Earthquake‐controlling Processes of Detachment Zones in Eastern North China

Abstract The basin‐and‐range area in eastern North China is known for frequent occurrence of earthquakes, their great magnitudes and heavy losses thereby incurred. Seismic studies in the past usually emphasized the intersections, inflexions and branches of the faults. However, the intensities of many great earthquakes in this area do not show linear distribution, and the epicenters are horizontally dispersed at certain depths instead of along the strike of faults. Based on the sub‐mantle plume studies made by authors in the past decade, it is thought that there exists an uplifted sub‐mantle plume under the fault depression area in North China. The uplifting and intrusion of mantle materials caused the upper crust to be faulted, while low‐velocity and high‐velocity layers are alternatively distributed in the middle crust under the influence of the mantle and the lower crust. The middle and lower crust materials were detached from the top of the sub‐mantle plume to the surroundings while the sub‐mantle plume materials were detached outward. When the detached middle and lower crust come to the boundary of fault basins in the upper crust, they will be obstructed by the orogenic zone and the detachment will go slower. The shearing between them will cause the stress to accumulate and release alternatively, so that earthquakes occurred frequently in the areas of sub‐mantle plume and its surroundings.