Lithospheric structure of Hubei Province, central China, from Rayleigh wave tomography: insight into the spatial contact relationship between the Yangtze Plate and the eastern Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt

Abstract

SUMMARYKnowledge about the spatial contact relationship between the Yangtze Plate and the eastern Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt can not only provide a scientific basis for the exploration of mineral resources, disaster prevention and earthquake prediction in the region, but also play an important role in reconstructing the geological process of the central orogenic belt. Hence, high-resolution lithospheric velocity model is essential to address these geological problems. In this study, using waveform data from 48 stations in Hubei Province and adjacent regions, central China, we invert for a 3-D S-wave velocity structure model of the crust and upper mantle from Rayleigh wave tomography. Our model reveals the complex subduction pattern of the Yangtze Plate to the north and the thrust-nappe tectonics of the Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt along the Mianlue suture with different scales and different deformation strengths. In addition, in the central part of Hubei Province, the local Yangtze slab has been broken into several pieces, among which the upwelling low-velocity anomalies appear. Moreover, the southern margin of the Dabie orogenic belt has undergone thrusting-nappe movement, and a series of associated structures are formed in the northern margin of the middle Yangtze platform. The contact zone between the two blocks in this area is composed of a series of thrust faults with dextrorotation slip component. Finally, based on the 3-D S-wave velocity image of Hubei Province and its vertical cross-section profiles along three different directions, three dynamic models are proposed to explain the spatial contact relationship between the Yangtze Plate and the eastern Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt in different regions.