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Mandal P, Saha S, Prathigadapa R. Evidence of low velocity layers at the top and bottom of the Mantle Transition Zone (MTZ) below the Uttarakhand Himalaya, India. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17239. [PMID: 39060353 PMCID: PMC11282067 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67941-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The Mantle Transition Zone (MTZ) beneath the Uttarakhand Himalaya has been modelled using Common Conversion Point (CCP) stacking and depth-migration of radial P-receiver functions. In the Uttarakhand Himalaya region, the depths of the 410-km discontinuity (d410) and the 660-km discontinuity (d660) are estimated to be approximately 406 ± 8 km and 659 ± 10 km, respectively. Additionally, the thickness of the mantle transition zone (MTZ) is modelled to be 255 ± 7 km. The average arrival times for d410 and d660 conversions are (44.47 ± 1.33) s and (71.08 ± 1.29) s, respectively, indicating an undisturbed slightly deeper d410 and a deformed noticeably deeper d660 in the area. The model identifies the characteristics of the d410 and d660 mantle discontinuities beneath the Lesser Himalayan region, revealing a thickening of the MTZ towards northeast, which could be due to gradual cooling or thickening of the Indian lithosphere towards its northern limit. We simulate a low-velocity layer (perhaps partially molten) above the d410 discontinuity at depths of 350 to 385 km, indicating the presence of a hydrated MTZ beneath the area. We also interpret a negative phase at d660 as a low-velocity layer between 590 and 640 km depths, which could be attributed to the accumulation of old subducted oceanic materials or increased water content at the bottom of the MTZ. Our results suggest the presence of residues from paleo-subducted lithospheric slabs in and below the mantle transition zone underlying the Uttarakhand Himalayas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prantik Mandal
- CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500007, India.
| | - Satish Saha
- CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500007, India
| | - Raju Prathigadapa
- CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, Telangana, 500007, India
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2
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Hu J, Rudi J, Gurnis M, Stadler G. Constraining Earth's nonlinear mantle viscosity using plate-boundary resolving global inversions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2318706121. [PMID: 38968110 PMCID: PMC11252765 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318706121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Variable viscosity in Earth's mantle exerts a fundamental control on mantle convection and plate tectonics, yet rigorously constraining the underlying parameters has remained a challenge. Inverse methods have not been sufficiently robust to handle the severe viscosity gradients and nonlinearities (arising from dislocation creep and plastic failure) while simultaneously resolving the megathrust and bending slabs globally. Using global plate motions as constraints, we overcome these challenges by combining a scalable nonlinear Stokes solver that resolves the key tectonic features with an adjoint-based Bayesian approach. Assuming plate cooling, variations in the thickness of continental lithosphere, slabs, and broad scale lower mantle structure as well as a constant grain size through the bulk of the upper mantle, a good fit to global plate motions is found with a nonlinear upper mantle stress exponent of 2.43 [Formula: see text] 0.25 (mean [Formula: see text] SD). A relatively low yield stress of 151 [Formula: see text] 19 MPa is required for slabs to bend during subduction and transmit a slab pull that generates asymmetrical subduction. The recovered long-term strength of megathrusts (plate interfaces) varies between different subduction zones, with South America having a larger strength and Vanuatu and Central America having lower values with important implications for the stresses driving megathrust earthquakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiashun Hu
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen518055, China
| | - Johann Rudi
- Department of Mathematics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA24061
| | - Michael Gurnis
- Seismological Laboratory, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA91125
| | - Georg Stadler
- Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, NY10012
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3
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Luo Y, Mi W, Gao Y, Qin L. Provenance Analysis in the Nima Basin during Paleogene and Its Implications for the Decline of the Tibetan Central Valley. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:13148-13162. [PMID: 38524406 PMCID: PMC10955701 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c09706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
