Presence of an intralithospheric discontinuity in the central and western North China Craton: Implications for destruction of the craton

Abstract

Research Article| March 01, 2014 Presence of an intralithospheric discontinuity in the central and western North China Craton: Implications for destruction of the craton Ling Chen; Ling Chen State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mingming Jiang; Mingming Jiang State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jinhui Yang; Jinhui Yang State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Zigen Wei; Zigen Wei State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Chuanzhou Liu; Chuanzhou Liu State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Yuan Ling Yuan Ling State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Ling Chen State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Mingming Jiang State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Jinhui Yang State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Zigen Wei State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Chuanzhou Liu State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Yuan Ling State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 11 Aug 2013 Revision Received: 12 Nov 2013 Accepted: 14 Nov 2013 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2014 Geological Society of America Geology (2014) 42 (3): 223–226. https://doi.org/10.1130/G35010.1 Article history Received: 11 Aug 2013 Revision Received: 12 Nov 2013 Accepted: 14 Nov 2013 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Ling Chen, Mingming Jiang, Jinhui Yang, Zigen Wei, Chuanzhou Liu, Yuan Ling; Presence of an intralithospheric discontinuity in the central and western North China Craton: Implications for destruction of the craton. Geology 2014;; 42 (3): 223–226. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G35010.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Detailed knowledge of lithospheric structure is essential for understanding the long-term evolution and dynamics of continents. We present an image of lithospheric structure across the central and western North China Craton (NCC), derived using S and P receiver functions from a dense seismic array. A negative velocity discontinuity is identified at ∼80–100 km depth within the thick lithosphere (∼160–200 km), similar to that observed in many other cratonic regions and roughly at the same depth as the base of the lithosphere in the eastern NCC. The intralithospheric discontinuity may indicate an ancient, mechanically weak layer within the overall strong cratonic lithosphere, and probably also existed beneath the eastern NCC before the Mesozoic. The presence of such a weak layer could have facilitated simultaneous lithospheric modification at the base and the middle of the lithosphere in the eastern NCC, especially under the strong influence of the Mesozoic Pacific subduction, leading to the severe lithospheric thinning and destruction recorded in this region. The weak layer probably did not strongly affect the stability and evolution of the central and western NCC and other cratonic regions where effects from plate boundary processes were weak. Our seismic images, integrated with geological data, provide new insights into structural heterogeneities in the subcontinental lithospheric mantle and their roles in the dynamic evolution of continents. 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