Evidence of late quaternary activity of the Weining-Shuicheng Fault in Guizhou, China

Xingxing Ji; Jiahai Wang; Hao Liu; Jing Hao; Jie Ruan; Cheng Li; Wei Zhang; Aamir Asghar

doi:10.1515/geo-2022-0715

Article Open Access

Evidence of late quaternary activity of the Weining-Shuicheng Fault in Guizhou, China

Xingxing Ji , Jiahai Wang , Hao Liu , Jing Hao , Jie Ruan , Cheng Li , Wei Zhang and Aamir Asghar

Published/Copyright: November 10, 2024

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From the journal Open Geosciences Volume 16 Issue 1

Abstract

The Weining-Shuicheng Fault (WSF) is a northwest-southeast trending fault in the southwest of the South China Block (SCB), which is an important component of the Yadu-Ziyun Fault Zone. The study of its activity is of great significance for analyzing the boundary role of the Daliangshan secondary block on the SCB. This paper derived the following results through field investigations, high-precision remote sensing image interpretation, UAV photogrammetry, trenching technique, and AMS ¹⁴C age. The WSF is northwest-trending with a sinistral strike-slip. It has a total displacement of about 2.5–3.2 km, which is equivalent to that of the southern section of the Daliangshan Fault. There are visible landforms such as fault scarps and fault valleys along the WSF, which control the development of the Caohai Basin. The gully near Weining Airport was caused by left lateral dislocations with a displacement of about 4 m. The Tashan trench revealed two branching faults, cutting the latest strata formed during about 13,000 BC. The Wangjiachong trench revealed five branching faults, cutting the latest strata formed during about 20,000 BC. The northern section of the WSF is flower-shaped tectonic features near the plane and activated in the Late Pleistocene.

Keywords: Weining-Shuicheng Fault; late quaternary activity; UAV photogrammetry; trenching technique; AMS 14C age

1 Introduction

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was formed by the India-Eurasia collision that resulted in the shortening and rapid uplift of the plateau crustal. At the same time, the plateau material moved towards its surrounding areas under the action of pushing pressure and gravity. Due to the obstruction of strongly rigid blocks within the enclosed plateau, the characters of the east-west-trending fault were transformed from early reverse-compression to strike-slip, which eventually led to the eastward and southeastward extrusion and escape of the Qiangtang Block, Bayankala Block, and Sichuan-Yunnan diamond Block [1,2,3,4]. The Bayankala Block is mainly characterized by rigid block activity [5,6]. The Sichuan-Yunnan Block is mainly influenced by lower crustal flows, and the crustal movements are dispersed in the west of the Xianshui River fault zone [7,8,9,10].

Near the east of the Anninghe Fault and Zemuhe Fault. There are several north–north–west-trending faults; they constructed the Daliangshan Blocks, including the Daliangshan Fault, the Mabian Fault, and other secondary faults. The Daliangshan Blocks moderated the difference rates of sinistral strike-slip between the Xianshuihe Fault and the Anninghe Fault. There are some strong seismic activities that occurred on these faults. This region was designated as an independent secondary block, i.e., Dalingshan Block for study [11,12]. The Daliangshan Fault slips sinistrally at a rate of 3 mm/year. Paleoseismic studies confirmed that this fault has experienced at least nine paleoseismic events in the Late Quaternary [13,14,15,16]. The Mabian Fault slips sinistrally at a rate of 3 mm/year [17], where the Mabian M7 earthquake in 1216 and the Daguan M7.1 earthquake in 1971 occurred. The internal Dliangshan Block is significantly deformed by the extrusion of the Bayankara Block and the Sichuan-Yunnan Block. Also, it was extruded with the South China Block (SCB) by the Zhaotong-Ludian Fault and the Lianfeng Fault [18,19].

