Chongyang Shen

Structural interpretation of the Chuan-Dian block and surrounding regions using discrete wavelet transform

The Chuan-Dian tectonic block is a transitional zone between the Tibetan Plateau and the South China block. The crustal structure in this region has been studied in several ways, and in this work we present Bouguer gravity anomaly data with which to investigate the Chuan-Dian block and surrounding regions. Regional and local anomalies are decomposed using a method of discrete wavelet transform (DWT), and furthermore, the relief of the Moho is inverted based on the regional anomalies. Results of the transform show that there is a distinct belt of regional anomalies on the east and southeast margins of the Tibetan Plateau. In addition, there are two distinct gradient belts evident in the maps of the local gravity anomalies. The first of these, in the western Indo-China block, has a north–south strike with high anomalies around this belt, and the second is along the Longmenshan fault zone in the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The Chuan-Dian block can be divided into two discrete parts, separated by a broad and indistinct boundary observed from the fifth-order DWT detail and Moho relief. The DWT details reveal that parallel anomalies existing in the Indo-China block region were induced by subduction of the Burmese block. We conclude that the clockwise rotation of the Chuan-Dian block was synthetically affected by the extrusion of the Tibetan lithosphere and subduction of the Burmese block.