Application of Polarization Remote Sensing to Identify Activity of Yitong-Shulan Fault, Jilin Province, China

Abstract

Yitong-Shulan fault, one north section of the famed Tanlu grand fault zone in eastern China, is NNE-trending though the Jilin Province, China. In October 2010, Heilongjiang segment of this fault was discovered the evidence of its activity in Holonce, and further inferred it is associated with a paleoearthquake event. So the recognize of Yitong-Shulan fault Jilin section active in the early Quaternary capable of generating moderate quakes is doubted. Yitong-Shulan fault is almost covered by Quaternary strata in Jilin Province. Traditional method is difficult to explore buried fault, and geophysical method is partial and expensive. The polarization remote sensing is a kind of emerging earth observation method, which has high terrain-recognization resolution. The polarization remote sensing method can to indentify the scarps and displaced geomorphic objects along the fault though satellite images. It even can to discover the high of scarps, displacement of geomorphic objects, and so on. The fault activity can be indicated well by the interpretation of polarization remote sensing. In this paper, use the polarization remote sensing method to study the activity of Yitong-Shulan fault Jilin section. Satellite image near the Shulan City, Jilin Province interpreted by polarization remote sensing reveals that the obviously linear scarps which extend long the fault is 1-3m high. Along the fault various kinds of geomorphic objects are displaced. This interpretation result indicated the Shulan-Shitoukoumen Reservoir segment of the fault is active since Holocene. The fault activity also is proved by geophysical method.