Abstract
Dense gravity/GPS measurements collected around the southwest margin of the Ordos Block in 2014 and 2017 were used to obtain three gravity anomaly profiles across the Liupan Shan Mountains. The Liupan Shan is located in a Bouguer gravity anomaly (BGA) transitional zone; however, low BGAs to the west do not correspond to the topography of the Liupan Shan in that region, with a maximum offset of approximately 34 km. This offset is also found in inverted crustal density structures whereby the interface between the upper and lower crust is notably concave to the west of the Liupan Shan. Flexural analysis indicates that the effective elastic thickness is 5 km and the uplift is caused by oblique subduction of surface materials. According to this uplift mechanism, the offset suggests that Liupan Shan migrated eastward following partial isostatic compensation. Therefore, we suggest that Liupan Shan has experienced an uplift–compensation–uplift tectonic process.
Highlights
As the highest, youngest, and most active geological zone on Earth, the Tibetan Plateau has been widely and thoroughly studied in the area of geophysics, geochemistry, and geology
The aim of this study is to reveal the uplift mechanism of the Liupan Shan through an analysis of in situ gravity measurements around the southwest margin of the Ordos Block in 2014 and 2017
The main findings are summarized below: 1. The Liupan Shan is located in a Bouguer gravity anomaly (BGA) transitional zone
Summary
Youngest, and most active geological zone on Earth, the Tibetan Plateau has been widely and thoroughly studied in the area of geophysics, geochemistry, and geology. Uplift and expansion of the Tibetan Plateau is caused by subduction of the Indian subcontinent beneath the Eurasian continent, which resulted in the formation of a large number of strike–slip and thrust faults (Molnar and Tapponnier 1975). Subduction processes have substantially affected the landscape, climate, and biological species of the Tibetan Plateau (Kutzbach et al 1993). Studying the uplift mechanism of the Tibetan Plateau can deepen our understanding of tectonic collision processes. The Liupan Shan orogeny (Fig. 1), which embodies uplift in the northeast Tibetan Plateau, can be regarded. The aim of this study is to reveal the uplift mechanism of the Liupan Shan through an analysis of in situ gravity measurements around the southwest margin of the Ordos Block in 2014 and 2017. We perform data processing and reveal that Bouguer gravity anomalies
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