The northeastern margin of the South China Sea (SCS), developed from continental rifting and breakup, is usually thought of as a non-volcanic margin. However, post-spreading volcanism is massive and lower crustal high...The northeastern margin of the South China Sea (SCS), developed from continental rifting and breakup, is usually thought of as a non-volcanic margin. However, post-spreading volcanism is massive and lower crustal high-velocity anomalies are widespread, which complicate the nature of the margin here. To better understand crustal seismic velocities, lithology, and geophysical properties, we present an S-wave velocity (VS) model and a VP/VS model for the northeastern margin by using an existing P-wave velocity (VP) model as the starting model for 2-D kinematic S-wave forward ray tracing. The Mesozoic sedimentary sequence has lower VP/VS ratios than the Cenozoic sequence;in between is a main interface of P-S conversion. Two isolated high-velocity zones (HVZ) are found in the lower crust of the continental slope, showing S-wave velocities of 4.0–4.2 km/s and VP/VS ratios of 1.73–1.78. These values indicate a mafic composition, most likely of amphibolite facies. Also, a VP/VS versus VP plot indicates a magnesium-rich gabbro facies from post-spreading mantle melting at temperatures higher than normal. A third high-velocity zone (VP : 7.0–7.8 km/s;VP/VS: 1.85–1.96), 70-km wide and 4-km thick in the continent-ocean transition zone, is most likely to be a consequence of serpentinization of upwelled upper mantle. Seismic velocity structures and also gravity anomalies indicate that mantle upwelling/ serpentinization could be the most severe in the northeasternmost continent-ocean boundary of the SCS. Empirical relationships between seismic velocity and degree of serpentinization suggest that serpentinite content decreases with depth, from 43% in the lower crust to 37% into the mantle.展开更多
A tomographic study of the Vp and Vp/Vs structures in the crust and upper mantle beneath the Taiwan region of China is conducted by simultaneous inversion of P and S arrival times. Compared with the previous tomograph...A tomographic study of the Vp and Vp/Vs structures in the crust and upper mantle beneath the Taiwan region of China is conducted by simultaneous inversion of P and S arrival times. Compared with the previous tomographic results, the spherical finite difference technique is suitable for the strong heterogeneous velocity structure, and may improve the accuracy in the travel time and three-dimensional ray tracing calculations. The Vp and Vp/Vs structures derived from joint inversion and the relocated earthquakes can provide better constraints for analyzing the lateral heterogeneity and deep tectonic characters in the crust and upper mantle. Our tomographic results reveal significant relations between the seismic wavespeed structure and the tectonic characters. In the shallow depth, sedimentary basins and orogen show distinct wavespeed anomalies, with low Vp, high Vp/Vs in basins and high Vp, low Vp/Vs in orogen. As the suture zone of Eurasian Plate and Philippine Sea Plate, Longitudinal Valley is characterized by a significant high Vp/Vs anomaly extending to the middle-lower crust and upper mantle, which reflects the impact of rock cracking, partial melting, and the presence of fluids. In the northeast Taiwan, the Vp, Vp/Vs anomalies and relocated earthquakes depict the subducting Philippine Sea Plate under the Eurasian Plate. The high Vp of oceanic plate and the low Vp, high Vp/Vs atop the subducted oceanic plate extend to 80 km depth. Along the east-west profiles, the thickness of crust reaches 60 km at the east of Central Range with eastward dipping trend, which reveals the eastward subduction of the thickened and deformed crust of the Eurasian continental plate.展开更多
Lithospheric structure beneath the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is of vital significance for studying the geodynamic processes of crustal thickening and expansion of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. We conducted a j...Lithospheric structure beneath the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is of vital significance for studying the geodynamic processes of crustal thickening and expansion of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. We conducted a joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersions with P-wave velocity constraints using data from the Chin Array Ⅱ temporary stations deployed across the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Prior