No abstract

No abstract

The Ordos block, located in the western part of the North China Craton, is bounded by the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, the South China block, the Alxa block, the Taihangshan block, and the Yanshan-Yinshan mountains (Figure 1). The Ordos block has been a coherent geological terrain that has undergone minor deformation since at least the Mesozoic. Significant deformation occurred around its periphery during the Cenozoic, but had very little effect on its interior (Deng & You, 1985; Shi et al., 2020; The Research Group on Active Fault System around Ordos Massif, State Seismological Bureau, RGAFSO hereafter, 1988). Additionally, the Liupanshan fault system along the southwestern margin of the Ordos block accommodates crustal shortening produced by the northeastward growth of the Tibetan Plateau. The other sides of the block are bounded by extensional grabens such as the Yinchuan graben to the northwest, the Hetao graben to the north, the Shanxi graben to the east, and the Weihe graben to the south (Figure 1). Nineteen devastating earthquakes with magnitudes larger than 7 have occurred in the regions surrounding the block since the beginning of documented Chinese history (Deng et al., 1999; RGAFSO, 1988) (Figure 1). In contrast, no earthquakes with magnitudes larger than 6 have occurred in the interior of the block. Therefore, investigating the deformation of the Ordos block is essential for deciphering the interactions between active tectonic

No abstract