It is unclear what caused the Bangong Nujiang suture zone in the central Tibetan plateau to rise from less than 2 km in early Cenozoic to more than 4 km at present. The zircon U-Pb ages and trace elements of samples from the Niubao Formation in the Paleogene of the Nima basin were analyzed and tested. Combined with the isostasy theory, the surface uplift height of the Nima Basin during the Cenozoic period was calculated. The zircon U-Pb age results of the Niubao formation are consistent with the ages of the Lhasa terrane on the south side of the basin, the Qiangtang terrane on the north side, and the uplift in central. The zircon Eu/Eu* results show that the crust in central part of Tibetan plateau thickened by ∼20 km in Paleogene, resulting in ∼3 km surface uplift. Sediments created a total of about 1 km of surface uplift throughout the Paleogene, and the deposition rate began to slow down significantly at ∼40 Ma. Therefore, it is inferred that in the early Cenozoic, the uplift of the valley was mainly caused by sedimentation. With the continuous downward subduction of the Indian plate, at about 40 Ma, factors such as crustal shortening dominated the uplift of the central valley, and the uplift caused by deposition only accounted for a very small part. In general, the uplift of the Central Valley in the Paleogene was mainly affected by crustal shortening, but a quarter of the surface uplift was caused by the accumulation of sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhang Luo
- School of Resource and Environmental
Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of
Technology, Inner Mongolia, Hohhot 010051, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wentian Mi
- School of Resource and Environmental
Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of
Technology, Inner Mongolia, Hohhot 010051, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuan Gao
- School of Resource and Environmental
Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of
Technology, Inner Mongolia, Hohhot 010051, People’s Republic of China
| | - Luqing Qin
- School of Resource and Environmental
Engineering, Inner Mongolia University of
Technology, Inner Mongolia, Hohhot 010051, People’s Republic of China
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4
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Li L, Garzione CN. Upward and outward growth of north-central Tibet: Mechanisms that build high-elevation, low-relief plateaus. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh3058. [PMID: 37418530 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh3058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Large orogenic plateaus, such as the Tibetan Plateau, are characterized by high-elevation, low-relief topography, in contrast to the rugged terrains of narrower mountain belts. A key question is how low-elevation hinterland basins, characteristic of broad regions of shortening, were raised while regional relief was flattened. This study uses the Hoh Xil Basin in north-central Tibet as an analogue for late-stage orogenic plateau formation. The precipitation temperatures of lacustrine carbonates deposited between ~19 and ~12 million years ago record an early to middle Miocene phase of surface uplift of 1.0 ± 0.7 km. The results of this study demonstrate the contribution of sub-surface geodynamic processes in driving regional surface uplift and redistribution of crustal material to flatten plateau surfaces during the late stage of orogenic plateau formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Li
- Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Carmala N Garzione
- Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
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5
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Zhang B, Bao X, Wu Y, Xu Y, Yang W. Southern Tibetan rifting since late Miocene enabled by basal shear of the underthrusting Indian lithosphere. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2565. [PMID: 37142610 PMCID: PMC10160080 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38296-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Syncontractional extension is prominent in present-day Tibet, but its origin remains vigorously debated. Several deep-seated geodynamic processes (e.g., Indian underthrusting, horizontal flow, and mantle upwelling) have been linked to Tibetan rifting. Indian underthrusting is a good candidate because it can well explain why surface rifts are more prominent south of the Bangong-Nujiang suture; however, how Indian underthrusting causes extension is not well understood and lacks observational constraints. Seismic anisotropy, measured by exploiting the birefringence effect of shear waves, can be indicative of the deformation styles within the crust. Here, we unveil the dominant convergence-parallel alignment of anisotropic fabrics in the deep crust of the southern Tibetan rifts using seismic recordings collected from our recently deployed and existing seismic stations. This finding suggests that the strong north-directed shearing exerted by the underthrusting Indian plate is key to enabling present-day extension in southern Tibet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingfeng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Geoscience Big Data and Deep Resource of Zhejiang Province, School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xuewei Bao
