Geothermal data analysis at the high-temperature hydrothermal area in Western Sichuan

The western Sichuan hydrothermal area is located at the northeastern margin of the eastern syntaxis of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is also the eastern end of the Mediterranean-Himalayan geothermal activity zone. There are 248 warm or hot springs in this area, and 11 have temperatures beyond the local boiling temperature. Most of these hot springs are distributed along the Jinshajiang, Dege-Xiangcheng, Ganzi-Litang, and Xianshuihe faults, forming a NW-SE hydrothermal belt. A geothermal analysis of this high-temperature hydrothermal area is an important basis for understanding the deep geodynamic process of the eastern syntaxis of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In addition, this study offers an a priori view to utilize geothermal resources, which is important in both scientific research and application. We use gravity, magnetic, seismic, and helium isotope data to analyze the crust-mantle heat flow ratio and deep geothermal structure. The results show that the background terrestrial heat flow descends from southwest to northeast. The crustal heat ratio is not more than 60%. The high temperature hydrothermal active is related to crustal dynamics processes. Along the Batang-Litang-Kangding line, the Moho depth increases eastward, which is consistent with the changing Qc/Qm(crustal/mantle heat flow) ratio trend. The geoid in the hydrothermal zone is 4–6 km higher than the surroundings, forming a local "platform". The NW-SE striking local tensile stress zone and uplift structure in the upper and middle crust corresponds with the surface hydrothermal active zone. There is an average Curie Point Depth(CPD) of 19.5–22.5 km in Batang, Litang, and Kangding. The local shear-wave(S-wave) velocity is relatively low in the middle and lower crust. The S-wave shows a low velocity trap(Vs3.2 km s.1) at 15–30 km, which is considered a high-temperature partial melting magma, the crustal source of the hydrothermal active zone. We conclude that the hydrothermal system in this area can be divided into Batang-type and Kangding-type, both of which rely on a crustal heating cycle of atmospheric precipitation and surface water along the fracture zone. The heat is derived from the middle and lower crust: groundwater penetrates the deep faults bringing geothermal energy back to the surface and forming high-temperature springs.     

Mantle heat flow and thermal structure of the northern block of Southern Granulite Terrain, India

Continental shield regions are normally characterized by low-to-moderate mantle heat flow. Archaean Dharwar craton of the Indian continental shield also follows the similar global pattern. However, some recent studies have inferred significantly higher mantle heat flow for the Proterozoic northern block of Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT) in the immediate vicinity of the Dharwar craton by assuming that the radiogenic elements depleted exposed granulites constitute the 45-km-thick crust. In this study, we use four-layered model of the crustal structure revealed by integrated geophysical studies along a geo-transect in this region to estimate the mantle heat flow. The results indicate that: (i) the mantle heat flow of the northern block of SGT is 17 ± 2 mW/m², supporting the global pattern, and (ii) the lateral variability of 10–12 mW/m² in the surface heat flow within the block is of crustal origin. In terms of temperature, the Moho beneath the eastern Salem–Namakkal region appears to be at 80–100 °C higher temperature than that beneath the western Avinashi region.     

A detailed study of the distribution of heat flow and radioactivity in New Hampshire (U.S.A.)

We present a set of 39 new determinations of heat flow and radiogenic heat production for several different geological environments in the State of New Hampshire (U.S.A.). With the extensive data set now available for the state, the linear relation of heat flow and heat production appears as a very useful generalization for the study of the heat flow field of a geological province. Our measurements indicate that the vertical distribution of radiogenic heat production is similar in plutonic and metasedimentary rocks. Our data are compatible with the linear relationship established earlier by F. Birch and his co-workers in 1968. Young granites are markedly enriched in radioactive elements and those which do not outcrop are revealed by anomalies in the general relation of heat flow versus radioactivity.Heat flow is high for plutons by low elsewhere. The mean heat flow through metasedimentary formations is 1.15 μcal/cm² s (48 mW/m²), a value near the mean heat flow for old cratons. The lowest heat flow measured is 0.76 μcal/cm² s (32 mW/m²) for a unit poor in radioactivity. The heat flow field grades smoothly into the low heat flow regions of the Canadian Shield.The New Hampshire region is in thermal equilibrium: its heat flow is in secular equilibrium with the heat generated by crustal sources and that supplied from the mantle. In this area, the thermal perturbations due to orogenic events decrease below the detection level in less than 200–275 Ma. The thickness of the layer which is thermally affected during continent-continent collision-type orogenies cannot be greater than about 190 km.     

