Characteristics of Conrad Discontinuity in the Northern Margin of Tibet Plateau Obtained from Regional Seismic Data

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Biao Yang ◽  
Yanbin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Qaidam Basin ◽  
Lower Boundary ◽  
Historical Earthquakes ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Upper Crust ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Northern Margin ◽  
Waveform Simulation

<p>Qaidam Basin, located in the northern margin of the Tibet Plateau, is the junction of several tectonic blocks. The blocks’ extrusion resulted in large faults and strong historical earthquakes. Previous studies have shown that the crustal structures of the eastern and the western Qaidam Basin are obviously different. In this study, the seismic reflection and refraction phases from Conrad and Moho discontinuity in Qaidam Basin are distinguished by waveform simulation and travel time fitting of 3 regional earthquakes on 32 stations. The results of travel time fitting and waveform simulation show that the first arrivals in the epicenter range of 90km ~ 260km are the P* phases from the Conrad discontinuity. The depth of Conrad discontinuity under the eastern basin is about 4 km shallower than that in the western basin, which can be attributed to different crust thickening models between the eastern and western basin. In addition, the focal depths of regional earthquakes occurred within recent 5 years in Qaidam region also shows the difference of the Conrad discontinuity. The Conrad discontinuity is considered to be the lower boundary of the low velocity layer in the upper crust. The upper crust thickening in the western basin led to the sinking of the layer, while the multiple thrusts resulted in the rise of the lower crust in the east. The two different effects could interpret the depth change of the Conrad discontinuity in the basin from the west to the east. </p>

Geothermal regime in the Qaidam basin, northeast Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

2003 ◽  
Vol 140 (6) ◽  
pp. 707-719 ◽  
Author(s):  
QIU NANSHENG
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Heat Production ◽  
Thermal State ◽  
Qaidam Basin ◽  
Thermal Structure ◽  
Flow Distribution ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Upper Crust ◽  
Production Values ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

The thermal properties of rocks in the upper crust of the Qaidam basin are given based on measurements of 98 thermal conductivities and 50 heat production values. Nineteen new measured heat flow data were obtained from thermal conductivity data and systematic steady-state temperature data. This paper contributes 28 calculated heat flow values for the basin for the first time. Examination of 47 heat flow values, ranging from 31.3 to 70.4 mW/m2 with an average value of 52.6±9.6 mW/m2, gives the heat flow distribution character of the basin: high heat flows over 60 mW/m2 are distributed in the western and central parts of the basin. Lower heat flow values are found in the eastern part and north marginal area of the basin, with values less 40 mW/m2. The Qaidam basin heatflow data show a linear relationship between heatflow and heat production, based on thermal structure analysis. The thermal structure of the lithosphere is characterized as having a ‘hot crust’ but ‘cold mantle’. Heat production in the upper crust is a significant source of heat in the basin and contributes up to 56.8% of the surface heat flow. The heat flow province is of great geophysical significance, and the thermal structure of the area gives clues about the regional geodynamics. Study of the Qaidam basin thermal structure shows that the crust has been highly active, particularly during its most recent geological evolution. This corresponds to Himalayan tectonic movements during latest Eocene to Quaternary times in the region of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Since the Qaidam basin is in the northeastern area of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, the heat flow values and the thermal structure of the basin may give some insight into the thermal state of the plateau, and study of thermal regime of the Qaidam basin could in turn provide useful information about the tectonics of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.

3D Crustal P-Wave Velocity Structure for the Ordos block and Its Adjacent Area based on travel time tomography

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaning Liu ◽  
Jianping Wu
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Seismic Events ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
The West ◽  
Seismic Observation ◽  
Travel Time Tomography ◽  
Ordos Block

<p>The Ordos block is located on the west side of the North China Carton, adjacent to the northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau. Affected by two tectonic movements, Ordos block internal structure remains relatively stable structure, but surrounded by active tectonic belts. With the development of the second and third part of the “China Seismological Science Array”, the distribution of seismic observation stations in Ordos region has been greatly improved. This study will use the new seismic observation data of "Array III", and combined with the phase observation data of "Array II" to form a more complete seismic phase travel time data set. The regional seismic body-wave travel time tomography will figure out a more reliable three-dimensional velocity structure of P waves in Ordos.</p><p>Our study area spans from 32°N to 42°N and 108°E to 114°E , which includes the Ordos block and its adjacent structures . The seismic data we used for inversion were recorded by 1244 stations including: 198 permanent stations and 1043 temporary stations (ChinArray II and III), from November 2013 to August 2017. After manual labeled the seismic phase, we select events with more than ten phase records of individual seismic events. The epicentral distance is less than 200km. Finally, we obtained about 22,500 phase records of 1882 local seismic events.</p><p>The preliminary results are consistent with previous studies and surface structures of a wide range of velocity distributions. However, in the middle-upper crust under the Liupan Mountain west, the low-speed anomaly extending downward is shown, which may be caused by the shallow crustal damage caused with the continuous eastward compression of asthenosphere in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the Cenozoic. It is worth noting that there is an EW-trending low-velocity zone under the Dingbian-Suide fault beneath the Ordos Basin, with a depth form lower crust to 50 km in upper mantel. This low-velocity anomaly divides the high-speed disturbance in the Ordos block into two parts，indicate the depth of the fault can reach the upper mantel. In the Taihang Mountains in the west of the study area, low-velocity anomalies extending to the upper layer of the mantle are shown. We initially believe that this anomaly is related to the volcanic thermal motion that once existed on the area.</p>

