Late Pleistocene - Holocene slip history of the Langshan-Seertengshan piedmont fault (Inner Mongolia, northern China) from cosmogenic Be dating on a bedrock fault scarp.

Offset geomorphic features and deformed late Quaternary strata indicate active deformation along the Langshan-Seertengshan piedmont fault (LSPF), one of the most active faults in the Hetao fault zone in Inner Mongolia, North China. The widespread occurrence of bedrock fault scarps along the LSPF offers excellent opportunity to examine the faulting history. Using cosmogenic Be exposure dating, we measured the exposure ages of the western Langshankou scarp, located in the middle segment of the LSPF. Our data revealed at least two earthquakes that occurred at 22.2±3.3 ka and 7.2±2.4 ka, respectively. These events are consistent with previous paleoseismic trench studies. The regression of the relationship between the age and sampling height along the scarp yield a fault slip rate of 0.10 +0.05/-0.06 mm/yr, which is significantly lower than the average post-late Pleistocene fault slip rate of ~1 mm/yr, as estimated from the offset of the T2 terraces by previous studies. This indicates that the slip of the LSPF may have been accommodated by other fault branches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]