Rayleigh wave tomography of central and southern Mongolia

Abstract

The Mongolian Plateau located between the Siberian Craton and the North China Craton developed after multiple tectonic evolutions. It is proposed to be related to the far-field effect of the Indo-Asian collision in the Cenozoic. In this study, we inverted for high-resolution S wave velocity structures of Mongolia using Rayleigh wave tomography to constrain the plateau evolution. In particular, we obtained crustal and upper mantle seismic structures under Gobi Desert by combining Mongolian and Chinese datasets. The study reveals strong low-velocity anomalies in the lower crust immediately beneath the Hangay Dome, while the low-velocity zones are imaged beneath the dome margins in the upper mantle. The results imply that the Hangay Dome was formed by mantle upwelling into the crust from major faults following lithospheric delamination. Under the South Gobi Desert, we imaged several inclined high-velocity patches in the upper mantle, indicating the subducted slabs formed in the Paleozoic. The ancient structures in the upper mantle led the Indo-Asian collision to propagate further to southern Mongolia.