Mantle heat flow and geotherms for major tectonic units in central Europe

The results of seismic measurements along the deep seismic sounding profile VII and terrestrial heat flow measurements used for construction of heat generation models for the crust in the Paleozoic Platform region, the Sudetic Mountains (Variscan Internides) and the European Precambrian Platform show considerable differences in mantle heat flow and temperatures. At the base of the crust variations from 440–510°C in the models of Precambrian Platform to 700–820°C for the Paleozoic Platform and the Variscan Internides (Sudets) are found. These differences are associated with considerable mantle heat flow variations.The calculated models show mantle heat flow of about 8.4–12.6 mW m^–2 for the Precambrian Platform and 31 mW m^–2 to 40.2 mW m^–2 for Paleozoic orogenic areas. The heat flow contribution originating from crustal radioactivity is almost the same for the different tectonic units (from 33.5 mW m^–2 to 37.6 mW m^–2). Considerable physical differences in the lower crust and upper mantle between the Precambrian Platform and the adjacent areas, produced by lateral temperature variations, could be expected. On the basis of carbon ratio data it can be concluded that the Carboniferous paleogeothermal gradient was much lower in the Precambrian Platform area than in the Paleozoic Platform region.     

On the evolution of the geothermal regime of the North China Basin

Recent heat flow and regional geothermal studies indicate that the North China Basin is characterized by relatively high heat flow compared with most stable areas in other parts of the world, but lower heat flow than most active tectonic areas. Measured heat flow values range from 61 to 74 mW m⁻². The temperature at a depth of 2000 m is generally in the range 75 to 85°C, but sometimes is 90°C or higher. The geothermal gradient in Cenozoic sediments is in the range 30 to 40°C/km for most of the area. The calculated temperature at the Moho is 560 and 640°C for surface heat flow values of 63 and 71 mW m⁻², respectively. These thermal data are consistent with other geophysical observations for the North China Basin. Relatively high heat flow in this area is related to Late Cretaceous-Paleogene rifting as described in this paper.     

3D Crustal and Lithospheric Structures in the Southeastern Mediterranean and Northeastern Egypt

Crustal and lithospheric thicknesses of the southeastern Mediterranean Basin region were determined using 3D Bouguer and elevation data analysis. The model is based on the assumption of local isostatic equilibrium. The calculated regional and residual Bouguer anomaly maps were employed for highlighting both deep and shallow structures. Generally, the regional field in the area under study is considered to be mainly influenced by the density contrast between the crust and upper mantle. Use of the gravity and topographic data with earthquake focal depths has improved both the geometry and the density distribution in the 3-D calculated profiles. The oceanic-continental boundary, the basement relief, Moho depth and lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary maps were estimated. The results point to the occurrence of thick continental crust areas with a thickness of approximately 32 km in northern Egypt. Below the coastal regions, the thickness of crust decreases abruptly (transition zone). An inverse correlation between sediment and crustal thicknesses shows up from the study. Furthermore, our density model reveals the existence of a continental crustal zone below the Eratosthenes Seamount block. Nevertheless, the crustal type beneath the Levantine basin is typically oceanic; this is covered by sedimentary sequences more than 14 km thick. The modeled Moho map shows a depth of 28–30 km below Cyprus and a depth of 26–28 km beneath the south Florence Rise in the northern west. However, the Moho lies at a constant shallow depth of 22–24 km below the Levantine Basin, which indicates thinning of the crust beneath this region. The Moho map reveals also a maximum depth of about 33–35 km beneath both the northern Egypt and northern Sinai, both of which are of the continental crust. The resulting mantle density anomalies suggest important variations of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) topography, indicating prominent lithospheric mantle thinning beneath south Cyprus (LAB ~90 km depth), followed by thickening beneath the Eratosthenes seamount, Florence Rise, Levantine Basin and reaching to maximum thickness below Cyprian Arc (LAB ~115–120 km depth), and further followed by thinning in the north African margin plate and north Sinai subplate (LAB ~90–95 km depth). According to our density model profiles, we find that almost all earthquakes in the study area occurred along the western and central segments of the Cyprian arc while they almost disappear along the eastern segment. The active subduction zone in the Cyprian Arc is associated with large negative anomalies due to its low velocity upper mantle zone, which might be an indication of a serpentinized mantle. This means that collision between Cyprus and the Eratosthenes Seamount block is marked by seismic activity. Additionally, this block is in the process of dynamically subsiding, breaking-up and being underthrusted beneath Cyprus to the north and thrusted onto the Levantine Basin to the south.     

