Pliocene-Quaternary crustal melting in central and northern Tibet and insights into crustal flow

Qiang Wang; Chris J. Hawkesworth; Derek Wyman; Sun-Lin Chung; Fu-Yuan Wu; Xian-Hua Li; Zheng-Xiang Li; Guo-Ning Gou; Xiu-Zheng Zhang; Gong-Jian Tang; Wei Dan; Lin Ma; Yan-Hui Dong

doi:10.1038/ncomms11888

Pliocene-Quaternary crustal melting in central and northern Tibet and insights into crustal flow

Qiang Wang
, Chris J. Hawkesworth
, Derek Wyman
, Sun-Lin Chung
, Fu-Yuan Wu
, Xian-Hua Li
, Zheng-Xiang Li
, Guo-Ning Gou
, Xiu-Zheng Zhang
, Gong-Jian Tang
, Wei Dan
, Lin Ma
, Yan-Hui Dong

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review

210 Citations (Scopus)

398 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

There is considerable controversy over the nature of geophysically recognized low-velocity–high-conductivity zones (LV–HCZs) within the Tibetan crust, and their role in models for the development of the Tibetan Plateau. Here we report petrological and geochemical data on magmas erupted 4.7–0.3 Myr ago in central and northern Tibet, demonstrating that they were generated by partial melting of crustal rocks at temperatures of 700–1,050 °C and pressures of 0.5–1.5 GPa. Thus Pliocene-Quaternary melting of crustal rocks occurred at depths of 15–50 km in areas where the LV–HCZs have been recognized. This provides new petrological evidence that the LV–HCZs are sources of partial melt. It is inferred that crustal melting played a key role in triggering crustal weakening and outward crustal flow in the expansion of the Tibetan Plateau.

Original language	English
Article number	11888
Number of pages	11
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11888
Publication status	Published - 16 Jun 2016

Bibliographical note

Financial support for this research was provided by the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. XDB03010600), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 41025006 and 41421062), talent project of Guangdong Province (2014TX01Z079), GIGCAS 135 project 135TP201601, and the scientific and technical innovation intersection and cooperation team program of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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@article{24d3291d1baf426da50f5ad30c09aa81,

title = "Pliocene-Quaternary crustal melting in central and northern Tibet and insights into crustal flow",

abstract = "There is considerable controversy over the nature of geophysically recognized low-velocity{\textendash}high-conductivity zones (LV{\textendash}HCZs) within the Tibetan crust, and their role in models for the development of the Tibetan Plateau. Here we report petrological and geochemical data on magmas erupted 4.7{\textendash}0.3 Myr ago in central and northern Tibet, demonstrating that they were generated by partial melting of crustal rocks at temperatures of 700{\textendash}1,050 °C and pressures of 0.5{\textendash}1.5 GPa. Thus Pliocene-Quaternary melting of crustal rocks occurred at depths of 15{\textendash}50 km in areas where the LV{\textendash}HCZs have been recognized. This provides new petrological evidence that the LV{\textendash}HCZs are sources of partial melt. It is inferred that crustal melting played a key role in triggering crustal weakening and outward crustal flow in the expansion of the Tibetan Plateau.",

author = "Qiang Wang and Hawkesworth, \{Chris J.\} and Derek Wyman and Sun-Lin Chung and Fu-Yuan Wu and Xian-Hua Li and Zheng-Xiang Li and Guo-Ning Gou and Xiu-Zheng Zhang and Gong-Jian Tang and Wei Dan and Lin Ma and Yan-Hui Dong",

note = "Financial support for this research was provided by the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. XDB03010600), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 41025006 and 41421062), talent project of Guangdong Province (2014TX01Z079), GIGCAS 135 project 135TP201601, and the scientific and technical innovation intersection and cooperation team program of Chinese Academy of Sciences.",

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doi = "10.1038/ncomms11888",

language = "English",

volume = "7",

journal = "Nature Communications",

issn = "2041-1723",

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T1 - Pliocene-Quaternary crustal melting in central and northern Tibet and insights into crustal flow

AU - Wang, Qiang

AU - Hawkesworth, Chris J.

AU - Wyman, Derek

AU - Chung, Sun-Lin

AU - Wu, Fu-Yuan

AU - Li, Xian-Hua

AU - Li, Zheng-Xiang

AU - Gou, Guo-Ning

AU - Zhang, Xiu-Zheng

AU - Tang, Gong-Jian

AU - Dan, Wei

AU - Ma, Lin

AU - Dong, Yan-Hui

N1 - Financial support for this research was provided by the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. XDB03010600), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 41025006 and 41421062), talent project of Guangdong Province (2014TX01Z079), GIGCAS 135 project 135TP201601, and the scientific and technical innovation intersection and cooperation team program of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

PY - 2016/6/16

Y1 - 2016/6/16

N2 - There is considerable controversy over the nature of geophysically recognized low-velocity–high-conductivity zones (LV–HCZs) within the Tibetan crust, and their role in models for the development of the Tibetan Plateau. Here we report petrological and geochemical data on magmas erupted 4.7–0.3 Myr ago in central and northern Tibet, demonstrating that they were generated by partial melting of crustal rocks at temperatures of 700–1,050 °C and pressures of 0.5–1.5 GPa. Thus Pliocene-Quaternary melting of crustal rocks occurred at depths of 15–50 km in areas where the LV–HCZs have been recognized. This provides new petrological evidence that the LV–HCZs are sources of partial melt. It is inferred that crustal melting played a key role in triggering crustal weakening and outward crustal flow in the expansion of the Tibetan Plateau.

AB - There is considerable controversy over the nature of geophysically recognized low-velocity–high-conductivity zones (LV–HCZs) within the Tibetan crust, and their role in models for the development of the Tibetan Plateau. Here we report petrological and geochemical data on magmas erupted 4.7–0.3 Myr ago in central and northern Tibet, demonstrating that they were generated by partial melting of crustal rocks at temperatures of 700–1,050 °C and pressures of 0.5–1.5 GPa. Thus Pliocene-Quaternary melting of crustal rocks occurred at depths of 15–50 km in areas where the LV–HCZs have been recognized. This provides new petrological evidence that the LV–HCZs are sources of partial melt. It is inferred that crustal melting played a key role in triggering crustal weakening and outward crustal flow in the expansion of the Tibetan Plateau.

U2 - 10.1038/ncomms11888

DO - 10.1038/ncomms11888

M3 - Article (Academic Journal)

C2 - 27307135

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 7

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

M1 - 11888

ER -

Pliocene-Quaternary crustal melting in central and northern Tibet and insights into crustal flow

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