Crustal structure of northern and southern Tibet from surface wave dispersion analysis

Abstract

Group and phase velocities of fundamental mode Rayleigh waves, in the period range of 10 to 70 s, are obtained for southern and northern Tibet. Significant variations in crustal velocity structure are found. The group velocity minimum for Tibet occurs at ∼33 s and the minimum is ∼0.12 km/s lower for southern Tibet than for northern Tibet. At periods greater than 50 s, however, group velocities are up to 0.2 km/s faster in southern Tibet. The group and phase velocities are inverted for layered S wave models. The dispersion observations in southern Tibet can only be fit with a low‐velocity layer in the middle crust. In contrast, the velocity models for northern Tibet do not require any low‐velocity zone in the crust. The S wave velocity of the lower crust of southern Tibet is ∼0.2 km/s faster than the lower crust of northern Tibet. In southern Tibet the sub‐Moho velocity increases with a positive gradient that is similar to a shield, while there is no velocity gradient beneath northern Tibet. The high‐velocity lower crust of southern Tibet is consistent with the underthrusting of Indian continental lithosphere. The most plausible explanation of the mid‐crustal low velocity zone is the presence of crustal melt resulting from H2O‐saturated melting of the interplate shear zone between the underthrusting Indian crust and overflowing Asian crust. The lack of a pronounced crustal low‐velocity zone in northern Tibet is an indication of a relatively dry crust. The low S wave velocity in the lower crust of northern Tibet is interpreted to be due to a combination of compositional differences, high temperatures, presumably caused by a high mantle heat flux, and possibly small amounts of partial melt. Combined with all available observations in Tibet, the new surface wave results are consistent with a hot and weak upper mantle beneath northern Tibet.