Present-day Upper-crustal Strain Rate Field in Southeastern Tibet and its Geodynamic Implications:Constraints from GPS Measurements with ABIC Method

The Earth’s surface kinematics and deformation are fundamental to understanding crustal evolution.An effective research approach is to estimate regional motion field and deformation fields based on modern geodetic networks.If the discrete observed velocity field is obtained,the velocity related fields,such as dilatation rate and maximum shear strain rate,can be estimated by applying varied mathematical approaches.This study applied Akaike's Bayesian Information Criterion(ABIC)method to calculate strain rate fields constrained by GPS observations in the southeast Tibetan Plateau.Comparison with results derived from other three methods revealed that our ABIC-derived strain rate fields were more precise.The maximum shear strain rate highlighted the Xianshuihe–Xiaojiang fault system as the main boundary for the outward migration of material in southeastern Tibet,indicating rotation of eastern Tibet material around the eastern Himalaya rather than whole extrusion along a fixed channel.Additionally,distinct dilatation rate patterns in the northeast and southwest regions of the fault system were observed.The northeast region,represented by the Longmenshan area,exhibited negative dilatational anomalies;while the southwest region,represented by the Jinsha River area north of 29°N,displayed positive dilatational anomalies.This indicates compression in the former and extension in the latter.Combined with deep geophysical observations,we believe that the upper and lower crusts of the Jinsha River area north of 29°N are in an entire expanding state,probably caused by the escape-drag effect of material.The presence of a large,low-viscosity region south of 29°N may not enable the entire escape of the crust,but instead result in a differential escape of the lower crust faster than the upper crust.

Hydrothermal Systems Characterized by Crustal Thermally-dominated Structures of Southeastern China

Southeastern China(SE China)is located in the Pacific tectonic domain and has experienced a series of tectono-magmatic events induced by the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate since the late Mesozoic.The subduction formed a series of NE-NNE oriented faults under a NW-SE regional stress field,along which a number of thermal springs occur.Previous studies have focused on the genesis mechanism of specific geothermal fields in SE China,but the general characteristics of hydrothermal systems in SE China remains unclear.In this study,we investigate the correlation between geothermal activity,hydrochemical type and regional faults by studying the distribution of hydrothermal activity and geochemical properties of typical hydrothermal systems in SE China.The hydrothermal systems in SE China have a crustal thermally-dominated structural origin unique to the specific geological and tectonic conditions of the Eurasian Plate margin.The upwelling of the asthenosphere and the widespread granitoids with high radiogenic heat production in SE China provide major heat sources for regional geothermal anomalies.The NE-oriented crustal thermally-dominated faults are critical for the formation of geothermal anomalies and NW-oriented extensional faults have created favorable conditions for meteoric water infiltration,transportation and the formation of thermal springs.

Combining RUSLE model and the vegetation health index to unravel the relationship between soil erosion and droughts in southeastern Tunisia

Droughts and soil erosion are among the most prominent climatic driven hazards in drylands,leading to detrimental environmental impacts,such as degraded lands,deteriorated ecosystem services and biodiversity,and increased greenhouse gas emissions.In response to the current lack of studies combining drought conditions and soil erosion processes,in this study,we developed a comprehensive Geographic Information System(GIS)-based approach to assess soil erosion and droughts,thereby revealing the relationship between soil erosion and droughts under an arid climate.The vegetation condition index(VCI)and temperature condition index(TCI)derived respectively from the enhanced vegetation index(EVI)MOD13A2 and land surface temperature(LST)MOD11A2 products were combined to generate the vegetation health index(VHI).The VHI has been conceived as an efficient tool to monitor droughts in the Negueb watershed,southeastern Tunisia.The revised universal soil loss equation(RUSLE)model was applied to quantitatively estimate soil erosion.The relationship between soil erosion and droughts was investigated through Pearson correlation.Results exhibited that the Negueb watershed experienced recurrent mild to extreme drought during 2000–2016.The average soil erosion rate was determined to be 1.8 t/(hm2•a).The mountainous western part of the watershed was the most vulnerable not only to soil erosion but also to droughts.The slope length and steepness factor was shown to be the most significant controlling parameter driving soil erosion.The relationship between droughts and soil erosion had a positive correlation(r=0.3);however,the correlation was highly varied spatially across the watershed.Drought was linked to soil erosion in the Negueb watershed.The current study provides insight for natural disaster risk assessment,land managers,and stake-holders to apply appropriate management measures to promote sustainable development goals in fragile environments.