Modeling crustal structure of the south-eastern Fennoscandia

We present new seismic velocity models of the crust and uppermost mantle along two refraction and wide-angle reflection profiles in the southern Fennoscandia: the Pribalt and 1-EB profiles. Some new results obtained along the Coast and the Baltic Sea profiles are also presented. The intercept time method and ray tracing are used for the modeling. The study shows that the lateral variations are small in the velocity structure of?? the crust up to the depth of 20?C25 km. The most significant lateral variations are observed in the Moho discontinuity topography and in the seismic velocities in the lower crust. In Paleoproterosoic Svekofennian domain, besides the well-known Moho depression in southern Finland, another Moho depression is revealed in the region from the Gotland Island to the Gulf of Riga. We suggest that this depression can correspond to the unknown crustal unit (we call it the Gotland-Riga belt). The Moho depth increases from the average of 40?C45 km to 55 km in this belt. The Moho depression is filled by the matter with velocities of 6.8?C7.1 km/s. Deep faults inclined to the north and strong variations of the mantle velocities are typical for the uppermost mantle of the Gotland-Riga belt.     

Review of heat flow data from the eastern Mediterranean region

Heat flow data from the eastern Mediterranean region indicates an extensive area of low heat flow, spreading over the whole basin of the Mediterranean east of Crete (Levantine Sea), Cyprus, and northern Egypt. The average of the marine heat flow measurements in the Levantine Sea is 25.7±8.4 mW/m², and the heat flow on Cyprus is 28.0±8.0 mW/m². The estimated values of heat flow in northern Egypt range from 38.3±7.0 to 49.9±9.3 mW/m², apparently with no consistent trend. To the east, on the coast of Israel, the heat flow values increase, ranging from 36.6±22.4 to 56.7±14.2 mW/m² along a SSE trend. The trend apparently correlates with an increase in crustal thickness, which is about 23 km at the north-west base of the Nile-Delta-cone, and close to 40 km beneath Israel.Contribution No. 157, Department of Geology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA.     

Determination of Tectonic and Crustal Structure of the Eastern Pontide Orogenic Belt (NE Turkey) Using Gravity and Magnetic Data

