Lithospheric electrical structure beneath the Cathaysia Block in South China and its tectonic implications

Abstract

To better constrain the heat source of the geothermal system and lithospheric thinning mechanism of the Paleo-Pacific subduction zone, data from 35 broadband magnetotelluric (MT) stations were collected in 2020 along a 180-km-long NW-trending profile in the Cathaysia Block. Based on the measured data, we obtained the lithospheric electrical structure of the Cathaysia Block in South China using the 3D MT inversion code of ModEM. The final resistivity structure along the profile shows a series of highly conductive anomalies and highly resistive anomalies. The highly resistive anomalies in the upper crust correspond well with the distribution of magmatic rocks, which extend downwards to depths of 20 km. The highly resistive anomalies with a depth of 20–40 km are interpreted as crustal mafic sills derived from the mantle. The crustal conductors at depths of 5–15 km are typically interpreted as accumulations of aqueous fluids, which originate from the dehydration of the slab during the flat-slab subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate and are confined in the crust by impermeable layers. Fluid fractions of 0.8–9% would be required to explain the observed conductance values. The MT results indicate that there is no magma chamber or partial melt beneath the geothermal system. Therefore, the heat source of the geothermal system in the Cathaysia Block is radiogenic heat produced by the decay of radioactive elements in the crust. Thermal erosion has played a central role in lithospheric thinning and crust–mantle interaction of the Cathaysia Block.