Multiple Uplift and Exhumation of the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau:Evidence from Low-Temperature Thermochronology

Since the Cenozoic,the Tibetan Plateau has experienced large-scale uplift and outgrowth due to the India-Asia collision.However,the mechanism and timing of these tectonic processes still remain debated.Here,using apatite fission track dating and inverse thermal modeling,we explore the mechanism of different phases of rapid cooling for different batholiths and intrusions in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.In contrast to previous views,we find that the coeval granitic batholith exposed in the same tectonic zone experienced differential fast uplift in different sites,indicating that the present Tibetan Plateau was the result of differential uplift rather than the entire lithosphere uplift related to lithospheric collapse during Cenozoic times.In addition,we also suggest that the 5-2 Ma mantle-related magmatism should be regarded as the critical trigger for the widely coeval cooling event in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau,because it led to the increase in atmospheric CO_(2)level and a hotter upper crust than before,which are efficient for suddenly fast rock weathering and erosion.Finally,we propose that the current landform of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau was the combined influences of tectonic and climate.

Quantifying Contribution of Recycled Moisture to Precipitation in Temperate Glacier Region,Southeastern Tibetan Plateau,China

Recycled moisture is an important indicator of the renewal capacity of regional water resources.Due to the existence of Yulong Snow Mountain,Lijiang in Yunnan Province,southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China,is the closest ocean glacier area to the equator in Eurasia.Daily precipitation samples were collected from 2017 to 2018 in Lijiang to quantify the effect of sub-cloud evaporation and recycled moisture on precipitation combined with the d-excess model during monsoon and non-monsoon periods.The results indicated that the d-excess values of precipitation fluctuated between–35.6‰and 16.0‰,with an arithmetic mean of 3.5‰.The local meteoric water line(LMWL)wasδD=7.91δ^(18)O+2.50,with a slope slightly lower than the global meteoric water line(GMWL).Subcloud evaporation was higher during the non-monsoon season than during the monsoon season.It tended to peak in March and was primarily influenced by the relative humidity.The source of the water vapour affected the proportion of recycled moisture.According to the results of the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory(HYSPLIT)model,the main sources of water vapour in Lijiang area during the monsoon period were the southwest and southeast monsoons.During the non-monsoon period,water vapour was transported by a southwesterly flow.The recycled moisture in Lijiang area between March and October 2017 was 10.62%.Large variations were observed between the monsoon and non-monsoon seasons,with values of 5.48%and 25.65%,respectively.These differences were primarily attributed to variations in the advection of water vapour.The recycled moisture has played a supplementary role in the precipitation of Lijiang area.

Insights into some large-scale landslides in southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(SMQTP)is of a typical large landslide-prone area due to intense tectonic activity,deeply incised valleys,high geostress and frequent earthquakes.To gain insights into large landslides in southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,an area covering 3.34×105 km2 that extends 80e150 km on both sides of the Sichuan-Tibet traffic corridors(G318)was used to examine the spatial distribution and corresponding characteristics of landslides.The results showed that the study area contains at least 629 large landslides that are mainly concentrated on 7 zones(zones IeVII).Zones IeVII are in the southern section of the Longmenshan fault zone(with no large river)and sections with Dadu River,Jinsha River,Lancang River,Nujiang River and Yarlung Zangbo River.There are more landslides in the Jinsha River section(totaling 186 landslides)than the other sections.According to the updated Varnes classification,408 large landslides(64.9%)were recognized and divided into 4 major types,i.e.flows(275 cases),slides(58 cases),topples(44 cases)and slope deformations(31 cases).Flows,which consist of rock avalanches and iceerock avalanches,are the most common landslide type.Large landslide triggers(178 events,28.3%)are also recognized,and earthquakes may be the most common trigger.Due to the limited data,these landslide type classifications and landslide triggers are perhaps immature,and further systematic analysis is needed.

