“…The consistent strain field in the crust (inferred from Global Positioning System observations and focal mechanism solutions; Kreemer et al, ; Xu et al, ) and the upper mantle (inferred from teleseismic shear‐wave splitting (SKS) measurements; Huang, Wang, Xu, Ding, et al, ; Wang et al, ) supports vertically coherent lithospheric deformation. However, seismic and magnetotelluric tomography revealed extensive low‐velocity and high‐conductivity zones in the midlower crust (Bai et al, ; Bao et al, ; Wei et al, ; Yao et al, ; Ye et al, ), indicating a very weak deep crust that is incapable of vertical stress transfer between the crust and upper mantle. However, the coherent deformations in the upper crust and mantle lithosphere could also be achieved as well by the same boundary force laterally in spite of a weak deep crust in between (Huang et al, ; Wang et al, ).…”