The northwest-trending Yadu-Ziyun Fault develops on the southwestern edge of the SCB, passes through Yadu Hezhang, Zuogong Nayong, Ziyun, and Yungan Luodian, then obliquely runs through the Guizhou Province, and finally extends to Bama and Bobai of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Its overall direction is 310–330°, with a total length of approximately 770 km. It is specifically named the Yadu-Ziyun Luodian Fault in Guizhou Province and the Bama-Bobai Fault in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region [20,21,22]. These faults were formed in the Variscan period. Some sections control the Late Paleozoic lithofacies and paleogeography [21,23]. There are two branching faults near Binyang County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, one of which forms the boundary of the Binyang Basin, and the other has a sinistral displacement of up to 4 km in the Late Yanshan granite and Paleogene strata [24,25,26,27]. In the middle section of the fault, the U-series dating and TL dating of the calcite in the fractured zone ranged from 60,000 to 250,000 years, which demonstrates that the fault was still active in the Middle Pleistocene [28].

The Weining-Shuicheng Fault (WSF) is the main fault of the Yadu-Ziyun Fault system, about which studies are limited. Especially, there is currently no report on its activity in the Late Quaternary. The study of the activity of the WSF can provide a reference for the evaluation of the local seismic risk and basic data for the tectonic deformation analysis of the southwestern edge of the SCB [29,30]. Based on field investigation data of the northern section of the WSF, its geometric layout was obtained through high-precision remote sensing image interpretation and UAV photogrammetry of typical dislocation points. Its activity characteristics were analyzed by trenching technique and AMS ¹⁴C age.

2 Tectonic environment

The WSF is the main fault of the Yadu-Ziyun fault (Figure 1). The fault starts from Yina Town in the northwest, passes through Weining County, Liupanshui City, and ends at the Dabang in Ziyun County. The total length is about 250 km, with a direction of 300–320°. The cross-section is nearly upright, with a local inclination toward the northeast and a dip angle of 70–80°. The fault runs through the Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic strata. The fractured zones range from tens to hundreds of meters. The fault is internally filled with fault breccia and characterized by multiple periods of activity. The new tectonic activity of the fault is obvious. The landform is often characterized by straight-extending valleys, where valleys and depressions are often developed along the fault. In particular, its northern section controls the development of the Caohai Basin in the Weining area. The accumulation thickness in the basin since the Late Quaternary Early Pleistocene is about 70 m. A series of small and medium earthquakes occurred along the fault, such as the Weining M5½ earthquake in February 1935 and the Weining M4.7 earthquake in March 22, 2009 (Figure 2). There are no relevant reports on whether the northern section of the fault was active in the Late Quaternary. Therefore, it is necessary to study the activity of the northern section of the WSF.

Figure 1

Faults and seismicity in the southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. (a) The major faults and blocks of the Tibetan Plateau [31,32]. NCB: North China block; SB: Sichuan basin; SCB: South China block; QB: Qaidam block; BHB: Bayan Har block; SYB, Sichuan-Yunnan block; YBB: Yunnan-Burma block; TB: Tarim basin; LMSFZ: Longmenshan fault zone; XSHF: Xianshuihe fault; ANHF: Anninghe fault; DLSF: Daliangshan fault; ZMHF: Zemuhe fault; XJF: Xiaojiang fault; ZT-LDF: Zhaotong-Ludian fault; LFF: Lianfeng fault; WN-SCF: Weining-Shuicheng fault; YDF: Yadu fault; YJF: Youjiang fault; BM-BBF: Bama-Bobai fault. (b) Gray circles represent historically and instrumentally documented earthquakes [33,34,35]. Blue and red arrows delineate the horizontal GPS velocities of crustal motion of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau relative to stable Eurasia [36,37]. White unfilled rectangle shows the study area. Shaded relief map is created from the 3 arc-second SRTM Digital Elevation Model (DEM).

Figure 2

Geological map of the northern section of the WSF.

