image: Topographic map of the Tibetan Plateau. Major rifts in south-central Tibet are labeled. The arrow indicates the Indian plate motion. The circles are intermediate-depth earthquakes (>=70 km, unusually deep for continental earthquakes) from various sources. view more
Credit: PNAS
A model of the Indian mantle lithosphere underthrusting the Himalayas that is based on high-resolution seismic tomography indicating at least three tears in the lithosphere provides a potential explanation for the depth and spatial distribution of earthquakes currently observed in the region, as well as patterns of crustal deformation and the predominant east-west extension in the high plateau from the Indian-Eurasian collision, according to a study.
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Article #17-17258: "Tearing of Indian mantle lithosphere from high-resolution seismic images and its implications for lithosphere coupling in southern Tibet," by Jiangtao Li and Xiaodong Song.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Xiaodong Song, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL; tel: 217-333-1841; e-mail: <xiao.d.song@gmail.com>; Jiangtao Li, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Urbana, IL; e-mail:<jli109@illinois.edu>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences