Central Qiangtang Terrane Research Articles

A Residual Middle Triassic Oceanic Island-Seamount in the Maoershan Area, Northwest Tibet: Implications for the Evolution of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean

The assemblage of oceanic islands and seamounts, arising from the widespread presence of mature oceans, plays a crucial role in reconstructing the evolutionary history of the paleoocean. Oceanic islands or seamounts within the Longmuco-Shuanghu metamorphic complex, a remnant of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in the central Tibetan Plateau, have seldom been reported due to their remoteness. This study has identified an oceanic island-seamount in the Maoershan area, situated to the west of the Longmuco-Shuanghu metamorphic complex, composed of basalt, diabase, limestone, and siliceous rocks. Based on field observations, petrology, zircon U-Pb dating, whole-rock geochemistry, and Sr-Nd isotopes analyses, we have identified a suite of mafic rocks with OIB affinity. The youngest zircon U-Pb age cluster was concentrated at ~243–241 Ma. The geochemical characteristics of the siliceous rocks indicate a mixture of terrigenous material, suggesting that they formed in a continental margin. In combination with regional geological data, we conclude that the Longmuco-Shuanghu Paleo-Tethys Ocean remained open during the Middle Triassic. Furthermore, a fraction of the oceanic island-seamounts underwent scraping and transformed into a metamorphic complex, while other segments experienced deep subduction, resulting in the formation of high-pressure metamorphic rocks. Collectively, these processes gave rise to the distinctive high-pressure metamorphic complex within the central Qiangtang terrane.

Brittle failures and vein formation in the evolution of the South Qiangtang accretionary complex in the Tibetan Plateau

The genesis of the subduction mélange in the central Qiangtang terrane has been a long hot debate. However, little research has been conducted on the brittle failure within the accretionary wedge, which is very important to unveil the structural evolution of the mélange. In this study, based on the recognition of multiple deformational phases, we analyse the characteristics and formation history of the vein system in the Gangma Co mélange. Six groups of quartz veins are recognized. Foliation‐parallel extension veins (G1 veins), shear veins (G2 veins) and foliation‐perpendicular extension veins (G4 veins) are supposed to have formed during the subduction of oceanic crust, recording the repeated low‐angle thrust‐sense frictional sliding, tensile fracturing and stress changes generated by subduction‐related earthquakes. Subsequent vertical extension veins (G5 veins) are suggested to be related to the exhumation of the underplated mélange, while the horizontal extension veins (G6 veins) in the last phase represent the final horizontal thrusting. The temperature conditions for shear vein formation were examined by fluid inclusion analysis, ranging from 120 to 200°C, coinciding with the temperature conditions of the slow earthquake region where episodic tremors and slow slip occur. This contribution supports that the Gangma Co mélange represents an in situ subduction zone and that its internal vein system is a response to the tectonic evolution of the Longmu Co‐Shuanghu Tethys Ocean.

Lithospheric electrical structure across the Bangong-Nujiang Suture in northern tibet revealed by magnetotelluric

Competing hypotheses have been proposed to explain the subduction polarity of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean and the formation of the high-conductivity anomaly beneath the Qiangtang terrane. However, the lithospheric architecture of the northern Tibetan Plateau is still poorly understood due to inhospitable environments and topography. Therefore, in the winter of 2021, a 440 km long, SN-trending broadband magnetotelluric (MT) profile was recorded in northern Tibet to detect its regional lithospheric structure. The nonlinear conjugate gradients algorithm is conducted to invert the individual TM mode data. A reliable 2D electrical model was obtained by ablation processing and analysis of broadband magnetotelluric data to test the lithospheric electrical structure and dynamics between the northern Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes. The inversion results reveal the lithospheric structure at a depth of 100 km in northern Tibet, which synthesizes geological, geochemical and deep seismic reflection evidence and firmly identifies that the trace of the south-dipping conductor mainly resulted from the southward subduction of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean under the Lhasa terrane and the trace of the north-dipping conductor likely due to the northward subduction of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean under the Qiangtang terrane. In addition, the magnetotelluric profile also images a high-conductivity lithospheric-scale anticline beneath the central Qiangtang terrane, which may correspond to the upwelling of postcollisional magmatism triggered by northward subduction of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan Ocean under the Qiangtang terrane, aqueous fluid and/or partial melting.

