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Crustal thickness and composition in the South China Block: Constraints from earthquake receiver function

Science China Earth Sciences volume 65, pages 698–713 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Crustal thickness and composition are closely related to geology and tectonic evolution of the region. Studying the differences in the crustal thickness and composition of the South China Block (SCB) is important to gain a comprehensive understanding of multi-phase amalgamation, breakup, reworking, and regional geodynamic processes. In this study, teleseismic data from 135 high-density portable broadband stations from SinoProbe were processed using Common Conversion Point (CCP) stacking and H-κ stacking methods. The Moho depth and P-wave and S-wave velocity ratio (Vp/Vs) were studied. Our results revealed several insights about the tectonic processes in the SCB. First, the crustal structure and Vp/Vs ratios of the Cathaysia Block, Jiangnan Orogenic Belt, and Yangtze Block were significantly different. The average depth of the Moho in the Cathaysia Block was approximately 31 km, and the Vp/Vs ratios increased from the inland area (1.66) to the coastal area (1.78), indicating the oceanward increase of mafic proportion in the lower crust, which is related to the influence of the Paleo-Pacific Plate westward subduction. Second, the crustal thickness of Jiangnan Orogenic Belt deepens from east ca. 31 to the west ca. 42 km and the Vp/Vs ratios varied from 1.75 to 1.64, illustrating a relatively felsic crust, which could have been related to the Mesozoic upper crustal thickening under compression followed by the lower crust removal under the extensional background. Third, the average crustal thickness of the Yangtze Block was 42 km, and the Vp/Vs ratios ranged from 1.64 to 1.84, presenting a positive correlation between the Moho depth and the Vp/Vs ratio, which is explained by the relatively thick mafic lower crust. Based on the variations in the crustal structure and Vp/Vs ratios of the profile, we inferred that the central part of the Jiangnan Orogenic Belt was bounded by the Jiangshan-Shaoxing-Hengyang in the east and the Jiujiang-Shitai-Jishou in the west. The small-scale Moho depth undulations at the intersection of the Cathaysia Block and the Jiangnan Orogenic Belt could be related to the Mesozoic compression-extension geodynamic transformation.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to colleagues at the Seismic Array Laboratory of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, who participated in field data acquisition. We would also like to thank and pay tribute to Professors Xuanhua CHEN and Qiusheng LI, Dr. Yaoyang ZHANG, and Dr. Chunlin LI, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, for their helpful discussions. A few images presented in this article were illustrated using GMT software. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41630320, 92062108), the China Geological Survey Project (Grant No. DD20190012), and open fund from the Key Laboratory of Deep-Earth Dynamics of Ministry of Natural Resource, Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (Grant No. J1901-16).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037, China

    Changxin Chen, Qingtian Lü, Danian Shi & Jiayong Yan

  2. Chinese MNR Laboratory of Deep Earth Sciences and Technology, Beijing, 100094, China

    Changxin Chen, Qingtian Lü, Danian Shi & Jiayong Yan

  3. Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Key Laboratory of Deep-Earth Dynamics of Ministry of Natural Resources, Beijing, 100037, China

    Changxin Chen

  4. State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Ling Chen

  5. CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Ling Chen

  6. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Ling Chen & Yinshuang Ai

  7. Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Yinshuang Ai

Authors
  1. Changxin Chen
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  2. Qingtian Lü
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  3. Ling Chen
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  4. Danian Shi
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  5. Jiayong Yan
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  6. Yinshuang Ai
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qingtian Lü.

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Chen, C., Lü, Q., Chen, L. et al. Crustal thickness and composition in the South China Block: Constraints from earthquake receiver function. Sci. China Earth Sci. 65, 698–713 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-021-9858-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-021-9858-x

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