Abstract
To study the thinning of cratonic lithosphere in North China has been the hot subject of basic research in the fields of solid earth science in China. This paper presents an overview on the formation and evolution of continental crust, and outlines the mechanisms of forming the lithospheric mantle. It is suggested that the thinning of cratonic lithosphere principally proceeds in two ways, one by subduction erosion (e.g., North China), and the other by a combination of subduction erosion and underplating degistion (e.g., Yangtze).
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Supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-Q08) and National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 90714009 and 40634019)
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Zheng, Y., Wu, F. Growth and reworking of cratonic lithosphere. Chin. Sci. Bull. 54, 3347–3353 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-009-0458-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-009-0458-y