Upper crustal structure of NW Iran revealed by regional 3-D Pg velocity tomography

2020 ◽  
Vol 222 (2) ◽  
pp. 1093-1108
Author(s):  
Mehdi Maheri-Peyrov ◽  
Abdolreza Ghods ◽  
Stefanie Donner ◽  
Maryam Akbarzadeh-Aghdam ◽  
Farhad Sobouti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Historical Earthquakes ◽  
Velocity Model ◽  
Central Iran ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Upper Crust ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Nw Iran ◽  
Velocity Region

SUMMARY We present the result of a 3-D Pg tomography in NW Iran to better understand the relationship between seismicity and velocity structure within the young continental collision system. In this regard, we have collected 559 07 Pg traveltime readings from 3963 well located earthquakes recorded by 353 seismic stations including 121 stations from four new temporary seismic networks. The most prominent feature of our Pg velocity model is a high correlation between the location of majority of large magnitude events and the location of low velocity regions within the seismogenic layer. The large instrumental and historical earthquakes with some limited exceptions tends to happen close to the borders of the low velocity regions. The Lorestan arc of Zagros has the thickest (∼20 km) low velocity region and Central Iran has the thinnest (less than 10 km) low velocity region where little seismicity is observed. Despite the relative increase of thickness of low velocity region in the uppermost part of the upper crust of Alborz, the average Pg velocity of the upper crust increases from Central Iran towards Alborz and reaches to its climax in the northern hills of Alborz, where the catastrophic Rudbar-Tarom 1990 event happened. The Pg velocity map shows presence of a low angle basement ramp in the Lorestan arc at the depth range of ∼10–20 km. The large low angle thrust Ezgele-Sarpolzahab 2017 earthquake and medium size high angle thrust events happened at the base and updip part of the velocity ramp, respectively. The calculated Pg velocity map shows low velocity regions at depths deeper than 11 and 20 km beneath the Sahand and Sabalan volcanoes, respectively.

scholarly journals Impact of Diagenesis on the Low Permeability Sandstone Reservoir: Case Study of the Lower Jurassic Reservoir in the Niudong Area, Northern Margin of Qaidam Basin

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 453
Author(s):  
Wenhuan Li ◽  
Tailiang Fan ◽  
Zhiqian Gao ◽  
Zhixiong Wu ◽  
Ya’nan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Qaidam Basin ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Lower Jurassic ◽  
Low Permeability ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Northern Margin ◽  
Pore Evolution ◽  
Sandstone Reservoir

The Lower Jurassic reservoir in the Niudong area of the northern margin of Qaidam Basin is a typical low permeability sandstone reservoir and an important target for oil and gas exploration in the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin. In this paper, casting thin section analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and stable isotope analysis among other methods were used to identify the diagenetic characteristics and evolution as well as the main factors influencing reservoir quality in the study area. The predominant types of sandstone in the study area are mainly feldspathic lithic sandstone and lithic arkose, followed by feldspathic sandstone and lithic sandstone. Reservoir porosity ranges from 0.01% to 19.5% (average of 9.9%), and permeability ranges from 0.01 to 32.4 mD (average of 3.8 mD). The reservoir exhibits robust heterogeneity and its quality is mainly influenced by diagenesis. The Lower Jurassic reservoir in the study area has undergone complex diagenesis and reached the middle diagenesis stage (A–B). The quantitative analysis of pore evolution showed that the porosity loss rate caused by compaction and cementation was 69.0% and 25.7% on average, and the porosity increase via dissolution was 4.8% on average. Compaction was the main cause of the reduction in the physical property of the reservoir in the study area, while cementation and dissolution were the main causes of reservoir heterogeneity. Cementation can reduce reservoir space by filling primary intergranular pores and secondary dissolved pores via cementation such as a calcite and illite/smectite mixed layer, whereas high cement content increased the compaction resistance of particles to preserve certain primary pores. δ13C and δ18O isotopes showed that the carbonate cement in the study area was the product of hydrocarbon generation by organic matter. The study area has conditions that are conductive to strong dissolution and mainly occur in feldspar dissolution, which produces a large number of secondary pores. It is important to improve the physical properties of the reservoir. Structurally, the Niudong area is a large nose uplift structure with developed fractures, which can be used as an effective oil and gas reservoir space and migration channel. In addition, the existence of fractures provides favorable conditions for the uninterrupted entry of acid fluid into the reservoir, promoting the occurrence of dissolution, and ultimately improves the physical properties of reservoirs, which is mainly manifested in improving the reservoir permeability.