The Eastern Pontide Orogenic Belt is one of the most complex geodynamic settings within the Alpine belt. Subduction polarity, which is responsible for the formation of the Eastern Pontide Magmatic Arc, is still under debate because of limited geological, geophysical and geochemical data. This orogenic belt is mainly divided into three subzones depending on lithological characteristics and facies changes as in Northern, Southern and Axial Zones from North to South. These zones are separated from each other by near-vertical faults that display the block-faulting tectonic style of this belt. In this study, the tectonic and crustal structure of the Eastern Pontides, which as yet have not been prospected by using geophysical data, has been investigated with potential field data. The horizontal gradient map obtained from gravity data shows a number of steep and gentle lineaments. It seems that these lineaments E-W, NE and NW-trending correspond to major structural zones of continental crust. Additionally, The Moho depth and Curie point depth variation maps of the Eastern Pontide Orogenic Belt have been computed with the power spectral method of the radial wavenumber carried out by using the fast Fourier transform method. As a result of this method, we estimated that the depths of the Moho and Curie point varied between 29.0 ± 1.2–47.2 ± 1.9 km and 14.3 ± 0.7–27.9 ± 1.4 km, respectively. Our findings indicate that the Moho depth generally increases from north to south in the region. However, the Curie point depth level within the crust has an undulating surface, not a horizontal one.     

中国南北地震带北段及其周缘地壳厚度与泊松比研究

本文利用中国地震科学探测台阵2013-2015年在南北地震带北段及其周缘架设的673个台站所记录到的远震波形所提取到的接收函数并应用H-κ扫描方法获取了南北地震带北段及其周缘的地壳厚度和泊松比,结果显示研究区地壳厚度从青藏高原东北缘向鄂尔多斯块体逐渐减小,从65 km逐渐减薄至40 km,不同块体之间地壳厚度存在明显差异.祁连造山带西部地壳厚度超过60 km,而东部地壳厚度仅为约50 km左右,表明祁连造山带东、西部地壳增厚变形存在着明显差异.西秦岭造山带地壳厚度从60 km减薄到40 km,其东部具有较薄的地壳厚度可能经历了拆沉.阿拉善块体作为华北克拉通西部块体的一部分,西部地壳厚度约50 km,而东部约45 km,表明阿拉善块体西部由于印度一欧亚板块碰撞也受到了活化改造,其克拉通性质只在其中东部残留.研究区泊松比变化范围为0.20~0.31,平均泊松比约0.25,表明地壳主要由长英质矿物组成,较高的泊松比主要分布在六盘山断裂带和银川一河套地堑.研究结果显示地壳厚度与高程之间具有较好的相关性,表明地壳整体上处于相对均衡的状态,而西秦岭造山带和祁连造山带东部的部分区域地壳可能处于不均衡状态.     

Crust and upper mantle structures beneath Northeast China from receiver function studies

P-wave and S-wave receiver function analyses have been performed along a profile consisted of 27 broadband seismic stations to image the crustal and upper mantle discontinuities across Northeast China. The results show that the average Moho depth varies from about 37 km beneath the Daxing’anling orogenic belt in the west to about 33 km beneath the Songliao Basin, and to about 35 km beneath the Changbai mountain region in the east. Our results reveal that the Moho is generally flat beneath the Daxing’anling region and a remarkable Moho offset (about 4 km) exists beneath the basin-mountain boundary, the Daxing’anling-Taihang Gravity Line. Beneath the Tanlu faults zone, which seperates the Songliao Basin and Changbai region, the Moho is uplift and the crustal thickness changes rapidly. We interpret this feature as that the Tanlu faults might deeply penetrate into the upper mantle, and facilitate the mantle upwelling along the faults during the Cenozoic era. The average depth of the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) is ~80 km along the profile which is thinner than an average thickness of a continental lithosphere. The LAB shows an arc-like shape in the basin, with the shallowest part approximately beneath the center of the basin. The uplift LAB beneath the basin might be related to the extensive lithospheric stretching in the Mesozoic. In the mantle transition zone, a structurally complicated 660 km discontinuity with a maximum 35 km depression beneath the Changbai region is observed. The 35 km depression is roughly coincident with the location of the stagnant western pacific slab on top of the 660 km discontinuity revealed by the recent P wave tomography.     

