Three dimensional shear wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath China from ambient noise surface wave tomography

We determine the three-dimensional shear wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle in China using Green＇s functions obtained from seismic ambient noise cross-correlation. The data we use are from the China National Seismic Network, global and regional networks and PASSCAL stations in the region. We first acquire cross-correlation seismograms between all possible station pairs. We then measure the Rayleigh wave group and phase dispersion curves using a frequency-time analysis method from 8 s to 60 s. After that, Rayleigh wave group and phase velocity dispersion maps on 1°by 1°spatial grids are obtained at different periods. Finally, we invert these maps for the 3-D shear wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath China at each grid node. The inversion results show large-scale structures that correlate well with surface geology. Near the surface, velocities in major basins are anomalously slow, consistent with the thick sediments. East-west contrasts are striking in Moho depth. There is also a fast mid-to-lower crust and mantle lithosphere beneath the major basins surrounding the Tibetan plateau （TP） and Tianshan （Junggar, Tarim, Ordos, and Sichuan）. These strong blocks, therefore, appear to play an important role in confining the deformation of the TP and constraining its geometry to form its current triangular shape. In northwest TP in Qiangtang, slow anomalies extend from the crust to the mantle lithosphere. Meanwhile, widespread, a prominent low-velocity zone is observed in the middle crust beneath most of the central, eastern and southeastern Tibetan plateau, consistent with a weak （and perhaps mobile） middle crust.

Shear velocity structure of crust and uppermost mantle in China from surface wave tomography using ambient noise and earthquake data

We present a 3D model of shear velocity of crust and upper mantle in China and surrounding regions from surface wave tomography. We combine dispersion measurements from ambient noise correlation and traditional earthquake data. The stations include the China National Seismic Network, global networks, and all the available PASSCAL stations in the region over the years. The combined data sets provide excellent data coverage of the region for surface wave measurements from 8 to 120 s, which are used to invert for 3D shear wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle down to about 150 kin. We also derive new models of the study region for crustal thickness and averaged S velocities for upper, mid, and lower crust and the uppermost mantle. The models provide a fundamental data set for understanding continental dynamics and evolution. The tomography results reveal significant features of crust and upper mantle structure, including major basins, Moho depth variation, mantle velocity contrast between eastern and western North China Craton, widespread low-velocity zone in mid- crust in much of the Tibetan Plateau, and clear velocity contrasts of the mantle lithosphere between north and southern Tibet with significant E-W variations. The low velocity structure in the upper mantle under north and eastern TP correlates with surface geological boundaries. A patch of high velocity anomaly is found under the eastern part of the TP, which may indicate intact mantle lithosphere. Mantle lithosphere change from the western to The Tanlu Fault appears boundary. shows striking systematic eastern North China Craton. to be a major lithosphere