Crustal structure of the central Tibetan plateau and geological interpretation

Abstract

Based on teleseismic data obtained from 225 stations from two networks in the central Tibetan plateau, we have generated detailed crustal structure images using P-wave receiver function techniques with more accurate piercing-depth-correction and time-depth-correction than what have previously been available. Our images indicate an undulatory Moho beneath the Tibetan plateau with a steep jump beneath the northern Himalaya, and obviously different structures in proximity to the Bangong-Nujiang suture. In several sections of the Tibetan plateau, the lower crust is characterized by pervasive high-velocity regions, which are consistent with the preservation of eclogite bodies beneath the plateau, whose presence affects the dynamics of the Tibetan plateau.