Seismic Evidence for a Detached Indian Lithospheric Mantle Beneath Tibet

Kosarev, G. L.; Kind, R.; Sobolev, S. V.; Yuan, Xiaohui; Hanka, W.; Oreshin, Sergey

doi:10.1126/science.283.5406.1306

Cited by 386 publications

(290 citation statements)

References 30 publications

(4 reference statements)

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“…This purportedly resulted in the sudden and rapid rise of the plateau, which indirectly caused major climate and vegetation changes in South Asia . Kosarev et al (1999) presented seismic evidence for a detached Indian lithospheric mantle beneath Tibet. However, subsequent broadband seismic experiments showed variations in crustal-lithospheric structure across the plateau from shearcoupled teleseismic P waves (Owens & Zandt 1997;SchultePelkum et al 2005).…”

Section: Lithospheric Delamination or Underthrusting?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Crustal–lithospheric structure and continental extrusion of Tibet

Searle

Elliott

Phillips

et al. 2011

JGS

237

154

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Crustal shortening and thickening to c. 70-85 km in the Tibetan Plateau occurred both before and mainly after the c. 50 Ma India-Asia collision. Potassic-ultrapotassic shoshonitic and adakitic lavas erupted across the Qiangtang (c. 50-29 Ma) and Lhasa blocks (c. 30-10 Ma) indicate a hot mantle, thick crust and eclogitic root during that period. The progressive northward underthrusting of cold, Indian mantle lithosphere since collision shut off the source in the Lhasa block at c. 10 Ma. Late Miocene-Pleistocene shoshonitic volcanic rocks in northern Tibet require hot mantle. We review the major tectonic processes proposed for Tibet including 'rigid-block', continuum and crustal flow as well as the geological history of the major strikeslip faults. We examine controversies concerning the cumulative geological offsets and the discrepancies between geological, Quaternary and geodetic slip rates. Low present-day slip rates measured from global positioning system and InSAR along the Karakoram and Altyn Tagh Faults in addition to slow long-term geological rates can only account for limited eastward extrusion of Tibet since Mid-Miocene time. We conclude that despite being prominent geomorphological features sometimes with wide mylonite zones, the faults cut earlier formed metamorphic and igneous rocks and show limited offsets. Concentrated strain at the surface is dissipated deeper into wide ductile shear zones.

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Section: Lithospheric Delamination or Underthrusting?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Crustal–lithospheric structure and continental extrusion of Tibet

Searle

Elliott

Phillips

et al. 2011

JGS

237

154

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“…Since the involved material is most likely of continental origin (see argumentation above), the underthrusting of continental India beneath Eurasia, occurring in along-strike continuity of active processes in the Himalayas and beneath the Tibetan Plateau [e.g., Yuan et al, 1997;Kosarev et al, 1999;Kind et al, 2002;Nábelek et al, 2009;Kind and Yuan, 2010], could provide the host material for Hindu Kush earthquakes [as first proposed by Coward and Butler, 1985]. Since its onset, the deformation front of the India-Eurasia collision has propagated southwards from the Indus-Yarlung Suture (Figure 1) to the MFT in the Indian plate.…”

Section: Provenance Of Imaged Structures-eurasia or India?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Geometry of the Pamir‐Hindu Kush intermediate‐depth earthquake zone from local seismic data

et al. 2013

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[1] We present new seismicity images based on a two-year seismic deployment in the Pamir and SW Tien Shan. A total of 9532 earthquakes were detected, located, and rigorously assessed in a multistage automatic procedure utilizing state-of-the-art picking algorithms, waveform cross-correlation, and multi-event relocation. The obtained catalog provides new information on crustal seismicity and reveals the geometry and internal structure of the Pamir-Hindu Kush intermediate-depth seismic zone with improved detail and resolution. The relocated seismicity clearly defines at least two distinct planes: one beneath the Pamir and the other beneath the Hindu Kush, separated by a gap across which strike and dip directions change abruptly. The Pamir seismic zone forms a thin (approximately 10 km width), curviplanar arc that strikes east-west and dips south at its eastern end and then progressively turns by 90°to reach a north-south strike and a due eastward dip at its southwestern termination. Pamir deep seismicity outlines several streaks at depths between 70 and 240 km, with the deepest events occurring at its southwestern end. Intermediate-depth earthquakes are clearly separated from shallow crustal seismicity, which is confined to the uppermost 20-25 km. The Hindu Kush seismic zone extends from 40 to 250 km depth and generally strikes east-west, yet bends northeast, toward the Pamir, at its eastern end. It may be divided vertically into upper and lower parts separated by a gap at approximately 150 km depth. In the upper part, events form a plane that is 15-25 km thick in cross section and dips sub-vertically north to northwest. Seismic activity is more virile in the lower part, where several distinct clusters form a complex pattern of sub-parallel planes. The observed geometry could be reconciled either with a model of two-sided subduction of Eurasian and previously underthrusted Indian continental lithosphere or by a purely Eurasian origin of both Pamir and Hindu Kush seismic zones, which necessitates a contortion and oversteepening of the latter.

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“…Here, the data of this array have been processed to obtain the image of interfaces that convert the incoming teleseismic P waves to SV waves. We have adopted the processing and display schemes designed by Kosarev et al [1999] who discuss mantle variations using another dataset obtained from a much coarser network spanning over Tibet. We can focus here better on the Moho because a reasonable cross-sampling and resolution up to shallow depth is achieved with our more homogeneous and relatively dense array between Nepal and Qang Tang.…”

Section: Complex Moho Architecturementioning

confidence: 99%

Complex images of Moho and variation of Vp/Vs across the Himalaya and South Tibet, from a joint receiver‐function and wide‐angle‐reflection approach

Galvé

Sapin

Hirn

et al. 2002

Geophysical Research Letters

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Teleseismic receiver functions (RF) allow us to image the spatial variation of the crust‐mantle boundary (Moho) along a tight array spanning from south of the Himalayas to the centre of the Tibetan Plateau. This approach is cross‐tested with wide‐angle reflection imaging (WARR). Highlighted by each of the two independent methods, a complex architecture of the Moho with dipping and overlapping segments indicating lithospheric imbrication, is confirmed. The joint use of the two methods reveals an increase of the average crustal P‐to‐S‐wave‐velocity ratio from south to the centre of the Lhasa block. This may be due to lowered S‐wave velocity confined in specific layers, that may be interpreted as partial melt. This accounts for half of the relative increase in the delay of direct teleseismic S‐wave arrivals with respect to P‐wave arrivals from south to north, suggesting a similar anomaly in the shallower mantle.

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Seismic Evidence for a Detached Indian Lithospheric Mantle Beneath Tibet

Cited by 386 publications

References 30 publications

Crustal–lithospheric structure and continental extrusion of Tibet

Crustal–lithospheric structure and continental extrusion of Tibet

Geometry of the Pamir‐Hindu Kush intermediate‐depth earthquake zone from local seismic data

Complex images of Moho and variation of Vp/Vs across the Himalaya and South Tibet, from a joint receiver‐function and wide‐angle‐reflection approach

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