Combined geothermal-geophysical models of the earth's crust and upper mantle for the European continent

An attempt is made to obtain a combined geophysical model along two regional profiles: Black Sea— White Sea and Russian Platform—French Central Massif. The process of the model construction had the following stages: 1. The relation between seismic velocity (V_p, km/s) and density (σ, g/cm³) in crustal rocks was determined from seismic profiles and observed gravity fields employing the trial and error method. 2. Relations between heat production HP (μW/m³), velocity and density were established from heat flow data and crustal models of old platforms where the mantle heat flow HF_M is supposed to be constant. The HF_M value was also determined to 11 ± 5 mW/m². 3. A petrological model of the old platform crust is proposed from the velocity-density models and the observed heat flow. It includes 10–12 km of acid rocks, 15–20 km of basic/metamorphic rocks and 7–10 km of basic ones. 4. Calculation of the crustal gravity effects; its substraction from the observed field gave the mantle gravity anomalies. Extensively negative anomalies have been found in the southern part of Eastern Europe (50–70 mgal) and in Western Europe (up to 200 mgal). They correlate with high heat flow and lower velocity in the uppermost mantle. 5. A polymorphic advection mechanism for deep tectonic processes was proposed as a thermal model of the upper mantle. Deep matter in active regions is assumed to be transported (advected) upwards under the crust and in its place the relatively cold material of the uppermost mantle descends. The resulting temperature distribution depends on the type of endogeneous regime, on the age and size of geostructure. Polymorphic transitions were also taken into account.     

Heat production in an Archean crustal profile and implications for heat flow and mobilization of heat-producing elements

We have measured concentrations of heat producing elements (Th, U, and K) in 58 samples representative of the main lithologies in a 100 km transect of the Superior Province of the Canadian Shield, from the Michipicoten (Wawa) greenstone belt, near Wawa, Ontario, through a domal gneiss terrane of amphibolite grade, to the granulite belt of the Kapuskasing Structural Zone, near Foleyet. This transect has been interpreted as an oblique cross section through some 25 km of crust, uplifted along a major thrust fault, and thus provides an opportunity to examine in detail a continuous profile into deep continental crust of Archean age. Mean heat production values for these terranes, based on aereal distribution of major rock types and calculated from their Th, U, and K concentrations are: Michipicoten greenstone belt = 0.72 μW m⁻³; Wawa domal gneiss terrane (amphibolite grade) = 1.37 μW m⁻³; Kapuskasing granulites = 0.44 μW m⁻³. Among the silicic plutonic rocks (tonalites, granites, and their derivative gneisses), the relatively large variation in heat production correlates with modal abundances of accessory minerals including allanite, sphene, zircon, and apatite. We interpret these variations as primary (pre-metamorphic). The relatively high weighted mean heat production of the domal gneiss terrane can be accounted for by the larger proportion there of late-stage Th-, U-, and K-rich granitoid plutons. These may have been derived from the underlying Kapuskasing granulite terrane, leaving it slightly depleted in heat producing elements. Transport of Th, U, and K, therefore, could have taken place in silicate melts rather than in aqueous or carbonic metamorphic fluids. This conclusion is supported by the lack of a statistically significant difference in heat production between tonalites, tonalite gneisses and mafic rocks of amphibolite versus granulite grade.The pre-metamorphic radioactivity profile for this crustal section is likely to have been uniformly low, with a mean heat production value less than 1 μW m⁻³. This result is distinctly different from measured profiles in more silicic terranes, which show decreasing heat production with depth. This implies fundamental differences in crustal radioactivity distributions between granitic and more mafic terranes, and may be an important factor in selective reactivation of lithologically different terranes, possibly resulting in preferential stabilization of basic terranes in the geological record. Our results indicate that a previously determined apparently linear heat flow-heat production relationship for the Kapuskasing area does not relate to the distribution of heat production with depth. Low, but significant heat production, 0.4–0.5 μW m⁻³, continues to lower crustal depths with no correlation to the depth parameter from the linear relationship. This low heat production may be a minimum average granulite heat production and suggests that, in general, heat flow through the Moho is 8–10 mW m⁻² lower than the reduced heat flow calculated from the heat flow-heat production regression.     

