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Pliocene-Quaternary crustal melting in central and northern Tibet and insights into crustal flow

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Open access
Authors
Wang, Q.
Hawkesworth, C.
Wyman, D.
Chung, S.
Wu, F.
Li, X.
Li, Zheng-Xiang
Gou, G.
Zhang, X.
Tang, G.
Dan, W.
Ma, L.
Dong, Y.
Date
2016
Type
Journal Article

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Wang, Q. and Hawkesworth, C. and Wyman, D. and Chung, S. and Wu, F. and Li, X. and Li, Z. et al. 2016. Pliocene-Quaternary crustal melting in central and northern Tibet and insights into crustal flow. Nature Communications. 7: Article ID 11888.
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Nature Communications
DOI
School
Department of Applied Geology
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This open access article is distributed under the Creative Commons license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Abstract

There is considerable controversy over the nature of geophysically recognized low-velocity-high-conductivity zones (LV-HCZs) within the Tibetan crust, and their role in models for the development of the Tibetan Plateau. Here we report petrological and geochemical data on magmas erupted 4.7-0.3 Myr ago in central and northern Tibet, demonstrating that they were generated by partial melting of crustal rocks at temperatures of 700-1,050°C and pressures of 0.5-1.5 GPa. Thus Pliocene-Quaternary melting of crustal rocks occurred at depths of 15-50 km in areas where the LV-HCZs have been recognized. This provides new petrological evidence that the LV-HCZs are sources of partial melt. It is inferred that crustal melting played a key role in triggering crustal weakening and outward crustal flow in the expansion of the Tibetan Plateau.