Shaking the Tibetan Plateau: Insights from the Mw 7.1 Dingri earthquake and its implications for active fault mapping and disaster mitigation

The Mw 7.1 Dingri, China earthquake, which occurred on January 7, 2025, is the largest normal faulting event in the central and western regions of the Tibetan Plateau since the 2008 Yutian, China earthquake. Focal mechanism solutions indicate that the earthquake predominantly exhibits normal faulting characteristics and is believed to have ruptured the Dengme Co fault, a branch of the NS-trending normal fault system along the western boundary of the Dingjie-Shenzha rift. Remote sensing data and field observations reveal that the surface rupture zone extends between 25 km and 32 km, with a maximum vertical offset of approximately 3 m and slight left-lateral strike-slip displacement. The maximum intensity in the epicentral area reached IX on the Chinese Seismic Intensity Scale. The relatively severe earthquake damage is primarily attributed to building collapses caused by strong ground shaking, which resulted from the earthquake’s large magnitude and shallow focal depth. Additionally, towns and villages near active faults are situated on weak lacustrine strata, further exacerbating the impact. Therefore, it is recommended that authorities at all levels in China enhance efforts to map active faults and identify unfavorable geological conditions to mitigate similar earthquake disasters on the Tibetan Plateau in the future.