Spatiotemporal distribution of regional landslides and erosion rates in Southeastern Tibet

The difficulty in estimating ages of regional landslides hampers to assess frequency of landslides and hence to quantitatively assess regional landslide hazard.In this study,we used radiocarbon dating of organic sediment on boulder rock varnish to estimate landslide ages in Langxian(LX)arid region in southeastern Tibet.Samples of rock varnish with organic sediment were collected on site for radiocarbon dating,leading to landslide ages from 1880±30 to 18,430±30 yr B.P.To measure surface roughness characteristics of 109 remotely-mapped large bedrock landslide deposits,we estimated average standard deviation of slope(SDS)over an area of~640 km^(2) by calculating the slope gradient of each raster cell and using a rectangular moving window method in Arc Map from a 5 m-resolution Digital Elevation Model generated from helicopterobtained photographs.Combing estimated landslide ages(t)with average surface roughness of mapped landslide deposits(R)quantified by SDS,we fit an exponential landslide deposits surface roughness-age function(t=1.47×10^(6)×e^(-1).46R,r2=0.63)that was used to estimate regional landslide ages in LX.We conclude that three periods with clusters of regional landslides in LX were revealed by different surface roughness of landslide deposits combing roughness-age function,with the values of 5563-7455 yr B.P.,1724-4151 yr B.P.,and 960-1287 yr B.P..Furthermore,we used our estimates of landslide ages to quantify landslide erosion rates of three corresponding hillslopes in LX ranging from 0.50 to 2.42 mm yr-1.Although rock varnish radiocarbon dating provides us a feasible option for timing regional landslides of arid regions,the epistemic uncertainty in the dating method should arouse our attention,which could be reduced by increasing the number of samples.

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.

Mixed layer warming by the barrier layer in the southeastern Indian Ocean

The southeastern Indian Ocean is characterized by the warm barrier layer(BL)underlying the cool mixed layer water in austral winter.This phenomenon lasts almost half a year and thus provides a unique positive effect on the upper mixed layer heat content through the entrainment processes at the base of the mixed layer,which has not been well evaluated due to the lack of proper method and dataset.Among various traditional threshold methods,here it is shown that the 5 m fixed depth difference can produce a reliable and accurate estimate of the entrainment heat flux(EHF)in this BL region.The comparison between the daily and monthly EHF warming indicates that the account for high-frequency EHF variability almost doubles the warming effect in the BL period,which can compensate for or even surpass the surface heat loss.This increased warming is a result of stronger relative rate of the mixed layer deepening and larger temperature differences between the mixed layer and its immediate below in the daily-resolving data.The interannual EHF shows a moderately increasing trend and similar variabilities to the Southern Annular Mode(SAM),likely because the mixed layer deepening under the positive SAM trend is accompanied by enhanced turbulent entrainment and thus increases the BL warming.

Characteristics and mechanisms of the intraseasonal variability of sea surface salinity in the southeastern Arabian Sea during 2015-2020

Based on Soil Moisture Active Passive sea surface salinity(SSS)data from April 2015 to August 2020,combined with Objectively Analyzed Air-Sea Heat Flux and other observational data and Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model(HYCOM)data,this work explores the characteristics and mechanisms of the intraseasonal variability of SSS in the southeastern Arabian Sea(SEAS).The results show that the intraseasonal variability of SSS in the SEAS is very significant,especially the strongest intraseasonal signal in SSS,which is located along the northeast monsoon current(NMC)path south of the Indian Peninsula.There are remarkable seasonal differences in intraseasonal SSS variability,which is very weak in spring and summer and much stronger in autumn and winter.This strong intraseasonal variability in autumn and winter is closely related to the Madden-Julian Oscillation(MJO)event during this period.The northeast wind anomaly in the Bay of Bengal(BOB)associated with the active MJO phase strengthens the East India Coastal Current and NMC and consequently induces more BOB low-salinity water to enter the SEAS,causing strong SSS fluctuations.In addition,MJO-related precipitation further amplifies the intraseasonal variability of SSS in SEAS.Based on budget analysis of the mixed layer salinity using HYCOM data,it is shown that horizontal salinity advection(especially zonal advection)dominates the intraseasonal variability of mixed layer salinity and that surface freshwater flux has a secondary role.

