DEEP TECTONOTHERMAL MECHANISM FOR THE TECTONIC EXTENSION OF THE EASTERN ASIAN CONTINENTAL MARGIN

The continental marginal extension concept developed by Chinese geologists recently may be applied to the explanation about the Cenozoic extension and divergent movement of the Eastern Asian continental margin. From the viewpoint of continental marginal extension, this paper discusses the deep tectonothermal mechanism of the tectonic extension of the Eastern Asian continental margin.The Eastern Asian continental margin is an extensional belt with intensive magmatism and structural deformation, geophysically characterized by continual earthquakes and obvious geothermal anomaly.Seismic tomographical results about the Eastern Asian continental margin imply that the Pacific Plate is subducted toward the Eurasian Plate at a low angle and the diving Pacific Plate lies on the surface of the 670-km phase transitional zone. We interpret this feature to be resulted from retrogressive subduction followed by continental marginal extension. Our thermal modeling and geodynamical computation results suggest that the retrogressive subduction occurred at about 76Ma and the withdrawal of the trench served to supply the volume for the continental growth, which led to the formation of the growing front of the Eastern Asian continental margin. The growth width of the Eastern Asian continental margin is about 700 km.

Geothermal data analysis at the high-temperature hydrothermal area in Western Sichuan

The western Sichuan hydrothermal area is located at the northeastern margin of the eastern syntaxis of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is also the eastern end of the Mediterranean-Himalayan geothermal activity zone. There are 248 warm or hot springs in this area, and 11 have temperatures beyond the local boiling temperature. Most of these hot springs are distributed along the Jinshajiang, Dege-Xiangcheng, Ganzi-Litang, and Xianshuihe faults, forming a NW-SE hydrothermal belt. A geothermal analysis of this high-temperature hydrothermal area is an important basis for understanding the deep geodynamic process of the eastern syntaxis of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In addition, this study offers an a priori view to utilize geothermal resources, which is important in both scientific research and application. We use gravity, magnetic, seismic, and helium isotope data to analyze the crust-mantle heat flow ratio and deep geothermal structure. The results show that the background terrestrial heat flow descends from southwest to northeast. The crustal heat ratio is not more than 60%. The high temperature hydrothermal active is related to crustal dynamics processes. Along the Batang-Litang-Kangding line, the Moho depth increases eastward, which is consistent with the changing Qc/Qm(crustal/mantle heat flow) ratio trend. The geoid in the hydrothermal zone is 4–6 km higher than the surroundings, forming a local "platform". The NW-SE striking local tensile stress zone and uplift structure in the upper and middle crust corresponds with the surface hydrothermal active zone. There is an average Curie Point Depth(CPD) of 19.5–22.5 km in Batang, Litang, and Kangding. The local shear-wave(S-wave) velocity is relatively low in the middle and lower crust. The S-wave shows a low velocity trap(Vs<3.2 km s.1) at 15–30 km, which is considered a high-temperature partial melting magma, the crustal source of the hydrothermal active zone. We conclude that the hydrothermal system in this area can be divided into Batang-type and Kangding-type, both of which rely on a crustal heating cycle of atmospheric precipitation and surface water along the fracture zone. The heat is derived from the middle and lower crust: groundwater penetrates the deep faults bringing geothermal energy back to the surface and forming high-temperature springs.