Triassic Paleo-Tethyan slab break-off constrained by a newly discovered 211 Ma dacite–rhyolite suite in the Qiangtang terrane, central Tibet

• A newly discovered Late Triassic volcanic suite in the eastern Qiangtang subterrane includes dacites and A-type rhyolite. • This suite was emplaced at 211 Ma and was generated via partial melting of the Qiangtang continental crust. • The formation of this volcanic suite reflects the slab break-off of the Paleo-Tethyan in the Late Triassic. Triassic igneous rocks are widely exposed in the central Qiangtang terrane, Tibet. However, Triassic tectonic–thermal evolution in the central Qiangtang terrane and the evolution of the Paleo-Tethyan Ocean are still unclear. In this study, we report zircon U–Pb ages, and whole-rock major- and trace- element compositions, and Sr–Nd isotope data for the newly discovered Late Triassic Tumen volcanic rocks. The volcanic rocks consist of interlayered dacite and rhyolite (SiO 2 = 63.8–69.7 wt%) with a thickness of approximately 150 m. New zircon U–Pb dating reveals the eruption of this volcanic suite at 211 Ma. Geochemical data show that the volcanic suite has a wide range of K 2 O (1.36–5.46) values and high-molar Al 2 O 3 /(CaO+K 2 O+Na 2 O) values (0.97–1.36). All samples clearly show the enrichment of light rare earth element, with (La/Yb) N = 6.79–11.03 and (La/Sm) N = 3.23–4.44, and distinct negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.44–0.70). All samples exhibit the depletion of high field strength elements (e.g., Ti, Nb, and Ta), and enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements (e.g., Rb and K). The dacite–rhyolite suite has a narrow range of ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) i ratios (0.7102–0.7132) and ε Nd (t) values (−10.2 to −10.0), with Nd isotope model ages of 1.76–1.82 Ga. Zircon saturation temperatures (860℃–921℃) and geochemical characteristics show that the samples are A-type granitoids and were likely generated by partial melting of the Qiangtang continental crust. The rise of the asthenospheric mantle caused by the slab break-off provides a large amount of heat and materials for the igneous rocks in the Shuanghu–Longmucuo suture zone during the Late Triassic.

Cretaceous−Cenozoic cooling history of the Qiangtang terrane and implications for Central Tibet formation

Reconstructing the growth process of the Qiangtang terrane in space and time is crucial for understanding the geological evolution of Central Tibet. However, its growth process and dynamic mechanism remain unclear. Here, we present new fission track data obtained along a N-S transect near the Puruo Kangri Mountain in the central zone of the Northern Qiangtang terrane. The completely reset apatite fission track ages of detrital samples range from 65.1 to 89.6 Ma, which show a northward younging trend. The thermal history modeling results indicate that this region underwent northward-propagating exhumation during the Late Cretaceous (ca. 92−65 Ma). Our data, combined with previously reported low-temperature thermochronology data for the Qiangtang terrane, suggest that the Qiangtang terrane experienced three main stages of cooling: ca. 120−65, ca. 55−35, and <25−0 Ma. The first stage (ca. 120−65 Ma) displays an outward-propagating cooling pattern from the Central Qiangtang terrane, which was related to the crustal shortening and thickening driven by the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision. The low exhumation rate, flat lavas, and paleoaltimetry studies imply that the central and southern zones of the Northern Qiangtang terrane and Central Qiangtang terrane may form plateau landscape by 65−55 Ma. The second stage (ca. 55−35 Ma) of cooling is mainly documented in the Southern Qiangtang terrane, and the northern zone of the Northern Qiangtang terrane. This cooling event was caused by the crustal deformation and shortening driven by intracontinental subduction related to ongoing convergence of the Indian and Asian plates. Subsequently, both the transition to low erosion rates (<0.05 mm/yr) and paleoaltimetry data indicate that the Qiangtang terrane became a primitive plateau by ca. 35 Ma. The final stage (<25−0 Ma) of cooling was linked to the E-W extension in the Qiangtang terrane.

