Tectonophysics 627 (2014) 1–3
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Tectonophysics
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Preface
Advances in seismic imaging of crust and mantle: Preface
Deep seismic profiling aims to obtain the structure of crust and
upper mantle using techniques such as seismic reflection, and seismic
reflection/refraction as well as a series of broad-band seismic tech-
niques including receiver functions and seismic tomography. Data are
collected both on land and at sea, and in many cases across crystalline
basement areas or basin–basement boundary zones. Over the years,
deep seismic profiling has evolved both in methodology and under-
standing and has been integrated with other earth imaging techniques.
Modern deep seismic transects provide clear images of the crust and
mantle across various tectonic environments on the globe which con-
strain geodynamic evolution within key geological provenances.
SEISMIX meetings (acronym for ‘International Symposium on Deep
Structure of the Continents and their Margins’ symposium series) pro-
vide opportunity to gather seismic and other specialists from various
continents to discuss and advance deep seismic profiling and under-
standing. These symposia were held once in two years since the first
meeting in Cornell in 1984, and have led to important special issues in-
cluding the recent one edited by Rawlinson and Goleby (2012). Seismix
2012, the 15th symposium of deep seismic profiling on Deep Structure
of the Continents and their Margins, was held during September
16–20 in Beijing, China with a focus to present results from recent
deep seismic case studies, seismic methodology advancements (active
and passive techniques), and deep seismic surveys showing the struc-
ture of the crust and mantle.
This special issue of Tectonophysics is an outcome from the Seismix
2012 in Beijing. However, sadly, Prof. Zhongjie Zhang of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences who led the conference and who co-ordinated
the proposal of this special issue of Tectonophysics is no more with us.
He suddenly passed away last year and we dedicate this special issue
in his memory.
We open the special issue with an Obituary for Prof. Zhongjie Zhang,
authored by Liu et al. (2014) as a tribute to this talented scientist who
passed away at a relatively young age. Zhongjie was a pioneer in
China for his work on seismic anisotropy and was widely known inter-
nationally for his contributions on deep seismic profiling to investigate
the crustal and upper-mantle deformation, structures and evolution,
particularly related to the Xizang–Qinghai (Tibet) Plateau and sur-
rounding areas in western China. His outstanding publications helped
elucidate the deformation of thinned lithosphere in northern China
and provided new understanding of how Mesozoic disruption of the
North China Craton occurred through underplating triggered lower-
crustal flow of the Archean lithosphere. His significant contributions
also provide insights into the evolution of the South China plate, crustal
rheology and structure of the Tethyan Himalaya in southern Tibet, the
geodynamics of East Tibet and the Sichuan Basin, among other topics.
His sad demise was a great shock for his colleagues and collaborators
worldwide and an irreparable loss for China's academic world.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2014.06.001
0040-1951/© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
We open the special issue with the contribution from Alcalde et al.
(2014) who present a multidisciplinary approach from reflection seismic,
well-log and regional data to formulate a 3D geological model for the
Hontomín CO2 storage site in Spain. The geodynamic evolution of the
study area is also inferred from the proposed model and this work offers
a unique study of CO2 storage in a complex fractured carbonate reservoir.
Lan et al. (2014) present the results from a reverse time migration
from irregular surface, and their method eliminates limitations on sur-
face irregularity, complexity of the subsurface structure and velocity
function. The authors also investigate the influence of source types on
the reverse time migration and through numerical examples, they dem-
onstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the new method.
Kanao et al. (2014) investigate the crustal structure and tectonic
evolution of the Enderby Land in East Antarctica through deep seismic
surveys. Their study reveals lithospheric velocity and reflections of the
Lützow–Holm Complex. A large graben structure is identified beneath
the Amery Ice shelves. They also evaluate the tectonic evolution of
Enderby Land by combining the coastal structure with that toward the
inland plateau of the Gambursev Subglacial Mountains (GSM), which
has important implications on the geological aspects related to the
amalgamation and dispersal of the Gondwana supercontinent.
