Shallow Structure and Quaternary Activity Characteristics of Handong Fault
The Handan fault is a concealed fault located east of the Taihang Mountain Piedmont Fault,serving as the eastern boundary of the Handan Depression in the North China Plain Depression.This fault lies within the planning and construction zone of the Eastern Handan New Area.Studying the spatial distribution characteristics and activity of the Handan fault is crucial for earthquake risk assess-ment and the site selection of major regional engineering projects.This paper systematically analyzes the distribution characteristics and Quaternary activities of the Handan fault by using shallow seismic exploration,a drilling joint profiling method,and chronology.Six shallow seismic exploration lines and three drilling joint geological sections across the fault have been conducted.Comprehensive ana-lysis reveals that the Handan fault is a NNE-SSE trending normal fault with a westward dip and an apparent dip angle of about 50° to 75°.The upper breakpoint of the fault is shallow in the south and deep in the north,with the latest active period occurring in the late Middle Pleistocene.In the early Middle Pleistocene,the southern segment was more active than the northern segment.