Timing and seismic origin of the historic Luanshibao rock avalanche in the Maoyaba basin, SE Tibetan Plateau: New evidence from 10Be exposure-ages

Abstract

Rock avalanche is one of the most notable geological disasters in the mountain areas, such as the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. A typical one therein is the Luanshibao (LSB) rock avalanche that occurred in the Maoyaba basin. This rock avalanche has attracted a great deal of attentions, as it has a potential threat to the construction of Sichuan-Tibet Railway. It has been widely accepted that the LSB rock avalanche was caused by a seismic event. However, it is still an open question as to the timing of the earthquake-triggered rock avalanche. Here, we report twenty new 10Be exposure-ages obtained from the deposition zone. These tightly clustered exposure-ages, combined with geomorphic evidence, indicate that the LSB rock avalanche occurred during the mid-Holocene, possibly at 5.2 ± 0.2 ka. A comparison between the timing of rock avalanche and seismic events suggests a close correlation of the LSB rock avalanche with recurrent earthquakes around ∼5 ka BP. Such a correlation is well supported by the view from previous studies.