Joint Inversion of the 3D P Wave Velocity Structure of the Crust and Upper Mantle under the Southeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau Using Regional Earthquake and Teleseismic Data

The special seismic tectonic environment and frequent seismicity in the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau show that this area is an ideal location to study the present tectonic movement and background of strong earthquakes in China's Mainland and to predict future strong earthquake risk zones. Studies of the structural environment and physical characteristics of the deep structure in this area are helpful to explore deep dynamic effects and deformation field characteristics, to strengthen our understanding of the roles of anisotropy and tectonic deformation and to study the deep tectonic background of the seismic origin of the block＇s interior. In this paper, the three-dimensional （3D） P-wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle under the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is obtained via observational data from 224 permanent seismic stations in the regional digital seismic network of Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces and from 356 mobile China seismic arrays in the southern section of the north-south seismic belt using a joint inversion method of the regional earthquake and teleseismic data. The results indicate that the spatial distribution of the P-wave velocity anomalies in the shallow upper crust is closely related to the surface geological structure, terrain and lithology. Baoxing and Kangding, with their basic volcanic rocks and volcanic clastic rocks, present obvious high-velocity anomalies. The Chengdu Basin shows low-velocity anomalies associated with the Quaternary sediments. The Xichang Mesozoic Basin and the Butuo Basin are characterised by low- velocity anomalies related to very thick sedimentary layers. The upper and middle crust beneath the Chuan-Dian and Songpan-Ganzi Blocks has apparent lateral heterogeneities, including low-velocity zones of different sizes. There is a large range of low-velocity layers in the Songpan-Ganzi Block and the sub-block northwest of Sichuan Province, showing that the middle and lower crust is relatively weak. The Sichuan Basin, which is located in the western margin of the Yangtze platform, shows high-velocity characteristics. The results also reveal that there are continuous low-velocity layer distributions in the middle and lower crust of the Daliangshan Block and that the distribution direction of the low-velocity anomaly is nearly SN, which is consistent with the trend of the Daliangshan fault. The existence of the low-velocity layer in the crust also provides a deep source for the deep dynamic deformation and seismic activity of the Daliangshan Block and its boundary faults. The results of the 3D P-wave velocity structure show that an anomalous distribution of high-density, strong-magnetic and high-wave velocity exists inside the crust in the Panxi region. This is likely related to late Paleozoic mantle plume activity that led to a large number of mafic and ultra-mafic intrusions into the crust. In the crustal doming process, the massive intrusion of mantle-derived material enhanced the mechanical strength of the crustal medium. The P-wave velocity structure also revealed that the upper mantle contains a low-velocity layer at a depth of 80-120 km in the Panxi region. The existence of deep faults in the Panxi region, which provide conditions for transporting mantle thermal material into the crust, is the deep tectonic background for the area＇s strong earthquake activity.

Crustal strain rates of southeastern Tibetan Plateau derived from GPS measurements and implications to lithospheric deformation of the Shan-Thai terrane

The link between the crustal deformation and mantle kinematics in the Tibetan Plateau has been well known thanks to dense GPS measurements and the relatively detailed anisotropy structure of the lithospheric mantle.However, whether the crust deforms coherently with the upper mantle in the Shan-Thai terrane(also known as the Shan-Thai block) remains unclear.In this study, we investigate the deformation patterns through strain rate tensors in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau derived from the latest GPS measurements and find that in the Shan-Thai terrane the upper crust may be coupled with the lower crust and the upper mantle.The GPS-derived strain rate tensors are in agreement with the slipping patterns and rates of major strike-slip faults in the region.The most prominent shear zone, whose shear strain rates are larger than 100×10^(–9) a^(–1), is about 1000-km-long in the west, trending northward along Sagaing fault to the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis in the north, with maximum rate of compressive strain up to –240×10^(–9) a^(–1).A secondary shear zone along the Anninghe-Xiaojiang Fault in the east shows segmented shear zones near several conjunctions.While the strain rate along RRF is relatively low due to the low slip rate and low seismicity there, in Lijiang and Tengchong several local shear zones are present under an extensional dominated stress regime that is related to normal faulting earthquakes and volcanism, respectively.Furthermore, by comparing GPS-derived strain rate tensors with earthquake focal mechanisms, we find that 75.8%(100 out of 132) of the earthquake T-axes are consistent with the GPS-derived strain rates.Moreover, we find that the Fast Velocity Direction(FVDs) at three depths beneath the Shan-Thai terrane are consistent with extensional strain rate with gradually increasing angular differences, which are likely resulting from the basal shear forces induced by asthenospheric flow associated with the oblique subduction of the India plate beneath the Shan-Thai terrane.Therefore, in this region the upper crust deformation may be coherent with that of the lower crust and the lithospheric mantle.