Subthermocline eddies carrying the Indonesian Throughflow water observed in the southeastern tropical Indian Ocean

We observed a subthermocline eddy(STE)with a cold and fresh core during an observation cruise along a transect of 10°S in the southeastern tropical Indian Ocean(SETIO)in December 2017.The vertical scale,speed radius,and maximum swirl velocity of the STE were about 200 m,55 km,and 0.5 m/s,respectively.The mean Rossby number and Burger number of the STE were then estimated to be about−0.7 and 2.4,indicating the STE was a submesoscale coherent vortex.The STE core water had characteristics of the Indonesian Throughflow(ITF)water and was distinct from that of surrounding areas.By examining Argo float data,another STE was well captured by five successive profiles of the same Argo float.Both STEs showed significant temperature and salinity anomalies at theσ0=26.0-26.5 kg/m3 surfaces.With the assumption that the low-salinity ITF water parcels could be carried only by surface eddies and the STEs,the Argo profiles,which detected low-salinity ITF water and were located outside a surface eddy,were believed to be inside an STE and were used to analyze the distribution,origin,and generation mechanism of the STE.The results suggested that the STEs carrying ITF water may be generated under topography-current interaction at the eastern coastal waters or under front-induced subduction in the area away from coastal waters.Those STEs may be widely distributed in the SETIO and may play a role in ITF water parcel transport.

Hydrocarbon accumulation conditions and exploration targets of the Sinian Dengying Formation in the Southeastern Sichuan Basin

No breakthrough has been made in petroleum exploration of the Sinian Dengying Formation in the southeastern Sichuan Basin as the major factors controlling the hydrocarbon accumulation of the Dengying Formation have not been well established,including the development period and distribution of the platform margin,the effectiveness of the source-reservoir combination and the reliability of the Cambrian pre-salt structural trap.Based on the interpretation of seismic data and hydrocarbon-source correlation,the distribution of the platform margin of the Sinian Dengying Formation in the southeastern Sichuan Basin was mapped.Moreover,the gas source rocks of the Dengying Formation were clarified according to geochemical characteristics of fluid inclusions,and the pre-salt structures were further confirmed by seismic forward modeling and experiments of prestack depth migration.Results showed that the sedimentary facies of the 4th member of Dengying Formation in the southeastern Sichuan Basin was platform margin of gentle slope type.The platform margin reservoir of the Dengying Formation and the Lower Cambrian source rocks constitute a favorable source-reservoir combination.The carbon isotope characteristics of gas in fluid inclusions indicate that some of the oil/gas in the Dengying Formation were contributed by the Doushantuo Formation source rocks.As the difference in seismic velocities between carbonate rocks and gypsum/salt beds may cause a reduction in the amplitude of pre-salt structures,the low-amplitude structures identified on current seismic profiles are underestimated instead of overestimated.Accordingly,the Sinian structural traps are confirmed to develop in the deep pre-salt sequences in the low-steep anticline belt,southeastern Sichuan Basin.On the basis of the above new understanding,we propose two types of hydrocarbon migration modes for the Sinian Dengying Formation in southeastern Sichuan Basin,including lateral migration of hydrocarbons generated from the Cambrian Qiongzusi Formation and vertical migration of hydrocarbons derived from the Sinian Doushantuo Formation.Lithologic traps at the platform margin and pre-salt structural traps within the platform are favorable targets for natural gas exploration.

SHRIMP Geochronology of Volcanics of the Zhangjiakou and Yixian Formations, Northern Hebei Province, with a Discussion on the Age of the Xing'anling Group of the Great Hinggan Mountains and Volcanic Strata of the Southeastern Coastal Area of China

