Fault maturity has been proposed to exert a first order control on earthquake rupture, yet direct observations linking individual rupture to long‐term fault growth are rare. The 2021 Mw 7.4 Maduo earthquake ruptured the east‐growing end of the slow‐moving (∼1 mm/yr) Jiangcuo fault in north Tibet, providing an opportunity to examine the relation between rupture characteristics and fault structure. Here we combine field and multiple remote sensing techniques to map the surface rupture at cm‐resolution and document comprehensively on‐fault offsets and off‐fault deformation. The 158 km‐long surface rupture consists of misoriented structurally inherited N110°‐striking segments and younger optimally oriented N093°‐striking segments, relative to the regional stress field. Despite being comparatively newly formed, the ∼N093°‐striking fault segments accommodate more localized strain, with up to 3 m on‐fault left‐lateral slip and 25%–50% off‐fault deformation, and possibly faster rupture speed. These results are in contrast with previous findings showing more localized strain and faster rupture speed on more mature fault segments; instead, our observations suggest that fault orientation with respect to the regional stress can exert a more important control than fault maturity on coseismic rupture behavior when both factors are at play.

To better constrain the long-term millennial slip rate of the Haiyuan fault in its central part, we revisited the site of Daqing, where there are multiple paired offset terraces. We used 0.1-m-resolution terrestrial light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and uncrewed aerial vehicle imagery to survey the offset terraces, quantify their geomorphology, and map the fault trace. From these observations, we refined the geomorphological interpretation of the site, measured terrace riser offsets, and determined their relation to terrace formation. The well-constrained age of the highest terrace, T3, at 13.7 ± 1.5 ka, determined from a combination of surface and subsurface optically stimulated luminescence, ¹⁴C, and terrestrial in situ ¹⁰Be cosmogenic radionuclide dating, associated with an offset of 88 m, yields a late Pleistocene minimum slip rate of 6.4 ± 1.0 mm/yr. The less-well-constrained offset (72 ± 3 m) of the T3/T2 riser base and the age (>9.3 ± 0.6 ka) of terrace T2 yield a maximum slip rate of 7.7 ± 0.6 mm/yr. The smallest offset of a gully incised into T1 of 6.0 ± 0.5 m is potentially associated with the most recent slip event that occurred in the last millennia. Overall, these offsets and ages constrain a geological rate of 5−8 mm/yr (preferred rate >6.4 mm/yr), similar to geodetic estimates. Our collocated high-resolution topography and precise chronology make it possible to reveal the geomorphic complexities of terrace riser offsets and their postformational evolution, and to show how previously determined geological rates along the fault were both under- and overestimated.

Fault geometry is recognized as an important control on earthquake rupture extent, magnitude, and recurrence behavior. However, multicycle earthquake rupture simulations indicate that geometrical barriers do not always stop rupture propagation. Stress buildup over multiple prior earthquakes may promote an occasional breach of a barrier, producing a significantly larger rupture. Here we present paleoseismic data from the Aksay restraining double bend of the Altyn Tagh fault, which supports such breaching. The Aksay bend consists of two main strands, which bend together in a broad transpressional configuration. We investigate the paleo‐earthquake histories of both strands to assess the correlation of events within and beyond the bend. The south strand exhibits four very likely paleo‐earthquakes with an average interval of 1,433 ± 57 years and a coefficient of variation (COV) of ~ 0.5. The north strand records four highest‐quality events after 3650 Before Common Era with an average interval of ~1,326 ± 179 years and a COV of ~0.3. The varying recurrence intervals and relatively high COVs indicate that faults within the Aksay bend have only quasi‐periodic rupture recurrence. Comparing the event sequences also suggests a complex rupture history. The penultimate event appears to correlate across the bend, as well as to previously published paleoseismic chronologies both to the east and to the west, which supports it being a barrier‐breaching event. The event histories reported here indicate that multiple earthquakes must terminate within the bend, over several earthquake cycles, in order to arrive at a stress condition suitable for a breaching earthquake rupture.

The 2021 Mw 7.4 Maduo (Madoi) earthquake that struck the northern Tibetan Plateau resulted in widespread coseismic deformation features, such as surface ruptures and soil liquefaction. By utilizing the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry technology, we accurately recognize and map 39,286 liquefaction sites within a 1.5 km wide zone along the coseismic surface rupture. We then systematically analyze the coseismic liquefaction distribution characteristics and the possible influencing factors. The coseismic liquefaction density remains on a higher level within 250 m from the surface rupture and decreases in a power law with the increasing distance. The amplification of the seismic waves in the vicinity of the rupture zone enhances the liquefaction effects near it. More than 90% of coseismic liquefaction occurs in the peak ground acceleration (PGA) > 0.50 g, and the liquefaction density is significantly higher in the region with seismic intensity > VIII. Combined with the sedimentary distribution along-strike of the surface rupture, the mapped liquefaction sites indicate that the differences in the sedimentary environments could cause more intense liquefaction on the western side of the epicenter, where loose Quaternary deposits are widely spread. The stronger coseismic liquefaction sites correspond to the Eling Lake section, the Yellow River floodplain, and the Heihe River floodplain, where the soil is mostly saturated with loose fine-grained sand and the groundwater level is high. Our results show that the massive liquefaction caused by the strong ground shaking during the Maduo (Madoi) earthquake was distributed as the specific local sedimentary environment and the groundwater level changed.