According
to a new study released by geologists from the University of Illinois,
the upper mantle layer of the Indian tectonic plate appears to be torn
in four pieces beneath the Tibetan Plateau. This fracture is the product
of collision between the Indian and Asian tectonic plates nearly 50
million years ago.
Using geophysical data collected from
various sources, seismic wave tomographic images of Tibet were
generated. Through these models, it was found that the intact regions of
crust between the tears were strong enough to accumulate strain to
generate earthquakes. These crustal areas are exposed to more heat from
the mantle, making them more ductile.The model also helped to explain some of the deformation patterns observed from the surface, including rifts spanning from north to south. These earthquake locations and deformation patterns posed strong evidence of a strongly coupled crust and upper mantle in southern Tibet.
“What were previously thought of as unusual locations for some of the intercontinental earthquakes in the southern Tibetan Plateau seem to make more sense now after looking at this model,” said graduate student and co-author Jiangtao Li. “There is a striking correlation with the location of the earthquakes and the orientation of the fragmented Indian upper mantle.”
Read the full press release at: https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/677194
Or read the full study at: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/07/24/1717258115
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