Abstract
It is difficult to acquire deep seismic reflection profiles on land using the standard oil-industry acquisition parameters. This is especially true over much of Tibetan plateau not only because of severe topography and rapid variation of both velocity and thickness of near-surface layer, but also strong attenuation of seismic wave through the thickest crust of the Earth. Large explosive sources had been successfully detonated in US, but its application in Tibetan plateau rarely has an example of good quality. Presented herein is the data of a 200-kg single shot we recorded in west Qinling, northeastern Tibetan plateau. The shot gather data with phenomenal signal-to-noise ratios illustrate the energy of the PmP phase. Although the observations are only limited to the northeastern Tibetan plateau and thus cannot comprise an exhaustive study, they nevertheless suggest that large explosions may be a useful exploration tool in Tibetan Plateau where standard seismic sources and profiling methods fail to produce adequate data of low crust.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Brown L D (1987). Lower continental crust: Variations mapped by COCORP deep profiling. Annal Geophy5: 325–332.
Brown L, Wille D, Zheng L, Devoogd B, Mayer J, Hearn T, Sanford W, Caruso C, Zhu T-F, Nelson D, Potter C, Hauser E, Klemperer S, Kaufman S and Oliver J (1987). COCORP: New perspectives on the deep crust. Geophys J Int89: 47–54.
Burchfiel B C, Chen Z, Liu Y and Royden L H (1995). Tectonics of the Longmen Shan and adjacent regions, central China. Int Geol Re37: 661–735.
Dirka P H G M, Wilson C J L, Chen S, Luo Z L and Liu S (1994). Tectonic evolution of the NE margin of the Tibetan Plateau: Evidence from the central Longmen Mountains, Sichuan province, China. Journal of Southeast Asian Earth Sciences9: 181–192.
Gao R, Ma Y S, Li Q S, Zhu X, Wang H Y, Li P W, Lu Z W and Guan Y (2006a). The lower crustal structure and its relationship of the Songpan block and West Qinling orogen revealed by deep seismic reflection profiling. Geological Bulletin of China25(12): 1–8 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Gao R, Wang H Y, Ma Y S, Zhu X, Li Q S, Li P W, Kuang Z Y and Lu Z W (2006b). Tectonic relationships between the Zoigê basin of the Song-pan block and the west Qinling orogen at lithosphere scale: Result of deep seismic reflection profiling. Acta Geoscientica Sinica27(5): 411–418 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Jarchow C M, Goodwin E B and Catchings R D (1990). Are large explosive sources applicable to resource exploration? The Leading Edge9(1): 12–17.
Li Q S, Peng S P and Gao R (2004). A review on studies of the Moho discontinuity beneath the Tibetan Plateau. Geological Review50(6): 598–612 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Mooney W D and Brocher T M (1987). Coincident seismic reflection/refraction studies of the continent lithosphere. Review of Geophysics25: 723–742.
Wang C Y, Han W B, Wu J P, Lou H and Bai Z M (2003a). Crustal structure beneath the Songpan-Garze orogenic belt. Acta Seismologica Sinica16(3): 237–250.
Wang C Y, Wu J P and Lou H (2003b). Crustal P-wave velocity structure in western Sichuan and eastern Tibet. Science in China (Series D) 33(Suppl.): 181–189 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Wang H Y, Gao R, Ma Y S, Zhu X, Li Q S, Kuang Z Y, Li P W and Lu Z W (2007). Basin range coupling and lithosphere structure between the Zoigê and the west Qinling. Chinese J Geophys50(2): 472–481 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Zhang G W, Guo A L and Yao P A (2004). Western Qinling-Songpan continental tectonic node in Chinese continental tectonic. Earth Science Frontiers11(3): 23–32 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Zhang X K, Jia S X, Zhao J R, Zhang C K, Yang J, Wang F Y, Zhang J S, Liu B F, Sun G W and Pan S Z (2008). Crustal structures beneath West Qinling — East Kunlun orogen and its adjacent area — Results of wide angle seismic reflection and refraction experiment. Chinese J Geophys51(2): 439–450 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Zhao J R, Li S L, Zhang X K, Yang Z X, Zhang C K, Liu B F, Zhang J S and Pan S Z (2005). Three dimensional Moho geometry beneath the northeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Chinese J Geophys48(1): 78–85 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Zhao W J, Nelson K D and Meissner R (1997). Advances of INDEPTH-A deep profiling study in Tibet and the Himalayas. Episodes20(4): 266–272.
Zhao W J, Nelson K D and Project INDEPTH Team (1993). Deep seismic reflection evidence for continental underthrusting beneath southern Tibet. Nature366(9): 557–559.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Li, Q., Gao, R., Wang, H. et al. 200-kg large explosive detonation facing 50-km thick crust beneath west Qinling, northeastern Tibetan plateau. Earthq Sci 22, 389–393 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11589-009-0389-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11589-009-0389-3