The intracontinental subduction of a>200-km-long section of the Tajik-Tarim lithosphere beneath the Pamir Mountains is proposed to explain nearly 30 km of shortening in the Tajik fold-thrust belt and the Pamir upli...The intracontinental subduction of a>200-km-long section of the Tajik-Tarim lithosphere beneath the Pamir Mountains is proposed to explain nearly 30 km of shortening in the Tajik fold-thrust belt and the Pamir uplift.Seismic imaging revealed that the upper slab was scraped and that the lower slab had subducted to a depth of>150 km.These features constitute the tectonic complexity of the Pamirs,as well as the thermal subduction mechanism involved,which remains poorly understood.Hence,in this study,high-resolution three-dimensional(3D)kinematic modeling is applied to investigate the thermal structure and geometry of the subducting slab beneath the Pamirs.The modeled slab configuration reveals distinct along-strike variations,with a steeply dipping slab beneath the southern Pamirs,a more gently inclined slab beneath the northern Pamirs,and apparent upper slab termination at shallow depths beneath the Pamirs.The thermal field reveals a cold slab core after delamination,with temperatures ranging from 400℃to 800℃,enveloped by a hotter mantle reaching~1400℃.The occurrence of intermediate-depth earthquakes aligns primarily with colder slab regions,particularly near the slab tear-off below the southwestern Pamirs,indicating a strong correlation between slab temperature and seismicity.In contrast,the northern Pamirs exhibit reduced seismicity at depth,which is likely associated with thermal weakening and delamination.The central Pamirs show a significant thermal anomaly caused by a concave slab,where the coldest crust does not descend deeply,further suggesting crustal detachment or mechanical failure.The lateral asymmetry in slab temperature possibly explains the mechanism of lateral tearing and differential slab-mantle coupling.展开更多
基金the Chinese Academy of Sciences Pioneer Hundred Talents Program and the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(Grant No.2019QZKK0708)supported by a MEXT(Ministry of Education,Culture,Sports,Science and Technology)KAKENHI(Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research)grant(Grant No.21H05203)Kobe University Strategic International Collaborative Research Grant(Type B Fostering Joint Research).
文摘The intracontinental subduction of a>200-km-long section of the Tajik-Tarim lithosphere beneath the Pamir Mountains is proposed to explain nearly 30 km of shortening in the Tajik fold-thrust belt and the Pamir uplift.Seismic imaging revealed that the upper slab was scraped and that the lower slab had subducted to a depth of>150 km.These features constitute the tectonic complexity of the Pamirs,as well as the thermal subduction mechanism involved,which remains poorly understood.Hence,in this study,high-resolution three-dimensional(3D)kinematic modeling is applied to investigate the thermal structure and geometry of the subducting slab beneath the Pamirs.The modeled slab configuration reveals distinct along-strike variations,with a steeply dipping slab beneath the southern Pamirs,a more gently inclined slab beneath the northern Pamirs,and apparent upper slab termination at shallow depths beneath the Pamirs.The thermal field reveals a cold slab core after delamination,with temperatures ranging from 400℃to 800℃,enveloped by a hotter mantle reaching~1400℃.The occurrence of intermediate-depth earthquakes aligns primarily with colder slab regions,particularly near the slab tear-off below the southwestern Pamirs,indicating a strong correlation between slab temperature and seismicity.In contrast,the northern Pamirs exhibit reduced seismicity at depth,which is likely associated with thermal weakening and delamination.The central Pamirs show a significant thermal anomaly caused by a concave slab,where the coldest crust does not descend deeply,further suggesting crustal detachment or mechanical failure.The lateral asymmetry in slab temperature possibly explains the mechanism of lateral tearing and differential slab-mantle coupling.
