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Active faults of Southeast Asia
Active faults of Southeast Asia
Along the eastern flank of the Indian-Asian collision zone, plate motions between the Indian and the Eurasian-Sunda plates partition into an oblique Arakan subduction-collision system along the eastern boundary of the Indian plate, the master plate-boundary transform Sagaing fault, and the intracontinental simple-shear Shan fault system. Each of these three major tectonic elements deforms at 1 to 2 cm/yr and poses a significant seismic threat to Myanmar and its neighbors.
In this research, we use global-covered digital topographic model to map the active faults within the continental Southeast Asia, and evaluate their activity in the Quaternary time scale. At the end, our goal is to understand the underling geodynamics creating these active faults on the surface, and regional seismic hazard in the future.
I am currently working with Dr. Xuhua Shi and other researchers from DMR, Thailand to update this active fault map.
For more detailed information, please refer to thesis papers:
Tectonic motion in central and western Myanmar
Tectonic motion in central and western Myanmar
This is a research project I worked together with Dr. Eric Lindsey, Dr. Lin Thu Aung from Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS). We conducted a series of survey-mode GPS observations across Myanmar with Myanmar Earthquake Committee (MEC) since 2016. Our project's goals are to measure the interseismic strain and slip partitioning in the region of Myanmar.
This project is funded by the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) and supported by the Myanmar Earthquake Committee (MEC) and the Myanmar Survey Department.
Large earthquakes along plate-boundary faults
Large earthquakes along plate-boundary faults
I have been working together with Dr. Xuhua SHI, Professor Paul Tapponnier and Professor Ray Weldon along the central section of the Sagaing fault near Mandalay since the end of 2013 together with MEC and DMH to look for the large earthquake events in the past. During the past few years, we have succeeded in finding evidence for young surface rupture that is likely associated with the 1839 Ava earthquake event at several locations near Mandalay. With the technique of paleoseismological investigation, we are also able to constrain the timing of large earthquakes prior to the AD 1839 event, and the recurrence interval of surface rupture at this section of the Sagaing Fault.
Other than the strike-slip Sagaing Fault, I am also working together with Professor Bruce Shyu on the uplift behavior of the Arakan megathrust. The last major earthquake generated by this sediment-rich megathrust occurred in AD 1762, with earthquake magnitude likely between Mw 8.5 and 8.8. Other than the giant quake, our finding using fossil coral along the western Myanmar coast suggest the upper-plate fault may also generate smaller, but still damaging earthquakes. Thus, the recurrence interval of damaging event could be significant shorter than the recurrence interval of giant megathrust event in the seismic hazard model analysis.
You can find detailed information in these two papers:
Natural Hazards in Southeast Asia
Natural Hazards in Southeast Asia
To understand the tsunami potential of the coastline around the South China Sea, we developed a new tsunami hazard model by introducing the un-uniform fault slip model, together with the new understanding of the Manila megathrust to the tsunami hazard model. The new model developed by the lead-author of this study, Dr. Linlin Li, suggests the level of tsunami hazard along the southeast coast of China, Philippines and Taiwan are not neglectable. In fact, our new model suggest all these above mentioned area could be hit by 3 m or high wave with the return period of 500 years.
For detailed information, please refer to this publication:
The near-surface deformations along the coseismic fault rupture
The near-surface deformations along the coseismic fault rupture
One of my research focuses is to understand how the shallow earth deforms during the surface rupturing earthquake. Recently more and more high-resolution observations suggest that not all of the co-seismic deformation occurred on the main fault trace. Thus, if we only use features very close to the fault surface rupture to constrain its long-term slip rate, without considering the off-fault deformation, we may underestimate its slip rate. In the case of the Tarlay earthquake, we use ALOS InSAR data to estimate the ground deformation across the Nam Ma Fault. Our result suggest the about 20% or more ground deformation occurred off-fault. Such effect may also alter the fault slip distribution inverted from the geodetic data, and enhance the effect of the "shallow slip deficit".
For more information, please refer to the following papers:
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