Thrust-related river terrace development in relation to the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake rupture, Western Foothills, central Taiwan

The 21 September 1999 earthquake (MW 7.6) produced a surface rupture that extended for 100-km in a general north– south direction in front of the Western Foothills, central Taiwan. The study area, located in a segment of the fold –thrust belt of central Taiwan, provides an important natural laboratory to study the relationship between active thrust deformation and fluvial terrace development. We recognize, from west to east, three subparallel thrusts, the Sanyi, Houli, and Shihkang faults in the northern part of the earthquake disaster area. The 1999 earthquake rupture occurred only along the Shihkang fault, whereas the other two faults were inactive. Along the Tachia River in the hanging wall of the Shihkang fault, eight well-developed terrace levels are observed, and can be subdivided into lateritic (Lt5– Lt1) and non-lateritic terraces (Ft3 –Ft1). Five levels of lateritic terrace (Lt5 –Lt1) are located in the hanging wall of the Houli fault, and a lateritic terrace (Lt5) is present in the hanging wall of the Sanyi fault. Stratigraphic and elevation correlations between these well-developed fluvial terraces in relationship to nearby geologic structures show that the Sanyi fault is the oldest structure. Lateritic terraces of at least 10,000 yr BP, for example, overlie the Sanyi fault, but correlative terraces associated with the Houli fault are offset. These types of terrace correlations allow us to define the progressive development of the thrust system within the Western Foothills. q 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.