Determining the relationship between crustal movement and faulting in thrust belts is essential for understanding the growth of geological structures and addressing the proposed models of a potential earthquake hazard. A Mw 5.9 earthquake occurred on 21 January 2016 in Menyuan, NE Qinghai Tibetan plateau. We combined satellite interferometry from Sentinel-1A Terrain Observation with Progressive Scans (TOPS) images, historical earthquake records, aftershock relocations and geological data to determine fault seismogenic structural geometry and its relationship with the Lenglongling faults. The results indicate that the reverse slip of the 2016 earthquake is distributed on a southwest dipping shovel-shaped fault segment. The main shock rupture was initiated at the deeper part of the fault plane. The focal mechanism of the 2016 earthquake is quite different from that of a previous Ms 6.5 earthquake which occurred in 1986. Both earthquakes occurred at the two ends of a secondary fault. Joint analysis of the 1986 and 2016 earthquakes and aftershocks distribution of the 2016 event reveals an intense connection with the tectonic deformation of the Lenglongling faults. Both earthquakes resulted from the left-lateral strike-slip of the Lenglongling fault zone and showed distinct focal mechanism characteristics. Under the shearing influence, the normal component is formed at the releasing bend of the western end of the secondary fault for the left-order alignment of the fault zone, while the thrust component is formed at the restraining bend of the east end for the right-order alignment of the fault zone. Seismic activity of this region suggests that the left-lateral strike-slip of the Lenglongling fault zone plays a significant role in adjustment of the tectonic deformation in the NE Tibetan plateau.

Large earthquakes often elevate seismicity in surrounding regions, as seen on the Xainza‐Dinggyê rift in southern Tibet after the 2015 M _W 7.8 Gorkha (Nepal) earthquake. In contrast, the EW‐trending Yarlung Zangbo suture (YZS), located directly north of this event, exhibits seismic quiescence. To understand its response, we utilized Sentinel‐1 data to derive a post‐Gorkha deformation field which shows a clear dextral motion on this suture. Pre‐Gorkha data confirmed the absence of this signal, strongly supporting that it was triggered slip by the Gorkha event. Given the lack of associated seismicity, we proposed this transient was primarily aseismic. Although whether the YZS is active is controversial, the triggered slip suggests it also accommodates partial shear strain between central Tibet and the rigid Indian plate. This case also provides us a unique opportunity to examine the diverse responses of faults under stress loading induced by large earthquakes and the following processes.

Asymmetric deformation has been observed along the Altyn Tagh Fault (ATF), the northern boundary of the Tibetan Plateau. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this asymmetry, including contrasts in crustal strength, lower crust/upper mantle rheology, deep fault dislocation shifts, and gently dipping fault planes; however, their relative contributions remain debated. This study utilizes time series Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique to investigate spatially variable asymmetries across the western section of the ATF (83°E - 89°E). By analyzing Sentinel-1 data, we generated high-resolution (2 km) three-dimensional (3D) crustal velocity field for the northwestern Tibetan Plateau (~82°E–92°E; 33°N–40°N). Our results confirm greater deformation within the Tibetan Plateau compared to the Tarim Basin along the westernmost section of the ATF (83°E - 85.5°E). We propose that this asymmetry is primarily driven by a splay fault system within the zone between the ATF in the north and the Jinsha Suture (JSS)-Kunlun Fault (KFL) in the south. This shear zone acts as a transition zone, accommodating east-west extension in central Tibetan Plateau while transferring sinistral shear to the KLF in the east. The concentrated strain observed along the ATF and JSS-KLF further supports a block-style eastward extrusion model for Tibetan crustal deformation rather than a continuously deforming viscous model.

Asymmetric deformation has been observed along the Altyn Tagh Fault (ATF), the northern boundary of the Tibetan Plateau. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain this asymmetry, including contrasts in crustal strength, lower crust/upper mantle rheology, deep fault dislocation shifts, and dipping fault geometry; however, the real scenario remains debated. This study utilizes a time series Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technique to investigate spatially variable asymmetries across the western section of the ATF (83–89°E). We generated a high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) crustal velocity field from Sentinel-1 data for the northwestern Tibetan Plateau (~82–92°E; 33–40°N). Our results confirm that pronounced greater deformations within the Tibetan Plateau occur only along the westernmost section of the ATF (83–85.5°E). We propose this asymmetry is primarily driven by a splay fault system within a transition zone, bounded by the ATF in the north and the Margai Caka Fault (MCF)–Kunlun Fault (KLF) in the south, which accommodates an east–west extension in the central Tibetan Plateau while transferring sinistral shear to the KLF. The concentrated strain observed along the ATF and MCF–KLF lends more support to a block-style eastward extrusion model, rather than a continuously deforming model, for Tibetan crustal kinematics.

Ground-based and spaceborne interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) were combined to monitor slope deformation and analyze the main influencing factors of an unstable slope on the right bank of the Dajinchuan River in Danba County, Sichuan Province, China. We applied the small baseline subset time series strategy with 656 ground-based radar scenes acquired in September 13 to 17, 2019, and 62 Sentinel-1 InSAR scenes from July, 2018, to October, 2020. The qualitative and quantitative deformation features of the unstable slope were studied, and the possible influencing factors contributing to slope instability, including the geological structure, topography, external environment, and human activities, were discussed. The area of maximum deformation detected by the ground-based radar is located in the bedrock above the target area with a maximum cumulative deformation of more than 30 mm during the observation period, whereas the maximum deformation rate detected by spaceborne InSAR exceeds 40 mm/year. The differences between these results were analyzed, and the reasons were discussed. We provide references and suggestions for investigating potential landslide risks by combining ground-based with spaceborne InSAR.