Development characteristics and formation analysis of the Liangjia Village earth fissure in the Weihe Basin, China

doi:10.1007/s11707-020-0840-2

Front. Earth Sci.

2020, Vol. 14

Issue (4) : 758-769 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-020-0840-2

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Development characteristics and formation analysis of the Liangjia Village earth fissure in the Weihe Basin, China

Junhua ZHU^1,², Jianwei QIAO^3,⁴(

), Feiyong WANG⁵(

), Quanzhong LU⁵, Yuyun XIA^3,⁴, Ransheng CHEN^3,⁴, Haiyuan ZHAO³, Jingliang DONG^1,²

¹. School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang 330013, China
². National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Civil Engineering, East China Jiaotong University, Nanchang 330013, China
³. China Jikan Research Institute of Engineering Investigations and Design Co., Ltd., Xi’an 710043, China
⁴. Shaanxi Key Laboratory for the Property and Treatment of Special Soil and Rock, Xi’an 710043, China
⁵. School of Geological Engineering and Geomatics, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China

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Abstract

Liangjia Village earth fissure, one of the 79 earth fissures along the Kouzhen–Guanshan fault located in the northern Weihe Basin, causes severe damage to buildings and farmlands. Since the late 1950s, 40 earth fissures have occurred in a similar east–west (EW) direction parallel to the Kouzhen–Guanshan fault, and a further 39 earth fissures have occurred with north-west, east-north, or north-east orientations intersecting the fault. In this study, a case study of Liangjia Village earth fissure was conducted to investigate the mechanisms of fissure generation in detail. Geotechnical and geophysical methods including measurements, trenching, drilling, and seismic exploration were used to reveal the basic characteristics, geological background, and origin model of the Liangjia Village earth fissure. This earth fissure, with a total length of 800 m in 2014, runs EW parallel to the Kouzhen–Guanshan fault, and it has damaged buildings and farmlands by forming sinkholes, gullies, subsidence, and a scarp. The trenching results indicated that this fissure underwent multi-phase activity. Analysis of geological drilling and shallow seismic profiling results showed that the fissure also possessed characteristics of a syn-sedimentary fault. Regarding its genesis, the fissure was formed through the combined actions of three factors: an earthquake created the fissure, the Kouzhen–Guanshan fault controlled its development, and loess erosion and groundwater runoff subsequently enlarged the fissure. Regional extension first generated many buried faults along the hanging wall of the Kouzhen–Guanshan fault before seismic activity caused the buried faults to propagate to the surface, where loess erosion and groundwater runoff promoted the formation of the current earth fissure.

Keywords earth fissure Kouzhen–Guanshan fault earthquake creep slip loess erosion

Corresponding Author(s): Jianwei QIAO,Feiyong WANG

Online First Date: 28 December 2020 Issue Date: 08 January 2021

Cite this article:

Junhua ZHU,Jianwei QIAO,Feiyong WANG, et al. Development characteristics and formation analysis of the Liangjia Village earth fissure in the Weihe Basin, China[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2020, 14(4): 758-769.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-020-0840-2
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2020/V14/I4/758

Fig.1 Geological background of Kouzhen-Guanshan fault. (a) Location of Kouzhen-Guanshan fault in Weihe Basin, (b) photos of Kouzhen-Guanshan fault, (c) photo showing section of Kouzhen-Guanshan fault. F1: Kouzhen–Guanshan fault; F2: Liquan–Pucheng–Heyang fault; F3: Qishan–Qianxian fault; F4: Jinghe–Chanhe fault; F5: Weihe fault; F6: Lintong–Changan fault; F7: the northern QL margin fault; F8: Qishan–Qianxian fault; F9: Shuangquan–Linyi fault; WRB: Weihe Basin; QL: Qinling Mountain; KZ: Kouzhen; LQ: Luqiao; GS: Guanshan; KQ: Kangqiao; 1: Yeyu River; 2: Qingyu River; 3: Zhouyu River; 4: Shichuan River.

Tab.1 Loess scarp height along Kouzhen–Guanshan fault

Tab.2 Dislocation of the second-order terrace along Kouzhen–Guanshan fault

Fig.2 Hydro-geological cross section showing simplified layers. F1: Kouzhen –Guanshan fault.

Fig.3 Map showing earth fissures along Kouzhen–Guanshan fault. (a) Distribution of earth fissures along Kouzhen–Guanshan fault, (b) Liangjia Village earth fissure and exploration work layout; F1: Kouzhen–Guanshan fault; F2: Liquan–Pucheng–Heyang fault; F3: Jinghe–Chanhe fault; F4: Qixian–Qianxian fault.

Tab.3 Number of earth fissures occurring in different decades

Fig.4 Damage related to Liangjia ground fissures. (a)&(d) Gullies, (b) sinkholes, (c) scarp.

Fig.5 Trenching profile of Liangjia Village earth fissure.

Fig.6 Geological cross-section of earth fissure in Liangjia Village. Fb&Fb’, buried faults.

Fig.7 Results of geophysical survey GS1 across Liangjia Village earth fissure. (a) Seismic reflection profile, (b) p-wave velocity distribution for the uppermost 300 m of the reflection profile; F1: Kouzhen–Guanshan fault; Fa–Fd: buried faults; R1–R3: CT velocity stratification interfaces.

Fig.8 Results of geophysical survey GS2 across Liangjia Village earth fissure. (a) Seismic reflection profile, (b) p-wave velocity distribution for the uppermost 300 m of the reflection profile; F1, Kouzhen–Guanshan fault; Fa–Fe, buried faults; T1–T3, CT velocity stratification interfaces.

Fig.9 Relationship between regional stress and fault activities in the Weihe Basin (^{Peng et al., 2018}).

Fig.10 Processes of Liangjia Village earth fissure (revised from ^{Peng et al., 2016b}). F1, Kouzhen–Guanshan fault; F3, Qishan–Qianxian fault; Fb, buried fault.

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