Jia et al. (2014) present results from a long deep seismic sounding
profile from the North China Craton in an attempt to elucidate the crustal
structure and tectonics. Their results show that the Moho topography
substantially varies in the central part of the craton and that the fault sys-
tems exert a major control on the evolution of this region. The authors
also evaluate the convergence of the regional tectonic stress field since
the Mesozoic, the modification of the lithospheric and crustal structure
in eastern North China, and the controls of seismicity and metallogenesis.
Yegorova and Pavlenkova (2014) present 2D density modeling of
seismic profiles to decipher the structure of the upper mantle of North-
ern Eurasia. They employ velocity models on super-long seismic profiles
with nuclear explosions and the density models obtained are interpreted
in light of continental lithosphere evolution. They identify that the
Archean depletion of the mantle is responsible for the gravity low of
the Siberian Craton.
Xu et al. (2014a) apply a successive three-point perturbation tech-
nique for tracing fast ray in complex 2D and 3D geological models. In
their model, heterogeneous velocity distribution is identified in aggre-
gates of arbitrarily shaped geological blocks. The authors combine seg-
mentally iterative ray tracing (SIRT) and pseudo-bending methods to
evaluate the block models. Empirical applications, including an example
of the Bohemian Massif, are also presented.
Lopez-Casado et al. (2014) present multifractal images of seismicity
from the Ibero-Maghrebian region in the westernmost boundary be-
tween the Eurasian and African plates. The authors evaluate fractal di-
mensions of capacity, entropy, correlation and spectral slope. This
2 Preface

region shows an uneven spatial distribution of seismic activity with Lu et al. (2014) present a 2.5 dimensional tomography model for the
areas of strong earthquakes. The authors correlate the lithospheric faults uppermost mantle beneath the Sichuan–Yunnan region and surround-
and the strong interaction between plate edges to the observed shallow ing areas based on Pn and Sn travel time data with long and short epi-
and intermediate seismicity and the rupture of the plate boundary in central distance ranges. Their study provides further evidence for the
the Betic–Rif–Alboran area. subduction of Indian plate beneath Myanmar–Yunnan region. The au-
Xu et al. (2014b) analyze the crustal structure across the Kunlun fault thors identify the presence of hot upwelling beneath the Hainan region
from passive source seismic profiling in East Tibet. Combining with re- and conclude that the heat flow from the upper mantle beneath Yunnan
ceiver function imaging and H-k stacking results the authors identify a has complex features.
crustal thickness of 64 km under Songpan–Ganzi, and 56–62 km under We thank the following referees for sparing their valuable time and
Qaidam–Kunlun and Qilian. Their study illustrates crust flow mechanism efforts in reviewing the papers submitted to this special issue.
operating more strongly in the western region along the Kunlun fault.
Teng et al. (2014) investigate the Moho depth, seismicity and
seismogenic structure of mainland China based on wide-angle seismic Abdul Bhatti
profiles. Their results demonstrate that the average Moho depth is Alexey Goncharov
about 35 km in Southeast China, 38 km in North and Northeast China, Alexey Shulgin
Alireza Malehmir
51 km in Northwest China and 65 km in Tibet. Based on the link be-
An Yin
tween the seismic velocity structure and the seismogenic layer of the Antonio Casas
crust that concentrates 80% of the released seismic energy, the authors Aubreya Adams
discriminate the places with greater or lesser capacity to generate seis- Beatriz Benjumea
Bihong Fu
mic energy. South China and Northwest China show a distinct earth-
Bin Shan
quake generating capacity when compared to that of Tibet. Brian Kennett
Chen et al. (2014) formulate a thermo-rheological model along Chuansong He
a seismic profile in eastern Tibet. Their study identifies a high- Daniel Stich
temperature anomaly within the uppermost mantle of eastern Tibet. Dapeng Zhao
David Snyder
They also pick out significant lateral variations in rheological strength
Don L. Anderson
along the profile. By combining these results with the observed crustal/ Edoardo Del Pezzo
lithospheric architecture, Pn velocity distribution and magmatism in Eiichi Fukuyama
the eastern Tibetan margin, the authors suggest that the delamination Eleni Kokinou
Francisco Luzon
of a thickened lithospheric mantle root beneath eastern Tibet is respon-
Fred J. Davey
sible for the growth of the eastern Tibetan margin. G. Keller
Zhao et al. (2014) apply shear wave splitting measurements to inves- Giorgio Ranalli
tigate the upper mantle deformation beneath central-southern Tibet. Gou Fujie
The transition in shear wave splitting at 30.5°N is correlated with distinct J. Kim Welford
Jacek Stankiewicz
upper mantle deformation from south to north. The marked anisotropy
James Ni
in the north is considered to result from the eastward flow between Jean-Claude Mareschal
the advancing Indian plate to the south and Eurasian plate to the north. Jiafu Hu
Hong (2014) evaluate the influence of complex structures in conti- Jianshe Lei
nental margin on the regional seismic wavefield. The study focuses on Jingyi Chen
Joachim Ritter
the continental margin around the Korean Peninsula where regional Jose Badal
waves are seen to attenuate while passing across the continental mar- Kaijian Liu
gin. The growth rate within the continent is stronger than inherent at- Kwang-Hyun Cho
tenuation rate, causing seismic amplification. The author identifies a Luis Pujades
Luis Pujades
directional partition of seismic energy by crustal structures in the paths.