3 Methodology

Based on Google Earth satellite images and detailed remote sensing interpretation of the geomorphology of the northern section of the WSF, field geological surveys were carried out and fault traces were mapped in detail. Subsequently, typical staggered landforms were measured using DJI UAV measurement technique. PhotoScan software was adopted to generate high-precision and high-resolution indoor orthophoto images.

By trenching technique, it is possible to directly observe the structure and properties of underground rock masses, reveal the location of fault breakpoints, and identify earthquake events. The limitations of the trench exploration include high cost, shallow exposure depth, and distinguishing whether the cause of a fault is tectonic or landslide [38]. Two trenches were excavated at typical landform locations, and the profiles of the exploration trenches were systematically cleaned. Grids with a dimension of 1 m × 1 m were constructed using engineering lines. To obtain the natural color of the profile, photos were taken with a camera perpendicular to the profile on cloudy or sunless days. The overlap rate of neighboring photos was ≥50%. High-resolution orthophoto images were generated indoors using SFM algorithm-based PhotoScan software. The output was printed as a base map and a detailed drawing of the trench profile was made in the field.

Due to abundant precipitation, rich vegetation, and high organic matter sediment in the Weining area of Guizhou Province, the ¹⁴C method is suitable for age determination [39,40]. Carbon-containing samples such as carbon shavings, carbon particles, and peat layers were collected from the two excavated trenches, and then they were sent to Beta Laboratory in the United States for AMS ¹⁴C age testing. The OxCal program was employed to correct the age of the samples and to obtain the sedimentary age of the strata. Sufficient charcoal is required in AMS ¹⁴C age testing, able to test geological events over the past 50,000 years.

4 Survey work on the northern section of the WSF

4.1 Landform survey

The linear image of the northern section of the WSF is very clear, with an overall trend of NW and an intermittent extension of about 70 km. The fault starts from Yana Town in the northwest, passes through Guanfenghai Town, Xiaohai Town, Weining County, Jinzhong Town, and Ertang Town in the southeast and extends to the territory of Liupanshui City. The main form of the new tectonic movement in Guizhou is intermittent and continuous uplift, and having gone through eight major cycles of rising/stagnant activity, in Guizhou, each with intermittent increases from 200 to 500 m and is still on the rise. Under these geological processes, there are visible landforms such as fault scarps and fault valleys along the route, which control the development of the Caohai Basin (Figure 2). The fault scarps are straight, and Consistenting with the direction of the WSF. The fault scarps have a large inclination angle and are nearly vertical. Most fault valleys are associated with the fault scarps. The linear composite valley, in which parallel faults and fissures between steep strata form multiple alternating troughs and valleys. Groundwater and karst processes mainly occur along linear troughs and valleys.

Based on high-resolution images from Google Earth, we found that linear valleys, fault depressions, and gully dislocations developed along the WSF near the Weining Airport. By field observations, it was found that two gullies are characterized by sinistral strike-slip along the WSF(Figure 3c). There are errors in measuring the displacement of gullies in the field. To obtain the fault’s total displacement, high-precision terrain and landform data near the Weining Airport were obtained via high-precision UAV photogrammetry technique (Figure 3). The area through which the fault passes is developed with linear valleys and steep fault ridges. Two gullies are characterized by a sinistral strike-slip, By measuring the displacement of the center point of the gully, the displacement of gully 1 is 3.8 m, and the displacement of gully 2 is 4.0 m (Figure 3c).

Figure 3

Landform of the WSF near the Weining Airport. (a) Image data (Drone Aerial Photography) shows the development of linear troughs at the location, where the fault passes through. (b) Enlarged photos of fault troughs. The red arrow indicates the location of the fault, and the solid black line represents the location of the trench. (c) The gully is characterized by a sinistral strike-slip.

4.2 Geological survey

A large number of carbonate rocks were developed in the Weining area. Field investigations indicated a large number of bedrock fault profiles in the northern section of the WSF (Figure 4). Fracture planes and zones are developed in the bedrock near Jinzhong Town, Weining County. The scraps and steps of the fault suggest that this fault has a normal fault property (Figure 4a). Multiple faults, some of which have normal fault properties, are observed in the bedrock in the northeast of Weining County (Figure 4b). Some calcite slickensides are developed along the fault, and the striations and steps on the fault plane indicate that the fault has a sinistral strike-slip property (Figure 4c and d).

