Western Tibet seismology

Imaging the mantle beneath the western Tibetan Plateau

Supported by NSF’s Seismology program

Collaborators (recent past and present)

• John Chen, Peking University, Beijing, China
• Vadim Levin, Rutgers University
• Liu Qiyuan, Institute of Geology, China Seismology Administration, Beijing China
• Steve Roecker, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

We plan to install a north-south linear array of seismographs across western Tibet to study deep structure. We anticipate constraining the deep structure sufficiently well that we will be able to discriminate between subduction of Indian lithosphere beneath the Himalaya, subduction of Tarim lithosphere beneath northern Tibet, and convective instability of thickened mantle lithosphere beneath Tibet.

Proposed deployment in western Tibet
Red triangles show the 11-station backbone array to be installed in year 2. Blue and yellow triangles show the secondary stations in stalled in year 3. In year 4 the stations at yellow triangles will be moved. Nominal spacing between triangles in 60 km; during years 3 and 4 the yellow stations reduced the spacing to 5 km. The southwestern most site is near the border with India. Red circles locate a broadband deployment operated by Shyam Sundar Rai of NGRI.