Lithosphere Effective Viscosity of Continental China

The rheological structure of the continental lithosphere is a very important issue in the study of lithosphere dynamics. Evaluation of lithosphere viscosity is the primary task. On the basis of the new research achievements of Chinese continental temperature and strain rate, the authors have extrapolated the results of laboratory rock experiments to field geological deformation, and uncertainties such as, lithology, temperature, strain rate, and extrapolation are carefully investigated. The effective viscosity of crust and upper mantle in continental China are calculated. The effective viscosity of the middle and lower crust are usually in the range of 1021–1024 Pa·s and 1021–1022 Pa·s, respectively. The lower crust of the Tibetan plateau has a low viscosity of 1019–1020 Pa·s, which is in agreement with the previous conclusion that there is ductile lower crustal flow in the Tibetan plateau.