Silurian intermediate–felsic complex in the Xiangtaohu area of central Qiangtang, northern Tibet: Evidence for southward subduction of the Longmuco–Shuanghu Prototethys oceanic plate

Data from ophiolites indicate that the Longmuco–Shuanghu Suture Zone (LSSZ) was connected with the Changning–Menglian Suture Zone (CMSZ) during the Paleozoic. Numerous geological records of late Cambrian–Silurian arc magmatism have been found along the LSSZ and CMSZ. However, all the reported early Paleozoic arc magmatism in the South Qiangtang subterrane (SQT) was based on crust-derived magmatic rocks, which constrained our acknowledge of the complicated geodynamic evolution processes. Here, we present bulk-rock geochemistry, SrNd isotopes, and zircon UPb dating and Hf isotope data for a newly discovered Silurian complex in the Xiangtaohu (XTH) area of the central Qiangtang Terrane, central Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, to investigate the magmatic and tectonic evolution of the LSSZ and CMSZ. The XTH complex is composed of diorite, monzogranite, and biotite monzogranite. Zircon UPb dating results show that the XTH complex was emplaced at 438–429 Ma. The diorites belong to the calc-alkaline to high-K calc-alkaline series, showing metaluminous to weakly peraluminous features. All of the granites are high K, calc-alkaline, and weakly peraluminous. The diorites have low initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.704526–0.705002) and εNd(t) values (−1.32 to 0.12), with zircon εHf(t) values ranging from −1.2 to 0.4, indicating a metasomatic mantle source with subducted-sediment-derived melts, and low MgO, Mg#, Cr, and Ni values, reflecting crystal fractionation from basaltic magma. The monzogranites and biotite monzogranites show I-type granite geochemical affinity, with slight negative εNd(t) values (−2.03 to −1.67) and low initial 86Sr/86Sr values (0.704056–0.705165), with zircon εHf(t) values ranging from −3.1 to 4.8, suggesting that they were derived mainly from partial melting of juvenile mafic lower crust. The samples are enriched large-ion lithophile elements, depleted high-field-strength elements, and have high U/Yb ratios of zircons, suggesting that the XTH complex was formed in a continental arc setting. The XTH Silurian complex is the youngest magmatic record of the southward subduction of the Longmuco–Shuanghu Prototethys oceanic plate, which represent the melting productions of the mantle wedge and mafic lower crust. It is different from the previously discovered S-type granites in the same area. Combining our new results with comprehensive existed data in the region, we propose that the Changning–Menglian Prototethys oceanic plate subducted beneath the Baoshan block (eastward) and the Yangtze block (westward) during early Paleozoic, while the Longmuco–Shuanghu Prototethys oceanic plate only subducted southward under the southern Qiangtang subterrane.

Deformation and cooling history of the Central Qiangtang terrane, Tibetan Plateau and its tectonic implications

ABSTRACT The Qiangtang terrane preserves an important record of the growth of the Tibetan Plateau since the Mesozoic; however, its deformation and cooling history remain poorly understood. To unravel this issue, we conducted geological mapping in the Esima area and detrital apatite fission track and (U–Th)/He analyses of the Esima–Rongtang region in the east segment of Central Qiangtang terrane. Our results indicate that the east segment underwent two stages of structural deformation and rapid cooling during 120–110 Ma and 55–38 Ma. By combining our results with those of previous studies of the deformation and cooling history in the west segment, we reconstructed the early spatial and temporal geological evolution of the Central Qiangtang terrane since the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous. The structural deformation and cooling of the west segment at 150–130 Ma was related to northward flat subduction of the Bangong–Nujiang oceanic slab. The structural deformation and cooling of the east segment at 120–110 Ma and the west segment at 110–70 Ma was controlled by oblique convergence between Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes. The structural deformation and cooling of the west and east segments at 55–38 Ma was associated with northward intracontinental subduction beneath the Qiangtang terrane induced by the Indo–Asian collision.

Zircon U-Pb Geochronology and Geochemistry of the Middle Permian Siliceous Clastics and Basalt from Central Qiangtang, Northern Tibet: Implications for the Evolution of Permian

