Crustal deformation, long-term plate motion and earthquake occurrence process of the Shan Plateau region, Northern Sunda Arc: Constraints from geodetic measurements

In the present article, we explore the present day crustal deformation and long-term plate motion of the Shan Plateau and surrounding region by constraining geodetic measurements to provide an updated status of geodynamics and associated seismic hazard of this region. The Shan Plateau is laterally bounded by two prominent master faults on either sides (i.e., Sagaing fault in the western side and Red River fault in the eastern side), where extrusion of the ductile flow the Tibetan crust has been considered to be a predominant factor of the deformation in this sandwiched deformable unit. Geodetic measurements clearly indicate a dextral motion of ~18 mm/yr and ~4-5 mm/yr across the Sagaing fault and Red River fault segments, respectively. Moreover, the cumulative geodetic slip-rate across the networks of faults within the Shan Plateau indicates an overall sinistral motion of ~12-13 mm/yr. We argue that the distributed deformation and long-term plate motion of the Shan Plateau region, with respect to the rigid (undeformed) Sundaland block, is primarily controlled by the regional bookshelf faulting, which is evident by the differential fault motion along the two master faults on the either sides (i.e., the Sagaing fault and Red River fault). © 2021, Editorial Office of Earth Science Frontiers. All right reserved.