Figure 4

Bedrock section of the fault. (a) The normal fault exposure near Jinzhong Town, Weining County. (b) The normal fault exposure in the northeast of the Weining County. (c) The fault exposure in the northeast of the Weining County. (d) The partial enlargement of Figure 4c, the scratches, and steps on the fault plane.

Based on the comprehensive geological features, gully faults, and kinematic characteristics of the bedrock, it is determined that the northern section of the WSF is characterized by the sinistral strike-slip and normal fault movement.

4.3 Trench exploration

To investigate the activity of the northern section of the WSF, two trenches were Excavated in the east of the Tashan Community in Weining County and the west of the Weining Airport in Wangjiachong Community. According to the Quaternary sedimentary sequence in the Weining area, and the different colour, lithology, peat content in each trench, divide into different stratigraphic units. The ¹⁴C sample from different stratigraphic units was used to date the strata. Through the dislocations in the marker layer, the faulting events were identified. The two exploration trenches are described in the forthcoming sections.

4.3.1 Tashan trench

Tashan trench is located in the east of the Tashan Community in Weining County (GPS: E104.3247°, N26.8597°). The geographically located area is characterized by the fault trough (Figure 3b) and fault channel (Figure 5a). Trenching work was carried out on the fault valley In November 2022, the direction of Tashan trench is 45°, the length of Tashan trench is 15 m, and the depth of Tashan trench is 2.7 m. It was oriented generally northeast and was perpendicular to the fault direction (Figure 5b). The stratigraphy exposed by this trench consists of 9 units (Table 1). Dislocation was obvious and there were abundant dating materials available (Figure 6).

Figure 5

Landform and location of the trench in Tashan Community. (a) The fault valley developed where the WSF passes through. (b) Trench excavation site.

Table 1

Stratigraphic units and lithological description of the Tashan trench

Unit no.	Description
U1	Lower carboniferous weathered dolomitic limestone
U2	Reddish brown clay
U3	Greyish-green clay
U4	Gray brown to tawny clay, with small amount of angular gravel
U5	Gray black clay containing peat, with high carbon content
U6	Light gray to grayish brown carbonaceous clay
U7	Light gray clay layer, which contains iron. Iron nodules of ancient weathering crust are visible at the contact surface with U6
U8	Light gray carbonaceous clay
U9	Light gray humus soil with a small amount of gravel, the gravel is edges and corners

Figure 6

Photos and interpretations of the NW Wall Splicing of the Tashan Trench. (a) The original photo of Tashan trench, the black solid rectangular box with letters represents the position in (c). (b) The sketch of Tashan trench, the black solid line represents the boundary of the stratigraphic unit, the red solid line represents the fault, the black rectangle represents the location where samples were collected, the black letter numbers beginning with U represent the stratigraphic number, the black letter number beginning with WS represents the sample number, the black number dating result represents the testing age of the sample, and the red age represents the OxCal-corrected age of the sample (Table 3). (c) In the partial enlargement of Tashan trench, the white solid line represents the boundary of the stratigraphic unit and the red solid line represents the fault.

This trench revealed two branching faults. Fault 1 (F1) is a normal fault with a sliding distance of about 0.6 m, and its orientation is 32°∠65°. Fault 2 (F2) is a reverse fault with a sliding distance of about 0.5 m, and its orientation is 30°∠58°. Two faults caused the U5 to slide down along the fault plane, while the top of the U6 was covered by the U7 and above strata. Three carbonaceous black organic sediments were collected from the U5, yielding ¹⁴C ages of 10,811–10,771 BC, 13,137–12,846 BC, and 13,415–13,121 BC. Two charcoal chips were collected from the U6, yielding ¹⁴C ages of 6,648–6,499 BC and 7,548–7,456 BC. One charcoal chip collected from the U7 yielded a ¹⁴C age of 4,691–4,501 BC. It was speculated that the F1 and F2 were developed in the same seismic event. The strike-slip faults on the surface exhibited a flower-shaped structure. The fault activity period was around 13,000 years, which was a Late Pleistocene active fault.

