Tracing the “missing shortening” in fold-and-thrust belts: Insights from structural analyses of the Hotan-Mazatagh transect in the West Kunlun foreland, NW China

Use of balanced cross-section methods, which assume length and area conservation in two dimensions, to quantitatively analyze fold-and-thrust belts is vital structural analyses. However, layer-parallel shortening beyond this assumption thus indescribable by methods. The contribution accommodating has rarely been determined, especially sections hundreds kilometers scale. In study, we conducted analyses on the ∼230-km-long Hotan-Mazatagh transect along West Kunlun foreland NW Tibetan Plateau, based interpretations seismic reflection profiles. results reveal that forms a long thrust sheet detaching basal Cenozoic detachment, with deformation localized Hotan, Manan, Mazatagh belts. Out ∼23.82 km cutoff displacement translating into sheet, only ∼1.4 ∼4.94 are absorbed Hotan anticline detachment thrust, respectively. remaining ∼17.48 extent ∼180-km-long section between produces strain rate ∼2.43 × 10−8 yr−1 absorbs ∼77.97% segment. Our argue for caution when using methods determine magnitudes. We suggest function together shape combined discrete-and-distributed style.