Much attention has been paid in the last two decades to the physical and chemical processes as well as temporal-spatial variations of the lithospheric mantle beneath the North China Craton. In order to provide insight...Much attention has been paid in the last two decades to the physical and chemical processes as well as temporal-spatial variations of the lithospheric mantle beneath the North China Craton. In order to provide insights into the geodynamics of this variation, it is necessary to thoroughly study the state and structure of the lithospheric crust and mantle of the North China Craton and its adjacent regions as an integrated unit. Based on the velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle constrained from seismological studies, this paper presents various available geophysical results regarding the lithosphere thickness, the nature of crust-mantle boundary, the upper mantle structure and deformation characteristics as well as their tectonic features and evolution systematics. Combined with the obtained data from petrology and geochemistry, a mantle flow model is proposed for the tectonic evolution of the North China Craton during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic. We suggest that subduction of the Pacific plate made the mantle underneath the eastern Asian continent unstable and able to flow faster. Such a regional mantle flow system would cause an elevation of melt/fluid content in the upper mantle of the North China Craton and the lithospheric softening, which, subsequently resulted in destruction of the North China Craton in different ways of delamination and thermal erosion in Yanshan, Taihang Mountains and the Tan-Lu Fault zone. Multiple lines of evidence recorded in the crust of the North China Craton, such as the amalgamation of the Archean eastern and western blocks, the subduction of Paleo-oceanic crust and Paleo-continental residue, indicate that the Earth in the Paleoproterozoic had already evolved into the plate tectonic system similar to the present plate tectonics.展开更多
Over the past 10 years, the number of broadband seismic stations in China has increased significantly. The broadband seismic records contain information about shear-wave splitting which plays an important role in reve...Over the past 10 years, the number of broadband seismic stations in China has increased significantly. The broadband seismic records contain information about shear-wave splitting which plays an important role in revealing the upper mantle anisotropy in the Chinese mainland. Based on teleseismic SKS and SKKS phases recorded in the seismic stations, we used the analytical method of minimum transverse energy to determine the fast wave polarization direction and delay time of shear-wave splitting. We also collected results of shear-wave splitting in China and the surrounding regions from previously published papers. From the combined dataset we formed a shear-wave splitting dataset containing 1020 parameter pairs. These splitting parameters re- veal the complexity of the upper mantle anisotropy image. Our statistical analysis indicates stronger upper mantle anisotropy in the Chinese mainland, with an average shear-wave time delay of 0,95 s; the anisotropy in the western region is slightly larger （1.01 s） than in the eastern region （0.92 s）. On a larger scale, the SKS splitting and surface deformation data in the Tibetan Plateau and the Tianshan region jointly support the lithospheric deformation mode, i.e. the crust-lithospheric mantle coherent deformation. In eastern China, the average fast-wave direction is approximately parallel to the direction of the absolute plate motion; thus, the upper mantle anisotropy can be attributed to the asthenospheric flow. The area from the Ordos block to the Sichuan Basin in central China is the transition zone of deformation modes between the east and the west regions, where the anisotropy images are more complicated, exhibiting ＂fossil＂ anisotropy and/or two-layer anis^3trc^py. The c^llisi（3n between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate is the main factor of upper mantle anisotropy in the western region of the Chinese mainland, while the upper mantle anisotropy in the eastern region is related to the subduction of the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate be展开更多
Plate subduction drives both the internal convection and the surface geology of the solid Earth.Despite the rapid increase of computational power,it remains challenging for geodynamic models to reproduce the history o...Plate subduction drives both the internal convection and the surface geology of the solid Earth.Despite the rapid increase of computational power,it remains challenging for geodynamic models to reproduce the history of Earth-like subduction and associated mantle flow.Here,based on an adaptive approach of sequential data assimilation,we present a high-resolution global model since the mid-Mesozoic.This model incorporates the thermal structure and surface kinematics of tectonic plates based on a recent plate reconstruction to reproduce the observed subduction configuration and Earth-like convection.Introduction of temperature-and composition-dependent rheology allows for incorporation of many natural complexities,such as initiation of subduction zones,reversal of subduction polarity,and detailed plate-boundary dynamics.The resultant present-day slab geometry well matches Benioff zones and seismic tomography at depths < 1500 km,making it possible to hindcast past subduction dynamics and mantle flow.For example,the model produces a flat Farallon slab beneath North America during the Late Cretaceous to Early Cenozoic,a feature that has been geodynamically challenging to reproduce.This high-resolution model can also capture details of the 4-D evolution of slabs and the ambient mantle,such as temporally and spatially varying mantle flow associated with evolving slab geometry and buoyancy flux,as well as the formation of shallow slab tears due to subduction of young seafloors and the resulting complex mantle deformation.Such a geodynamic framework serves to further constrain uncertain plate reconstruction in the geological past,and to better understand the origin of enigmatic mantle seismic features.展开更多
