The Mantle Transition Zone Structure Beneath the Pamir Plateau and Western Tian Shan and Adjacent Regions

A significant depression of the mantle transition zone (MTZ) beneath the Pamir Plateau and western Tian Shan, revealed through analysis of 42,560 P-wave receiver functions from 352 seismic stations, provides evidence for a fossil Tian Shan plume linked to Late Cretaceous–Paleocene basaltic magmatism. The study found a 15–20 km depression of the 410-km discontinuity (d410) beneath the southern Kazakh Shield, consistent with mantle upwelling, while an 8 km depression beneath western Tian Shan suggests subhorizontal lithospheric indentation rather than deep subduction. Additionally, a 10–15 km d410 depression beneath Tarim indicates mantle upwelling from below, and extreme d660 depression (25–30 km) in the central Hindu Kush points to deep Indian lithosphere subduction, highlighting distinct collision mechanisms between regions.

Wu, Y., & Bao, X. (2024). The Mantle Transition Zone Structure Beneath the Pamir Plateau and Western Tian Shan and Adjacent Regions. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 129(7). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023jb028129