3D Shear‐Wave Velocity Structure of the Crust and Upper Mantle Beneath India, Himalaya and Tibet

Abstract

We perform Rayleigh‐wave group‐velocity dispersion measurements from 14,706 regional‐waveforms at periods of 10–120 s, followed by ray‐based tomography and inversion to obtain 3D‐Vs structure of the crust and upper mantle. The group‐velocity maps have 3–5° lateral resolution, and Vs models have ∼3%–7% average‐Vs uncertainty. The Moho depth is assigned to the bottom of the steepest‐gradient layer with Vs between 4.1 and 4.5 km s−1, and the sedimentary‐layers have Vs ≤ 2.9 km s−1. Indian cratons have high average‐crustal‐Vs of 3.6–3.9 km s−1 and thickness of 40–50 km. The intervening rift‐basins are filled with low‐Vs sedimentary‐rocks. The Himalayan Foreland Basin has along‐arc variation in sedimentary thickness with the thickest layer (8–10 km) beneath the Eastern Ganga Basin. The Indian lithospheric mantle has high‐Vs (>4.4 km s−1), and along with high‐Vs crust attest to a cold, rigid lithosphere. This lithosphere underthrust entire Western Tibet and up to the Qiangtang Terrane in Central‐Eastern Tibet. The top of the underthrusting Indian‐crust is marked by lower‐Vs and thrust‐fault earthquakes. The shallow crust beneath Tibet (0–10 km) has high‐Vs and is mechanically strong; whereas, the mid‐crust (20–40 km) has ∼5%–10% low‐Vs anomalies due to radiogenic/shear heating within the thickened crust. This layer is weak and decouples the deformation of the shallow and deep layers. Low‐Vs upper‐mantle with deeper high‐Vs layer is present beneath the Deccan and Raj‐Mahal Traps, suggesting plume‐volcanism related thermal anomaly and refertilization of the upper mantle. The intra‐cratonic basins with circular geometry, high‐Vs lithosphere and no basement earthquakes, possibly formed by thermal subsidence of isostatically‐balanced cratonic lithosphere.