3D v_P and v_S models of southeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau from joint inversion of body-wave arrival times and surface-wave dispersion data

A new 3D velocity model of the crust and upper mantle in the southeastern （SE） margin of the Tibetan plateau was obtained by joint inversion of body- and sur- face-wave data. For the body-wave data, we used 7190 events recorded by 102 stations in the SE margin of the Tibetan plateau. The surface-wave data consist of Rayleigh wave phase velocity dispersion curves obtained from ambient noise cross-correlation analysis recorded by a dense array in the SE margin of the Tibetan plateau. The joint inversion clearly improves the Vs model because it is constrained by both data types. The results show that at around 10 km depth there are two low-velocity anomalies embedded within three high-velocity bodies along the Longmenshan fault system. These high-velocity bodies correspond well with the Precambrian massifs, and the two located to the northeast of 2013 Ms 7.0 Lushan earthquake are associated with high fault slip areas during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. The aftershock gap between 2013 Lushan earthquake and 2008 Wenchuan earthquake is associated with low-velocity anomalies, which also acts as a barrier zone for ruptures of two earthquakes. Generally large earthquakes （M 〉 5） in the region occurring from 2008 to 2015 are located around the high-velocity zones, indicating that they may act as asperities for these large earthquakes. Joint inversion results also clearly show that there exist low-velocity or weak zones in the mid-lower crust, which are not evenly distributed beneath the SE margin of Tibetan plateau.

Late Cretaceous Adakitic Granites of the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau: Garnet Fractional Crystallization of Arc-Like Magmas at the Thickened Neo-Tethyan Continental Margin

The tectonic setting of Cretaceous granitoids in the southeastern Tibet Plateau,east of the Eastern Himalaya Syntax,is debated.Exploration and mining of the Laba Mo–Cu porphyry-type deposit in the area has revealed Late Cretaceous granites.New and previously published zircon U–Pb dating indicate that the Laba granite crystallized at 89–85 Ma.Bulk-rock geochemistry,Sr–Nd isotopic data and in situ zircon Hf isotopic data indicate that the granite is adakitic and was formed by partial melting of thickened lower crust.The Ca,Fe,and Al contents decrease with increasing SiO2 content.These and other geochemical characteristics indicate that fractional crystallization of garnet under high-pressure conditions resulted in the adakitic nature of the Laba granite.Cretaceous granitoids are widespread throughout the Tibetan Plateau including its southeastern area,forming an intact curved belt along the southern margin of Eurasia.This belt is curved due to indenting by the Indian continent during Cenozoic,but strikes parallel to both the Indus–Yarlung suture zone and the Main Frontal Thrust belt.It is therefore likely that Cretaceous granitoids in both the Gangdese and southeastern Tibetan Plateau areas resulted from subduction of Neo-Tethyan lithosphere.

Provenance and Paleogeography of the Late Cretaceous Mengyejing Formation,Simao Basin,Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

The Mengyejing potash salt deposit(MPSD)is the only pre-Quaternary potash salt deposit in China.The MPSD is located in the southern Simao Basin,southeastern Tibetan Plateau.The MPSD,along with rock salts and clastic rocks,

New Discovery of Holocene Activity along the Weixi-Qiaohou Fault in Southeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau and its Neotectonic Significance

Objective The lateral extrusion eastward of the Tibetan Plateau leads to the formation of the Sichuan–Yunnan block, which is the most representative active block in the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, characterized by strong and frequent seismicity(Li Ping et al., 1975; Zhang Peizhen et al., 2003; Li Yong et al., 2017). Its eastern boundary is composed of sinistral faults including the Xianshuihe, Xiaojiang faults, etc., and the western

