Deep seismic reflection profiling revealing the complex crustal structure of the Tongling ore district

Deep seismic reflection profiling has been the dominant method for probing the deep structure of continental crust since the initiation of the COCORP in 19741,2]. Over the past few decades, this tool has been applied to diverse geologic features from the Appalachian area of the United States, to the Rhine-graben area in Western Europe and to the Tibetan Pla-teau36]. In recent years, the Australian Geodynamic Cooperative Research Center ( AGCRC ) has applied this technique to the stu…

Deep seismic reflection profiling revealing the complex crustal structure of the Tongling ore district

The deep seismic profiling across the Tongling ore district reveals a complex crustal structure. Strong contrasting dipping layered reflections (4-11 s, TWT),which dominate the lower crust of the northern part of the profile, are interpreted as the underplating of the basalt related to extensional tectonism. In the south of the profile, the Yangtze craton is characterized by strong reflections in the middle crust, showing a distinct two-layer crustal structure. Over the region of the Tongling uplift, there appear the complex arc shape reflections, suggesting folded, faulted and intruded structures, and the transparent zone below them reveals the existence of batholith. The south dipping strong reflections between the upper crust and lower crust (4-7 s, TWT) suggest a detachment between them. The detachment provided space for the magma intrusion, and caused the formation of the batholith. The Yangtze craton has a clear Moho reflection, while the Tongling uplift has a weak Moho, whereas below the reflective lower crust in the northern part of the profile, there are sub-Moho reflections. The abrupt variation of the Moho characteristics within a short distance indicates the complexity of magmatic activity.