Work

Crustal Responses to the Destruction of Continental Lithosphere: Insights From Radial Anisotropy of the Tanlu Fault Zone, Eastern China

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Since the Mesozoic, much of the eastern China lithosphere was removed through thermo‐mechanical erosion and delamination, yet the effects on the overlying crust remain unclear. The Tanlu Fault Zone (TLFZ), the region's largest lithosphere‐scale weakness, offers a natural laboratory to assess crustal responses to lithospheric destruction. We jointly invert receiver functions with Love‐ and Rayleigh‐wave dispersion using a transdimensional Bayesian approach to image a radially anisotropic shear‐wave model. The model reveals pronounced negative radial anisotropy and low velocities at the top of the upper mantle, consistent with mantle upwelling, whereas the lower crust shows strong positive radial anisotropy and high velocities, indicating lateral emplacement of mantle‐derived melts. These modifications correlate with present‐day seismicity, implying that mafic intrusions act as stress‐concentrating asperities that promote earthquake nucleation. Our results demonstrate that lithospheric destruction has substantially reshaped crustal architecture in eastern China and highlight the pivotal role of the TLFZ in this process.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: 10.1029/2025gl120482

Authors: Yuqi Zhu, Zhouchuan Huang, Frederik Tilmann, Kuan‐Yu Ke, Xinglu Wang, Cong Ji

Institutions: China University of Petroleum, East China, Nanjing University, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, Freie Universität Berlin

Language: English

Topic: Seismic Waves and Analysis

Subfield: Geophysics

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,190

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities