Tectonic response of the subduction channel in central Himalya revealed by magnetotelluric data north of Mount Everest

Abstract

Imaging the structure and state of the subduction channel in the Himalayan Orogenic Belt is important for understanding the deformation of the continental collision front. The high-resolution three-dimensional electrical model revealed that the electrical properties of the subduction channel north of Mount Everest are not continuous. Rather than pipeline flow, crustal thickening, and thermal transport from the subduction front, the conductors above the Main Himalaya Thrust interface are likely caused by local dehydration of the subducting material or bending of the Indian crust. North of Mount Everest, the long-distance migration and high differentiation of fluids along the Southern Tibetan Detachment System (STDS) may be attributed to the high temperature and volatiles from the U-shaped chamber underneath the STDS, as well as the pore-fluid pressure from the stress concentration of the fluidized subduction channel.