New insights of the Cenozoic Rotational Deformation of Crustal Blocks on the Southeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau and its Tectonic Implications

Objective The lateral extrusion of southeastern edge of the crustal materials around the Tibetan Plateau since the Oligocene is believed to be one of the main inducements of-1300 km latitudinal crustal convergence in the Tibetan Plateau, since the collision of India and Eurasia in the Paleogene. Two end-member models were used to describe the process of lateral extrusion of crustal material on the southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The ＂tectonic escape＂ model suggests the Indochina Block, Chuandian Fragment and Shan-Thai Block have experienced lateral extrusion along strike-slip fault systems, and the ＂crustal flow＂ model suggests that the upper crust has undergone southeastward escape in the form of ductile deformation, driven by viscous lower crustal flow channels. In addition, the GPS observations surrounding the Tibetan Plateau indicate that crustal materials currently experience clockwise rotation around the Eastern Himalaya syntaxis. This work conducted paleomagnetic studies in the Cretaceous and Paleogene red-beds along the southeastern margin of Tibetan Plateau,

Rare-earth elements as source indicators of Pan-African granites from Obudu Plateau,Southeastern Nigeria

The rare-earth element (REE) concentrations of representative granite samples from the southeast of the Obudu Plateau, Nigeria, were analyzed with an attempt to determine the signatures of their source, evolutionary history and tectonic setting. Results indicated that the granites have high absolute REE concentrations (190×10-6-1191×10-6; av.=549×10-6) with the chondrite-normalized REE patterns characterized by steep negative slopes and prominent to slight or no negative Eu anomalies. All the samples are also characterized by high and variable concentrations of the LREE (151×10-6-1169×10-6; av.= 466×10-6), while the HREE show low abundance (4×10-6-107×10-6; av.=28×10-6). These are consistent with the variable levels of REE fractionation, and differentiation of the granites. This is further supported by the range of REE contents, the chondrite-normalized patterns and the ratios of LaN/YbN (2.30-343.37), CeN/YbN (5.94-716.87), LaN/SmN (3.14-11.68) and TbN/YbN (0.58-1.65). The general parallelism of the REE patterns, suggest that all the granites were comagmatic in origin, while the high Eu/Eu* ratios (0.085-2.807; av.=0.9398) indicate high fO2 at the source. Similarly, irregular variations in LaN/YbN, CeN/YbN and Eu/Eu* ratios and REE abundances among the samples suggest behaviors that are related to mantle and crustal sources.

CENOZOIC FAULTING ALONG THE SOUTHEASTERN EDGE OF THE TIBETAN PLATEAU IN THE YANYUAN AREA AND ITS TECTONIC IMPLICATIONS

The southeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau is marked by several thrust sheets trending roughly in E\|W direction. The Yanyuan thrust sheet is bounded by three arcuate thrust belts, marked by high mountain ranges with the Jinhe belt on the north, the Qianhe belt on the south and the Ninglang belt on the west. Within the Yanyuan thrust belt are sedimentary cover rocks of the Yangtze platform, with ages ranging from Sinian to Triassic. In the north, the thrust sheet is overlain by the Muli thrust sheet along the Jinhe belt, while in the south, it is underlain by the Kangdian paleoland along the Qianhe belt. The youngest rocks on the foot wall are late Eocene to Oligocene in age, indicating that the thrusting occurred in the late Tertiary. The top of the Yanyuan thrust belt is truncated by a flat erosion surface similar to that on the plateau to the north. Along a north\|dipping normal fault bordering the Yanyuan basin on the south, the erosion surface is tilted to the south against Triassic rocks. The basin is filled with coal\|bearing clastic sediments of Pliocene and early Pleistocene age, which gives the timing of the normal faulting. Based on the faulting pattern, we propose that the southeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau underwent a large amount of N\|S shortening and uplift along the Yanyuan thrust sheet in the late Tertiary, while the subsequent normal faulting that had occurred along the Yanyuan basin during the Pliocene and Pliocene can be interpreted to have accommodated gravitational collapse of the crust.

