High‐Precision Vertical Movement and Three‐Dimensional Deformation Pattern of the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

AbstractThe Tibetan Plateau is characterized by high elevation and complex fault systems. High‐precision vertical movement data can provide important constraints for understanding the growth and expansion of the Tibetan Plateau. We collected approximately 116,000 km of leveling data, 21 continuous GNSS data sets, and their connecting surveying data; we jointly processed these data using a Helmert joint adjustment method to acquire the high‐precision vertical velocity field of the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding areas. The primary results are as follows: (a) Vertical uplift is dominant on the southern, northeastern, and southeastern margins of the plateau, with uplift rate ranges of 2.0–3.0, 1.0–3.8, and 1.0–2.0 mm/yr, respectively; (b) Conspicuous subsidence is located along the southern portion of the Ganzi fault, with vertical rates ranging from −3.3 to −0.5 mm/yr; (c) Velocity profiles show that vertical deformation varies in different parts of the Tibetan Plateau, which is mostly accommodated by large strike‐slip and thrust faults, such as the Kunlun, Ganzi, and Longmenshan faults. Most of the surface uplift is accommodated by crustal shortening in the interior of the Tibetan Plateau; abrupt changes in vertical rates in eastern Tibet and the widely distributed surface subsidence of southeastern Tibet are consequences of crustal flow and gravitational collapse. Overall, the Tibetan Plateau is characterized by continuous deformation, with large spatial variations accommodated by complicated tectonic processes.