Seismic structure in the northeastern South China Sea: S-wave velocity and Vp/ Vs ratios derived from three-component OBS data

Abstract

A nearly 500-km-long seismic profile with reflective and refractive wide-angle Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) data and Multi-Channel Seismic (MCS) data was acquired across the northeastern continental margin of the South China Sea (SCS). The S-wave crustal structure and Vp/ Vs ratios have been obtained based on a previously published P-wave model using the software RayInvr. Modeling of vertical- and horizontal-component OBS data yields information on the seismic crustal velocities, lithology, and geophysical properties along the OBS-2001 seismic profile. S-wave velocities in the model increase generally with depth but exhibit high spatial variability, particularly from the shelf to the upper slope of the northeastern SCS margin. Vp/ Vs ratios also reveal significant lithological heterogeneity. Dongsha–Penghu Uplift (DPU) is a tectonic zone with a thicker crust than adjacent areas and a high magnetic anomaly. With a Vp/ Vs of 1.74 and a P-wave velocity of 5.0–5.5 km/s, the DPU primarily consists of felsic volcanic rocks in the upper crust and is similar to the petrology of Zhejiang–Fujian volcanic provinces, which perhaps is associated with a Mesozoic volcanic arc. The ocean–continent transition (OCT) in the northeastern SCS is characterized by a thinning continental crust, volcanoes in the upper crust, and a high velocity layer (HVL) in the lower crust. The S-wave velocity and Vp/ Vs ratio suggest that the HVL has a mafic composition that may originate from underplating of the igneous rocks beneath the passive rifted crust after the cessation of seafloor spreading.