The lithosphere structure of Northeast China

Abstract

The lithosphere of northeastern China is composed of the Erguna, Xingan, Songnen, Jiamusi blocks and Mesozoic Wandashan accretionary complex from west to east. Nd isotope model ages indicate that the Xingan and Songnen blocks have the same Nd model ages ranging from 500 to 1 000 Ma. These are obviously younger than those of the Jiamusi block (1 500–2 000 Ma) and the Erguna block (1 500–1 700 Ma), reflecting the different evolutions of individual blocks in the early times. Geochemical tracing analysis shows that the Nd model ages of Paleozoic supercrustal rocks in the four blocks are dominantly Mesoproterozoic, while those of Mesozoic granites are mainly Neoproterozoic. It is shown that the crust ages of the region are characterized by being younger in the lower part and older in the upper part. The Os isotope analysis also indicates that the lithosphere mantle of the region is characteristic of a younger age. The P-wave velocities of the region show more complicated structures in lithosphere and asthenosphere. First of all, notably different from traditional concept of the seismic lithosphere, the low velocity zone of the lithosphere beneath the region has no persistent and continuous top interface which is highly varied in depth and intersected with the high velocity layers, forming sharp velocity discontinuities beneath major tectonic belts, even up to the Moho beneath some tectonic units. But the bottom interface of the low velocity zone is relatively persistent, occurring at a depth of 230–240 km. Another feature is that the lithosphere is characterized by an “overpass type” velocity structure vertically, in which the contoured velocity is distributed in the NE trending within the crust, in a nearly NS trending in the lithosphere mantle from a depth of 45 to 90 km, in a nearly EW trending in the upper part of the asthenosphere from 90 to 170 km and in a ring-like distribution with a diameter of about 300 km in the lower part of the asthenosphere from 170 to 240 km. The P-wave velocity is progressively increasing from 240 to 400 km.