Seismic event, sequence and tectonic significance in Canglangpu Stage in Paleo-Tanlu Fault Zone

Abstract

The Canglangpu Stage of Lower Cambrian Series is widely distributed along both sides of the Tanlu (Tancheng-Lujiang) Fault Zone in the Jiao-Liao-Xu-Huai regions. In the Liaodong Peninsula, the Canglangpu Stage consists of three formations, i.e. Gejiatun, Dalinzi and Jianchang formations in ascending order (lying on the eastern side of the Tanlu Fault Zone). The Dalinzi Formation, developing in a littoral Sabkha environment, is full of catastrophic event records of violent seism, such as liquefied muddy-sandy veins, hydroplastic folds, hydroplastic micro-faults (three forming an organic whole), liquefied crinkled deformations, liquefied breccia and sandy dikes. Based on such records, the seismic liquified sequence of argillaceous rocks in Sabkha is built up. In northern Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, however, there hardly observe seismic records in the Canglangpu Stage, which consists of Jinshanzhai and lower Gouhou and upper Gouhou formations (lying on the western side of the Tanlu Fault Zone). Even if the Gouhou Formation, developing in a lagoon-dry environment, is in the same climate zone as the Dalinzi Formation, and 4 depositional sequences have been identified in the Canglangpu Stage in Northern Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, however, in the same stage in the Liaodong Peninsula, there exist only 3 ones. Therefore, it is not supported by the above mentioned evidence (such as catastrophic events, sequences stratigraphy and lithologic correlation of formations) that the Canglangpu Stage in the Liaodong Peninsula came from northern Jiangsu and Anhui provinces through a long-distance, about hundreds kilometers, left-hand displacement of the Tanlu Fault in the Mesozoic era.