COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: To Determine the Rate of Slip and Total Offset on the Karakorum Fault of Western Tibet

9706502莫尔纳对于理解西喜马拉雅山脉的构造有两种相互矛盾的假说。一种观点认为，西藏大部分地区的岩石正向东挤压，特别是沿着喀喇昆仑断层，为向北推挤的印度地壳腾出空间。另一种假设认为，地壳的这一部分主要通过增厚进行调整，只有少量向东挤压。这项提议要求资金支持对西藏西部喀喇昆仑断层的研究，该研究将确定其滑动速率。大约30-35 mm/a的滑动速率支持快速滑动速率，从而支持这些藏族岩石的挤压模式。较慢的滑动速率约为10 mm/a将倾向于支持地壳增厚模型。研究方法经过了很好的检验，该项目成功的可能性相当高。

9706502 Molnar Two competing hypotheses exist for the understanding the tectonics of the western Himalayan mountains. One holds that rocks underlying much of Tibet are being extruded to the east, especially along the Karakorum fault, to make room for the Indian crust being under thrust to the north. The other hypothesis maintains that this part of the crust is adjusting primarily by thickening, with only minor extrusion to the east. This proposal requests funds to support a study of the Karakorum fault in western Tibet that will determine its slip rate. A slip rate of about 30-35 mm/a would support a rapid slip rate, and hence support the extrusion model of these Tibetan rocks. A slower slip rate of about 10 mm/a would tend to support the crustal thickening model. The methods of study are rather well tested, and the project has a rather high likelihood of success.