- Key Laboratory of Geoscience Big Data and Deep Resource of Zhejiang Province, School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Yingkai Wu
- Key Laboratory of Geoscience Big Data and Deep Resource of Zhejiang Province, School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yixian Xu
- Key Laboratory of Geoscience Big Data and Deep Resource of Zhejiang Province, School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wencai Yang
- Key Laboratory of Geoscience Big Data and Deep Resource of Zhejiang Province, School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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6
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Wei HH, Wu GL, Ding L, Fan LG, Li L, Meng QR. Revisiting the mechanisms of mid-Tertiary uplift of the NE Tibetan Plateau. Natl Sci Rev 2023; 10:nwad008. [PMID: 36960219 PMCID: PMC10029854 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Contrasting views exist on timing and mechanisms of Tertiary crustal uplift in the NE Tibetan Plateau based on different approaches, with many models attributing surface uplift to crustal shortening. We carry out a comprehensive investigation of mid-Tertiary stratigraphy, sedimentology, and volcanism in the West Qinling, Hoh Xil and Qaidam basin, and the results challenge previous views. It was held that the discordance between Oligocene and Miocene strata is an angular unconformity in the West Qinling, but our field observations show that it is actually a disconformity, indicative of vertical crustal uplifting rather than crustal shortening at the Oligocene to Miocene transition. Widespread occurrence of synsedimentary normal faults in mid-Tertiary successions implicates supracrustal stretching. Miocene potassic-ultrapassic and mafic-ultramafic volcanics in the Hoh Xil and West Qinling suggest a crucial role of deep thermomechanical processes in generating crust- and mantle-sourced magmatism. Also noticeable are the continuity of mid-Tertiary successions and absence of volcanics in the Qaidam basin. Based on a holistic assessment of stratigraphic-sedimentary processes, volcanic petrogenesis, and spatial variations of lithospheric thicknesses, we speculate that small-sale mantle convection might have been operating beneath northeast Tibet in the mid-Tertiary. It is assumed that northward asthenospheric flow was impeded by thicker cratonic lithosphere of the Qaidam and Alxa blocks, thereby leading to edge convection. The edge-driven convection could bring about surface uplift, induce supracrustal stretching, and trigger vigorous volcanism in the Hoh Xil and West Qinling in the mid-Tertiary period. This mechanism satisfactorily explains many key geologic phenomena that are hardly reconciled by previous models.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guo-Li Wu
- Institute of Geomechanics, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Lin Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Long-Gang Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Lin Li
- Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85716, USA
| | - Qing-Ren Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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7
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van Hinsbergen DJJ. Indian plate paleogeography, subduction and horizontal underthrusting below Tibet: paradoxes, controversies and opportunities. Natl Sci Rev 2022; 9:nwac074. [PMID: 35992242 PMCID: PMC9385461 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwac074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The India–Asia collision zone is the archetype to calibrate geological responses to continent–continent collision, but hosts a paradox: there is no orogen-wide geological record of oceanic subduction after initial collision around 60–55 Ma, yet thousands of kilometers of post-collisional subduction occurred before the arrival of unsubductable continental lithosphere that currently horizontally underlies Tibet. Kinematically restoring incipient horizontal underthrusting accurately predicts geologically estimated diachronous slab break-off, unlocking the Miocene of Himalaya–Tibet as a natural laboratory for unsubductable lithosphere convergence. Additionally, three endmember paleogeographic scenarios exist with different predictions for the nature of post-collisional subducted lithosphere but each is defended and challenged based on similar data types. This paper attempts at breaking through this impasse by identifying how the three paleogeographic scenarios each challenge paradigms in geodynamics, orogenesis, magmatism or paleogeographic reconstruction and identify opportunities for methodological advances in paleomagnetism, sediment provenance analysis, and seismology to conclusively constrain Greater Indian paleogeography.
