Asymmetric Interseismic Strain across the Western Altyn Tagh Fault from InSAR

Abstract

As the northern boundary of the Tibetan Plateau, the long Altyn Tagh fault (ATF) controls the regional tectonic environment, and the study of its long-term fault slip rate is key to understanding the tectonic evolution and deformation of the northern Tibetan Plateau. In this paper, we measure the fault slip rate of the western segment of the ATF using InSAR observations between 2015 to 2020. The Multi-Temporal Interferometric InSAR analysis is applied to obtain the two-dimensional fault-parallel and vertical displacement fields. The spatially dense InSAR observations clearly illustrate the asymmetrical pattern of displacement fields across the fault. Constrained by our InSAR observations, the fault slip rate and locking depth of the western segment of the ATF are inverted using four different models in a Bayesian framework. The two-layer viscoelastic model incorporating lateral heterogeneity of rheology in the lower crust indicates that the fault slip rate of the western ATF is estimated to be 9.8 ± 1.1 mm/yr (at 83.8°E across the ATF) and 8.6 ± 1.1 mm/yr (at 85.1°E), respectively, and the locking depth is 15.8 ± 4.3 km and 14.8 ± 4.9 km. Our new estimates generally agree with the previous estimates of fault slip rate constrained by GPS observations. We conclude that the contrast between the thickness of the elastic layer and the shear modulus of the Tibetan plateau and the Tarim basin jointly contribute to the asymmetric interseismic strain accumulation on the ATF.