Structure beneath Queen Charlotte Sound from seismic-refraction and gravity interpretations

1992 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 1509-1529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianson Yuan ◽  
G. D. Spence ◽  
R. D. Hyndman
Keyword(s):  
Crustal Structure ◽  
Velocity Structure ◽  
Sedimentary Basin ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Velocity Variation ◽  
Moho Depth ◽  
High Porosity ◽  
Upper Crust ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Data Set

A combined multichannel seismic reflection and refraction survey was carried out in July 1988 to study the Tertiary sedimentary basin architecture and formation and to define the crustal structure and associated plate interactions in the Queen Charlotte Islands region. Simultaneously with the collection of the multichannel reflection data, refractions and wide-angle reflections from the airgun array shots were recorded on single-channel seismographs distributed on land around Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound. For this paper a subset of the resulting data set was chosen to study the crustal structure in Queen Charlotte Sound and the nearby subduction zone.Two-dimensional ray tracing and synthetic seismogram modelling produced a velocity structure model in Queen Charlotte Sound. On a margin-parallel line, Moho depth was modelled at 27 km off southern Moresby Island but only 23 km north of Vancouver Island. Excluding the approximately 5 km of the Tertiary sediments, the crust in the latter area is only about 18 km thick, suggesting substantial crustal thinning in Queen Charlotte Sound. Such thinning of the crust supports an extensional mechanism for the origin of the sedimentary basin. Deep crustal layers with velocities of more than 7 km/s were interpreted in the southern portion of Queen Charlotte Sound and beneath the continental margin. They could represent high-velocity material emplaced in the crust from earlier subduction episodes or mafic intrusion associated with the Tertiary volcanics.Seismic velocities of both sediment and upper crust layers are lower in the southern part of Queen Charlotte Sound than in the region near Moresby Island. Well velocity logs indicate a similar velocity variation. Gravity modelling along the survey line parallel to the margin provides additional constraints on the structure. The data require lower densities in the sediment and upper crust of southern Queen Charlotte Sound. The low-velocity, low-density sediments in the south correspond to high-porosity marine sediments found in wells in that region and contrast with lower porosity nonmarine sediments in wells farther north.

An analysis of some local earthquake phases originating near the afar triple junction

1971 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 1061-1071
Author(s):  
R. C. Searle ◽  
P. Gouin
Keyword(s):  
Travel Time ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Triple Junction ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Northern Ethiopia ◽  
Seismic Velocities ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
Seismic Parameters ◽  
Local Earthquake ◽  
Ray Paths

abstract A study of Pn, Sn and Lg phases from 86 earthquakes which have occurred within 12.4° of WWSS station AAE is presented. Travel-time curves for each phase have been determined, and the corresponding seismic velocities have been deduced from them. Velocities of 7.95 km/sec and 4.29 km/sec were found for Pn and Sn respectively. Two different Lg velocities were found: 3.50 km/sec for ray paths between Uganda and Addis Ababa, and 3.73 km/sec for ray paths in the Red Sea and northern Ethiopia. The travel-time curves also allow an upper limit of 48 km to be placed on the crustal thickness under AAE. Regional variations in the efficiency of propagation of Sn and Lg are discussed. Efficient propagation of Lg from epicenters near the center of the Red Sea suggests that not all of the Red Sea floor is pure oceanic crust. Sn is not propagated across northern Afar, suggesting that a gap occurs in the lithosphere there, but it is propagated efficiently across much of southern Afar. Finally, the seismic parameters deduced here indicate the existence of a widespread region of high temperature, low velocity, low density upper-mantle material underlying the Afar triple junction and the surrounding regions.

scholarly journals Increased Water Storage in the Qaidam Basin, the North Tibet Plateau from GRACE Gravity Data

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. e0141442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiu Jimmy Jiao ◽  
Xiaotao Zhang ◽  
Yi Liu ◽  
Xingxing Kuang
Keyword(s):  
Qaidam Basin ◽  
Gravity Data ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
The North

Role of rigid block in tectonic transformation zone at east Tibet 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuo Shen ◽  
Xiwei Xu ◽  
Shiyong Zhou ◽  
Shaogang Wei ◽  
Xiaoqiong Lei
Keyword(s):  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Rigid Block ◽  
Strain Partitioning ◽  
Transformation Models ◽  
Transformation Zone ◽  
Northern Margin ◽  
Eastern Margin ◽  
Bayan Har ◽  
The Tibet Plateau

<p>In recent decades, plateau margins have attracted attention because the understanding of their dynamics and history provides insights into the modes of crustal deformation responsible for the plateau structure and morphology and more widely into the deformation of continental lithosphere. The slip transformation and strain partitioning mechanism at the eastern termination of the Kunlun fault system remain unclear. Geophysics investigations revealed the Ruoergai Basin as a rigid block; however, insufficient information is available on the role of this block in tectonic transformation zone at east Tibet. We employed the finite element method in our simulations to delimitate the presence of the Ruoergai block and determine how it affects the surrounding area. We found that the Ruoergai block moves independently to the east or northeast, and its motion differs from that of the Bayan Har block in the eastward escape process of this last-named block. The formation and behavior of Awancang fault and Longriba fault seems to impact by the Ruoergai block. The influence of the Ruoergai block in the east margin should not be ignored. The Awancang fault and Ruoergai block absorbed the north vector velocity of the Bayan Har block, after which the Bayan Har block started moving southeast. The strain partitioning at the eastern margin of the Tibet Plateau is progressively complete[A1]  from the Awancang fault, Ruoergai block, and Longriba fault area to the Longmenshan block. The presence of the Ruoergai block could decrease the strike-slip rate of the Maqin–Maqu section of the Kunlun fault. Given its influence in the region, the Ruoergai block should be incorporated in future studies on regional deformation and in deformation and tectonic transformation models. Then we compared the deformation and tectonic transformation models in the northern margin of the Tibet Plateau. Proposed a rigid block compression pattern unite the tectonic transformation and deformation issue, further explain most of the fault behaviors in the northern margin and eastern margin of Tibet.</p><p> </p>

scholarly journals Numerical Simulation Study on the Influence of Branching Structure of Longmen Shan Thrust Belt on the Nucleation of Mw7.9 Wenchuan Earthquake

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (24) ◽  
pp. 4031
Author(s):  
Chong Yue ◽  
Chunyan Qu ◽  
Xinjian Shan ◽  
Wei Yan ◽  
Jing Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wenchuan Earthquake ◽  
Equivalent Stress ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Reverse Fault ◽  
Thrust Belt ◽  
Low Velocity ◽  
The Wenchuan Earthquake ◽  
Detachment Layer ◽  
Longmen Shan Thrust Belt ◽  
Stress Accumulation

On the Longmen Shan thrust belt (LMS) on the eastern margin of Tibet Plateau, the Mw7.9 Wenchuan earthquake occurred in 2008. As for the dynamic cause of the Wenchuan earthquake, many scholars have studied the rheological difference and terrain elevation difference on both sides of the fault. However, previous studies have simplified the LMS as a single listric-reverse fault. In fact, the LMS is composed of four faults with different dip angles in the shallow part, and the faults are Wenchuan-Maoxian fault (WMF), Yingxiu-Beichuan fault (YBF), Guanxian-Jiangyou fault (GJF) and Range Front Thrust (RFT) from west to east. However, the control of the branching structure of these faults on the distribution and accumulation of stress and strain during the seismogenic of the Wenchuan earthquake has not been discussed. In this paper, four viscoelastic finite element models with different fault numbers and combination structures are built to analyze the effect of fault branching structures on the stress distribution and accumulation during the seismogenic of Wenchuan earthquake, and we use geodetic data such as GPS and precise leveling data to constrain our models. At the same time, we also study the influence of the existence of the detachment layer, which is formed by the low-resistivity and low-velocity layer, between the upper and lower crust of the Bayan Har block and the change of its frontal edge position on the stress accumulation and distribution. The results show that the combinations of YBF and GJF is most conducive to the concentration of equivalent stress below the intersection of the two faults, and the accumulated stress on GJF is shallower than that on YBF, which means that more stress is transferred to the surface along GJF; and the existence of a detachment layer can effectively promote the accumulation of stress at the bottom of YBF and GJF, and the closer the frontal edge position of the detachment layer is to the LMS fault, the more favorable the stress accumulation is. Based on the magnitude of stress accumulation at the bottom of the intersection of YBF and GJF, we speculate that the frontal edge position of the detachment layer may cross YBF and expand eastward.

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