华北克拉通地壳结构及动力学机制分析

本文对布设在华北克拉通三个陆块的199个宽频带台站记录的远震数据进行了接收函数计算.利用H-κ迭代方法获得了该区域基岩地区的地壳结构,平滑处理后作为背景结构模型中的基岩地区地壳结构;利用相邻算法对沉积层地区的接收函数进行了波形拟合计算,获得了沉积层结构,平滑后作为背景结构模型中的沉积层结构;结合前人的研究成果,完善了研究区域的背景结构模型.以此模型为基础,对接收函数进行了CCP（Common Conversion Point,共转换点）叠加成像,获得了Moho面成像结果,对比沉积层的成像结果发现：西部陆块中鄂尔多斯块体东部地区地壳厚度较大,约为42 km,泊松比较低,小于0.24,为长英质含量较多的地壳层;位于中部陆块的山西地堑地壳厚度小于鄂尔多斯块体,且变化较大,西侧地壳厚度约为40 km,东侧重力梯度带附近地壳厚度迅速减薄至36 km左右,张家口-怀来-大同一带出现了地壳的局部抬升,地壳厚度等值线基本以北北东方向为主,与构造带方向基本一致,地堑内泊松比约为0.26~0.28,前人对此区域的层析成像研究结果表明太行山隆起和阴山隆起存在壳内低速层,推测为地壳部分熔融以及上地幔物质上涌造成的;东部陆块中渤海湾盆地的地壳厚度较薄,约为32 km,部分地区小于30 km,其中冀中坳陷带地壳厚度最薄,约为28 km,沉积层基底分布与Moho面分布呈镜像对称趋势,沉积层较厚地区的地壳较薄,推测东部陆块在太平洋板块俯冲作用下,存在北西-南东向的拉张作用,使其内发育了大量断陷盆地.     

利用远震接收函数揭示的喜马拉雅东构造结台阵下方地壳结构及其动力学意义

在喜马拉雅造山带的东缘,雅鲁藏布江缝合带在这里发生急剧转折,南迦巴瓦变质体快速隆起,然而关于东构造结的形成机制一直未有定论.利用围绕南迦巴瓦峰的48个宽频带地震台站记录的远震数据提取P波接收函数,采用改进的H-κ叠加方法和共转换点叠加方法综合研究了东构造结的地壳厚度、波速比分布和地壳结构特征.结果表明:研究区平均地壳厚度为64.03 km,大部分台站介于60.48~66.55 km范围;平均波速比为1.728,主要集中范围为1.696~1.742.东构造结地壳厚度横向变化剧烈,构造结西端和北端厚而中间薄,东构造结核部Moho面呈现上隆的构造形态,东西向上隆幅度约为6~7 km,南北向的上隆超过9~10 km.东构造结核部地壳上隆减薄可能由高密度、高波速的岩石圈撕裂残片拆沉到上地幔软流圈后重力失衡所致.平均波速比超过1.8的高值异常展布于东构造结的两侧,推测为环东构造结的壳内部分熔融体.东构造结地壳上隆减薄和壳内部分熔融的存在很可能均与幔源热物质的上涌有关,而软流圈地幔的上涌则可能由印度板片的撕裂引起.     

华北克拉通东部地壳和上地幔结构的接收函数研究

利用北京大学和早期中国科学院地质与地球物理研究所在华北克拉通东部地区布设的共34台宽频带地震仪记录的远震体波资料,获取P波接收函数和S波接收函数,再分别通过偏移成像和共转换点叠加(CCP)和倾斜叠加得到了华北克拉通东部横跨郯庐断裂带地区沿剖面的地壳和上地幔速度间断面分布.研究结果表明,鲁西隆起下方的莫霍面的深度要比华北盆地和青岛地区浅约5 km,形成类似屋顶状的莫霍面隆起.郯庐断裂带和聊考断裂带下方的莫霍面有明显的错断.岩石圈与软流圈的分界面(以下简称LAB)的深度从太行山山前的约100 km深度上升到鲁西隆起下方约60 km深,向东在青岛地区下方LAB深度进一步变浅.我们利用倾斜叠加计算台站下方波速比得到地壳内的泊松比变化,结果显示鲁西隆起泊松比值分布相对均匀,而青岛地区内泊松比变化剧烈,可能反应了该地区作为苏鲁大别超高压变质带的北缘经历了较为复杂的地质演化过程.     

