Pliocene-Quaternary Crustal Melting in Central and Northern Tibet and Insights into Crustal Flow

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2016 Jun 17

PMID 27307135

Citations 10

Authors

Qiang Wang

Chris J Hawkesworth

Derek Wyman

Sun-Lin Chung

Fu-Yuan Wu

Xian-Hua Li

Zheng-Xiang Li

Guo-Ning Gou

Xiu-Zheng Zhang

Gong-Jian Tang

Wei Dan

Lin Ma

Yan-Hui Dong

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

There is considerable controversy over the nature of geophysically recognized low-velocity-high-conductivity zones (LV-HCZs) within the Tibetan crust, and their role in models for the development of the Tibetan Plateau. Here we report petrological and geochemical data on magmas erupted 4.7-0.3 Myr ago in central and northern Tibet, demonstrating that they were generated by partial melting of crustal rocks at temperatures of 700-1,050 °C and pressures of 0.5-1.5 GPa. Thus Pliocene-Quaternary melting of crustal rocks occurred at depths of 15-50 km in areas where the LV-HCZs have been recognized. This provides new petrological evidence that the LV-HCZs are sources of partial melt. It is inferred that crustal melting played a key role in triggering crustal weakening and outward crustal flow in the expansion of the Tibetan Plateau.

Citing Articles

Li W, He R, Yuan X, Schneider F, Tilmann F, Guo Z Natl Sci Rev. 2024; 11(9):nwae257.

PMID: 39239122 PMC: 11376070. DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwae257.

Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau driven by mantle delamination from the overriding plate.

Xie Y, Balazs A, Gerya T, Xiong X Nat Geosci. 2024; 17(7):683-688.

PMID: 39006245 PMC: 11245390. DOI: 10.1038/s41561-024-01473-7.

Upward and outward growth of north-central Tibet: Mechanisms that build high-elevation, low-relief plateaus.

Li L, Garzione C Sci Adv. 2023; 9(27):eadh3058.

PMID: 37418530 PMC: 10328405. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh3058.

Revisiting the mechanisms of mid-Tertiary uplift of the NE Tibetan Plateau.

Wei H, Wu G, Ding L, Fan L, Li L, Meng Q Natl Sci Rev. 2023; 10(4):nwad008.

PMID: 36960219 PMC: 10029854. DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad008.

Does Large-Scale Crustal Flow Shape the Eastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau? Insights From Episodic Magmatism of Gongga-Zheduo Granitic Massif.

Hu F, Wu F, Ducea M, Chapman J, Yang L Geophys Res Lett. 2022; 49(12):e2022GL098756.

PMID: 35865913 PMC: 9287050. DOI: 10.1029/2022GL098756.

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