Tomographic Imaging of the India-Asia Plate Collisional Tectonics and Mantle Upwelling Beneath Western Tibet

To better understand the lithosphere mantle collision tectonics between the India plate and Asia plate, we determine three dimensional P wave velocity structure beneath western Tibet using 27,439 arrival times from 2,174 teleseismic events recorded by 182 stations of Hi-CLIMB Project and 16 stations in the north of Hi-CLMB. Our tomographic images show the velocity structure significantly difference beneath northern and southern Qiangtang, which can further prove that the Longmu Co-Shuanghu ophiolitic belt is a significant tectonic boundary fault zone. There are two prominent high velocity anomalies and two prominent low velocity anomalies in our images. One obvious high velocity anomalies subduct beneath the Tibet at the long distance near 34°N, whereas it is broke off by an obvious low velocity anomaly under the IYS. We interpret them as northward subducting Indian lithosphere mantle and the low velocity anomanly under IYS likely reflects mantle material upwelling triggered by tearing of the northward subduction Indian lithosphere. The other prominent high velocity anomaly was imaged at a depth from 50 km to 200 km horizontal and up to the northern Qiangtang with its southern edge extending to about 34°N through Hoh Xil block. We infer it as the southward subducting Asia lithosphere mantle. The other widely low velocity anomaly beneath the Qiangtang block lies in the gap between the frontier of India plate and Asia plate, where is the channel of mantle material upwelling.

Petrogenesis and tectonic significance of the early Paleozoic Delenuoer ophiolite in the Central Qilian Shan, northeastern Tibetan Plateau

The newly discovered early Paleozoic Delenuoer ophiolite,in the western margin of the Central Qilian Shan,is composed of serpentinized peridotite,cumulate gabbro,diabase,massive basalt,and pillow basalt.This study presents geochronological and geochemical data for the cumulate gabbro and basalt.LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircons from the cumulate gabbro yielded a magmatic crystallization age of 472±4 Ma.The basalts have normal mid-ocean ridge basalt(N-MORB)compositions and a narrow range ofεNd(t)values(+4.5 to+5.3),which indicates they were derived from a depleted mantle source.On the basis of regional geological constraints,it is proposed that the Delenuoer ophiolite is a westward extension of the South Ophiolite Belt(Yushigou-Youhulugou-Donggou-Dongcaohe Ophiolite Belt)in the North Qilian Shan.The Delenuoer ophiolite,along with the Gulangxia-Delenuoer fault,defines the westernmost part of the tectonic boundary between the North and Central Qilian Shan.This ophiolite may have formed during southward subduction of the Qilian Ocean slab during the early Paleozoic.

Research on the Characteristics of Large Earthquake Activity on the Active Tectonic Boundaries on the Chinese Mainland

Based on the research and the division of the active tectonic blocks and their boundaries on the Chinese mainland, the feature of the large earthquake activities on the 24 boundaries between the 6 active tectonic block regions (grade Ⅰ) and the 22 active tectonic blocks (grade Ⅱ) are studied. The seismicity levels on the active tectonic block boundaries are discussed considering the large earthquake frequency and the released strain energy in unit distance and time. The theoretic maximal magnitude and the recurrence period of each boundary are then calculated from the G-R relation. By comparing this with the actual earthquake records, it is found that the intensities of the earthquake deduced from the seismic activity parameter (a/b) on the main active boundaries on the Chinese mainland are consistent with that of the natural earthquakes. Meanwhile, an inverse relation is found between the recurrence periods of large earthquakes and the tectonic motion rate on the boundaries. These results show that the a, b values of each boundary obtained in this paper are valuable. In addition, the present seismic activities and hazards of these boundaries are also probed into with the historical data and their elapsed time on each boundary based on the hypothesis that the large earthquakes satisfy Poisson distribution.

Cenozoic tectonic evolution of regional fault systems in the SE Tibetan Plateau

The SE Tibetan Plateau,tectonically situated in the eastern India-Eurasia oblique convergence zone,has experienced multiple stages of deformation since the Cenozoic.Three major tectonic boundaries—the Ailaoshan-Red River,ChongshanLincang-Inthanon,and Gaoligong-Mogok shear zones—delineate the first-order tectonic framework in this region.The most striking structural features in the block interiors are a series of NW-and NE-trending fault systems,such as the Dayingjiang,Longlin-Ruili,Nantinghe,Red River,Weixi-Qiaohou,and Lancang-Genma faults,which have conjugate geometric relationships.In this study,we review these structures’geometric and kinematic characteristics and deformation histories.A synthesis of existing geological observations,geomorphological analyses,and chronological data reveals three major Cenozoic tectonothermal events,including crustal shortening,strike-slip shearing,and kinematic reversal.The boundary structures controlled the tectonic extrusion of plateau material during the early Oligocene-early Miocene.In the mid-late Miocene,NW-and NE-trending fault systems mostly experienced diachronous slip-sense inversions.The onset and spatial trend of regional kinematic reversal are constrained by existing chronologic data.Together with geophysical and geodetic observations,the activity and geodynamic drivers of the major fault systems and regional deformation styles are explored,revealing that the SE Tibetan Plateau underwent a transition from discrete(lateral block extrusion)to diffuse deformation in the mid-late Miocene.The intracontinental crustal deformation and its coupling with dynamic processes at depth during the plateau growth are discussed in the context of the IndiaEurasia convergence.