A zircon U-Pb geochronological study on the volcanic rocks reveals that both of the Zhangjiakou and Yixian Formations, northern Hebei Province, are of the Early Cretaceous, with ages of 135-130 Ma and 129-120 Ma, respectively. It is pointed out that the ages of sedimentary basins and volcanism in the northern Hebei -western Liaoning area become younger from west to east, i. e. the volcanism of the Luanping Basin commenced at c. 135 Ma, the Luotuo Mount area of the Chengde Basin c. 130 Ma, and western Liaoning c. 128 Ma. With a correlation of geochronological stratigraphy and biostratigraphy, we deduce that the Xing'anling Group, which comprises the Great Hinggan Mountains volcanic rock belt in eastern China, is predominantly of the early-middle Early Cretaceous, while the Jiande and Shimaoshan Groups and their equivalents, which form the volcanic rock belt in the southeastern coast area of China, are of the mid-late Early Cretaceous, and both the Jehol and Jiande Biotas are of the Early Cretaceous, not Late Jurassic or Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous. Combining the characteristics of the volcanic rocks and, in a large area, hiatus in the strata of the Late Jurassic or Late Jurassic-early Early Cretaceous between the formations mentioned above and the underlying sequences, we can make the conclusion that, in the Late Jurassic-early Early Cretaceous, the eastern China region was of high relief or plateau, where widespread post-orogenic volcanic series of the Early Cretaceous obviously became younger from inland in the west to continental margin in the east. This is not the result of an oceanward accretion of the subduction belt between the Paleo-Pacific ocean plate and the Asian continent, but rather reflects the extension feature, i.e. after the closure of the Paleo-Pacific ocean, the Paleo-Pacific ancient continent collided with the Asian continent and reached the peak of orogenesis, and then the compression waned and resulted in the retreating of the post-orogenic extension from outer orogenic zone to inner part (or collision zone). The determination of the eruption age of the volcanics of the Zhangjiakou Formation definitely constrains the switch period, which began in the Indosinian and finished in the Yanshanian, that is, 140-135 Ma. The switch is concretely the change from the approximate E-W Paleo-Asian tectonic system to the NE to NNE Pacific system, and the period is also the apex of a continent-continent collision and orogenesis of subduction, being consumed and eventually disappearing of the Paleo-Pacific ancient continent, and all the processes commenced in the Indosinian. While the following post-orogenic large-scale eruption in the Early Cretaceous marks the final completeness of the Paleo-Pacific structure dynamics system.

DISPLACEMENT HISTORY OF THE GANGDESE THRUST, ZEDONG WINDOW, SOUTHEASTERN TIBET

Determining the timing, magnitude, and location of deformation due to the Indo\|Asian collision is widely acknowledged as an important step in understanding how the lithosphere responds during continental collision. Thus a puzzling result of geological investigations of the Lhasa Block over the past two decades has been the apparent lack of significant Tertiary deformation there. Perhaps the most important structural feature of the Lhasa Block is the south\|directed Gangdese Thrust System, which developed along its southern edge. The thrust system, which separates the Andean\|type batholith of southern Asia from rocks of Indian affinity, is obscured at most locations across southeastern Tibet by backthrusts of the younger, north\|directed Renbu Zedong Thrust System. The best documented site where both thrusts are exposed is a structural window near Zedong.

Structural and Geochronological Evidence for Multiple Episodes of Tertiary Deformation along the Ailaoshan-Red River Shear Zone, Southeastern Asia, Since the Paleocene

Structural analyses show that the Ailaoshan-Red River shear zone （ASRRSZ） in Ailao Mountain is composed of three different deformational domains. These domains may represent three episodes of left-lateral slip experienced by the ASRRSZ. The first episode of such deformation occurred throughout the eastern high-grade belt of the ASRRSZ under a transtensional regime and produced L- type tectonites of amphibolite grade. The second episode of left-lateral slip formed high strain zones overprinting the high-grade belt. Its deformational mechanism is similar to simple shear and the deformed rocks are L-S mylonites of greenschist grade. The third episode of left-lateral slip took place chiefly in a western low-grade belt of the ASRRSZ. This deformation occurred in a transpressional regime, formed an overall structure pattern of a sinistral thrust system and produced phyllonites of low-greenschist grade. Geochronological data indicated that the three episodes of left-lateral slip happened before ～58-56 Ma, at least from ～27 Ma to 22 Ma and at ～13-12 Ma respectively. The first episode of slip in the ASRRSZ appeared to correspond to the initial collision of India and Asia at ～60 Ma. The second episode took place almost at the same time as the most intensive compression and uplift in Tibet. The latest event might represent a further eastward material flow in Tibet after ～16-13 Ma. Thus, the ASRRSZ of southeastern Asia probably experienced three main episodes of Tertiary left- lateral slip in the course of intracontinental convergence since the India-Asia collision.

