment of the Altyn Tagh fault and the western segment of the Qilian Mountain fracture zone, and in the promotion of strain accumulation in the middle-eastern segments of the Qilian Mountain fracture zone. Presently the regional stress field of the study area reflects the re-covering state after the Kunlun Mountains, Yumen and Minle earthquakes. Moreover, based on limited data ob-tained from GPS, short-leveling and cross-fault means after the Wenchuan Earthquake of May 12, 2008, the au-thors consider that the Wenchuan Earthquake promoted the strain accumulation in the eastern segment of the Gansu-Sichuan boundary as well as along the Gansu-Sichuan-Shaanxi boundary.