to joint inversion, we applied the H-κ-c method(Li JT et al., 2019) to the receiver function data in order to correct for the back-azimuthal variations in the arrival times of Ps phases and crustal multiples caused by crustal anisotropy and dipping interfaces. High-resolution images of vS, crustal thickness, and vP/vSstructures in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau were simultaneously derived from the joint inversion. The seismic images reveal that crustal thickness decreases outward from the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The stable interiors of the Ordos and Alxa blocks exhibited higher velocities and lower crustal vP/vSratios. While, lower velocities and higher vP/vSratios were observed beneath the Qilian Orogen and Songpan-Ganzi terrane(SPGZ), which are geologically active and mechanically weak, especially in the mid-lower crust.Delamination or thermal erosion of the lithosphere triggered by hot asthenospheric flow contributes to the observed uppermost mantle low-velocity zones(LVZs) in the SPGZ. The crustal thickness, vS, and vP/vSratios suggest that whole lithospheric shortening is a plausible mechanism for crustal thickening in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, supporting the idea of coupled lithospheric-scale deformation in this region.展开更多
Fluids in subduction zones can have major effects on subduction dynamics.However,geophysical constraints on the scale and impact of fluid flow during continental subduction are still limited.Here we analyze the VP/VS ...Fluids in subduction zones can have major effects on subduction dynamics.However,geophysical constraints on the scale and impact of fluid flow during continental subduction are still limited.Here we analyze the VP/VS ratios in the Western Alpine region,hosting one of the best-preserved fossil continental subduction zones worldwide,to investigate the impact of fluid flow during continental subduction.We found a belt of high VP/VS ratios>1.9 on the upper-plate side of the subduction zone,consistent with a partially serpentinized upper-plate mantle,and a belt of unusually low VP/VS ratios<1.7 on the lower-plate side,at depths shallower than 30 km.We propose that these low VP/VS ratios result from a widespread network of silica-rich veins,indicating past fluid flow along the continental subduction interface.Our results suggest that past fluid flow may have reduced the effective stress along the subduction interface thus favoring continental subduction.展开更多
基金South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO) for providing R/V Shiyan-2 to carry out this experiment,sponsored by Oceanographic Research Vessel Sharing Plan (NORC2016-08) of National Natural Science Foundation of Chinafunded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41776057, 41761134051, 91858213, 41730532 and 91428039)
文摘The northeastern margin of the South China Sea (SCS), developed from continental rifting and breakup, is usually thought of as a non-volcanic margin. However, post-spreading volcanism is massive and lower crustal high-velocity anomalies are widespread, which complicate the nature of the margin here. To better understand crustal seismic velocities, lithology, and geophysical properties, we present an S-wave velocity (VS) model and a VP/VS model for the northeastern margin by using an existing P-wave velocity (VP) model as the starting model for 2-D kinematic S-wave forward ray tracing. The Mesozoic sedimentary sequence has lower VP/VS ratios than the Cenozoic sequence;in between is a main interface of P-S conversion. Two isolated high-velocity zones (HVZ) are found in the lower crust of the continental slope, showing S-wave velocities of 4.0–4.2 km/s and VP/VS ratios of 1.73–1.78. These values indicate a mafic composition, most likely of amphibolite facies. Also, a VP/VS versus VP plot indicates a magnesium-rich gabbro facies from post-spreading mantle melting at temperatures higher than normal. A third high-velocity zone (VP : 7.0–7.8 km/s;VP/VS: 1.85–1.96), 70-km wide and 4-km thick in the continent-ocean transition zone, is most likely to be a consequence of serpentinization of upwelled upper mantle. Seismic velocity structures and also gravity anomalies indicate that mantle upwelling/ serpentinization could be the most severe in the northeasternmost continent-ocean boundary of the SCS. Empirical relationships between seismic velocity and degree of serpentinization suggest that serpentinite content decreases with depth, from 43% in the lower crust to 37% into the mantle.