Three Stages of Mesozoic Bimodal Igneous Rocks and Their Tectonic Implications on the Continental Margin of Southeastern China

There are large-scale Mesozoic bimodal igneous rock associations on the continental margin of southeastern China. They aroused extensive attention in the 1980s because of their specific tectonic implications, and have been found frequently during recent geological surveys. This paper reviews the studies of regional Mesozoic bimodal rocks, and concludes that they can be subdivided into three stages, i.e., the Early Jurassic (209-170 Ma, the first (Ⅰ) stage), the Late Jurassic-early Early Cretaceous (154-121 Ma, the second (Ⅱ) stage), and the late Early Cretaceous-Late Cretaceous (115-85 Ma, the third (Ⅲ) stage). These three stages of bimodal rocks were formed in different tectonic settings, and are important indicators for regional Mesozoic tectonic evolution.

Uniform Strike-Slip Rate along the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang Fault System and Its Implications for Active Tectonics in Southeastern Tibet

Recent studies on the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system suggest that the Late Quaternary strike-slip rate is approximately uniform along the entire length of the fault zone, about 15±2 mm/a. This approximately uniform strike slip rate strongly supports the clockwise rotation model of the southeastern Tibetan crust. By approximating the geometry of the arc-shaped Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system as a portion of a small circle on a spherical Earth, the 15±2 mm/a strike slip rate corresponds to clockwise rotation of the Southeastern Tibetan Block at the （5.2±0.7）×10^-7 deg/a angular velocity around the pole （21°N, 88°E） relative to the Northeast Tibetan Block. The approximately uniform strike slip rate along the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system also implies that the Longmeushan thrust zone is not active, or at least its activity has been very weak since the Late Quaternary. Moreover, the total offset along the Xiaushuihe-Xiaojiang fault system suggests that the lateral extrusion of the Southeastern Tibetan Block relative to Northeastern Tibetan Block is about 160 km and 200-240 km relative to the Tarim-North China block. This amount of lateral extrusion of the Tibetan crust should have accommodated about 13-24% convergence between India and Eurasia based on mass balance calculations. Assuming that the slip rate of 15±2 mm/a is constant throughout the entire history of the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system, 11±1.5 Ma is needed for the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system to attain the 160 km of total offset. This implies that left-slip faulting on the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang fault system might start at 11±1.5 Ma.

Carboniferous-Permian Stratigraphy and Sedimentary Environment of Southeastern Inner Mongolia,China:Constraints on Final Closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean

In this paper we discuss the timing of final closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean based on the field investigations of the Carboniferous-Permian stratigraphic sequences and sedimentary environments in southeastern Inner Mongolia combined with the geology of its neighboring areas. Studies show that during the Carboniferous-Permian in the eastern segment of the Tianshan-Hinggan Orogenic System, there was a giant ENE-NE-trending littoral-neritic to continental sedimentary basin, starting in the west from Ejinqi eastwards through southeastern Inner Mongolia into Jilin and Heilongjiang. The distribution of the Lower Carboniferous in the vast area is sparse. The Late Carboniferous or Permian volcanic-sedimentary rocks always unconformably overlie the Devonian or older units. The Upper Carboniferous-Middle Permian is dominated by llttoral-neritic deposits and the Upper Permian, by continental deposits. The Late Carboniferous-Permian has no trace of subduction-collision orogeny, implying the basin gradually disappeared by shrinking and shallowing. In addition, it is of interest to note that the Ondor Sum and Hegenshan ophiolitic melanges were formed in the pre-Late Silurian and pre-Late Devonian respectively, and the Solonker ophiolitic melange formed in the pre-Late Carboniferous. All the evidence indicates that the eastern segment of the Paleo-Asian Ocean had closed before the Late Carboniferous, and most likely before the latest Devonian （Famennian）.

Post-Mesozoic Transformation of Tectonic Domain in Southeastern China and Its Geodynamic Mechanism

Since the Mesozoic and Cenozoic, a transformation from a Tethyan Himalayan tectonic domain into a circum Pacific tectonic domain from Indosinian to Yanshanian is indicated in this paper, resulting in conspicuous changes in geophysics, tectono magmatic distribution, lithofacies and paleo geography, tectonic system in southeastern China. Tectonic analysis shows that the tectonic framework resulted from the compounding, transforming and superimposing of the two tectonic domains. The geodynamic mechanism of the transformation is mainly shown as the transverse and longitudinal heterogeneity of lithosphere, and the exchange between the crust and the mantle.