Marcelo Rocha
Deng et al. (2014) present a 3D density structure of South China Marek Jarosinski
from integrated seismic velocity and gravity data. The density models Masaki Kanao
identify the Chenzhou–Linwu fault as the southern termination of the Mikhail K. Kaban
boundary between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks. Crustal composi- Minghui Zhao
Nicholas Rawlinson
tion and temperature distribution are employed to formulate different Pin Yan
laws with linear relationships between seismic velocity and density, Piotr Sroda
and these allow distinguishing the various tectonic units in South China. Rainer Kind
He et al. (2014) provide evidence for plume-induced rifting in the Ramon Carbonell
Rizheng He
Songliao Basin of Northeast China from seismic data. A deepening of the
Rongfeng Ge
410 and 660 km discontinuities beneath the Songliao Basin is identified. Stefano Tavani
The seismic evidence shows the presence of a mantle plume, under- Sung-Joon Chang
plating and rifting process in NE China. A projection of the proposed Susana Custodio
plume onto the surface overlaps with the locations of the lithosphere Tae-Kyung Hong
Thomas Daley
and crustal thinning as well as the mafic–ultramafic domains. The authors Tom Hearn
thus propose an upwelling mantle plume and related extension as the Walter Mooney
main trigger for the formation of the Mesozoic Songliao Basin in NE China. Weisen Shen
Kim et al. (2014) deal with hypocentral parameter inversion for re- Wolfgang Rabbel
Xi Zhang
gions with poorly known velocity structures, a crucial factor in seismic
Yasuyuki Kano
monitoring. The authors introduce an iterative velocity updating Yuri Rebetsky
scheme that can be combined with conventional hypocentral inversion Zhaohui Yang
methods. The feasibility and accuracy of the algorithm are tested with Zhi Guo
synthetic and field data. The proposed scheme can be implemented in Zhouchuan Huang
Zoltan Hajnal
any conventional method that is based on a fixed velocity model.
 Preface 3

We thank all the authors who contributed to this special issue. We Teng, J., Deng, Y., Badal, J., Zhang, Y., 2014. Moho depth, seismicity and seismogenic struc-
ture in China mainland. Tectonophysics 627, 108–121.
also express our sincere thanks to Prof. Hans Thybo, Editor-in-Chief of Xu, T., Li, F., Wu, Z., Wu, C., Gao, E., Zhou, B., Zhang, Z., Xu, G., 2014a. A successive three-
Tectonophysics for encouragement and overall guidance in bringing point perturbation method for fast ray tracing in complex 2D and 3D geological
out this special issue. We hope that the seventeen contributions assem- models. Tectonophysics 627, 72–81.
Xu, T., Wu, Z., Zhang, Z., Tian, X., Deng, Y., Wu, C., Teng, J., 2014b. Crustal structure across
bled in this volume would evoke wide interest among the related geo- the Kunlun fault from passive source seismic profiling in East Tibet. Tectonophysics
science community. 627, 98–107.
Yegorova, T., Pavlenkova, G., 2014. Structure of the upper mantle of Northern Eurasia
from 2D density modeling on seismic profiles with peaceful nuclear explosions.
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