Zhongtai He

• Ph.D.
• Professor at Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration

The eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is a tectonic transformation belt regulating the eastward extrusion of materials from the plateau. This area not only has high density active faults and high frequency strong earthquakes, but also has very complex geological and geomorphological features. So it is one of the most serious earthquake hazard a...

High-resolution topographic and geomorphic data are important basic data for the study of active structures. Here, multisource remote sensing data were used to reinterpret the active faults in the northern segment of the Red River Fault (China). First, we obtained airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, high-resolution GaoFen-7 (GF-7) re...

The Sichuan-Yunnan block is a tectonically active region in China, with frequent large earthquakes occurring in and around it. Despite most earthquakes being concentrated along boundary faults, intraplate faults also have the potential to generate damaging earthquakes. Remote sensing makes it possible to identify these potential earthquake source f...

The tectonic deformation of the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau underwent significant changes before and after the Miocene, which led to the change of the deformation characteristics of the Sichuan‐Yunnan block, and some local areas in the block also showed structural patterns inconsistent with the macroscopic clockwise rotation deformat...

Abstract: The eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is composed of multiple secondary tectonic units which constitute typical “multi-level extrusion-rotation active tectonic system”. It is the tectonic transformation belt that regulates the eastward extrusion of plateau blocks, and contains high-density active faults. This area is characterized by...

The middle segment of the Kalawenguquan fault has been active since the Holocene, with a maximum credible earthquake magnitude of MS 7.5. We established two source models based on empirical relationships, as well as geological, geomorphological, and seismic characteristics. Taking into account the uncertainties of simulation parameters, we adopted...

The quantity and quality of remote sensing measurements of tectonic deformation have increased dramatically over the past two decades, improving our ability to observe active geomorphological tectonic processes. High-precision and high-resolution topography is the basis for the quantitative study of active geomorphological and tectonic processes. R...

The response of the stream geomorphic index to fault activity is important for assessing the regional seismic hazard. The data used in this paper are 12 m resolution TanDEM-X data. The Fill tool in the Hydrology toolset in ArcGIS 10.5 was used to first process the digital elevation model (DEM), then analyse the flow direction of the DEM after filli...

Based on a digital elevation model (DEM) and GIS technology, we extracted and analyzed stream geomorphic indices—such as the slope, relief degree of the land surface (RDLS), hypsometric integral (HI) and channel steepness index (ksn)—of the Cangshan Piedmont Fault, Fengyi–Dingxiling Fault and Midu Basin Margin Fault in the northern segment of the R...

Long paleoearthquake series are crucial for understanding the recurrence patterns of active faults and evaluating the seismic hazards of faults. In this study, the first semiquantitative evaluation of paleoearthquake events from trenches was applied to normal faults, and classification criteria for identifying paleoearthquakes in trenches on normal...

The traces left by earthquakes in lacustrine sediments are studied to determine the occurrence of ancient earthquakes by identifying seismically induced soft-sediment deformation structures (SSDS). Dating can help reconstruct the relative frequency of earthquakes. Identifying seismically induced seismites, which carry abundant seismic information f...

A Mw 6.6 earthquake struck Menyuan, Qinghai, China, on 7 January 2022. To determine the rupture parameters of this event, the coseismic InSAR deformation fields were mapped and further employed to estimate the focal mechanism. The best-fitting solution emphasized that the 2022 Menyuan earthquake ruptured at the junction of the Tuolaishan fault and...

On 19 March 2021, the Ms 6.1 Biru earthquake occurred in central Tibet. Because of the limited number of stations, researchers have different understandings of the epicenter and the focal mechanism. In addition, when the earthquake occurred in a key location at the intersection of the strike‐slip structure and the extensional structure in the Tibet...

The slip rate is a fundamental kinematic parameter of active faults. Traditional methods using fault scarps or trenches may produce inaccurate estimates of a fault’s vertical slip rate. A normal fault’s vertical slip rate requires constraints from the hanging wall and footwall. Here, the vertical slip rate at each measuring point along the fault wa...

