SINOPROBE deep reflection profile reveals a Neo-Proterozoic subduction zone beneath Sichuan Basin

A new multichannel seismic reflection profile collected across the Sichuan Basin in southern China by SINOPROBE images prominent reflectors that originate within the lower crust and penetrate well into the underlying mantle. The geometry of these mantle reflectors is very similar to those observed on other deep reflection profiles that have been interpreted as relicts of ancient subduction. Considering the geological history of the basement beneath and surrounding Sichuan Basin and ages of granites encountered in nearby wells, we propose that these newly revealed reflectors are the remnants of Neo-Proterozoic subduction that occurred along the NW margin of the Yangtze Craton. This interpretation is consistent with geochemical studies from a gneissic complex at the west margin of the Sichuan Basin. Moreover, preservation of these reflectors supports the idea that the Sichuan lithosphere served as a consolidated tectonic buttress against which the Tibetan Plateau has impinged to produce the Longmenshan orogenic belt.