Slip rate of the Laohushan fault and the along strike slip rate pattern of the Haiyuan fault zone

Uniform slip rates along the main segments of strike slip faults and slip rates decreasing toward fault tips are widely observed along some intensively studied strike slip faults. The Laohushan fault, which is the central segment of the Haiyuan fault. By applying the 3D_Fault_Offsets code, we reevaluated the late Pleistocene slip rate of Laohushan fault. The estimated long-term slip rate of the Laohushan fault ranges from 2.57-5.09 mm/yr over the Miocene. By synthesizing previous slip rates along the Haiyuan fault zone, we found that the Madongshan and Liupanshan could be the main uplifts that absorbed the left-lateral motion along the Haiyuan fault zone as a big restraining bend between the Haiyuan and Qishan-Mazhao fault zones. We then comprehensively synthesized the spatial distribution of slip rates of some well-studied strike slip faults, such as the Kunlun, Altyn Tagh and Alpine faults. It is found that the stability of the slip rate along the main segment is closely related to the fault activity and the block rotation and internal deformation are together responsible. However, the slip rates of strike-slip faults usually change at the restraining bend within the fault zone or towards fault termination.