Seismic Strain Energy Release of Active Faults in the Southeastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Using the methods of the Gutenberg magnitude energy empirical formula and the Benioff seismic strain energy release curve,we make a systematic study on seismic strain energy release of historical earthquakes in the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau since 1500.This paper provides a periodic table of the earthquake strain energy release in the fault zones and the fault block areas.The study shows that seismic strain energy release is strong in the east and south,and weak in the west and north.The overall seismic strain energy release of the Yushu-Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system is consistent with the quasi-periodic pattern.The seismic cycle of some fault zones and fault block areas shows synchronization to a certain extent.The risk cannot be ignored in the current large release period of seismic strain energy in the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.Local seismic risk analysis shows that seismic risk is very high on the Anninghe-Zemuhe and Xiaojiang fault zones.These dangerous zones need follow-up research.In future,it is necessary to combine different research methods to improve the reliability of seismic risk assessment.

金沙江干流巨型滑坡发育特征及其形成机理

金沙江干流穿越地形地貌极为复杂和新构造运动强烈的青藏高原东南缘,流域内发育了大量的巨型滑坡,使得该地区的滑坡灾害十分严重。因此,深入研究金沙江干流滑坡的成因机制对于该区域的防灾减灾具有重要意义。本研究通过搜集前人研究资料和遥感影像分析,对金沙江干流巨型滑坡的形成机制进行了深入探讨。研究发现,金沙江干流巨型滑坡的形成受多种因素的综合影响。首先,地形坡度是影响滑坡形成的重要因素,坡度在25°~40°范围内发生滑坡的概率更高。其次,活动断裂在滑坡形成过程中起到重要作用,断裂带活动会导致岩石变形和破碎,从而增加滑坡发生的可能性。此外,地层岩性也是影响滑坡的重要因素,它影响着岩土体的物理力学特性和岸坡的应力分布特征,导致区域稳定性的差异,增加了滑坡发生的可能。在这些因素中,活动断裂及强震活动在巨型滑坡的形成过程中起到了更为重要的作用。他们可能导致滑坡进一步发展,甚至引发流域堵江、溃坝、洪水等连锁灾害。

藏东南墨脱地区降水特征分析

墨脱位于藏东南雅鲁藏布大峡谷水汽通道入口处,是青藏高原年降水量最多的地区。本研究使用墨脱云降水综合观测试验以来三年(2019—2021年)的自动雨量计数据,分析了墨脱降水的月变化和日变化特征。然后基于同址的降水天气现象仪和X波段双偏振相控阵雷达观测数据,探究墨脱两次强降水过程的发展演变特征。结果表明:从统计结果来看,墨脱降水天数超过全年的70%,以降水率<5 mm·h^(-1)的弱降雨为主,日降水量<10 mm的小雨的发生率最高,但10 mm≤日降水量<25 mm的中雨产生的降水量最大。墨脱降水存在明显的月变化和日变化特征,受印度洋季风影响,降水主要发生在6—9月。受山谷风影响,降水主要发生在夜间。对于降水过程而言,由高原涡和南支槽影响下的系统性暴雨,范围大、持续时间长,降水主要由直径小于2 mm的雨滴产生,雷达反射率因子普遍不超过35 dBz。而由地形强迫引起的局地短时强对流降水过程,雨滴谱分布更宽,雨滴浓度更高,直径大于2 mm的雨滴对降水量的贡献最大,雷达反射率因子超过45 dBz,风暴的后向传播形成“列车效应”。

