Receiver function tomography of the central Tien Shan

Abstract

To obtain an image of the deep structure of the Tien Shan in central Asia, we invert P and S receiver functions jointly for almost 40 local broad-band seismograph stations. The inversion is performed using a simulated annealing technique. The combined inversion is an improvement on earlier studies, where P and S receiver functions were inverted separately. Using this approach, we deal with structural imaging problems that are usually investigated with teleseismic body wave and surface wave tomography techniques. We demonstrate that the uppermost mantle in the north of the central Tien Shan is composed of a high-velocity lid a few tens of kilometers thick above a pronounced low-velocity zone. The crustal structure in this region provides evidence of magmatic underplating. These features are likely related to a small plume that is manifested by basaltic eruptions of Cretaceous-Paleogene age. The low-velocity layer is also found in a southeast trending corridor, which may correspond to the Bachu uplift in the Tarim basin. Crustal thickness beneath the orogen varies from about 45 to about 70 km. The smallest values, most likely inherited from the pre-orogenic era, are found in a neighborhood of the Talas-Fergana fault. Similar values are characteristic of the Kazakh shield in the north and the Tarim basin in the south. The largest values are found beneath the bounding ranges. We infer that uplift of the central Tien Shan is unlikely to be caused by crustal shortening alone. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.