Abstract:

The Eastern Kunlun Fault (EKF) is one of the most active seismogenic faults in the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Earthquake activities in the future or abrupt strike-slip movement of the EKF will bring serious hazards to Qinghai-Lhasa railway. On the basis of kinematics character of the EKF, this paper stimulates two deformation effects (the epicenter is located near the railway or far away it) when the earthquakes with 8 m and 3 m level left-lateral displacement, occur respectively. The result shows that the southern bedrock and Quaternary of the EKF have 8 m left-lateral strike-slip displacement when epicenter is located near the railway. However, the level displacement of Quaternary near the railway is smaller, rail and groundsill show successive left-lateral crooked deformation. It has just 4-5 m successive left-lateral crooked deformation; Two sides of the railway cause the N-E direction tensile opening and N-W direction earthquake apophysis. Deformation effect is similar when the epicenter is located far away the railway, but the extent of displacement became smaller, and the rail and groundsill have the 1-2 m successive left-lateral crooked deformation. Therefore, the great earthquake induced by EKF in the future will result in great deformation and destruction of Qinghai-Lhasa railway whether the epicenter is located near the railway or not.

Key words: Eastern Kunlun Fault, strike-slip movement, three-dimensional numeric simulation, railway deformation, Golmud-Lhasa railway