Late Quaternary slip rate of the Batang Fault and its strain partitioning role in Yushu area, central Tibet

•The Batang Fault is a left-lateral active fault with some reverse component.•The latest paleoearthquake occurred after 2.7 ka BP.•Left lateral slip rate of this fault is about 2–4 mm/yr since Late Pleistocene.•Vertical slip rate of this fault is about 0.2–0.6 mm/yr since Late Pleistocene.•This fault partitioned nearly a third of the deformation within Yushu segment.

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 reveals that this fault has a clear geomorphic expression which is characterized by prominent fault escarpment and systematically offset gullies, fluvial terraces and alluvial fans along strike. Morphotectonic mapping, combined with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon (14C) data, suggest that the Batang Fault is a late Holocene active left-lateral strike-slip fault, along with some reverse component. The average left-lateral slip rate of this fault is 2–4 mm/yr and vertical slip rate is 0.2–0.6 mm/yr since Late Pleistocene. Comparison with the slip rates of other faults within the Ganzi–Yushu Fault system demonstrates that the Batang Fault partitioned nearly a third of the strike slip deformation within Yushu segment. This study provides insights into the reasons why the Yushu Fault is relatively less active when compared with other segments within Ganzi–Yushu Fault system and is crucial to the seismic hazard assessment in Yushu area especially after the occurrence of 2010 Ms 7.1 Yushu earthquake.