The activity of major active faults around the Ordos Block is of great interest to seismologists, as at least four M ≥ 8 earthquakes have been recorded. However, the Linhe Basin, which has the thickest Cenozoic sediments, has no record of large earthquakes. Does this basin have the structural conditions required for large earthquakes? The northern...

Groundwater is undoubtedly important for water security and eco-environmental protection, especially in areas that experience earthquakes. Analyzing the characteristics and variation of groundwater after an earthquake is significant to obtain a better understanding of the seismic risk and rational management of groundwater resources. This study inv...

The accumulation and partitioning of crustal strain in central Tibet remain debated. July 23, 2020, Mw 6.4 earthquake in the Nima region (≈86.864°E/33.144°N) thus provides an opportunity to gain insight into local, ongoing deformation. Here, we use Sentinel‐1 SAR data to assess co‐seismic deformation during that earthquake, and nonlinear/linear inv...

The Tancheng–Lujiang (Tanlu) fault zone is the most active fault zone in eastern China. In this zone, the Anqiu–Juxian fault represents the most recently active fault and has the clearest surface traces and the highest seismic risk. This study comprehensively analyzes the kinematic characteristics of the Jiangsu segment of the Anqiu–Juxian fault us...

On May 5, 2014, an earthquake with a magnitude of Mw 6.1 (the largest earthquake in Thailand so far) occurred in Chiang Rai of the Golden Triangle area in northern Thailand. We had an opportunity to conduct field survey immediately after the earthquake. Serious damage to buildings and casualties of lives were observed, and the estimated Maximum Mer...

Earthquake disasters not only cause direct loss of life and property but can also generate a series of secondary natural disasters and social impacts. China is an earthquake-prone region. There are many different types of active structures with destructive seismic capability in mainland China and its adjacent areas, which are facing an extremely hi...

Call for papers for the Special Issue on Major Earthquake Hazards and Disaster Reduction of NATURAL HAZARDS RESEARCH. http://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/natural-hazards-research/call-for-papers/si-on-major-earthquake-hazards-and-disaster-reduction/

A recent correlation of stream geomorphic indices to fault activity has revealed that stream geomorphologies in bedrock mountain areas are good records of local fault movements. The Daqingshan piedmont fault is one of the main active faults in the fault system on the northern margin of the Hetao Basin and has produced frequent large-scale earthquak...

As a traditional method for palaeoseismic studies, trenching can be combined with dating techniques to identify palaeoseismic events and the earthquake recurrence interval. However, when using trenches to study paleo‐earthquakes, factors such as the active tectonic background of the earthquake‐caused structure, the lithology on both sides of the fa...

The Wulashan piedmont fault is a typical normal fault in the northern Ordos Block and has exhibited intense activity since the Late Pleistocene. It is located among the Ordos Block, Alashan Block, Yanshan Block and North China Block and between the NE expansion of the Tibetan Plateau and the subduction of the Pacific Plate. This area is important a...

The Wuhai Basin is located in the northwestern corner of the Ordos Block. Analyzing the geometry, along with the kinematic and dynamic characteristics of the boundary fault, the Zhuozishan West Piedmont Fault (ZWPF), will elucidate the regional tectonic environment and guide earthquake prevention and disaster reduction projects. Six representative...

Few studies have been conducted on the activity of the Mengzi fault system, which is located to the southeast of the Sichuan-Yunnan block. The Mengzi fault is distributed along the eastern margin of the Mengzi basin. However, little is known about the location, length, and activity of the fault or the occurrence of paleo-earthquakes during the late...

Studying the faults in Wuhai Basin, which is located in the northwestern corner of the Ordos Block in China, can not only guide earthquake-safe construction in the region, but also provide a greater understanding of the structure of the Wuhai Basin and the dynamic environment of Northwestern Ordos Block. In this study, we effectively detected the Y...

