Detection of Widespread Fluids in the Tibetan Crust by Magnetotelluric Studies

Magnetotelluric exploration has shown that the middle and lower crust is anomalously conductive across most of the north-to-south width of the Tibetan plateau. The integrated conductivity (conductance) of the Tibetan crust ranges from 3000 to greater than 20,000 siemens. In contrast, stable continen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2001-04, Vol.292 (5517), p.716-718
Main Authors: Wei, Wenbo, Unsworth, Martyn, Jones, Alan, Booker, John, Tan, Handong, Nelson, Doug, Chen, Leshou, Li, Shenghui, Solon, Kurt, Bedrosian, Paul, Jin, Sheng, Deng, Ming, Ledo, Juanjo, Kay, David, Roberts, Brian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied geophysics
Conductivity
Crust
Crust (Geology)
Crystalline rocks
Earth
Earth movements
Earth movements (Geology)
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Electrical resistivity
Exact sciences and technology
Fractions
Geology
Geophysics
Igneous and metamorphic rocks petrology, volcanic processes, magmas
Internal geophysics
Melting
Observations
Plate tectonics
Plateaus
Upper mantle
Volcanic rocks
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Summary:Magnetotelluric exploration has shown that the middle and lower crust is anomalously conductive across most of the north-to-south width of the Tibetan plateau. The integrated conductivity (conductance) of the Tibetan crust ranges from 3000 to greater than 20,000 siemens. In contrast, stable continental regions typically exhibit conductances from 20 to 1000 siemens, averaging 100 siemens. Such pervasively high conductance suggests that partial melt and/or aqueous fluids are widespread within the Tibetan crust. In southern Tibet, the high-conductivity layer is at a depth of 15 to 20 kilometers and is probably due to partial melt and aqueous fluids in the crust. In northern Tibet, the conductive layer is at 30 to 40 kilometers and is due to partial melting. Zones of fluid may represent weaker areas that could accommodate deformation and lower crustal flow.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1010580