Xi＇an ground fractures are the most typical ground fractures in China. Fourteen fractures have nearly divided the historical city into several distinct sections. These fractures are parallel and dis- tributed in NEE direction at the same interval, with all features exhibiting a down dropping southerly block which extends to connect with the underlying fault. The activities of fractures are primarily ex- pressed as normal faults. The faulted strata are well defined and dislocation displacement increases with depth. Thus, fractures have the characteristics of syn-sedimentary faults, which constitute the hanging wall of the Lintong-Chang＇an fault branch system. Crustal thinning caused by the uplifting of upper man- tle provides a power source for extension and stretching along the fracture surface of the upper crust, which results in a series of extensional faults and the suitable conditions for forming massive ground frac- tures. The movement of tectonic blocks influences the normal dip-slipping tension of Lintong-Chang＇an fault branches, and produces a series of secondary tectonic fractures adjacent to surface, which constitute the prototype of ground fractures. The recent regional tensile stress produced by modern mainland de- formation, also profoundly influences the current activity of Xi＇an ground fractures.