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8
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Limited underthrusting of India below Tibet: 3He/ 4He analysis of thermal springs locates the mantle suture in continental collision. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2113877119. [PMID: 35302884 PMCID: PMC8944758 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2113877119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Our regional-scale geochemical dataset (3He/4He) resolves the geometry of the continental collision between India and Asia. Geophysical images have led to contradictory interpretations that India directly underthrusts Tibet as a horizontal plate or India subducts steeply into the mantle. Helium transits from mantle depths to the surface within a few millennia, such that the ratio of mantle-derived 3He to dominantly crust-derived 4He provides a snapshot of the subsurface. 3He/4He data from 225 geothermal springs across a >1,000-km-wide region of southern Tibet define a sharp boundary subparallel to the surface suture between India and Asia, just north of the Himalaya, delineating the northern limit of India at ∼80-km depth. The India–Asia collision resembles oceanic subduction with an asthenospheric mantle wedge. During continent–continent collision, does the downgoing continental plate underplate far inboard of the collisional boundary or does it subduct steeply into the mantle, and how is this geometry manifested in the mantle flow field? We test conflicting models for these questions for Earth’s archetypal continental collision forming the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau. Air-corrected helium isotope data (3He/4He) from 225 geothermal springs (196 from our group, 29 from the literature) delineate a boundary separating a Himalayan domain of only crustal helium from a Tibetan domain with significant mantle helium. This 1,000-km-long boundary is located close to the Yarlung-Zangbo Suture (YZS) in southern Tibet from 80 to 92°E and is interpreted to overlie the “mantle suture” where cold underplated Indian lithosphere is juxtaposed at >80 km depth against a sub-Tibetan incipiently molten asthenospheric mantle wedge. In southeastern Tibet, the mantle suture lies 100 km south of the YZS, implying delamination of the mantle lithosphere from the Indian crust. This helium-isotopic boundary helps resolve multiple, mutually conflicting seismological interpretations. Our synthesis of the combined data locates the northern limit of Indian underplating beneath Tibet, where the Indian plate bends to steeper dips or breaks off beneath a (likely thin) asthenospheric wedge below Tibetan crust, thereby defining limited underthrusting for the Tibetan continental collision.
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9
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Pulsed rise and growth of the Tibetan Plateau to its northern margin since ca. 30 Ma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:2120364119. [PMID: 35169079 PMCID: PMC8872789 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2120364119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The onset of mountain building along margins of the Tibetan Plateau provides a key constraint on the processes by which the high topography in Eurasia formed. Although progressive expansion of thickened crust underpins most models, several studies suggest that the northern extent of the plateau was established early, soon after the collision between India and Eurasia at ca. 50 Ma. This inference relies heavily on the age and provenance of Cenozoic sediments preserved in the Qaidam basin. Here, we present evidence in the northern plateau for a considerably younger inception and evolution of the Qaidam basin, based on magnetostratigraphies combined with detrital apatite fission-track ages that date the basin fills to be from ca. 30 to 4.8 Ma. Detrital zircon-provenance analyses coupled with paleocurrents reveal that two-stage growth of the Qilian Shan in the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau began at ca. 30 and at 10 Ma, respectively. Evidence for ca. 30 and 10 to 15 Ma widespread synchronous deformation throughout the Tibetan Plateau and its margins suggests that these two stages of outward growth may have resulted from the removal of mantle lithosphere beneath different portions of the Tibetan Plateau.
