Satellite Gravity Anomalies and Their Correlation with the Major Tectonic Features in the South China Sea

The South China Sea (SCS) is a region of interaction among three major plates: the Pacific, Indo-Australian and Eurasian. The collision of the Indian subcontinent with the Eurasian plate in the northwest, back-arc spreading at the center, and subduction beneath the Philippine plate along Manila trench in the east and the collision along Palawan trough in the south have produced complex tectonic features within and along the SCS. This investigation examines the satellite-derived gravity anomalies of the SCS and compares them with major tectonic features of the area. A map of Bouguer gravity anomaly is derived in conjunction with available seafloor topography to investigate the crustal structure. The residual isostatic gravity anomaly is calculated assuming that the Cenozoic sedimentary load is isostatically compensated. The features in the gravity anomalies in general correlate remarkably well with the major geological features, including offsets in the seafloor spreading segments, major faults, basins, seamounts and other manifestations of magmatism and volcanism on the seafloor. They also correlate with the presumed location of continental-oceanic crust boundary. The region underlain by oceanic crust in the central part of the SCS is characterized by a large positive Bouguer gravity anomaly (220–330 mgal) as well as large free-air and residual isostatic anomalies. There are, however, important differences among spreading segments. For example, in terms of free-air gravity anomaly, the southwest section of mid-ocean has an approximately 50 km wide belt of gravity low superimposed on a broad high of 45 mgal running NW–SE, whereas there are no similar features in other spreading segments. There are indications that gravity anomalies may represent lateral variation in upper crustal density structure. For instance, free air and isostatic anomalies show large positive anomalies in the east of the Namconson basin, which coincide with areas of dense volcanic material known from seismic surveys. The Red River Fault system are clearly identified in the satellite gravity anomalies, including three major faults, Songchay Fault in the southwest, Songlo Fault in the Northeast and Central Fault in the center of the basin. They are elongated in NW–SE direction between 20±30'N and 17°N and reach to Vietnam Scarp Fault around 16°30'N. It is also defined that the crustal density in the south side of the Central Basin is denser than that in the north side of the Central Basin.