The two eastern segments of the Sertengshan piedmont fault have moved considerably since the Holocene. Several paleoseismic events have occurred along the fault since 30 ka BP. Paleoearthquake studies have been advanced by digging new trenches and combining the results with the findings of previous studies. Comprehensive analyses of the trenches re...

Ground fissures are a geological hazard with complex formation mechanisms. Increasing amounts of human activity have created more ground fissures, which can destroy buildings and threaten human security. Some ground fissures indicate potentially devastating earthquakes, so we must pay attention to these hazards. This paper documents recently discov...

The vertical slip rate of a normal fault is one of the most important parameters for evaluating its level of activity. The Sertengshan piedmont fault has been studied since the 1980s, but its absolute vertical slip rate has not been determined. In this paper, we calculate the displacements of the fault by measuring the heights of piedmont terraces...

The late Quaternary activity of Yushu segment is poorly understood compared with other segments within Ganzi-Yushu Fault system. We focused on the Batang Fault, a major branch fault of the Yushu segment. Interpretation of remote sensing images and field investigations reveal that this fault has a clear geomorphic expression which is characterized b...

The Yushu segment of the Ganzi-Yushu fault system (central Tibet plateau) is mainly composed by the Yushu fault and the Batang fault. The 2010 Ms 7.1 Yushu earthquake occurred on the Yushu fault, causing huge loss of lives and widespread damages to the densely populated Yushu area. So far, much effort has been devoted to the surface rupture and pal...

In the epicenter of the Lushan M S7.0 earthquake there are several imbricate active reverse faults lying from northwest to southeast, namely the Gengda-Longdong, Yanjing-Wulong, Shuangshi-Dachuan and Dayi faults. Emergency field investigations have indicated that no apparent earthquake surface rupture zones were located along these active faults or...

On April 20, 2013, a strong earthquake of MS 7.0 struck the Lushan County, Sichuan Province of China. In this paper, basic information of the April 20, 2013 Lushan earthquake, historical earthquakes in the Lushan earthquake struck area and associated historical earthquake-triggered landslides were introduced firstly. We delineated the probable spat...

The authors make the width of surface rupture caused by 2008 Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake as the object, characterize the width of surface rupture by the thrust fault scarps, flexure-slip folds, and mole tracks, and check out characteristics of the width of the surface rupture along the Beichuan-Yingxiu fault and Hanwang-Bailu fault. The conclusion s...

This paper chooses Paleo-alluvial-pluvial fans in front of Daqingshan as the objects. We survey Holocene paleosols profiles on the Paleo-alluvial-pluvial fans in the three middle segments in front of the mountain, and carry out dating age. Then we compare paleosols ages on the Paleo-alluvial-pluvial fans to the paleoseismic events along the Daqings...

Wulanwulahu-Yushu Fault is an important active fault at the boundary area between Bayankala block and Qiangtang block. The slip rate of this fault in the late Quaternary is of fundamental importance for analyzing the seismic hazards and kinematic characteristics of neighboring active blocks. Due to the limited field conditions, the study of the lat...

Wenchuan MS 8.0 earthquake happened 0n May 12th 2008, which was mainly caused by the activity of the Central Fault Belt. What aspects did surface rupture characteristics of this earthquake manifest? According to the surface rupture belts, deformation characteristics, kinematic characteristics and aftershock migration characteristics formed byWenchu...

ETM data reveal that the Yuanmou fault is mainly characterized by horizontal left-lateral and shear strike-slip, including ringent shear and pressed shear in part. Taking the advantage of the level moving and offset of the gullies and ridges in 1:50000 landform and ETM image, we estimated the activity of Yuanmou fault of Yipinglang-Jiangbian segmen...

Identification of potential seismic zone follows the earthquake structure analogy and seismic activity repetition principles at present. Active fault segmentation is an important aspect and should be considered when identifying potential seismic zones. There are three different segmentation plans along Daqingshan piedmont fault, Inner Mongolia. Thi...