Marine Geophysics

Geophysical evidence of the Red River Fault extending position in the South China Sea and the relationship with seafloor spreading

  • LU Bao-liang ,
  • WANG Wan-yin ,
  • ZHANG Gong-cheng ,
  • WANG Pu-jun
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  • 1. School of Geology Engineering and Geomatics, Institute of Gravity and Magnetic Technology, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China;
    2.College of Earth Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130061, China;
    3.Exploration Department of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Beijing 100027, China

Received date: 2015-01-24

  Revised date: 2015-04-07

  Online published: 2015-09-11

Abstract

In order to locate the Red River Fault zone (RRFZ) and study its relationship with the evolution of the South China Sea, we identified the RRFZ location in the South China Sea by comprehensive geological and geophysical studies. These studies were based on the characteristics of gravity and magnetic, heat flow, seismic P-wave velocity of different depths, and depth of Moho in the South China Sea. The RRFZ is connected with the southeast Zhongjiannan Fault, and extends to the Nansha area before the expansion of the southwestern sub-basin of the South China Sea. There is an apparent geophysical anomaly zone, with low velocity and low density from the Red River Valley land area to the southeast across the Yinggehai Basin and extending to the Xisha and Nansha areas. The two sides of the fracture have significantly different gravity and magnetic characteristics. Combined with previous research on the Red River strike-slip displacement and times, the Mesozoic subduction zone in northern South China Sea and the South China Sea expansion era, we propose an evolution model: in Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, the Nansha block drifted to the north, and collided with the South China continent. Before the expansion of the southwestern sub-basin of the South China Sea, the sinistral strike-slip events of the RRFZ cut the Mesozoic subduction zone in the northern South China Sea. When the Southwest sub-basin began to expand, the RRFZ was divided into two parts by the ocean crust. Taking consideration of the large-scale strike-slip movement of the RRFZ and the direction and time of the propagation expansion of the South China Sea, we do not think that the large-scale strike-slip movement of the RRFZ could lead to the expansion of the South China Sea, and speculate the movement may alter the expansion direction of the South China Sea. And the strike-slip movement of the RRFZ led to the S-N trending expansion of the Central sub-basin gradually turning to the SE-NW trending expansion of the Southwestern sub-basin.

Cite this article

LU Bao-liang , WANG Wan-yin , ZHANG Gong-cheng , WANG Pu-jun . Geophysical evidence of the Red River Fault extending position in the South China Sea and the relationship with seafloor spreading[J]. Journal of Tropical Oceanography, 2015 , 34(5) : 64 -74 . DOI: 10.11978/2015013

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