Abstract
The three-dimensional (3-D) electrical structure of the upper-mantle was used to examine the deep origins of and relationship among the Cenozoic volcanoes located in Northeast China (NEC). High-quality, long-period magnetotelluric (LMT) full-impedance tensor data were collected in NEC and subjected to 3-D Gauss-Newton inversion in order to construct a resistivity model. The resulting model reveals the presence of multiple localized low-resistivity anomalies (LRAs) within the high-resistance lithosphere beneath NEC. These LRAs partially coincide with Cenozoic volcanoes on the surface. Three LRAs that form a larger, annular LRA were observed in the deep upper mantle beneath the Songliao Basin, whereas vein-like LRAs were found in the asthenosphere that connect the lithosphere and deep upper mantle. Petrophysical analyses suggest that the LRAs may have been caused by fluid-induced melting. Based on our electrical model, we propose that, following dehydration of the subducted Western Pacific slab into the mantle transition zone (MTZ) beneath NEC, the released water migrated upward and caused partial melting at the top of the MTZ beneath the Songliao Basin. Under the effect of buoyancy, the melted mantle formed a thermal upwelling that caused melting of asthenosphere before diapiring at the base of the dry lithosphere. The magma then penetrated structural boundaries (such as thinner, weaker, or activated suture zones) and finally reached the Earth’s surface. This melting and upwelling of hot mantle materials may have resulted in large-scale volcanism in the region throughout the Cenozoic, including the eruption of Changbai Mountain and Halaha Volcanoes. Our results suggest that the Cenozoic NEC volcanoes may all share a similar mode of genesis, and probably originated from the annular LRA in the deep upper mantle.
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Acknowledgements
The field data used in this study were collected by Zhou Zikun, Zou Zonglin, and Huang Ying, who are graduate students at Jilin University. Assistance in data collection was provided by Dong Ruichun and Meng Xianfu, staff from the Jilin Jintai Geo-exploration Technology Co., Ltd. Professor Hu Xiangyun from the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and Professor Bai Denghai from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences offered assistance in the collection of field data and provided valuable opinions on data processing and interpretation. Professor Lin Jun from Jilin University provided invaluable equipment support for the collection of field data. During manuscript writing, in-depth exchanges of views on data processing and explanation occurred with Researcher Chen Xiaobin from the Institute of Geology at the China Earthquake Administration. Discussions with Professor Liang Yihong from the College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, on the tectonic evolution of NEC provided invaluable insights into our understanding of the topic. The authors would like to express their heartfelt appreciation to all the people mentioned above. Finally, special thanks are due to the two anonymous reviewers who offered many constructive suggestions to improve the quality of this study. The authors benefited significantly from their rigorous academic input. This work was supported by the National Project for the Development of Major Scientific Instruments (Grant No. 2011YQ05006010).
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Li, S., Weng, A., Li, J. et al. Deep origin of Cenozoic volcanoes in Northeast China revealed by 3-D electrical structure. Sci. China Earth Sci. 63, 533–547 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-018-9537-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-018-9537-2