Lithospheric structure of the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau from Rayleigh wave tomography

Lithospheric shear wave velocity beneath the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is obtained from Rayleigh wave tomography using earthquake data recorded by the temporary ChinArray and permanent China Digital Seismic Array. Fundamental mode Rayleigh wave phase velocities at periods of 20–100 s are determined and used to construct the 3‐D shear wave velocity model. Low‐velocity anomalies appear along or close to the major faults in the middle crust and become a broad zone in the lower crust, suggesting block extrusion in the shallow crust and diffuse deformation in the lower crust, both of which play important roles in accommodating the collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates. A vertical low‐velocity column beneath the Tengchong Volcano is observed, which could be caused by upwelling of warm mantle due to the lithosphere extension in the Thailand rift basin to the south or by fluid‐induced partial melting due to the subduction of the Burma slab. The western Yangtze Craton is characterized by low velocity in the crust and uppermost mantle above the fast mantle lithosphere, indicating possible thermal erosion at the western craton edge resulted from the extrusion of the Tibetan Plateau. A low‐velocity zone is imaged at the depths of 70–150 km beneath the eastern part of the Yangtze Craton, which could be caused by small‐scale mantle convection associated with the subduction of the Burma microplate and/or the opening of the South China Sea. Key Points Two‐plane wave tomography reveals unprecedented details of lithospheric structure beneath SE Tibet Block extrusion in the shallow crust and diffuse deformation in the lower crust coexist in SE Tibet The destruction of Yangtze Craton varies laterally and involves several tectonic processes