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10
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Xiong Z, Liu X, Ding L, Farnsworth A, Spicer RA, Xu Q, Valdes P, He S, Zeng D, Wang C, Li Z, Guo X, Su T, Zhao C, Wang H, Yue Y. The rise and demise of the Paleogene Central Tibetan Valley. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabj0944. [PMID: 35138908 PMCID: PMC8827648 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj0944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Reconstructing the Paleogene topography and climate of central Tibet informs understanding of collisional tectonic mechanisms and their links to climate and biodiversity. Radiometric dates of volcanic/sedimentary rocks and paleotemperatures based on clumped isotopes within ancient soil carbonate nodules from the Lunpola Basin, part of an east-west trending band of basins in central Tibet and now at 4.7 km, suggest that the basin rose from <2.0 km at 50 to 38 million years (Ma) to >4.0 km by 29 Ma. The height change is quantified using the rates at which wet-bulb temperatures (Tw) decline at land surfaces as those surface rise. In this case, Tw fell from ~8°C at ~38 Ma to ~1°C at 29 Ma, suggesting at least ~2.0 km of surface uplift in ~10 Ma under warm Eocene to Oligocene conditions. These results confirm that a Paleogene Central Tibetan Valley transformed to a plateau before the Neogene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyu Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xiaohui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Lin Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Alex Farnsworth
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK
| | - Robert A. Spicer
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
- School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Qiang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Paul Valdes
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK
| | - Songlin He
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Deng Zeng
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhenyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xudong Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Tao Su
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
| | - Chenyuan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Houqi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yahui Yue
- State Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Earth System, Environment and Resources (TPESER), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
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11
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Feng J, Yao H, Chen L, Wang W. Massive lithospheric delamination in southeastern Tibet facilitating continental extrusion. Natl Sci Rev 2021; 9:nwab174. [PMID: 35386921 PMCID: PMC8982193 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwab174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Significant left-lateral movement along the Ailao Shan-Red River fault accommodated a substantial amount of the late Eocene to early Miocene India-Asia convergence. However, the activation of this critical strike-slip fault remains poorly understood. Here, we show key seismic evidence for the occurrence of massive lithospheric delamination in southeastern Tibet. Our novel observation of reflected body waves (e.g. P410P and P660P) retrieved from ambient noise interferometry sheds new light on the massive foundered lithosphere currently near the bottom of the mantle transition zone beneath southeastern Tibet. By integrating the novel seismic and pre-existing geochemical observations, we highlight a linkage between massive lithospheric delamination shortly after the onset of hard collision and activation of continental extrusion along the Ailao Shan-Red River fault. This information provides critical insight into the early-stage evolution of the India-Asia collision in southeastern Tibet, which has significant implications for continental collision and its intracontinental response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jikun Feng
- Laboratory of Seismology and Physics of Earth's Interior, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Huajian Yao
- Laboratory of Seismology and Physics of Earth's Interior, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Mengcheng National Geophysical Observatory, University of Science and Technology of China, Mengcheng 253500, China
| | - Ling Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, Guangzhou 510640, China
| | - Weitao Wang
- Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100081, China
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12
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Zhang M, Guo Z, Xu S, Barry PH, Sano Y, Zhang L, Halldórsson SA, Chen AT, Cheng Z, Liu CQ, Li SL, Lang YC, Zheng G, Li Z, Li L, Li Y. Linking deeply-sourced volatile emissions to plateau growth dynamics in southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4157. [PMID: 34230487 PMCID: PMC8260613 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24415-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The episodic growth of high-elevation orogenic plateaux is controlled by a series of geodynamic processes. However, determining the underlying mechanisms that drive plateau growth dynamics over geological history and constraining the depths at which growth originates, remains challenging. Here we present He-CO2-N2 systematics of hydrothermal fluids that reveal the existence of a lithospheric-scale fault system in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, whereby multi-stage plateau growth occurred in the geological past and continues to the present. He isotopes provide unambiguous evidence for the involvement of mantle-scale dynamics in lateral expansion and localized surface uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. The excellent correlation between 3He/4He values and strain rates, along the strike of Indian indentation into Asia, suggests non-uniform distribution of stresses between the plateau boundary and interior, which modulate southeastward growth of the Tibetan Plateau within the context of India-Asia convergence. Our results demonstrate that deeply-sourced volatile geochemistry can be used to constrain deep dynamic processes involved in orogenic plateau growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maoliang Zhang
