Crustal structure of the southern Lower Yangtze region and its geological implications: a deep reflection seismic profile

The southern part of the Lower Yangtze, located in the area bounded by the Jiangnan and Dabie orogenic belts, is characterised by a complex fault structure and unique magmatism, and is one of the key areas in regional tectonic evolution and magmatism. In this study the authors used a 45-km-long deep reflection seismic profile to study the crustal structure of the southern Lower Yangtze. The results show that the crust in the study area is about 31.5∼33.6 km thick, with the Huaining Basin as the thinnest part. A detachment surface at a depth of around 12 km divides the crust into the upper and lower crust, act as a key tectonic decoupling layer. Two sets of thrust nappe faults with opposite tendencies have horizontally developed above the detachment surface, with the Huaining Basin as the centre. A typical wedge-shaped structure has developed below the Qianshan Basin, suggesting that two sets of thrust nappe faults may have formed in the same dynamic system. The reflection patterns of the lower crust on both sides of the profile exhibit a monoclinic feature with opposite tendencies, while the lower part of the Huaining Basin exhibits an arcuate upward-arch feature. A prominent ductile shear zone in the lower crust has developed on the west side of the Huaining Basin, which can provide a favourable channel for magma migration. The results of this study deepen our understanding of the deep structure of the Lower Yangtze Region, and provide important constraint data for research on dynamic mechanisms.