4.3.2 Wangjiachong trench

Wangjiachong trench is located in the west of the Weining Airport (GPS: E104.3320°, N26.8498°). There are sinistral dislocations in gullies and steep fault ridges (Figure 7a). Trenching work was carried out in February 2023, length of 12.5 m and depth of 2.6–5.0 m. The overall direction of the trench was northeast, which was perpendicular to the fault direction (Figure 7b). The stratigraphy exposed by the trench consists of six units (Figure 8, Table 2).

Figure 7

Landform and location of the Wangjiachong Trench. (a) Near the Wangjiachong trench, a left lateral dislocation of the gully is observed, and the fault steep slope is developed. (b) Trench excavation site.

Figure 8

Photos and Interpretations of the SW Wall Splicing of the Wangjiachong Trench. (a) The Original photo of Tashan trench. (b) The sketch of Tashan trench, the black solid line represents the boundary of stratigraphic units, the red solid line represents faults, and the black rectangle represents the location where samples were collected. The black letters and numbers beginning with U represent the stratigraphic number, and the black letters and numbers beginning with WS represent the sample number. The black numerical dating results indicate the testing age of the sample, and the red age represents the OxCal-corrected age of the sample (Table 3).

Table 2

Stratigraphic units and lithological description of the Wangjiachong trench

Unit no.	Description
U1	Gray brown clay
U2	Gray brown clay with gravel, the gravel concentration is about 5%. The gravel mainly composed of strongly weathered limestone. Poor roundness analysis, gravel with a diameter of 0.5–3 cm
U3	Light gray clay with little gravel
U4	Dark gray, gray-black carbonaceous clay
U5	Carbonaceous strip clay
U6	Humic soil layer with angular gravel, which are obvious traces of human activity. The angular gravels were poorly rounded

This trench revealed five faults. Fault 1 (F1) is a normal fault with an orientation of 25°∠72°. It intersects the U1–U5 and is covered by the U6 with a displacement of about 0.5 m. Fault 2 (F2) is a normal fault with an orientation of 214°∠56°. It intersects the U1–U4, with a displacement of about 0.1 m. Fault 3 (F3) has an orientation of 68°∠78°, and it did not experience significant displacement. Fault 4 (F4) is a normal fault with an orientation of 238°∠69°. It intersects the U1–U5, with a displacement of about 0.2 m. Fault 5 (F5) has an orientation of 254°∠82°, while it is almost vertical and did not experience significant displacement.

Table 3

Radiocarbon age and calibrated calendar dates of samples from trench in the WSF*

Trench name	Unit no.	Sample no.	Number in laboratory	Test substance	Initial ¹⁴C age/a BP	Correction age (2σ)
Trench in Tashan	U8	WS-C-08	Beta-647564	Charcoal	2,950 ± 30	1,260–1,051 BC (95.4%)
	U7	WS-C-01	Beta-647557	Charcoal	5,750 ± 30	4,691–4,501 BC (95.4%)
	U6	WS-C-03	Beta-647559	Charcoal	7,760 ± 30	6,648–6,499 BC (95.4%)
	U6	WS-C-06	Beta-650876	Charcoal	8,410 ± 30	7,548–7,456 BC (78.9%)
						7,408–7,367 BC (11.7%)
						7,578–7,557 BC (4.8%)
	U5	WS-C-02	Beta-647558	Organic sediment	10,780 ± 30	10,811–10,771 BC (95.4%)
	U5	WS-C-05	Beta-647561	Organic sediment	12,530 ± 40	13,137–12,846 BC (64.0%)
						12,775–12,561 BC (31.4%)
	U5	WS-C-07	Beta-647563	Organic sediment	12,760 ± 40	13,415–13,121 BC (95.4%)
	U4	WS-C-04	Beta-647560	Organic sediment	13,490 ± 40	14,463–14,146 BC (95.4%)
Trench in Wangjiachong	U5	WS-C-09	Beta-657755	Organic sediment	17,960 ± 60	20,126–19,726 BC (88.4%)
						19,653–19,516 BC (7.0%)
	U5	WS-C-10	Beta-657756	Organic sediment	20,980 ± 80	23,662–23,161 BC (95.4%)
	U4	WS-C-11	Beta-657757	Organic sediment	29,430 ± 170	32,446–31,623 BC (95.4%)
	U4	WS-C-12	Beta-657758	Organic sediment	24,320 ± 100	26,859–26,239 BC (95.4%)

