2D model of the crust and uppermost mantle along rift profile, Siberian craton

A two-dimensional model of the crust and uppermost mantle for the western Siberian craton and the adjoining areas of the Pur-Gedan basin to the north and Baikal Rift zone to the south is determined from travel time data from recordings of 30 chemical explosions and three nuclear explosions along the RIFT deep seismic sounding profile. This velocity model shows strong lateral variations in the crust and sub-Moho structure both within the craton and between the craton and the surrounding region. The Pur-Gedan basin has a 15-km thick, low-velocity sediment layer overlying a 25-km thick, high-velocity crystalline crustal layer. A paleo-rift zone with a graben-like structure in the basement and a high-velocity crustal intrusion or mantle upward exists beneath the southern part of the Pur-Gedan basin. The sedimentary layer is thin or non-existent and there is a velocity reversal in the upper crust beneath the Yenisey Zone. The Siberian craton has nearly uniform crustal thickness of 40–43 km but the average velocity in the lower crust in the north is higher (6.8–6.9 km/s) than in the south (6.6 km/s). The crust beneath the Baikal Rift zone is 35 km thick and has an average crustal velocity similar to that observed beneath the southern part of craton. The uppermost mantle velocity varies from 8.0 to 8.1 km/s beneath the young West Siberian platform and Baikal Rift zone to 8.1–8.5 km/s beneath the Siberian craton. Anomalous high Pn velocities (8.4–8.5 km/s) are observed beneath the western Tunguss basin in the northern part of the craton and beneath the southern part of the Siberian craton, but lower Pn velocities (8.1 km/s) are observed beneath the Low Angara basin in the central part of the craton. At about 100 km depth beneath the craton, there is a velocity inversion with a strong reflecting interface at its base. Some reflectors are also distinguished within the upper mantle at depth between 230 and 350 km.     

Lithospheric structure of the Tien Shan region constrained by joint inversion of receiver function and Rayleigh wave dispersion

We obtain a lithospheric shear‐wave velocity model across the Tien Shan orogenic belt by jointly inverting Rayleigh wave group velocities and teleseismic P‐wave receiver functions at 61 broadband seismic stations deployed in this region. Our new model reveals prominent lateral variations of shear‐wave velocity in both the crust and uppermost mantle. This model reveals different structures in the upper and middle crust across the Talas Fergana Fault, which may suggest the presence of a tectonic boundary between the western and central Tien Shan beneath the fault. According to the velocity images, the depth extent of the fault is ~40 km and this is confined to the crust. Pronounced low‐velocity anomalies are imaged in the middle crust and uppermost mantle beneath the southern and middle Tien Shan, implying that the upwelling of the materials from the upper mantle could have played an important role in the mountain building.     

Crustal and upper mantle S-wave velocity structure beneath the Bransfield Strait (West Antarctica) from regional surface wave tomography

Regional surface wave tomography in the sub-Antarctic Scotia Sea is helpful in revealing the nature of the crust and the S-wave seismic velocity profile beneath the Bransfield Strait. The joint use of our regional network, global seismographic network stations and local temporary arrays provide better lateral resolution than that obtained in our previous studies concerning the Scotia Sea region.Tomographic analysis of data obtained using 10 broad band seismic stations and more than 300 regional events, shows that the Bransfield Basin is characterised by a strong group velocity reduction of 8% with respect to the surrounding areas, in the period range from 15 s to 50 s.The crustal and upper mantle models of the eastern, central and western Bransfield Basin are obtained by joint inversion of Rayleigh and Love local dispersion curves from 15 s to 50 s. In addition our data set is expanded to a broader period interval (1–80 s), in central Bransfield Strait in order to better constrain the upper mantle and shallow crust.The main results can be summarized as follows: (a) the crust thins distinctly from W toward E; the variation is consistent with the type of volcanism, earthquake distribution and bathymetric observations, (b) low upper mantle velocities (soft lid) extend down to depths exceeding 70 km as a consequence of elevated temperatures, (c) the crust beneath the central Bransfield Basin displays continental characteristics with a gradually increasing S-wave velocity distribution versus depth analogous to the East African Rift structure of Kenya, (d) negative velocity gradients are present in the lower crust beneath the eastern Bransfield Basin; these could be interpreted as magmatic bodies originating from decompression melting of the mantle.     