青藏高原东南缘三维S波速度和径向各向异性及泸定M_(S)6.8和芦山M_(S)7.0地震孕震环境探讨

利用青藏高原东南缘布设的684个流动地震台和150个固定地震台的连续背景噪声波形数据,提取了周期5~50 s的Rayleigh波和Love波相速度频散,并反演获得了该区域下方0~70 km三维S波速度和径向各向异性结构.结果表明:(1)受川滇地块南部高速体的阻挡,东南缘中下地壳内存在两条空间分布独立的低速带.西侧(L1)从川滇地块北部向南延伸至滇西南地块,其中下地壳平均V_(S)小于3.4 km·s^(-1)并表现为正径向各向异性结构,反映了高原中下地壳可能存在部分熔融和韧性变形;东侧低速带(L2)沿着小江断层南北分布,受到红河断层的阻挡,弱物质不太可能进入滇西南地块,该区域下地壳和上地幔顶部均显示较强的正各向异性,推测其更可能是沿小江断层相互驱动的块体在横向挤压过程中引起的地壳部分熔融而导致.(2)芦山M_(S)7.0地震位于龙门山逆冲断层南段,泸定M_(S)6.8地震位于鲜水河走滑断层东南段,两者都发生在地壳浅层高低速异常过渡带上,但其深部孕震环境有所不同.芦山震区西北部中下地壳低速体为负各向异性,推测韧性物质沿着龙门山下方陡倾断层向上运移,上地壳积累应力并通过薄弱区域释放导致了芦山地震的发生;泸定震区为正各向异性的中下地壳韧性变形促进了川滇地块SE向的水平运动,受刚性的四川盆地阻挡,加剧了上地壳发震断层的滑动变形和应力积累,脆性上地壳突然破裂导致了泸定地震的发生.

青藏高原东南部-川西地区夏季小时极端降水事件特征研究

利用2005-2020年6-8月109个测站的小时降水资料,分析了高原东南部-川西地区(28°N-33°N、90°E-105°E)夏季小时极端降水事件的年降水量、发生次数、降水强度和持续时间等指标的时空分布,并进一步探讨了高原东南部-川西地区夏季小时极端降水事件的降水量、降水强度和降水频率的日变化特征。结果表明:高原东南部-川西地区夏季小时极端降水事件的小时极端降水阈值、年降水量、降水强度和持续时间均具有高原东南部地区小、川西地区大的特点,但发生次数反之。高原东南部地区夏季小时极端降水事件的年降水量、发生次数和持续时间整体均呈随时间增加的趋势,但川西地区夏季小时极端降水事件年降水量、发生次数也呈增加的趋势,而持续时间在川西地区的变化并不显著。高原东南部-川西地区夏季小时极端降水事件降水量、降水强度和降水频率的峰值时间呈现自西向东延迟的分布,川西地区的峰值时间比高原东南部地区分别延迟了3h、4h和2h,这种延迟特征在6月降水强度方面最为明显,川西地区比高原东南部地区延迟了11h。然而,高原东南部地区和川西地区小时极端降水事件降水量、降水强度和降水频率的峰值时间均未表现出显著的年际变化。

Two thin middle-crust low-velocity zones imaged in the Chuan-Dian region of southeastern Tibetan Plateau and their tectonic implications

Intracrustal low-velocity zones(LVZs)indicate a mechanically weak crust and are widely observed in the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau.However,their spatial distributions and formation mechanisms remain controversial.To investigate their distribution and detailed morphology of the LVZs in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau,here we used teleseismic events and continuous waveform data recorded by 40 broadband seismic stations newly deployed in the Sichuan-Yunnan region from December 2018 to October 2020.A total of 12,924 high-quality P-wave receiver functions and 5–40 s fundamental Rayleigh surface wave phase velocity dispersion curves from ambient noise cross-correlation functions were obtained.The Swave velocity model at a depth interval of 0–100 km in the study area was inverted by using the trans-dimensional Markov chain Monte Carlo strategy to jointly invert the complementary data of the receiver function waveform and Rayleigh surface wave phase velocity dispersion.Our results show that there are two separate LVZs(~3.5 km/s)surrounding the rigid Daliangshan subblock at crustal depths of approximately 30–40 km,providing new constraints on the geometry of the LVZs in our study region.The two LVZs obtained in this study may represent the middle crustal flow channels,through which the material in the center of the Tibetan Plateau extrudes to its southeast margin.Blocked by the rigid Sichuan Basin and the spindle-like Daliangshan subblock,the material continues to flow southward through the mechanically weak middle crustal channels surrounding the Daliangshan subblock.In addition,the existence of thin LVZs in the middle crust plays an important role in understanding the decoupling between the upper and lower crust in the study area.It also provides new constraint on the complex tectonic deformation process of the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau caused by the collision and compression of the Indian and the Eurasian plates.