*All the ¹⁴C sample tests were conducted by BETA Laboratories in the United States with the AMS testing methods.

Two black carbonaceous organic sediments were collected from the U4 of the Wangjiachong trench, yielding ¹⁴C ages of 26,859–26,239 BC and 32,446–31,623 BC. Two gray brown organic sediments containing carbon were collected from the U5, yielding ¹⁴C ages of 20,126–19,726 BC and 23,662–23,161 BC. It was speculated that the five faults exposed by the trench might be flower-shaped structures formed by sinistral strike-slip, with the latest active time of 20,126–19,726 BC.

5 Discussion

In the context of the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Sichuan-Yunnan rhombic Block experiences the eastward and southeastward extrusion and escape [1,2,3,4]. The Daliangshan Block is formed at the junction of the Sichuan-Yunnan Block and the SCB. It is bounded by the Daliangshan fault, Mabian fault, and other secondary faults [11,12,41]. Its internal deformation is significant under the extrusion of the Bayan-Kara Block and the Sichuan-Yunnan Block. It extrudes with the SCB in the Zhaotong-Ludian Fault and Lianfeng Fault on its southern boundary. It led to the development of a series of paralleled sinistral strike-slip faults in the southwest of the SCB, including the Yadu-Ziyun Fault, the Bama-Bobai Fault, the Youjiang Fault, the Jingxi-Chongzuo Fault, the Napo Fault, and the Wenshan Fault [14,20,24,42,43,44].

Landform or geological indicators formed before the development of fault can be utilized to determine the total displacement of the fault. Geological indicators identified that the Xianshuihe Fault experienced a sinistral horizontal dislocation of approximately 60 km in the northern section of the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang Fault, 47–53 km in the middle section of the Anninghe Fault and the Zemuhe Fault, and 48–63 km in the southern section of the Xiaojiang Fault [22]. According to the geological indicators, the displacement of the northern section of the Daliangshan Fault is about 11 km, while the displacement in the southern section was about 3.2 km. The sinistral rotation of the northern section was three times that of the southern section [15]. The Bama-Bobai fault is located near Binyang County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with a sinistral displacement of 4 km in the Late Yanshan granite and Paleogene strata [16,24,26]. The WSF Walk toward the extension line of the Daliangshan Fault in the exhibition space, both are left-lateral slip faults.

The WSF near the Lanba County Liupanshui City also caused a sinistral strike-slip of the geological indicators. According to the dislocation recovery of the Emeishan basalt, the total displacement was approximately 2.5–3.2 km, which is equivalent to that in the southern section of the Daliangshan Fault (Figure 9).

Figure 9

Restoration map of sinistral dislocations near the Lanba of the WSF. (a) The geological data are sourced from the 1:200,000 geological map of Shuicheng, the red line represents the fault, and the arrow pairs indicate the direction of fault movement. (b) The reconstruction map of the geological indicators displacement.