In this study, we report zircon U-Pb age and geochemical data on the Middle Permian siliceous clastics and basalt samples of Lugu Formation collected in the Yaqu region from central Qiangtang. Combined with the published data, we establish the spatial and temporal evolution of the rift in central Qiangtang from the Early to Late Permian. Zircon U-Pb dating by LA-ICP-MS yields a concordant age with a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 266.6±2.8 Ma (n=6, MSWD=0.55) for the basalt. The results of detrital zircons from the siliceous clastics exhibit a prominent population of 257–270 Ma with a maximum depositional age of 265.4±2.6 Ma (n=19, MSWD=2.7) and three minor populations with peak ages of 450, 700–800, 1 800 Ma, as well as one older age of 2 039 Ma, generally coinciding with the geological events that occurred at different epochs in Qiangtang. The basalts display enrichments in high-field-strength elements (HFSE) such as Th, Ta and Hf, but show relative depletion in large-ion-lithophile elements (LILE) such as Ba, K and Sr, as well as slight depletion in Nb and exhibiting no Eu anomalies. All the samples are distributed in the within-plate setting on the Zr vs. Zr/Y and Th/Hf vs. Ta/Hf discrimination diagrams. The integration of these new data together with the regional geological background indicates that the Lugu Formation was formed in a continental rift-related setting of the central Qiangtang terrane during the Middle Permian. We propose a temporal and spatial framework that the continental rift opened as a result of the break-up of Gondwana during the Early Permian, ran to its peak in the Middle Permian and closed in the Late Permian (290–257 Ma), which could be a key constraint on the Permian evolution of Qiangtang.

Palaeomagnetism and detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology of Cretaceous redbeds from central Tibet and tectonic implications

Understanding the magnitude of intra‐Asian crustal shortening and the collision age of Lhasa–Qiangtang terranes requires quantitative constraints on the crustal motion. The key to this is defining the palaeogeography of the Tibetan Plateau, which constitutes a poorly known factor over the entire convergence history. New detrital zircon U–Pb geochronological and palaeomagnetic data from the terrestrial Abushan Formation in the Qiangtang terrane demonstrate that central Tibet was located at 27.5 ± 3.0°N during the time interval of ~111–83 Ma. Our results suggest 7.5 ± 2.9° continental shortening has occurred between central Qiangtang and Mongolia during the India–Asia convergence. Declination anomaly indicates the central Qiangtang terrane has experienced significant clockwise rotation (57.3 ± 3.9°) relative to stable Eurasia. The compilation of palaeomagnetic results since the Cretaceous reveals ~8.5° northward drift of the Lhasa terrane from 123 ± 9 to 97 ± 7 Ma and the palaeolatitudinal overlap between the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes after ~111–103 Ma. Together with the onset age of the terrestrial Abushan Formation, our results provide the youngest timing (ca. ~111–103 Ma) for the closure of the Bangong Meso‐Tethys Ocean, as well as for the final collision of the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes.

Detection of the deep crustal structure of the Qiangtang terrane using magnetotelluric imaging

To determine the deep electrical structure of the Qiangtang terrane, northern Tibetan Plateau, we reanalysed three broadband magnetotelluric (MT) profiles collected by China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) in 1993–1994 and derived corresponding 2-D resistivity models. In these models, a remarkable high-conductivity layer that was divided into northern and southern parts and that had formed an antiformal zone of high conductivity beneath the central Qiangtang terrane was visible. This high-conductivity layer corresponds well with the trace of the southward subduction of the mélange from the Jinsha River suture inferred from surface geology. According to our resistivity models, the crust of the northern Qiangtang terrane is mostly composed of mélange. The underplated mélange may be closely related to the formation of the high-conductivity layer and provide a reasonable explanation for the cause of special geophysical features in this area. In addition, the similarity between these resistivity models provides evidence that the Qiangtang anticlinorium extends eastward to at least 92°E, whereas the differences between them may offer an explanation for the gradual narrowing of the metamorphic belt from west to east in the central Qiangtang terrane.

Origin and pre-Cenozoic evolution of the south Qiangtang basement, Central Tibet

The Qiangtang terrane in Central Tibet, with its high-pressure rocks, is a key area to unravel the evolution of the Paleo-Tethys. We present a new 1:50,000 map of the Rongma area in the central Qiangtang terrane, of which relatively little is known so far. We show that the Qiangtang metamorphic belt can be separated in a Paleozoic autochthonous basement and an overlying allochthonous thrust stack of subduction mélange that contains high-pressure rocks and Permian sediments. Detrital zircon ages (youngest peak at 591 Ma) and an ~ 470 Ma granite intrusion age constrain the age of the Qiangtang Basement to be between the Late Precambrian to Middle Ordovician. This is in agreement with the observed unconformity between basement and overlying Mid–Late Ordovician strata. This unconformity and the zircon age spectra are comparable to the Himalaya area. The Qiangtang terrane must thus have been part of the Gondwana supercontinent during the Early Paleozoic. The occurrence of the Late Triassic eclogite and glaucophane-bearing schists in the Central Qiangtang terrane indicates the existence of a suture zone between the North and South Qiangtang terranes before the Late Triassic. This suture zone resulted from closure of the Paleo-Tethys between the North and South Qiangtang terranes. Late Triassic syn-collisional granites and rapidly exhumed high-pressure rocks resulted from the closure of this ocean and final amalgamation of the re-united Qiangtang terranes with Eurasia. Collision of the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes is correlated with north dipping reverse faults in the south Qiangtang terrane, which were probably related to exhumation of the Qiangtang basement and formation of the Qiangtang Culmination.