On the use of rayleigh wave group velocities for the analysis of continental margins

Rayleigh wave group velocities provide a low-cost means for a quick assessment of averaged local properties of the Earth's crust in continental margin regions of the Atlantic type. Sufficiently accurate measurements (with a standard error of 0.3 km/s or less) of group velocities in continental shelf areas at periods between 5 and 30 seconds provide important information about structural parameters. They may resolve the Moho depth to within 4 or 5 km, depending on crustal thickness and give useful estimates of the average velocities in the upper part of the crust. The group velocities of Rayleigh waves in this period range are influenced most by the shear velocity at all depths and the compressional velocity and the density near the surface. For continental rise regions, the dominating influence of the water layer limits the effectiveness of the method.     

Crustal structure of the East African Rift zone

A review of seismological data on the crustal structure of the East African Rift zone is presented. The only refraction line is that along the Gregory Rift, which indicates a 7.5 km/sec refractor which is presumed to be the Moho. The bulk of data is provided by surface-wave dispersion studies. Some preliminary measurements of crustal and sub-Moho velocities using the University of Durham array at Kaptagat in Kenya are included.

There is now a growing body of evidence that the crust is generally of shield type over the whole rift zone. The exception is along the axis of the Gregory Rift, where a low-velocity Moho and some crustal modification is apparent. This is presumably the result of magma intrusions and suggests some crustal separation along this section of the rift. Sub-Moho velocities are probably normal outside the rifts themselves, though anomalously low upper-mantle velocities are to be associated with rifting. There is firm evidence for thinning of the lithosphere along the eastern branch of the rift. A cross-section of the Gregory Rift which is consistent with the current data is presented.     

Crustal structure beneath the central Tien Shan from ambient noise tomography

Through analysis of seismic ambient noise recorded by the GHENGIS array, we constructed a high‐resolution 3‐D crustal shear‐wave velocity model for the central Tien Shan. The obtained shear‐wave velocity model provides insight into the detailed crustal structure beneath the Tien Shan. The results obtained at shallow depths are well correlated with known subsurface geological features. Low velocities are found mainly beneath sedimentary basins, whereas high velocities are mainly associated with mountain ranges. At greater depths of ~43–45 km, high velocities were observed beneath the Tarim Basin and Kazakh Shield; these high velocities extend forward in opposite directions and tilt down towards the central Tien Shan to a depth of in excess of 50 km, most likely reflecting lateral variations in crustal thickness beneath the Tien Shan and surrounding platforms.     

Magmatism at continental passive margins inferred from Ambient‐Noise Phase‐velocity in the Gulf of Aden

Non‐volcanic continental passive margins have traditionally been considered to be tectonically and magmatically inactive once continental breakup has occurred and seafloor spreading has commenced. We use ambient‐noise tomography to constrain Rayleigh‐wave phase‐velocity maps beneath the eastern Gulf of Aden (eastern Yemen and southern Oman). In the crust, we image low velocities beneath the Jiza‐Qamar (Yemen) and Ashawq‐Salalah (Oman) basins, likely caused by the presence of partial melt associated with magmatic plumbing systems beneath the rifted margin. Our results provide strong evidence that magma intrusion persists after breakup, modifying the composition and thermal structure of the continental margin. The coincidence between zones of crustal intrusion and steep gradients in lithospheric thinning, as well as with transform faults, suggests that magmatism post‐breakup may be driven by small‐scale convection and enhanced by edge‐driven flow at the juxtaposition of lithosphere of varying thickness and thermal age.     

A top to bottom lithospheric study of Africa and Arabia

We study the lithospheric structure of Africa, Arabia and adjacent oceanic regions with fundamental-mode surface waves over a broad period range. Including group velocities with periods shorter than 35 s allows us to examine shallower features than previous studies of the whole continent. In the process, we have developed a crustal thickness map of Africa. Main features include crustal thickness increases under the West African, Congo, and Kalahari cratons. We find crustal thinning under Mesozoic and Cenozoic rifts, including the Benue Trough, Red Sea, and East, Central, and West African rift systems, along with less abrupt crustal thickness changes at passive continental margins. We also find crustal thickness differences in North Africa between the West African Craton and East Saharan Shield. Crustal shear wave velocities are generally faster in oceanic regions and cratons, and slower in more recent crust and in active and remnant orogenic regions. Deeper structure, related to the thickness of cratons and modern rifting, is generally consistent with previous work. Under cratons we find thick lithosphere and fast upper mantle velocities, while under rifts we find thinned lithosphere and slower upper mantle velocities. However, we also find the lack of a thick cratonic keel beneath the central portion of the Congo Craton. There are no consistent effects in areas classified as hotspots, indicating that there seem to be numerous origins for these features. Finally, it appears that the African Superswell, which is responsible for high elevation and uplift over large portions of Africa, has had a significantly different impact (as indicated by features such as temperature, time of influence, etc.) in the north and the south. This is consistent with episodic activity at shallow depths, which is well-expressed in northeastern Africa and Arabia today.     

