Quantifying the regional kinematics is critical for understanding the deformation mechanisms of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we construct an elastic block model using a dense GPS velocity field to derive the fault slip rates in SE Tibet. We uncover good agreement between GPS and late Quaternary slip estimates, suggesting that the GPS slip rates estimated from our model can represent the long‐term fault motions in SE Tibet. Specifically, our model shows that the slip along the Xianshuihe fault increases from west to east, which may result from the initiation of the Longriba fault. The Litang, Zhongdian, and Xiaojiang faults and the faults bounding the Lijiang block exhibit extensional motions, in agreement with the regional tectonics and earthquake focal mechanisms. In the regions north of the Red River fault whose kinematics can be described through the rotations of subblocks with small residuals, the fault motions agree with focal mechanism patterns and tectonic block models. In regions south of the Red River fault, the right‐lateral shearing among the Red River, Lancang and Sagaing faults appears to explain the first‐order deformation features. However, the relatively large residuals and complex tectonic setting suggest that various other factors, such as asthenospheric flow and the subduction of the Burma plate may also influence the deformation. Thus, a single model extended to interpret all the geodynamic features in SE Tibet, especially south of the Red River fault, may be overly simple, and the extent to which each factor contributes to this deformation requires further study.

The present‐day deformation of the Tianshan Mountain range is largely resulting from the collision between India and the Eurasian plate, but the mechanism causing its uplift remains controversial. In this study, we present the contemporary tectonic and geodynamic processes resulting in the growth of the Tianshan Mountain range as revealed by integrating Global Positioning System (GPS) and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) measurements during 2010–2016. The average ground uplift rate is 0.72 ± 0.12 mm/year, of which 0.39 mm/year is attributed to elastic effects of glacier melting. The residual average tectonic uplift rate of 0.33 ± 0.12 mm/year closely matches the crustal thickening rate (0.33 ± 0.03 mm/year), indicating that horizontal compression plays an essential role in Tianshan orogeny. We also find the Lake Issyk‐Kul region is converging and subsiding, which can be explained by a regional crust folding model. The interaction of adjacent rigid blocks in the Tianshan and surrounding areas is also manifested by the crustal shortening derived from GPS horizontal velocities. This study provides new geodetic results and a new model in current orogenic movement in the Tianshan Mountain range and highlights its complexity.

Contemporary kinematic characteristics of the Pamir plateau are characterized by (a) significant NS‐shortening across the northern front, (b) EW‐extension within the Pamir and (c) gravitationally driven westward mass‐outflux of the western Pamir into the Tajik basin. The 2015 Mw 7.2 Sarez and 2023 Mw 6.8 Murghab strike‐slip earthquakes highlight the crucial role of shear deformation in the Pamir's interior, but the detailed secular kinematics of the remote Plateau are still elusive. Here, we employ elastic block models to fit GNSS velocities compiled from our own reprocessed velocity solution and from previous studies to determine slip rates along major active faults within and bounding the Pamir plateau. Our favored model separates the Pamir's interior into three micro‐blocks along the NNE‐trending sinistral Sarez‐Karakul fault system and the SSE‐trending Kongur Shan extensional system. The model confirms significant crustal shortening along the Pamir's northern boundary and strike‐slip motion along its western boundary, namely the Pamir thrust system and the Darvaz fault, respectively. In contrast, strike‐slip motion on the eastern boundary is minor. In the interior of the Plateau, we find an upper limit of sinistral shear of 8.8 ± 0.3–9.5 ± 0.2 mm/yr along the Sarez‐Karakul fault system and dextral shear of 6.3 ± 0.3 mm/yr along the WNW‐trending Muji fault. Our model also confirms recent observations of an active, SW‐continuation of the Sarez‐Karakul fault system. In the eastern Pamir, crustal extension mainly occurs across the northern segment of the Kongur Shan extensional system. The recent large strike‐slip earthquakes on the Pamir plateau suggest that shear motion on the plateau is accommodated on a much wider range than only by the Sarez‐Karakul fault system.

The North China Craton (NCC) is an important tectonic element in China, which is characterized by intense seismic activity and complex tectonic setting. Thus quantifying its deformation is essential for studying the tectonic processes and deformation mechanisms in this region. Here we use a combination of dense GPS data sets to analyze the crustal movement and present updated estimates of fault motions based on elastic block models. We uncover spatial variations in deformation patterns, indicating that different mechanisms may dominate the tectonic processes for different parts of the NCC. In the western part, the rifts around the Ordos block manifest strike‐slip and extensional deformation, and the strike‐slip motion is more significant than the extensional component; whereas in the east, the Tanlu fault experiences right‐lateral and shortening slips, consistent with the features from historical seismic activity and regional tectonics. Our analysis indicates that the deformation in the eastern NCC is principally influenced by the Pacific subduction, whereas the deformation in the western NCC is mainly related to the India‐Eurasia collision. Moreover, our estimate of motion along the Tanlu fault supports a relatively long seismic interval of ∼10 ka, comparable to those inferred from recent paleoseismic research on this fault and other slow‐slip faults in the NCC. Our study indicates that the faults in the NCC even with very slow motions may still have the potential to produce strong earthquakes. Thus seismic risks across these slow‐slip faults cannot be ignored and should not be determined solely based on the rate of fault motions.

Since the late Cenozoic, the reactivated Tianshan orogenic belt has accommodated crustal shortening exceeding 200 km, primarily due to the far-field effects of the India-Eurasia plate collision. However, the details of the strain partitioning in the Tianshan Mountain range remain elusive. We interpret a new compilation of GPS velocities covering the whole Tianshan range with a classic elastic block model. Compared to previous studies with a block modeling approach, the Tianshan orogenic belt is further subdivided into several blocks based on geological fault traces and a clustering analysis approach. In addition to obvious crustal shortening on the bounding thrust faults of the Tianshan, our inverted fault slip rates also reveal that faults within the Tianshan orogenic belt, such as the Nalati Fault and the southern margin of the Issyk-Kul Lake Fault, which plays a crucial role in accommodating the tectonic crustal shortening. In the 72°E−78°E region, the internal shortening rate within the mountain is approximately 5–7 mm/yr. Besides crustal shortening, strike-slip motion occurs on faults in the interior of the mountain range as well as in the foreland fold-and-thrust belts, especially in the southern margin of the Tianshan. These findings suggest that the crustal deformation in the Tianshan Mountain range is more complex than previously thought, and the oblique convergence between the Tarim Basin and the Tianshan probably results in both strike-slip and thrust motion.