A Cretaceous-Eocene depositional age for the Fenghuoshan Group, Hoh Xil Basin: Implications for the tectonic evolution of the northern Tibet Plateau

The Fenghuoshan Group marks the initiation of terrestrial deposition in the Hoh Xil Basin and preserves the first evidence of uplift above sea level of northern Tibet. The depositional age of the Fenghuoshan Group is debated as are the stratigraphic relationships between the Fenghuoshan Group and other terrestrial sedimentary units in the Hoh Xil Basin. We present new radiometric dates and a compilation of published biostratigraphic data which are used to reinterpret existing magnetostratigraphic data from the Fenghuoshan Group. From these data, we infer an 85–51 Ma depositional age range for the Fenghuoshan Group. U-Pb detrital zircon age spectra from this unit are compared to age spectra from Tibetan terranes and Mesozoic sedimentary sequences to determine a possible source terrane for Fenghuoshan Group strata. We propose that these strata were sourced from the Qiangtang Terrane and may share a common sediment source with Cretaceous sedimentary rocks in Nima Basin. Field relationships and compiled biostratigraphic data indicate that the Fenghuoshan and Tuotuohe Groups are temporally distinct units. We report late Oligocene ages for undeformed basalt flows that cap tilted Fenghuoshan Group strata. Together, our age constraints and field relationships imply exhumation of the central Qiangtang Terrane from the Late Cretaceous to earliest Eocene, followed by Eocene-Oligocene deformation, and shortening of the northern Qiangtang and southern Songpan-Ganzi terranes. Crustal shortening within the Hoh Xil Basin ceased by late Oligocene time as is evident from flat-lying basaltic rocks, which cap older, deformed strata.

Lawsonite- and glaucophane-bearing blueschists from NW Qiangtang, northern Tibet, China: mineralogy, geochemistry, geochronology, and tectonic implications

The occurrence of high-pressure (HP) blueschists within the central Qiangtang terrane of northern Tibet has a significant bearing on plate-suturing processes. In order to contribute to the ongoing debate on whether the central Qiangtang metamorphic belt represents an in situ suture within the Qiangtang terrane, we examined lawsonite- and glaucophane-bearing blueschists from the northwest Qiangtang area (84° 10′–85° 30′ E, 34°10′–34° 45′ N). All studied rocks are metapelites, metasandstones, or metabasalts, characterized by lawsonite + glaucophane + phengite, lawsonite + glaucophane + epidote + albite + quartz, or glaucophane + phengite + quartz assemblages. The meta-mafic rocks contain very high TiO2 and low Al2O3 contents. They are typified by abundant ferromagnesian trace elements, and an absence of Eu anomalies and Nb–Ta deletions; all the above features indicate that these mafic rocks represent oceanic island basalt (OIB) protoliths. Most of the metasediments contain high SiO2, moderate Al2O3 + K2O, and low TiO2 + Na2O. They display high CIA (chemical index of alteration) values (74% ± 5%) and distinctly negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.64 ± 0.05). This, along with their high field strength elemental characteristics, indicates that they were deposited in a passive continental margin environment, intercalated with OIB-type basalts. We estimate the peak metamorphic conditions for these blueschists as T = 330–415°C and P = 9–11.5 kbar. This HP event occurred at ca. 242 Ma, indicated by a well-defined 40Ar/39Ar plateau age for glaucophane. Retrograde metamorphism occurred at T = 280–370°C, P = 6.5–9.5 kbar, t = ca. 207 Ma (40Ar/39Ar dating of phengite). Therefore, a cold subduction (geotherm ∼8°C/km) attended the passive continental margin during the Triassic when the eastern Qiangtang collided with the western Qiangtang. The northwest Qiangtang HP metamorphic belt is an extension of the central Qiangtang metamorphic belt that defines the suture between eastern and western Qiangtang, and indicates an anticlockwise, diachronous closure of the Shuanghu Palaeo-Tethys.