Crustal and upper mantle S-wave velocity structures across the Taiwan Strait from ambient seismic noise and teleseismic Rayleigh wave analyses

Although orogeny tapers off in western Taiwan large and small earthquakes do occur in the Taiwan Strait, a region largely untouched in previous studies owing mostly to logistical reasons. But the overall crustal structure of this region is of particular interest as it may provide a hint of the proto-Taiwan before the orogeny.By combining time domain empirical Green’s function (TDEGF) from ambient seismic noise using station-pairs and traditional surface wave two-station method (TS) we are able to construct Rayleigh wave phase velocity dispersion curves between 5 and 120 s. Using Broadband Array in Taiwan for Seismology (BATS) stations in Taiwan and in and across the Strait we are able to derive average 1-D Vs structures in different parts of this region. The results show significant shear velocity differences in the upper 15 km crust as expected. In general, the highest Vs in the upper crust observed in the coastal area of Mainland China and the lowest Vs appears along the southwest offshore of the Taiwan Island; they differ by about 0.6–1.1 km/s. For different parts of the Strait, the upper crust Vs structures are lower in the middle by about 0.1–0.2 km/s relative to those in the northern and southern parts. The upper mantle Vs structure (Moho – 150 km) beneath the Taiwan Strait is about 0.1–0.3 km/s lower than the AK135 model. The overall crustal thickness is approximately 30 km, much thinner and less variable than under the Taiwan Island. The inversion of seismic velocity structures using shorter period band dispersion data in the sea areas with water depth deeper than 1000 m should take water layer into consideration except for the continental shelves.     

Structure of the crust and uppermost mantle of the Yanshan Belt and adjacent regions at the northeastern boundary of the North China Craton from Rayleigh Wave Dispersion Analysis

We have used Rayleigh wave dispersion analysis and inversion to produce a high resolution S-wave velocity imaging profile of the crust and uppermost mantle structure beneath the northeastern boundary regions of the North China Craton (NCC). Using waveform data from 45 broadband NCISP stations, Rayleigh wave phase velocities were measured at periods from 10 to 48 s and utilized in subsequent inversions to solve for the S-wave velocity structure from 15 km down to 120 km depth. The inverted lower crust and uppermost mantle velocities, about 3.75 km/s and 4.3 km/s on average, are low compared with the global average. The Moho was constrained in the depth range of 30–40 km, indicating a typical crustal thickness along the profile. However, a thin lithosphere of no more than 100 km was imaged under a large part of the profile, decreasing to only ~ 60 km under the Inner Mongolian Axis (IMA) where an abnormally slow anomaly was observed below 60 km depth. The overall structural features of the study region resemble those of typical continental rift zones and are probably associated with the lithospheric reactivation and tectonic extension widespread in the eastern NCC during Mesozoic–Cenozoic time. Distinctly high velocities, up to ~ 4.6 km/s, were found immediately to the south of the IMA beneath the northern Yanshan Belt (YSB), extending down to > 100-km depth. The anomalous velocities are interpreted as the cratonic lithospheric lid of the region, which may have not been affected by the Mesozoic–Cenozoic deformation process as strongly as other regions in the eastern NCC. Based on our S-wave velocity structural image and other geophysical observations, we propose a possible lithosphere–asthenosphere interaction scenario at the northeastern boundary of the NCC. We speculate that significant undulations of the base of the lithosphere, which might have resulted from the uneven Mesozoic–Cenozoic lithospheric thinning, may induce mantle flows concentrating beneath the weak IMA zone. The relatively thick lithospheric lid in the northern YSB may serve as a tectonic barrier separating the on-craton and off-craton regions into different upper mantle convection systems at the present time.     