Discovery of the Plagiogranites in the Diyanmiao Ophiolite,Southeastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt,Inner Mongolia,China and Its Tectonic Significance

In this study, plagiogranites in the Diyanmiao ophiolite of the southeastern Central Asian Orogenic Belt （Altaids） were investigated for the first time. The plagiogranites are composed predominantly of albite and quartz, and occur as irregular intrusive veins in pillow basalts. The plagiogranites have high SiO2 （74.37-76.68wt%） and low A1203 （11.99-13.30wt%）, and intensively high Na20 （4.52-5.49wt%） and low K20 （0.03-0.40wt%） resulting in high Na20/K20 ratios （11.3-183）. These rocks are classified as part of the low-K tholeiitic series. The plagiogranites have low total rare earth element contents （∑REE）（23.62-39.77ppm）, small negative Eu anomalies （JEu=0.44-0.62）, and flat to slightly LREE-depleted chondrite-normalized REE patterns （（La/Yb）N=0.68-0.76）, similar to N-MORB. The plagiogranites are also characterized by Th, U, Zr, and Hf enrichment, and Nb, P, and Ti depletion, have overall flat primitivemantle-normalized trace element patterns. Field and petrological observations and geochemical data suggest that the plagiogranites in the Diyanmiao ophiolite are similar to fractionation-type plagiogranites. Furthermore, the REE patterns of the plagiogranites are similar to those of the gabbros and pillow basalts in the ophiolite. In plots of SREE-SiO2, La-SiO2, and Yb-SiO2, the plagiogranites, pillow basalts, and gabbros show trends typical of crystal fractionation. As such, the plagiogranites are oceanic in origin, formed by crystal fractionation from basaltic magmas derived from depleted mantle, and are part of the Diyanmiao ophiolite. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircons from the plagiogranites yielded ages of 328.6±2.1 and 327.1±2.1Ma, indicating an early Carboniferous age for the Diyanmiao ophiolite. These results provide petrological and geochronological evidence for the identification of the Erenhot-Hegenshan oceanic basin and Hegenshan suture of the Paleo-Asian Ocean.

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.

Sources of Cretaceous Bimodal Volcanic Rocks in the Coastal Region of Southeastern China -- Constrains of the Sr content and its isotopes

Cretaceous volcanism in the coastal region of southeastern China was characteristized by occurrenceof bimodal volcanics consisting of basalts and rhyolites, the geneses of which are still controversial. Based on the factthat their isotopic compositions are similar but the Sr content of the former is much higher than that of the latter, thispaper discusses the respective sources of the two end-member rocks, and concludes that basalts were derived fromthe subduction-related enriched upper mantle wedge and their isotopic compositions had not been affected by crustalassimilation, whereas rhyolites were formed by remelting of the old metamorphic basement, but they were mixed upwith the underplating basaltic magmas to various degrees so that their Sr isotopic compositions varied significantlyfrom the sources and tended to be homogeneous to the latter.

Solenites (Czekanowskiales) from the Late Mesozoic Jehol Biota of Southeastern Jilin,China and its Paleoclimatic Implications

Situated at the easternmost area of the Late Mesozoic Jehol Biota, China, abundant fossils, including invertebrates, vertebrates and plants, were collected from the Early Cretaceous Yingzuilazi Formation of the Baishan Basin, southeastern Jilin. The faunal remains from this formation distinctly belong to the Early Cretaceous Lycoptera-Ephemeropsis-Eosestheria assemblage of the Jehol Biota. Based on the gross leaf morphology and epidermal structures, two new species and one indeterminate species of genus Solenites （Czekanowskiales）, S. baishanensis sp. nov., S. gracilis sp. nov. and S. sp. are described in this paper. This is the first fossil plant of Czekanowskiales reported from this new fossil locality of the easternmost area of the Late Mesozoic Jehol Biota, China. The new discovery contributes to improve our knowledge for understanding of leaf morphology, epidermal characters and diversity of this genus during the Early Cretaceous time, and extends geologic and geographic distribution of Solenites in northern China and Eurasia. Along with consideration of associated plant and faunal assemblages and sedimentology, we suggest that the regional climate was warm and moderately humid with seasonal temperature and precipitation variations in warm-temperate zone during the Early Cretaceous.