Eclogitic Metasediments from Central Qiangtang, Northern Tibet: Evidence for Continental Subduction during the Eastern and Western Qiangtang Collision

Abstract Eclogitic metasediments from the central Qiangtang metamorphic terrane provide new insights into the continental subduction during the eastern and western Qiangtang collision. Petrologic observations show that the metasediments correspond to meta-sandstones of a continental margin. It is characterized by the garnet + omphacite + rutile + phengite + quartz assemblage, and the peak metamorphic temperature and pressure were estimated to be 535 ± 40°C and ∼27 kbar, respectively, by major element partitioning thermobarometry. Subsequent retrogression occurred at ∼472 ± 30°C and ∼6-9 kbar. The occurrence of eclogitized central Qiangtang terrane indicates the subduction of the western Qiangtang passive continental margin beneath eastern Qiangtang when eastern and western Qiangtang collided along the Shuanghu suture.

Lithospheric and upper mantle structure of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

We use receiver functions calculated for data collected by the INDEPTH‐IV seismic array to image the three‐dimensional geometry of the crustal and upper mantle velocity discontinuities beneath northeastern Tibet. Our results indicate an average crustal thickness of 65 to 70 km in northern Tibet. In addition, we observe a 20 km Moho offset beneath the northern margin of the Kunlun Mountains, a 10 km Moho offset across the Jinsha River Suture and gently northward dipping Moho beneath the Qaidam Basin. A region in the central Qiangtang Terrane with higher than normal crustal Vp/Vs ratio of ∼1.83 can be the result of the Eocene magmatic event. In the Qiangtang Terrane, we observe a significant lithospheric mantle discontinuity beneath the Bangong‐Nujiang Suture at 80 km depth which dips ∼10° to the north, reaching ∼120 km depth. We interpret this feature as either a piece of Lhasa Terrane or remnant oceanic slab underthrust below northern Tibet. We detect a ∼20 km depression of the 660‐km discontinuity in the mantle transition zone beneath the northern Lhasa Terrane in central Tibet, which suggests this phase transition has been influenced by a dense and/or cold oceanic slab. A modest ∼10 km depression of the 410‐km discontinuity located beneath the northern Qiangtang Terrane may be the result of localized warm upwelling associated with small‐scale convection induced by the penetration of the sinking Indian continental lithosphere into the transition zone beneath the central Tibetan Plateau.

Anisotropy of the crust and upper mantle beneath the central Tibetan plateau

This paper analyzes S-wave splitting analysis in terms of P-wave receiver functions and the SKS shear waves from the INDEPTH-III profile which consists of 41 seismic stations deployed in central Tibet. Using the weight average technique with a weighting factor of the measuring error, the direction and extent of seismic polarization anisotropy in the crust and upper mantle beneath central Tibet, from the central Lhasa terrane, across the Karakoram-Jiali fault and Bangong-Nujiang suture to the central Qiangtang terrane, were imaged. Substantial splitting of Pms phase with delay time 0.3 similar to 0.5 s, and fast directions varying from NE-SW in the Lhasa terrane to EW in the Qiangtang terrane, was observed. The delay time of SKS for stations in the northernmost Lhasa terrane and Qiangtang terrane is 1 similar to 2 s which increases near the Bangong-Nujiang suture and Jiali fault, and the fast direction of SKS is similar to the Pms. No detectable SKS splitting was observed for stations located farther south in the central Lhasa terrane, which is related to a model with two-layer anisotropy of perpendicular fast direction. In combination with previous geological and geophysical studies, we infer that the Lhasa crust possesses high rigidity and has not experienced rheological deformation, so that the fast direction of the anisotropy layer in the crust is consistent with the direction of the India-Eurasia convergence. However, the Qiangtang terrane is possibly weaker and more likely has been rheologically deformed during the convergence process, so that the fast direction of the anisotropy layer in the crust and upper mantle is coincident with escaping direction of material of the Tibetan plateau.

