Lithosphere structure underneath the North China Craton inferred from elevation, gravity and geoid anomalies

Abstract:

The North China Craton (NCC) is a classical example of ancient destroyed cratons. The NCC experienced widespread thermotectonic reactivations in the Phanerozoic. Recent work suggested that the old craton has been significantly modified or destroyed during this process. However, most of the studies were confined to the Eastern NCC, the nature and evolution of the lithosphere beneath the Central and Western NCC was less constrained due to the lack of data.

While, recent geodetic data, with the advantages of high resolution and coverage, offers an opportunity to study the deep structure underneath the whole NCC. Here we construct a lithospheric-scale 3D model based on the integration of regional elevation, gravity, geoid and thermal data together with available seismic data. The combined interpretation of these data provides information on the density and temperature distribution at different depth ranges.

In the Eastern NCC, a rapid thickness decrease of both crust and lithosphere is reflected, concordant with abrupt changes in surface topography and Bouguer gravity anomaly. Our results together with the widespread magmatic rocks suggest that the Eastern NCC has experienced significant destruction of the lithospheric mantle with substantial modifications and thinning of the crust. In the Central and Western NCC, the generally thick and ‘cold’ lithosphere suggests that the cratonic mantle root is preserved in the central and western NCC, in agreement with the relatively low heat flow, rare magmatic activity and long-term tectonic stability observed at the surface, with some areas mildly modified as indicated by thin lithosphere.