The linear features of the northern section of the WSF are obvious. Landforms such as fault troughs, linear valleys, and steep fault ridges are observed near the Weining Airport where the faults pass through. The gully is characterized by sinistral dislocation, with a dislocation amount of about 4 m. The Tashan Trench revealed two faults, of which F1 is a normal fault and F2 is a reverse fault. These two faults were developed for 13,000 years (e.g., U5 in Figure 6). The Wangjiachong Trench revealed five faults, all of them are normal faults and have been developed for about 20,000 years (e.g., U5 in Figure 8). The faults exposed by these two trenches are branching faults with different properties and directions. Combined with the sinistral strike-slip of the WSF, the trench may reveal the flower-shaped structures near the strike-slip fault plane. It was inferred that the WSF was a sinistral strike-slip fault that may be mainly characterized by flower-shaped structures near the plane, and it was an active fault in the Late Pleistocene.

During the Quaternary period, the Sichuan-Yunnan Block continued to slide southeastward, and the movement speed of the Sichuan-Yunnan Block was much higher than that of the SCB [45]. The WSF undergoes sinistral strike slip within the framework of a simple shear movement in the southeast, its slip amount is basically consistent with the southern section of the Daliangshan Fault. The southwestern edge of the SCB occurs deformation internally under the compression of the Daliangshan Block. On August 3, 2014, M6.5 occurred in Ludian County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan Province. The seismogenic fault is the northwest-trending Baogudang-Xiaohe Fault, which is a component of the southern end of the Daliangshan fault [17]. Based on the geological characteristics, late quaternary activity, and sliding amount of the WSF, it is demonstrated that the WSF has a tectonic background\ for the occurrence of moderate to strong earthquakes.

The main focus of this manuscript is on the northern section of the WSF. In the future, we can discuss future possible seismic events and mitigation and obtain the sliding speed of the WSF. The WSF is the main fault of the Yadu-Ziyun fault, so we can study the activity of other faults.

6 Conclusion

This article derived the following conclusions through field investigations, high-precision remote sensing image interpretation, UAV photogrammetry, trenching technique, and AMS ¹⁴C age as follows:

The WSF is northwest–southeast-trending fault with a sinistral strike-slip motion. It has a total displacement of about 2.5–3.2 km, which is equivalent to that of the southern section of the Daliangshan Fault.
The development of the WSF may be influenced by the Daliangshan Fault. There are visible landforms such as fault scarps and fault valleys along the WSF. The WSF controls the development of the Caohai Basin. The gully near Weining Airport was caused by left lateral dislocations with a displacement of about 4 m.
The Tashan trench and the Wangjiachong trench revealed branching faults, cutting the latest strata formed during about 13,000–20,000 BC. The northern section of the WSF has flower-shaped tectonic features near the plane and activated in the Late Pleistocene.

Funding information: This study has been financially supported by the innovative team for seismic geology and active fault detection (GZSDZJDZKJJJ202103), Guizhou Provincial Department of Education Higher Education Science Research Project (Qian Jiao ji [2022]361, [2024]348), Guizhou Provincial Department of Science and Technology Project (supported by Qiankehe [2020] 4Y053), Kaili University PhD Project (BS20230101), Qiandongnan Prefecture Science and Technology Plan Project ([2022]51), and Kaili University Integrated Research Project (YTH-XM2024011).
Author contributions: Data curation, Xingxing Ji; funding acquisition, Xingxing Ji and Cheng Li; investigation, Wang Jiahai, Liu Hao, Jing Hao, Jie Ruan, and Wei Zhang; methodology, Xingxing Ji; supervision, Cheng Li; writing – original draft, Xingxing Ji; and writing – review and editing, Cheng Li and Asghar Aamir.
Conflict of interest: The authors wish to confirm that there are no known conflict of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.
Data availability statement: All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.

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Received: 2024-05-30

Revised: 2024-09-12

Accepted: 2024-09-25

Published Online: 2024-11-10

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2022-0715

Keywords for this article

Weining-Shuicheng Fault; late quaternary activity; UAV photogrammetry; trenching technique; AMS 14C age

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