Metamorphic rocks in central Tibet: Lateral variations and implications for crustal structure

Insights about lateral variations in the age, composition, and structure of the central Tibetan crust are provided by geologic investigations of metamorphic rocks in the Qiangtang terrane. Previous studies have shown that a tectonic melange of Triassic age with blueschist- and eclogite-bearing blocks within a greenschist-facies matrix is exposed over an E-W distance of ∼600 km in the central Qiangtang terrane. New mapping shows that the melange extends over a N-S distance of ∼150 km, nearly to the trace of the early Mesozoic Jinsha suture in the north. The melange, exposed structurally beneath Upper Paleozoic to Mesozoic strata in the footwalls of early Mesozoic normal faults, is composed mostly of Paleozoic metasedimentary and crystalline rocks. These findings support the hypothesis that a large part of the central and northern Qiangtang terrane crust is composed of supracrustal rocks. The Duguer Range,

Triassic Nb-enriched basalts, magnesian andesites, and adakites of the Qiangtang terrane (Central Tibet): evidence for metasomatism by slab-derived melts in the mantle wedge

New chronological, geochemical, and isotopic data are reported for Triassic (219–236 Ma) adakite-magnesian andesite-Nb-enriched basaltic rock associations from the Tuotuohe area, central Qiangtang terrane. The adakites and magnesian andesites are characterized by high Sr/Y (25–45), La/Yb (14–42) and Na2O/K2O (12–49) ratios, high Al2O3 (15.34–18.28 wt%) and moderate to high Sr concentrations (220–498 ppm) and eND (t) (+0.86 to +1.21) values. Low enrichments of Th, Rb relative to Nb, and subequal normalized Nb and La contents, and enrichments of light rare earth elements combine to distinguish a group of Nb-enriched basaltic rocks (NEBs). They have positive eND (t) (+2.57 to +5.16) values. Positive correlations between Th, La and Nb and an absence of negative Nb anomalies on mantle normalized plots indicate the NEBs are products of a mantle source metasomatized by a slab melt rather than by hydrous fluids. A continuous compositional variation between adakites and magnesian andesites confirms slab melt interaction with mantle peridotite. The spatial association of the NEBs with adakites and magnesian andesites define an “adakitic metasomatic volcanic series” recognized in many demonstrably subduction-related environments (e.g., Mindanao arc, Philippines; Kamchatka arc, Russia; and southern Baja California arc, Mexico). The age of the Touhuohe suite, and its correlation with Triassic NEB to the north indicates that volcanism derived from subduction-modified mantle was abundant prior to 220 Ma in the central Qiangtang terrane.

Crustal structure beneath Qiangtang and Lhasa terrane from receiver function

To determine the crustal structure in central Tibet, we used teleseismic waveform data recorded by 18 stations in the INDEPTH-III seismic array across the central Tibet from the central Lhasa terrane to the central Qiangtang terrane. The S-wave velocity structures beneath stations are determined by inverting the stacked radial receiver function using the GA method. The first order features in the receiver function are modeled. Our results show that the Moho in Qiangtang is about 8 km shallower than that in Lhasa terrane along the INDEPTH-III profile. It maybe suggests the northward subduction of the Lhasa mantle lid beneath the Qiangtang terrane is affected by the India-Asia collision. We conclude that there exist low velocity zone in the middle crust across the northern Lhasa and Qiangtang terrane, which can be related to the high temperature upper mantle beneath that.

Detection of southward intracontinental subduction of Tibetan lithosphere along the Bangong-Nujiang suture by P-to-S converted waves

Teleseismic primary (P) to secondary (S) converted waves recorded on the INDEPTH III seismic array have been used to detect lithospheric-scale deformation structures of the central Tibetan Plateau from the central Lhasa terrane to the central Qiangtang terrane. A south-dipping crustal converter is seen from the upper crust near the 500-km-long metamorphic core complex exposures in the Qiangtang terrane to the lower crust near the Bangong-Nujiang suture. At deeper depths, a southeast-dipping mantle converter is seen extending from ∼50 km north of the Bangong- Nujiang suture at the depth of the Moho, to a depth of ∼180 km, ∼100 km south of the Bangong-Nujiang suture. We found the observations to be most consistent with a model of lithospheric deformation involving (1) southward subduction of the Tibetan lithospheric mantle along the Bangong-Nujiang suture and (2) thickening of the central Tibetan crust through a thick-skinned, crustal accretionary thrust-wedge structure in response to the India9s collision with Asia.