大兴安岭造山带及两侧邻区莫霍面深度与泊松比分布特征

利用2009～2016年内蒙古自治区数字地震台网宽频带固定地震台站的远震波形数据,采用接收函数H-k算法获得23个基岩台站下方的莫霍面深度和泊松比,同时,收集并筛选出277个已有探测台阵和流动台站的接收函数研究结果,综合分析给出大兴安岭造山带及两侧邻区莫霍面深度、泊松比的分布特征。研究表明,研究区域的莫霍面在整体上呈现自东向西逐渐加深的特征,莫霍面深度为25.0～42.3km,平均约为33.5km。莫霍面最浅的区域为松辽盆地(深度为27.0～35.0km),最深的区域为大兴安岭重力梯级带以西地区(深度为41.0～42.3km)。研究区域泊松比为0.19～0.33,平均值为0.26,大于全球大陆地壳的平均值。泊松比高值异常区集中在火山岩区及具有较厚沉积层的盆地。台站所处位置的海拔与莫霍面深度之间具有较强的正相关性,艾里补偿模式在研究区成立,莫霍面起伏与区域地形地貌特征间具有显著的镜像关系。大兴安岭地区的莫霍面深度与泊松比间存在显著的反相关关系,而在松辽盆地及周缘地区未发现明显的规律性,这也意味着松辽盆地在构造演化过程中经历了更为复杂的地壳改造过程。     

Crustal growth and tectonic evolution of the Tianshan orogenic belt,NW China: A receiver function analysis

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) represents the world's largest Phanerozoic accretionary orogen, the major phase of which was built during the closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. The Tianshan orogenic belt forms the southwestern segment of the CAOB and has been the focus of investigations related to the evolution of the CAOB. Here we present results from an analysis of the crustal structure and upper mantle discontinuity beneath the Chinese Tianshan by employing H-k stacking technique as well as depth domain and synthetic receiver functions. Our results identify a double peak of Moho Ps in the Tianshan orogenic belt, suggesting the possibility of insertion of the lower crust of the Tarim Basin into this belt, with the latter retaining its initial crustal architecture. Our results provide insights into the dynamics of northward extrusion and the N–S trending crustal shortening of the Tianshan orogen during the convergence of the India and Eurasia blocks.     

Two-Dimensional Geothermal Modelling Along the Central Pontides Magmatic Arc: Implications for the Geodynamic Evolution of Northern Turkey

The Pontides, which can be divided tectonically into three main segments as Eastern, Central, and Western Pontides, is one of the most complex geodynamic settings within the Alpine belt. The Central Pontides, where the Eastern and Western Pontides met and formed a tectonic knot, represent an amalgamated tectonic mosaic consisting of remnants of oceanic, continental, and island arc segments. Subduction polarity, which is responsible for the formation of the Pontides, is still under debate because of limited geological, geophysical, and geochemical data. Two-dimensional (2-D) thermal modelling studies along the Central Pontides magmatic arc (Northern Turkey), Sakarya and Kırşehir continents are investigated in order to delineate the crustal thermal structure and subduction polarity. The obtained numerical results indicate that arc and back-arc regions are hot because of the cooling effects of a subducting plate. Moho temperatures in the investigated region are found between 992°C in the south (back-arc) and 415°C in the north (arc). Moreover, mantle heat flow values vary from 57.2 mWm⁻² in the south (back-arc) to 34.7 mWm⁻² in the north (arc). It is shown from this study that the Eurasia plate had moved from north to south under the Anatolia plate along the south Black Sea coast.