Continental Seismotectonic System:Example from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Its Adjacent Areas
Li Dewei
Chen Jile
Chen Guifan
Liang Sang
Abstract：Triangular earthquake domain covering the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its adjacent areas is the most significant earthquake-prone area in the continent all overthe world.Stratiform distribution of hypocenters between 10 and 40 km can??t be reasonably explained by brittle active faults and the elastic rebound model.To explore unknown seismogenic tectonics and earthquake mechanism,in this paper systematically is discussed the relationship of seismotectonic domain,seismotectonic lay-er,seismotectonic belt and seismotectonic point of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its adjacent areas systematically is discussed based on the new understanding of continental dynamics and earth system dynamics.This paper elucidates the structural pattern of continental seismotectonic system:lower crustal ductile shear zone is the seismotectonic layer providing earthquake energy;middle crustal ductile-brittle shear zone is the hypocenter layer accumulating earthquake energy;and upper crustal brittle do-main releases earthquake energy by faulting.Based on the study of seismotectonic system and tectonic settings upon the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its adjacent areas,in this paper further demonstrated the thermal fluid impacting mechanism is dem-onstrated asthenospheric laminar flow under the mid-ocean ridge driven by upwelling of the wall-like deep mantle magma trans-ports mantle thermal energy and rheological material into continent where thickened asthenosphere diapirism results in incline of the Moho and inhomogeneous solid flow of lower continental crust from basin to mountain,the middle crustal ductile-brittle shear zone between ductile flowing lower crust and the brittle upper crust forms seismogenic layer by thermal energy-strain en-ergy conversion.Hypocenter is located at the impacting point where abnormal flowing thermal fluid in lower crustal flow chan-nel (“thermal river”)impacts to the boundary between strong blocks (or layer)and weak blocks (or layer),and 5 different types of earthquakes are divided basen on different thermal tectonic environments and impacting angles.The new earthquake mechanism lays the theoretical foundation for scientific earthquake prediction.
Keywords：seismotectonic systemlower crustal flowearthquake mechanismearthquake protectionQinghai-Tibet Plateau
Publication Date：2014-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：13( 1763-1775 )