The evolution of the layered lower crust and the Moho through geological time in Western Europe: contribution of deep seismic reflection profiles

Deep seismic reflection images from a set of profiles shot in Western Europe have been reviewed and compared, and tentative conclusions have been proposed concerning the evolution of the layered lower crust and the Moho. The disappearance of Variscan mountain roots is related to the set-up of a new Moho at a typical 30-km depth and the creation of seismic layering in the lower crust. Deep seismic profiles suggest that these processes resulted, at least in part, from magmatic intrusion, partial crustal melting and metamorphism of deep crustal rocks into eclogite. On the other hand, the layered lower crust is greatly attenuated beneath Cretaceous basins and Tertiary rifts in relation to prominent Moho upwellings. The unusual amplitude of the Moho reflection and the presence of anomalously high seismic velocities in the lowermost crust beneath the Tertiary rifts suggest that the Moho and part of the layering are comparatively young features related to interactions between crust and mantle. Beneath Triassic-Jurassic basins, the layered lower crust was not affected by the subsidence of the basement, with the whole crustal thinning being entirely concentrated in the upper crust. This indicates that the layered lower crust and the Moho were formed or restored during or after the main rifting phase. Seismic data reveal constraints on the processes that affect the crust-mantle transition and seem to restore the Moho to its typical depth after any mechanical deformation of the lithosphere.     

Imaging of Vp, Vs, and Poisson’s ratio anomalies beneath Kyushu, southwest Japan: Implications for volcanism and forearc mantle wedge serpentinization

We determine detailed 3-D V_p and V_s structures of the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the Kyushu Island, southwest Japan, using a large number of arrival times from local earthquakes. From the obtained V_p and V_s models, we further calculate Poisson’s ratio images beneath the study area. By using this large data set, we successfully image the 3-D seismic velocity and Poisson’s ratio structures beneath Kyushu down to a depth of 150 km with a more reliable spatial resolution than previous studies. Our results show very clear low V_p and low V_s anomalies in the crust and uppermost mantle beneath the northern volcanoes, such as Abu, Kujyu and Unzen. Low-velocity anomalies are seen in the mantle beneath most other volcanoes. In contrast, there are no significant low-velocity anomalies in the crust or in the upper mantle between Aso and Kirishima. The subducting Philippine Sea slab is imaged generally as a high-velocity anomaly down to a depth of 150 km with some patches of normal to low seismic wave velocities. The Poisson’s ratio is almost normal beneath most volcanoes. The crustal seismicity is distributed in both the high- and low-velocity zones, but most distinctly in the low Poisson’s ratio zone. A high Poisson’s ratio region is found in the forearc crustal wedge above the slab in the junction area with Shikoku and Honshu; this high Poisson’s ratio could be caused by fluid-filled cracks induced by dehydration from the Philippine Sea slab. The Poisson’s ratio is normal to low in the forearc mantle in middle-south Kyushu. This is consistent with the absence of low-frequency tremors, and may indicate that dehydration from the subducting crust is not vigorous in this region.     

Seismic Velocity Structure and Composition of the Continental Crust of Eastern China

On the basis of a one-by-one latitude-longitude grid three-dimensional seismic velocity model, the crustal P-wave velocity structure in eastern China (105-125°E and 18-41°N) is obtained, and a set of geotherms for each grid is established for P-T correction on P-wave velocities. The average depths of sub-crustal layers and their average P-wave velocities of 18 tectonic units in eastern China are exhibited. Our result presents a 32-34 km thick crust beneath eastern China, which is thinner than previous studies, with an average velocity of 6.54 km/s, corresponding to a 5 kg/m3 variation in crustal mean density. The thicker upper but thinner middle and lower crust results in a lower average seismic velocity of eastern China. An intermediate crustal composition with a SiO2 content of 59.7 wt% has been estimated. However, there exists a significant lateral variation in the crustal structures among the tectonic units of eastern China. The structure and composition features of some regions in eastern China in     

vp/vs Estimation in Tibetan Crust From Inversion of Surface Wave Dispersions

v_p/v_s ESTIMATION IN TIBETAN CRUST FROM INVERSION OF SURFACE WAVE DISPERSIONS     

Interpretation of a seismic-refraction survey across the Arabian shield in western Saudi Arabia

