Deep structure and origin of active volcanoes in China

• Published in: Di xue qian yuan. Vol. 1; no. 1; pp. 31 - 44
• Main Authors: Zhao, Dapeng, Liu, Lucy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.10.2010; Department of Geophysics, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
• Subjects: Automobiles; Automotive engineering; Big mantle wedge; China; Earthquakes; Fluids; Intraplate volcanoes; Mantle; Mantle transition zone; Origins; Slabs; Subducting slabs; Upwelling; Volcanoes; 中国东北地区; 中国大陆; 俯冲板片; 岩浆活动; 活火山; 深部结构; 菲律宾海板块; ISEW, China, People's Rep., Hainan; ISEW, Philippine Sea; China, People's Rep; Subducting slabs; Big mantle wedge; Fluids; Mantle transition zone; Earthquakes; Intraplate volcanoes
• ISSN: 1674-9871; 2588-9192
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gsf.2010.08.002

We synthesize significant recent results on the deep structure and origin of the active volcanoes in mainland China. Magmatism in the western Pacific arc and back-arc areas is caused by dehydration of the subducting slab and by corner flow in the mantle wedge, whereas the intraplate magmatism in China has different origins. The active volcanoes in Northeast China （such as the Changbai and Wudalianchi） are caused by hot upwelling in the big mantle wedge （BMW） above the stagnant slab in the mantle transition zone and deep slab dehydration as well. The Tengchong volcano in Southwest China is caused by a similar process in the BMW above the subducting Burma microplate （or Indian plate）. The Hainan volcano in southernmost China is a hotspot fed by a lower-mantle plume which may be associated with the Pacific and Philippine Sea slabs＇ deep subduction in the east and the Indian slab＇s deep subduction in the west down to the lower mantle. The stagnant slab finally collapses down to the bottom of the mantle, which can trigger the upwelling of hot mantle materials from the lower mantle to the shallow mantle beneath the subducting slabs and may cause the slab-plume interactions.