没有无限制延伸的断裂，因为断裂末端的位移总是被其它性质的构造吸收调节掉。以走滑断裂为例，位于青藏高原北缘的阿尔金断裂的左行走滑运动，就在其南西、北东尾端分别被西昆仑山和祁连山的抬升和断裂的逆冲运动吸收调节掉。如何定量化这种转换机制，一直以来都是难点之一。位于阿拉伯板块与欧亚板块碰撞前缘地带的北大不里士断裂呈右行走滑，它向北段延伸至近东西向的米树断裂后逐渐消失，其转换的构造机理目前还不得而知。本申请拟利用参加中国科学院地质与地球物理研究所与伊朗地质调查局共同开展的针对伊朗高原构造演化的合作研究的机会，选取米树断裂作为研究对象，通过对其进行GPS和D-InSAR地表活动速率监测，并结合数值模拟，反演其深部断裂面上的滑移分布，从地表观测再到深部反演，全方位、三维视角地限定米树断裂当前是否以逆冲推覆为主、走滑运动为辅以及各自所占的比重多大，由此探讨走滑断裂在尾端的应变调节机制。

A fault can not disappear without reason, because their motion could always be absorbed and/or transferred by other structures at their ends. Take the Altun Tagh strike slip fault as an example. The fault’s left-lateral strike slip motion is absorbed by crustal shortening, resulted in the uplift of the West Kunlun Mountain to the southwest and the Qilian Shan Range to the northeast. However, how to quantify the strain partitioning mechanism is one of the most difficult scientific problems. In the front zone of the Arabia-Eurasia Plate, there appears the similar phenomenon: one right-lateral strike slip fault, named the North Tabriz fault, is disappeared when entering into the nearly east-west-striking Mishu fault to its northernmost end. In which strain partitioning mechanism that the Mishu fault accommodates the North Tabriz fault’s shearing is still unclear. This study will take the cooperation chance between the Institute of Geophysics and Geology, CAS, with the Geological Survey of Iran on the evolution of the Iranian Plateau, and select the Mishu fault located on the northern continuation of the North Tabriz strike slip fault as our research area. We plan to apply the GPS and D-InSAR technology to measure the activity pattern in the transforming zone between these two faults. In a 3-D view of measuring from surface into simulation at depth, we expect to see whether or not the Mishu fault’s movement is major on thrusting and minor on strike slip shearing and their associated proportions. We hope this research could be helpful to promote our understanding for the strain partitioning mechanism at the end of strike slip faults.