Mapping the deep lithospheric structure beneath the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau from gravity anomalies

Abstract

Various authors have investigated the mechanism of lateral support of the lithosphere in maintaining the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, based on gravity data and elastic flexural modeling, in the south of the plateau across the Himalayas and in the north and the northwest across the Altyn Tagh and West Kunlun Shan. However, the degree of the regional compensation and lateral support to the east of the Tibetan Plateau has remained unknown. In this paper we present a lithospheric flexure model by interpreting gravity and topography to understand the first‐order problem of lateral support of the lithosphere at the eastern margins of the Tibetan Plateau. The flexural modeling constrains the geometry and strength variation of the lithosphere from the eastern margin of Tibet past the Longmen Shan ranges on to the Sichuan Basin. A lithosphere of intermediate strength (Te = 45 km) beneath the Sichuan Basin is weakened (Te = 36 km) by the thrusting underneath the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The strength variations indicate that about 10 km of the crustal material of the lithosphere has been ripped off and integrated into the thickened, upper crust of the Tibetan Plateau, which, however, has no appreciable strength. The stiffness of the lithosphere keeps the Tibetan Plateau relatively stable at its eastern margin and enables the weight of the plateau to be supported in the east by the Sichuan. Lithospheric deformation in the southern Longmen Shan area is more pronounced than in the northern region.