In February 1978 seismic-refraction profiles were recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey along a 1000 km line across the Arabian Shield in western Saudi Arabia. This report presents a traveltime and relative amplitude study in the form of velocity-depth functions for each individual profile assuming horizontally flat layering. The corresponding cross section of the lithosphere showing lines of equal velocity reaches to a depth of 60–80 km.The crust thickens abruptly from 15 km beneath the Red Sea Rift to about 40 km beneath the Arabian Shield. The upper crust of the western Arabian Shield yields relatively high-velocity material at about 10 km depth underlain by velocity inversions, while the upper crust of the eastern Shield is relatively uniform. The lower crust with a velocity of about 7 km/s is underlain by a transitional crust-mantle boundary. For the lower lithosphere beneath 40 km depth the data indicate the existence of a laterally discontinuous lamellar structure where high-velocity zones are intermixed with zones of lower velocities. Beneath the crust-mantle boundary of the Red Sea rift most probably strong velocity inversions exist. Here, the data do not allow a detailed modelling, velocities as low as 6.0 km/s seem to be encountered between 25 and 44 km depth.     

Radial anisotropy in the crust and upper mantle beneath the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and surrounding regions

Relative SV and SH wave speeds are generally attributed to radial seismic anisotropy which can be used as the indicator of crust/mantle deformation styles. Surface wave data were initially collected from events of magnitude Ms  5.0 and shallow or moderate focal depth occurring between 1980 and 2002: 713 of them generated Rayleigh waves and 660 Love waves, which were recorded by 13 broadband digital stations in Eurasia and India. Up to 1525 source-station Rayleigh waveforms and 1464 Love wave trains were earlier analysed by multiple filtering to obtain Love- and Rayleigh wave group velocity curves in the broad period range 10–105 s. We have performed tomographic inversion to obtain period-dependent group velocity and further shear wave velocity at 2° × 2°-sized grid-cells of a mesh covering the model region, after averaging azimuthal effects. Horizontally and vertically varying shear-wave velocities are observed, but the models of isotropic seismic velocity in the crust and upper mantle cannot fit simultaneously the inverted group-velocity dispersion curves due to the discrepancy in the transmission velocities of Love and Rayleigh waves, whose likely origin is the existence of radial anisotropy in the continental crust and topmost mantle. The strength of radial anisotropy computed from the Love–Rayleigh discrepancy and its spatial extent beneath the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are shown as maps of percentage anisotropy at various depths down to 170 km and cross-sections along five profiles of reference. Areas in which radial anisotropy is in excess of 6% are found in the crust and upper mantle underlying most of the plateau, and even up to 10% in some places. The strength and spatial configuration of radial anisotropy seem to indicate the existence of a regime of horizontal compressive forces in the frame of the convergent Himalayan–Tibetan orogen, the laterally variation of the lithospheric rheology and the differential movement as regards the compressive driving forces.     

青藏高原错那—沃卡裂谷中部电性结构及其动力学意义

藏南裂谷作为青藏高原最显著的伸展构造样式之一,是研究高原生长过程的重要窗口,但目前其深部成因机制仍存在较大争议。本文利用沿错那—沃卡裂谷中部的大地电磁数据,分析裂谷区域的大地电磁测深曲线特征和相位张量,并通过三维大地电磁反演获得邛多江地堑和沃卡地堑深部电性结构。三维大地电磁反演结果显示,沃卡地堑和邛多江地堑深部存在一条连续的显著高导异常,并呈现“俯冲”形态,且上覆高阻结构体,而在邛多江地堑两侧浅部则分布低阻异常。结合早期的研究结果,本文支持错那—沃卡裂谷深部的高导异常为地壳部分熔融,可能与南向地壳流相关,并研究认为在南北向持续挤压作用下,裂谷下方的弱地壳层,通过解耦上地壳和下部地壳,促进了藏南裂谷系的发育。     

Partial Melting and Its Implications for Understanding the Seismic Velocity Structure within the Southern Tibetan Crust

In order to constrain the crustal wave velocity structure in the southern Tibetan crust and provide insight into the contribution of crustal composition, geothermal gradient and partial melting to the velocity structure, which is characterized by low average crustal velocities and widespread presence of low-velocity zone(s), the authors model the crustal velocity and density as functions of depth corresponding to various heat flow values in light of velocity measurements at high temperature and high pressure. The modeled velocity and density are regarded as comparison standards. The comparison of the standards with seismic observations in southern Tibet implies that the predominantly felsic composition at high heat flow cannot explain the observed velocity structure there. Hence, the authors are in favor of attributing low average crustal velocities and low-velocity zone(s) observed in southern Tibet mainly to partial melting. Modeling based on the experimental results suggests that a melting percentage     