- grid.33763.320000 0004 1761 2484Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Zhengfu Guo
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China ,grid.9227.e0000000119573309CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Sheng Xu
- grid.33763.320000 0004 1761 2484Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Peter H. Barry
- grid.56466.370000 0004 0504 7510Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA USA
| | - Yuji Sano
- grid.33763.320000 0004 1761 2484Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China ,grid.26999.3d0000 0001 2151 536XAtmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan ,grid.278276.e0000 0001 0659 9825Present Address: Center for Advanced Marine Core Research, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan
| | - Lihong Zhang
- grid.449571.a0000 0000 9663 2459School of Geology and Geomatics, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin, China
| | - Sæmundur A. Halldórsson
- grid.14013.370000 0004 0640 0021NordVulk, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Ai-Ti Chen
- grid.19188.390000 0004 0546 0241Department of Geosciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Zhihui Cheng
- grid.12981.330000 0001 2360 039XSchool of Earth Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Cong-Qiang Liu
- grid.33763.320000 0004 1761 2484Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Si-Liang Li
- grid.33763.320000 0004 1761 2484Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Yun-Chao Lang
- grid.33763.320000 0004 1761 2484Institute of Surface-Earth System Science, School of Earth System Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Guodong Zheng
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhongping Li
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Liwu Li
- grid.9227.e0000000119573309Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Ying Li
- grid.450296.c0000 0000 9558 2971Institute of Earthquake Forecasting, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, China
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13
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Localized foundering of Indian lower crust in the India-Tibet collision zone. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:24742-24747. [PMID: 32958679 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2000015117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The deep structure of the continental collision between India and Asia and whether India's lower crust is underplated beneath Tibet or subducted into the mantle remain controversial. It is also unknown whether the active normal faults that facilitate orogen-parallel extension of Tibetan upper crust continue into the lower crust and upper mantle. Our receiver-function images collected parallel to the India-Tibet collision zone show the 20-km-thick Indian lower crust that underplates Tibet at 88.5-92°E beneath the Yarlung-Zangbo suture is essentially absent in the vicinity of the Cona-Sangri and Pumqu-Xainza grabens, demonstrating a clear link between upper-crustal and lower-crustal thinning. Satellite gravity data that covary with the thickness of Indian lower crust are consistent with the lower crust being only ∼30% eclogitized so gravitationally stable. Deep earthquakes coincide with Moho offsets and with lateral thinning of the Indian lower crust near the bottom of the partially eclogitized Indian lower crust, suggesting the Indian lower crust is locally foundering or stoping into the mantle. Loss of Indian lower crust by these means implies gravitational instability that can result from localized rapid eclogitization enabled by dehydration reactions in weakly hydrous mafic granulites or by volatile-rich asthenospheric upwelling directly beneath the two grabens. We propose that two competing processes, plateau formation by underplating and continental loss by foundering or stoping, are simultaneously operating beneath the collision zone.
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14
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Niu Y. What drives the continued India-Asia convergence since the collision at 55 Ma? Sci Bull (Beijing) 2020; 65:169-172. [PMID: 36659165 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2019.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yaoling Niu
- China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China; Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK; Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao 266061, China.
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15
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Lithospheric delamination and upwelling asthenosphere in the Longmenshan area: insight from teleseismic P-wave tomography. Sci Rep 2019; 9:6967. [PMID: 31061519 PMCID: PMC6503211 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43476-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We apply teleseismic P-wave tomography to reconstruct the velocity structure of the Longmenshan area. Our results show possible large-scale delamination beneath the Songpan-Ganzi and Qiangtang terranes, which induced upwelling asthenosphere. Upwelling asthenosphere might have led to lower crust heating, facilitating eastward extrusion of the Songpan Ganzi terrane resulting in localized deformation and uplift along the Longmenshan orogenic belt. We suggest that the eastward extrusion of the Songpan-Ganzi terrane against the rigid lithospheric root of the Sichuan Basin results in stress accumulation and release, leading to large earthquakes in the Longmenshan area.
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16
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Huangfu P, Li ZH, Gerya T, Fan W, Zhang KJ, Zhang H, Shi Y. Multi-terrane structure controls the contrasting lithospheric evolution beneath the western and central-eastern Tibetan plateau. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3780. [PMID: 30224766 PMCID: PMC6141583 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06233-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The Tibetan plateau is manifested by contrasting along-strike lithospheric structures, but its formation mechanism and the relationship with the heterogeneous multi-terrane configuration is a challenging problem. Here we conduct systematic numerical modeling to explore the roles of width, density, and rheological properties of the multiple terranes in the lithospheric evolution of the Tibetan plateau, which reveals two distinct collision modes. In Mode-I, the lithospheric mantles of both the strong and weak terranes in the Tibetan plate are completely detached, followed by the underthrusting of Indian lithosphere beneath the whole plateau. Alternatively, Mode-II is characterized by full detachment of the weak terranes, but (partial) residue of the strong terranes during collision. These two contrasting modes, broadly consistent with the lithospheric structures of western and central–eastern Tibetan plateau, respectively, are strongly dependent on the along-strike variation of the width of the strong Lhasa–Qiangtang terranes. The Tibetan plateau is manifested by contrasting along-strike lithospheric structures, but the correlation with multi-terrane configuration remains challenging. Here, the authors show the crucial roles of the original geometric shape of accreted terranes in regulating the lithospheric evolution of Tibetan plateau.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengpeng Huangfu
- Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics, College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Zhong-Hai Li
- Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics, College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China. .,Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, 266237, Qingdao, China.
| | - Taras Gerya
- Department of Earth Sciences, Institute of Geophysics, ETH-Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Weiming Fan
- Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics, College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Kai-Jun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics, College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Huai Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics, College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
| | - Yaolin Shi
- Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics, College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China
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17
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Tearing of Indian mantle lithosphere from high-resolution seismic images and its implications for lithosphere coupling in southern Tibet. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:8296-8300. [PMID: 30061398 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1717258115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
What happened to the Indian mantle lithosphere (IML) during the Indian-Eurasian collision and what role it has played on the plateau growth are fundamental questions that remain unanswered. Here, we show clear images of the IML from high-resolution P and S tomography, which suggest that the subducted IML is torn into at least four pieces with different angles and northern limits, shallower and extending further in the west and east sides while steeper in the middle. Intermediate-depth earthquakes in the lower crust and mantle are located almost exclusively in the high-velocity (and presumably strong) part of the Indian lithosphere. The tearing of the IML provides a unified mechanism for Late Miocene and Quaternary rifting, current crustal deformation, and intermediate-depth earthquakes in the southern and central Tibetan Plateau and suggests that the deformations of the crust and the mantle lithosphere are strongly coupled.
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18
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Drip tectonics and the enigmatic uplift of the Central Anatolian Plateau. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1538. [PMID: 29142259 PMCID: PMC5688165 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01611-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Lithospheric drips have been interpreted for various regions around the globe to account for the recycling of the continental lithosphere and rapid plateau uplift. However, the validity of such hypothesis is not well documented in the context of geological, geophysical and petrological observations that are tested against geodynamical models. Here we propose that the folding of the Central Anatolian (Kırşehir) arc led to thickening of the lithosphere and onset of “dripping” of the arc root. Our geodynamic model explains the seismic data showing missing lithosphere and a remnant structure characteristic of a dripping arc root, as well as enigmatic >1 km uplift over the entire plateau, Cappadocia and Galatia volcanism at the southern and northern plateau margins since ~10 Ma, respectively. Models show that arc root removal yields initial surface subsidence that inverts >1 km of uplift as the vertical loading and crustal deformation change during drip evolution. The recycling of continental lithosphere and rapid plateau uplift is believed to be the result of lithospheric drips, but natural examples are missing. Here, the authors use geodynamic models to suggest that the folding and thickening of the Central Anatolian arc caused lithospheric dripping of the arc root.
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