Investigation of plateau basin crustal structures and thickening mechanisms in the northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau

This paper uses deep seismic sounding (DSS) data to contrast and analyze the crustal structures of three plateau basins (Songpan-Garze, Qaidam, Longzhong) in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) plateau, as well as two stable cratonic basins (Ordos, Sichuan) in its peripheral areas. Plateau basin crustal structures, lithological variations and crustal thickening mechanisms were investigated. The results show that, compared to the peripheral stable cratonic basins, the crystalline crusts of plateau basins in the northeastern margin are up to 10–15 km thicker, and the relative medium velocity difference is about 5% less. The medium velocity change in crustal layers of plateau basin indicates that the upper crust undergoes brittle deformation, whereas the lower crust deforms plastically with low velocity. The middle crust shows a brittle-to-plastic transition zone in this region. Thickening in the lower crust (about 5–10 km), and rheological characteristics that show lowmedium velocity (relatively reduced by 7%), suggest that crustal thickening mainly takes place in lower crust in the northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau. The crust along the northeastern margin shows evidence of wholesale block movement, and crustal shortening and thickening seem to be the main deformation features of this region. The GPS data show that the block motion modes and crustal thickening in the Tibetan plateau is closely related to the peripheral tectonic stress field and motion direction of the Indian plate. The Mani-YushuXianshuihe fold belt along the boundary between the Qiangtang block and the Bayan Har block divides the different plateau thickening tectonic environments into the middle-western plateau, the northeastern margin and the southeastern plateau.