The important boundary role of Lianhuashan fault zone in late Mesozoic magmatism of South China: New insights from ambient noise tomography and teleseismic data

Abstract

The Lianhuashan fault zone (LHSFZ), which divides the Cathaysia Block (CB) into the coastal volcanic and Cathaysian fold belts, is an important intraplate lineament in the CB. Its fine structure is crucial to understand the Late Mesozoic tectonic evolution of South China. Herein, the fine S-velocity structure of the LHSFZ above 6.0 km and its depth extent were studied by ambient noise tomography and teleseismic relative travel-time residual analysis using a dense (∼1 km station spacing) seismic array spanning 123 km at the southern end of the LHSFZ. Our results indicate that the area within 70 km of the coast has a higher S-wave velocity, which extends to the southeast below 6 km. We propose that the high velocity anomaly is a result of magma intrusion caused by the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate in the Late Mesozoic, and the magma upwelling trajectory occurs from the coast to the inland. In addition, a low-velocity anomaly is found beneath the core area of the LHSFZ at a depth of 3–6 km, which is more evident in the S-wave than in the P-wave and corresponds well with the presence of hot springs and earthquakes. We hypothesize that the low-velocity anomaly represents the existing fault system of the Late Mesozoic volcanoes, which now provides channels for fluid migration and facilitates seismicity. Our model suggests that the LHSFZ plays a key role in the evolution of the coastal areas of South China.