Recent seismotectonic deformations on the Ashate volcanic plateau and their role in structure of the Dariganga volcanic field, Southeastern Mongolia

From instrumental measurements in southeastern Mongolia and adjacent China, weak seismicity is determined. However, 7.5-kilometer long system of ditches, probably of seismic nature, was detected in the western part of the Dariganga volcanic field, on the edge of the Ashate Plateau that resulted from erosional dissection of the 4.8–4.3 Ma shield edifice. We propose that the modern seismotectonic reactivation of the Askhate volcano is related to tectonic motions in the Late Cenozoic Tamtsag foredeep of the Nukut-Daban range, spatially associated with neotectonic reactivation of the Solonker suture.