Co-seismic displacements, folding and shortening structures along the Chelungpu surface rupture zone occurred during the 1999 Chi-Chi (Taiwan) earthquake

Abstract

A nearly 100-km-long surface rupture zone, called Chelungpu surface rupture zone, occurred mostly along the pre-existing Chelungpu fault on the northwestern side of Taiwan, accompanying the 1999 Chi-Chi Ms 7.6 earthquake. The Chelungpu surface rupture zone can be divided into four segments based on the characteristics of co-seismic displacements, geometry of the surface ruptures and geological structures. These segments generally show a right-step en echelon form and strike NE–SW to N–S, and dip to the east with angles ranging from 50 to 85°. The co-seismic flexural-slip folding structures commonly occurred in or near the surface rupture zone from a few meters to a few hundreds of meters in width, which have an orientation in fold axes parallel or oblique to the surface rupture zone. The displacements measured in the southern three segments are approximately 1.0–3.0m horizontally and 2.0–4.0m vertically. The largest displacements were measured in the northern segment, 11.1m horizontally and 7.5m vertically, respectively. The amount of co-seismic horizontal shortening caused by flexural-slip folding and reverse faulting in the surface rupture zone is generally less than 3m. It is evident that the co-seismic displacements of the surface rupture zone are a quantitative surface indicator of the faulting process in the earthquake source fault. The relations between the geometry and geomorphology of the surface rupture zone, dips of the co-seismic faulting planes and the striations on the main fault planes generated during the co-seismic displacement, show that the Chelungpu surface rupture zone is a reverse fault zone with a large left-lateral component.