The rupture behavior of large‐scale thrust faults has become an increasingly important topic in active tectonic and seismic studies. This is especially true for the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake (Mw 7.9), which occurred along the Longmenshan thrust fault (LMS) in China. While this earthquake has been the subject of many studies to date, paleoseismic studies along the LMS are still lacking. In this study, results from trenching at the town of Bailu, as well as radiocarbon and Optical‐Stimulated Luminescence dating, are used to constrain the timing of the penultimate and earlier events, respectively: 3.3 ± 0.6 to 4.4 ± 0.6 ka and 4.8 ± 0.6 to 5.8 ± 0.8 ka. Further, coseismic displacement produced by the two events is similar to that produced by the 2008 event. The results suggest that fault segments along the Yingxiu‐Beichuan and Jiangyou‐Guanxian faults likely ruptured coseismically with similar offsets and that the northern segment of the LMS possesses independent rupture behavior. The magnitude of the penultimate seismic event was likely lower than that of the 2008 event, which indicates a characteristic slip‐rupture pattern along the LMS.

The Qingchuan fault is located along the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau and connects to the Beichuan‐Yingxiu fault of the Longmen Shan fault zone (LMSF), which produced the 2008 M_W 7.9 Wenchuan earthquake and 2013 M_W6.6 Lushan earthquake. After the two devastating earthquakes, whether the Qingchuan fault could produce a large earthquake or not and its tectonic activity is highly debated. Based on the detailed field investigations and paleoseismic trenching combined with multiple radiocarbon dating, we suggest that the Qingchuan fault might not show intense fault activity (or specific dextral strike‐slip deformation) since the late Quaternary. The deformation evidence revealed in the trench indicates a pattern of tensional deformation in the strata, which is inconsistent with the regional compressional tectonic stress field. Moreover, the timing of these deformation events coincides with that of paleoearthquakes that occurred on the Beichuan‐Yingxiu fault. Therefore, we speculate that the large earthquakes that occurred on the northern segment of the Beichuan‐Yingxiu fault highly likely contribute to the formation of the tensional structures observed along the Qingchuan fault. The uplift of the Minshan Mountain affects the tectonic deformation and seismic activity of the northern segment of the LMSF. However, considering that the LMSF shows forward‐thrust characteristics, the fault activity of the Qingchuan fault was possibly the most affected by the uplifting of the Minshan Mountain. In other words, this specific regional tectonic frame might constrain the buildup of tectonic stress and seismic potential for generating large earthquakes on the Qingchuan fault.

The Sichuan–Yunnan block is located in the eastern of Tibetan Plateau and exhibits strong tectonic and earthquake activity. The Maisu fault is an E–W-trending fault within this block. Via interpretations of remote-sensing imagery and field surveys, we identified a earthquake surface rupture zone that has developed along the Maisu fault; we then estimated its Holocene activity. The surface rupture extends westward from the town of Puma, Sichuan Province, to the village of Worilong, Xizang Province, and has a length of approximately 45 km. According to a fault outcrop and carbon-14 dating of a profile near the village of Yongqu, Xizang Province, the most recent earthquake along this rupture may have occurred after 1850 ± 30 BP. The Maisu fault extends eastward and may intersect the Garzê–Yushu fault. Accordingly, as a secondary fault, the Maisu fault likely accommodates the partitioned horizontal slip deformation of the Garzê–Yushu fault.

The Wudaoliang–Changshagongma fault is one of the NW-trending faults located within the southern Bayan Har Block of the Tibetan Plateau in China. In this paper, we used high-resolution imagery and digital elevation model data to study the geomorphological and geological characteristics of the fault. Furthermore, the result also determined the fault trace and estimated the average horizontal slip rate of the fault since the late Quaternary to have been 2.6 ± 0.6 mm/a. This slip rate is approximately equivalent to that of the Awancang, Madoi–Garde, and Dari faults, which are also located within the block. Furthermore, the slip rates of these faults obtained by remote sensing and geological methods are consistent with GPS observations. It indicates that tectonic deformation within the block is continuous and diffuse. Using trenching study results and sedimentary radiocarbon dating, we identified four paleoearthquake events that occurred at 42,378–32,975, 33,935–20,663, 5052–4862, and after 673–628 cal BP, respectively. The recurrence intervals of large earthquakes on the faults within the block are much longer than those of the boundary faults, and the slip rates are also smaller, indicating that faults within the block play a regulatory role in the tectonic deformation of the Bayan Har Block.