Premium
Evolution of the Xialiao Basin
Author(s) -
Shedlock Kaye M.,
Hellinger S. J.,
Ye Hong
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
tectonics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.465
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1944-9194
pISSN - 0278-7407
DOI - 10.1029/tc004i002p00171
Subject(s) - geology , horst , structural basin , graben , rift , basin and range topography , sedimentary basin , crust , half graben , paleontology , subsidence , pull apart basin , underplating , tectonic subsidence , geomorphology , lithosphere , tectonics
The Xialiao depression is one of several small depressions that comprise the North China basin. Formed during the Cenozoic era, the Xialiao depression is a wedge shaped rift basin with a central horst situated between two grabens. The basin is approximately 65 km wide and the grabens reach maximum depths of 6–7 km. We present a quantitative analysis of the evolution of the Xialiao depression (hereafter, the Xialiao basin) within the framework of simple models of crustal extension. We find that both uniform and modified (two‐layer) extension modelling techniques provide reasonable regional estimates of the rate of extension and subsidence of the basin. However, estimations of heat flow and subsidence based on the parameters calculated using either modelling technique are not consistent with either the present basin configuration of a central horst flanked by two grabens or the high heat flow in the Xialiao basin. Combining the results of our attempts to model the extension of the basin with results from both body and surface wave studies of the crust and upper mantle beneath northeast China, we infer that the Xialiao basin has been extended at least 30% of its initial width.