Response of modern fluvial sediments to regional tectonic activity along the upper Min River, eastern Tibet

Abstract

The deposition of fluvial sediments in tectonically active areas is mainly controlled by tectonics, climate, and associated Earth surface processes; consequently, fluvial sediments can provide a valuable record of changes in regional climate and tectonic activity. In this study, we conducted a detailed analysis of the grain-size distribution in modern fluvial sediments from the upper Min River, eastern Tibet. These data, combined with information on regional climate, vegetation, hydrology, geomorphology, lithology, and fault slip rate, indicate that modern regional tectonic activity along upper Min River can be divided into three segments. Specifically, fluvial sediments in the Minjiangyuan–Diexi segment are dominated by silts (< 63 µm, 70.2 %), agreeing with low runoff, low rainfall, and high vegetation cover and revealing a windblown origin influenced by the arid and windy climate. These observations are consistent with the low hillslope angle and low relief, all indicating weak activity along the Minjiang Fault. The coarse-grained fraction (> 250 µm) of fluvial sediments in the Diexi–Wenchuan and Wenchuan–Dujiangyan segments increases stepwise downstream, although runoff and rainfall do not change significantly. These patterns correlate well with increases in both regional relief and hillslope angles. Together, these observations imply that regional tectonic activity along the Maoxian–Wenchuan Fault becomes more pervasive downstream along the Min River. The occurrence of well-sorted and well-rounded pebbles of fluvial sediments downstream of Dujiangyan must be related to the long-time scouring and sorting by rivers. This study marks the first development of a new research approach that can characterize regional tectonic activity by analysis of grain-size distribution of fluvial sediments collected from tectonically active regions.