Guofa Kang

Characteristics of the crustal magnetic anomaly and regional tectonics in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the adjacent areas

Study of the characteristics of the crustal magnetic anomaly in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the adjacent areas helps better understand the lithospheric structure and evolution, as well as the regional geodynamic processes. Here we analyze the distribution laws of the crustal magnetic anomaly and its vertical gradient, the decay characteristics of the anomaly, the contributions from different wavelength bands to the anomaly, and the relationship between the anomaly and the crustal regional tectonics in the plateau and nearby, based on a new and higher degree geomagnetic model NGDC-EMM-720-V3 constructed from the surface, aeromagnetic, marine and satellite survey data. The results reveal that the positive and negative anomalies in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are weak, while those of the surrounding areas are strong. The boundary agrees well with the border of the plateau regional tectonics. The anomaly is nearly east-west in the central and western plateau, arc-shaped in the southwestern and eastern, and nearly north-south in the southeastern, consistent with the tectonic trends. There are strong negative anomaly foci in the east and west syntaxis, whereas no significant differences exist among the Cenozoic blocks in the plateau interior. No direct correspondence exists between the anomaly and the crustal depth. On the background of a weak magnetic anomaly in the plateau, relatively stronger short wavelength fields from the shallower crust are overlapped in the Lhasa, Qilian, Qaidam, and Sichuan-Yunnan rhombic blocks. A strong negative anomaly in the east-west direction is distributed along the Himalayas, mainly caused by the middle and long wavelength bands in the deep and central crust. The magnetic structural layers are stable in the Sichuan and Tarim basins. The anomalies at different altitudes over the southern plateau vary strongly, showing a drastic variation in the magnetic structure from the deep crust to the shallow crust.

Analysis of the lithospheric magnetic anomalies and tectonics in continental China and the adjacent regions using CHAMP satellite data

In this paper, the CHAMP satellite data from the last decade are used to map the lithospheric magnetic field in continental China at altitudes of 300 and 400 km using the spline function model technique. The results show that our model has higher amplitude than the spherical harmonic magnetic field model MF7. The resulting lithospheric anomaly distribution of continental China agrees with the geotectonic structure and crustal thermal structure. The magnetic anomaly distribution clearly indicates extrusion of the Tibetan Plateau towards the northeast and northwest directions. Northward movement is impeded by the relative rigid Tarim Basin featured with positive magnetic anomalies. The positive magnetic anomalies in Tarim basin extend to the northern Tibetan Plateau, suggesting that the southern part of Tarim Basin underthrusted the northern Tibetan Plateau.

Distribution of the crustal magnetic field in Sichuan-Yunnan region, southwest China.

Based on the new and higher degree geomagnetic model NGDC-720-V3, we have investigated the spatial distribution, the altitude decay characteristics of the crustal magnetic anomaly, the contributions from different wavelength bands to the anomaly, and the relationship among the anomaly, the geological structure, and the geophysical field in Sichuan-Yunnan region of China. It is noted that the most outstanding feature in this area is the strong positive magnetic anomaly in Sichuan Basin, a geologically stable block. Contrasting with this feature, a strong negative anomaly can be seen nearby in Longmen Mountain block, an active block. This contradiction implies a possible relationship between the magnetic field and the geological activity. Completely different feature in magnetic field distribution is seen in the central Yunnan block, another active region, where positive and negative anomalies distribute alternatively, showing a complex magnetic anomaly map. Some fault belts, such as the Longmen Mountain fault, Lijiang-Xiaojinhe fault, and the Red River fault, are the transitional zones of strong and weak or negative and positive anomalies. The corresponding relationship between the magnetic anomaly and the geophysical fields was confirmed.

Reply to comment on “Characteristics of the crustal magnetic anomaly and regional tectonics in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the adjacent areas”

We are very grateful for LUO Yao’s attention and frank suggestions [1] regarding our paper [2], and appreciate his rigorous scientific approach. LUO Yao suggests that an area of more than one million square kilometers in the Midwest Qinghai-Tibet Plateau lacks aeromagnetic data for producing the NGDC-720 model. The author argues that this model has limitations when used to study the crustal anomaly of the whole Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, especially anomalies caused by the middle and shallow crustal materials. He also points out that this model limitation should be addressed when using lithospheric models. We would like to present some details regarding the issues raised in the comment [1], as follows.