Crustal structure of the Kaapvaal craton and its significance for early crustal evolution

High-quality seismic data obtained from a dense broadband array near Kimberley, South Africa, exhibit crustal reverberations of remarkable clarity that provide well-resolved constraints on the structure of the lowermost crust and Moho. Receiver function analysis of Moho conversions and crustal multiples beneath the Kimberley array shows that the crust is 35 km thick with an average Poisson's ratio of 0.25. The density contrast across the Moho is 15%, indicating a crustal density about 2.86 gm/cc just above the Moho, appropriate for felsic to intermediate rock compositions. Analysis of waveform broadening of the crustal reverberation phases suggests that the Moho transition can be no more than 0.5 km thick and the total variation in crustal thickness over the 2400 km² footprint of the array no more than 1 km. Waveform and travel time analysis of a large earthquake triggered by deep gold mining operations (the Welkom mine event) some 200 km away from the array yield an average crustal thickness of 35 km along the propagation path between the Kimberley array and the event. P- and S-wave velocities for the lowermost crust are modeled to be 6.75 and 3.90 km/s, respectively, with uppermost mantle velocities of 8.2 and 4.79 km/s, respectively. Seismograms from the Welkom event exhibit theoretically predicted but rarely observed crustal reverberation phases that involve reflection or conversion at the Moho. Correlation between observed and synthetic waveforms and phase amplitudes of the Moho reverberations suggests that the crust along the propagation path between source and receiver is highly uniform in both thickness and average seismic velocity and that the Moho transition zone is everywhere less than about 2 km thick. While the extremely flat Moho, sharp transition zone and low crustal densities beneath the region of study may date from the time of crustal formation, a more geologically plausible interpretation involves extensive crustal melting and ductile flow during the major craton-wide Ventersdorp tectonomagmatic event near the end of Archean time.     

Distinct variations of crustal shear wave velocity structure and radial anisotropy beneath the North China Craton and tectonic implications

This study presents the crustal shear wave velocity structure and radial anisotropy along two linear seismic arrays across the North China Craton (NCC) from ambient noise tomography. About a half to one year long ambient noise data from 87 stations were used for obtaining the inter-station surface wave empirical Green's functions (EGFs) from cross-correlation. Rayleigh and Love dispersion curves within the period band 5–30 s were measured from the EGFs of the vertical and transverse components, respectively. These dispersion data were then used to determine the crustal shear wave velocity structure (V_SV and V_SH) and radial anisotropy (2(V_SH ? V_SV) / (V_SH + V_SV)) from point-wise linear inversion with constraints from receiver function analysis. Our results reveal substantial structural variations among different parts of the NCC. The Bohai Bay Basin in the eastern NCC is underlain by a thin crust (~ 30 km) with relatively low velocities (particularly V_SV) and large positive radial anisotropy in the middle to lower crust. Such a crustal structure is no longer of a cratonic type and may have resulted from the widespread tectonic extension and intensive magmatism in this region since late Mesozoic. Beneath the Ordos Basin in the western NCC, the crust is relatively thicker (≥ 40 km) and well stratified, and presents a large-scale low velocity zone in the middle to lower crust and overall weak radial anisotropy except for a localized lower crust anomaly. The overall structural features of this region resemble those of typical Precambrian shields, in agreement with the long-term stability of the region. The crustal structure under the Trans North China Orogen (TNCO, central NCC) is more complicated and characterized by smaller scale velocity variations, strong positive radial anisotropy in the middle crust and rapid change to weak-to-negative anisotropy in the lower crust. These features may reflect complex deformations and crust–mantle interactions, probably associated with tectonic extension and magmatic underplating during the Mesozoic to Cenozoic evolution of the region. Our structural images in combination with previous seismic, geological and geochemical observations suggest that the Phanerozoic lithospheric reactivation and destruction processes may have affected the crust (especially the middle and lower crust) of the eastern NCC, and the effect probably extended to the TNCO, but may have minor influence on the crust of the western part of the craton.