基金Supported by Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX3-SW-234-2)National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB411701)+1 种基金National High Technology Research and Development Pro-gram of China (Grant No. 2006AA09A101-0201) National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40804016, 40704013)
文摘A tomographic study of the Vp and Vp/Vs structures in the crust and upper mantle beneath the Taiwan region of China is conducted by simultaneous inversion of P and S arrival times. Compared with the previous tomographic results, the spherical finite difference technique is suitable for the strong heterogeneous velocity structure, and may improve the accuracy in the travel time and three-dimensional ray tracing calculations. The Vp and Vp/Vs structures derived from joint inversion and the relocated earthquakes can provide better constraints for analyzing the lateral heterogeneity and deep tectonic characters in the crust and upper mantle. Our tomographic results reveal significant relations between the seismic wavespeed structure and the tectonic characters. In the shallow depth, sedimentary basins and orogen show distinct wavespeed anomalies, with low Vp, high Vp/Vs in basins and high Vp, low Vp/Vs in orogen. As the suture zone of Eurasian Plate and Philippine Sea Plate, Longitudinal Valley is characterized by a significant high Vp/Vs anomaly extending to the middle-lower crust and upper mantle, which reflects the impact of rock cracking, partial melting, and the presence of fluids. In the northeast Taiwan, the Vp, Vp/Vs anomalies and relocated earthquakes depict the subducting Philippine Sea Plate under the Eurasian Plate. The high Vp of oceanic plate and the low Vp, high Vp/Vs atop the subducted oceanic plate extend to 80 km depth. Along the east-west profiles, the thickness of crust reaches 60 km at the east of Central Range with eastward dipping trend, which reveals the eastward subduction of the thickened and deformed crust of the Eurasian continental plate.
基金supported by the Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi(No.2023-JC-QN-0306)the Special Fund of the Institute of Geophysics,China Earthquake Administration(No.DQJB21B32)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42174069).
文摘Lithospheric structure beneath the northeastern Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is of vital significance for studying the geodynamic processes of crustal thickening and expansion of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. We conducted a joint inversion of receiver functions and surface wave dispersions with P-wave velocity constraints using data from the Chin Array Ⅱ temporary stations deployed across the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. Prior to joint inversion, we applied the H-κ-c method(Li JT et al., 2019) to the receiver function data in order to correct for the back-azimuthal variations in the arrival times of Ps phases and crustal multiples caused by crustal anisotropy and dipping interfaces. High-resolution images of vS, crustal thickness, and vP/vSstructures in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau were simultaneously derived from the joint inversion. The seismic images reveal that crustal thickness decreases outward from the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The stable interiors of the Ordos and Alxa blocks exhibited higher velocities and lower crustal vP/vSratios. While, lower velocities and higher vP/vSratios were observed beneath the Qilian Orogen and Songpan-Ganzi terrane(SPGZ), which are geologically active and mechanically weak, especially in the mid-lower crust.Delamination or thermal erosion of the lithosphere triggered by hot asthenospheric flow contributes to the observed uppermost mantle low-velocity zones(LVZs) in the SPGZ. The crustal thickness, vS, and vP/vSratios suggest that whole lithospheric shortening is a plausible mechanism for crustal thickening in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, supporting the idea of coupled lithospheric-scale deformation in this region.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42488201)。
文摘Fluids in subduction zones can have major effects on subduction dynamics.However,geophysical constraints on the scale and impact of fluid flow during continental subduction are still limited.Here we analyze the VP/VS ratios in the Western Alpine region,hosting one of the best-preserved fossil continental subduction zones worldwide,to investigate the impact of fluid flow during continental subduction.We found a belt of high VP/VS ratios>1.9 on the upper-plate side of the subduction zone,consistent with a partially serpentinized upper-plate mantle,and a belt of unusually low VP/VS ratios<1.7 on the lower-plate side,at depths shallower than 30 km.We propose that these low VP/VS ratios result from a widespread network of silica-rich veins,indicating past fluid flow along the continental subduction interface.Our results suggest that past fluid flow may have reduced the effective stress along the subduction interface thus favoring continental subduction.
