Quantifying the long‐term slip rate of Liupan Shan thrust fault through the low‐temperature thermochronology

Abstract

Liupan Shan thrust fault (LPSF), one of the outmost boundaries of the NE Tibetan Plateau, is crucial for understanding the dynamics of the outward and upward growth of the plateau. However, little is known about the long‐term (~10‐Myr timescale) fault‐slip history along the LPSF. Here we estimate the kinematic process of the LPSF using the 2‐D thermal history and 3‐D thermo‐kinematic modellings which are constrained by previously published apatite fission‐track thermochronological data. Inverse modellings confirm previous findings that the Cenozoic uplift in Liupan Shan initiated in the Late Miocene, which was controlled by thrusting of the LPSF. In addition, we also constrain the geometry of the thrust as being steep (54°) at the surface, consistent with field observations and seismic reflection data. Thrusting motion on the fault shows an average long‐term slip rate of ~0.54 km/Myr, yielding a total of ~4.7 km exhumation and ~3.4 km crustal shortening. Together with previous results show that the Late Miocene deformation is not only by local but also regional events driven by the India‐Asia collision.