基金Supported by the Key Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 90814000)
文摘Much attention has been paid in the last two decades to the physical and chemical processes as well as temporal-spatial variations of the lithospheric mantle beneath the North China Craton. In order to provide insights into the geodynamics of this variation, it is necessary to thoroughly study the state and structure of the lithospheric crust and mantle of the North China Craton and its adjacent regions as an integrated unit. Based on the velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle constrained from seismological studies, this paper presents various available geophysical results regarding the lithosphere thickness, the nature of crust-mantle boundary, the upper mantle structure and deformation characteristics as well as their tectonic features and evolution systematics. Combined with the obtained data from petrology and geochemistry, a mantle flow model is proposed for the tectonic evolution of the North China Craton during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic. We suggest that subduction of the Pacific plate made the mantle underneath the eastern Asian continent unstable and able to flow faster. Such a regional mantle flow system would cause an elevation of melt/fluid content in the upper mantle of the North China Craton and the lithospheric softening, which, subsequently resulted in destruction of the North China Craton in different ways of delamination and thermal erosion in Yanshan, Taihang Mountains and the Tan-Lu Fault zone. Multiple lines of evidence recorded in the crust of the North China Craton, such as the amalgamation of the Archean eastern and western blocks, the subduction of Paleo-oceanic crust and Paleo-continental residue, indicate that the Earth in the Paleoproterozoic had already evolved into the plate tectonic system similar to the present plate tectonics.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants Nos.90914005,91014006,41174070)the Basic Pro-ject in the Ministry of Science and Technology(Grants No.2006FY1101100)
文摘Over the past 10 years, the number of broadband seismic stations in China has increased significantly. The broadband seismic records contain information about shear-wave splitting which plays an important role in revealing the upper mantle anisotropy in the Chinese mainland. Based on teleseismic SKS and SKKS phases recorded in the seismic stations, we used the analytical method of minimum transverse energy to determine the fast wave polarization direction and delay time of shear-wave splitting. We also collected results of shear-wave splitting in China and the surrounding regions from previously published papers. From the combined dataset we formed a shear-wave splitting dataset containing 1020 parameter pairs. These splitting parameters re- veal the complexity of the upper mantle anisotropy image. Our statistical analysis indicates stronger upper mantle anisotropy in the Chinese mainland, with an average shear-wave time delay of 0,95 s; the anisotropy in the western region is slightly larger （1.01 s） than in the eastern region （0.92 s）. On a larger scale, the SKS splitting and surface deformation data in the Tibetan Plateau and the Tianshan region jointly support the lithospheric deformation mode, i.e. the crust-lithospheric mantle coherent deformation. In eastern China, the average fast-wave direction is approximately parallel to the direction of the absolute plate motion; thus, the upper mantle anisotropy can be attributed to the asthenospheric flow. The area from the Ordos block to the Sichuan Basin in central China is the transition zone of deformation modes between the east and the west regions, where the anisotropy images are more complicated, exhibiting ＂fossil＂ anisotropy and/or two-layer anis^3trc^py. The c^llisi（3n between the Indian Plate and the Eurasian Plate is the main factor of upper mantle anisotropy in the western region of the Chinese mainland, while the upper mantle anisotropy in the eastern region is related to the subduction of the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate be
基金support from NSF grants EAR-1345135,1554554,1565640supercomputing allocation on Blue Waters through ACI-1516586
文摘Plate subduction drives both the internal convection and the surface geology of the solid Earth.Despite the rapid increase of computational power,it remains challenging for geodynamic models to reproduce the history of Earth-like subduction and associated mantle flow.Here,based on an adaptive approach of sequential data assimilation,we present a high-resolution global model since the mid-Mesozoic.This model incorporates the thermal structure and surface kinematics of tectonic plates based on a recent plate reconstruction to reproduce the observed subduction configuration and Earth-like convection.Introduction of temperature-and composition-dependent rheology allows for incorporation of many natural complexities,such as initiation of subduction zones,reversal of subduction polarity,and detailed plate-boundary dynamics.The resultant present-day slab geometry well matches Benioff zones and seismic tomography at depths < 1500 km,making it possible to hindcast past subduction dynamics and mantle flow.For example,the model produces a flat Farallon slab beneath North America during the Late Cretaceous to Early Cenozoic,a feature that has been geodynamically challenging to reproduce.This high-resolution model can also capture details of the 4-D evolution of slabs and the ambient mantle,such as temporally and spatially varying mantle flow associated with evolving slab geometry and buoyancy flux,as well as the formation of shallow slab tears due to subduction of young seafloors and the resulting complex mantle deformation.Such a geodynamic framework serves to further constrain uncertain plate reconstruction in the geological past,and to better understand the origin of enigmatic mantle seismic features.
