Deformation of the Qinling belt revealed by P-wave velocity and azimuthal anisotropy tomography

The Qinling belt is a transitional zone lying among three units: the North China block (NCB), the South China block (SCB) and the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (NETP). Owing to the interaction of these units, complex deformation has occurred in the Qinling belt. Although many studies have been conducted to understand the deformation mechanism in the Qinling belt, some key issues are still under debate, such as whether middle-lower crustal flow exists beneath the western Qinling belt (WQB). High-resolution images of subsurface structures are essential to shed light on the deformation mechanism. In this article, high-resolution images of the velocity structure and azimuthal anisotropy beneath the Qinling belt are obtained by using an eikonal equation-based traveltime tomography method. Our seismic tomography inverts 38,719 high-quality P-wave first arrivals from 1,697 regional earthquakes recorded by 387 broadband seismic stations. In the WQB, our tomography results show low-velocity anomalies but relatively weak anisotropy in the middle-lower crust. These features suggest that middle-lower crustal flow may not exist in this area. In the central Qinling belt (CQB), we find low-velocity anomalies in the middle-lower crust; however, the fast velocity directions (FVDs) no longer trend E–W but vary from NNE–SSW to N–S. These characteristics can be ascribed to the convergence and collision between the NCB and the SCB. In addition, we find strong low-velocity anomalies in the uppermost mantle beneath the CQB, which may indicate delamination of the lower crust. In the southern Qinling belt (SQB), we observe significant high-velocity anomalies in the upper crust beneath the Hannan–Micang (HNMC) and Shennong–Huangling (SNHL) domes. These high-velocity anomalies indicate a mechanically strong upper crust, which is responsible for the arc-shaped deformation process of the Dabashan (DBS) fold. Based on the P-wave velocity and azimuthal anisotropic structures revealed by the inversion of high-quality seismic data, the deformation of the Qinling belt is affected mainly by the convergence between the NCB and the SCB rather than by the middle-lower crustal flow from the Tibetan Plateau.