Eocene Basins on the SE Tibetan Plateau: Markers of Minor Offset along the Xuelongshan–Diancangshan–Ailaoshan Structural System

The offset of geological bodies provides robust evidence of displacement along a fault or ductile shear zone. The amount of displacement along the Xuelongshan–Diancangshan–Ailaoshan structural system, southeastern Tibetan Plateau, is uncertain because of the lack of offset geological markers. This NNW–SSE-trending system is developed in three isolated metamorphic complexes and interjacent nonmetamorphosed rocks. They are expected to record similar post-Eocene strain, although their structural patterns should be distinct. Geological mapping in the area between the Xuelongshan and Diancangshan metamorphic complexes has revealed a small Eocene basin, the Madeng Basin, located to the west of the structural system. The sedimentary and volcanic successions of the Madeng Basin are comparable to those of the Jianchuan Basin, which is located to the east of the structural system. Zircon U–Pb geochronological and bulk geochemical data demonstrate that the volcanic rocks of both basins formed during 37–34 Ma and share the same geochemical features. These data suggest that the Madeng and Jianchuan basins previously constituted a single basin, with the distribution of high-K volcanic rocks in the basins defining an ENE–WSW-trending volcanic belt that shows a limited dextral offset of ≤20 km across the Xuelongshan–Diancangshan–Ailaoshan structural system. Therefore, the northern segment of the structural system records no evidence of large-scale lateral movement/displacement. The results suggest that the Indochina block, which is bounded by the Xuelongshan–Diancangshan–Ailaoshan structural system to the east and the Sagaing Fault to the west, has not extruded southward as a whole but rather has been deformed by pervasive crustal shortening.

Crustal Structure of the Chuan-Dian Block Revealed by Deep Seismic Sounding and its Implications for the Outward Expansion of the East Tibetan Plateau

The Chuan-Dian Block(CDB)is located in the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau,with a complex geological structure and active regional faults.The present tectonic condition with strong crustal deformation is closely related to the ongoing collision of the India and Eurasia plates since 65 Ma.The study of the crustal structure of this area is key to revealing the evolution and deep geodynamics of the lateral collision zone of the Tibetan Plateau.Deep seismic sounding is the most efficient method with which to unravel the velocity structure of the whole crust.Since the 1980s,19 deep seismic sounding profiles have been captured within the CDB area.In this study,we systematically integrate the research results of the 19 profiles in this area,then image the 3D crustal velocity,by sampling with a 5 km spacing and 2D/3D Kriging interpolation.The results show the following.(1)The Moho depth in the study area deepens from 30 km in the south to 66 km in the north,whereas there is no apparent variation from west to east.The Pn wave velocity is higher in stable tectonic units,such as 7.95 km/s in the Lanping-Simao block and 7.94 km/s in the western margin of the Yangtze block,than in active or mobile tectonic units,such as 7.81 km/s in the Baoshan block,7.72 km/s in the Tengchong block and 7.82 km/s in the Zhongdian block.(2)The crustal nature of the Tengchong block,the northern Lanping-Simao block and the Zhongdian block reflects a type of orogenic belt,having relatively strong tectonic activities,whereas the crustal nature of the central Lanping-Simao block and the western margin of the Yangtze block represents a type of platform.The different features of the upper-middle crust velocity,Moho depth and Pn wave velocity to both sides of the Red River fault zone and the Xianshuihe fault zone,reflect that they are clearly ultra-crustal.(3)Based on the distribution of the low velocity zones in the crust,the crustal material of the Tibetan Plateau is flowing in a NW–SE direction to the north of 26°N and to the west of 101°E,then diverting to flowing eastwards to the east of 101°E.