Density structure of the upper and middle crust in the northeast Dabie Orogen revealed by terrestrial gravity surveys

Abstract

Moderate to strong earthquakes have occurred frequently in the northeast Dabie Orogen recently. From 2014 to 2017, the Guanmiao Earthquake Swarm (GES), with a maximum earthquake magnitude of M3.9, and the Quanjun Earthquake Swarm (QES), with a maximum earthquake magnitude of M3.7, occurred successively in the area near southeast Jinzhai County, where two main Mesozoic E–W‐striking boundary faults, including the Xiaotian–Mozitan and Xinyang–Shucheng faults, are cut by the Cenozoic NNE‐/NE‐trending dextral strike‐slip faulting system. These earthquake swarms occurred within areas of human activities and have the potential to cause more violent geological hazards. However, the tectonic geneses of the earthquake swarms are still unknown due to a lack of sufficient geophysical evidence. Based on terrestrial high‐resolution Bouguer gravity anomaly data, the density structure of the northeast Dabie Mountains is inverted using a 3D linear gravity inversion method. As a result, the occurrence and cutting depth of the reactivated faults near the earthquake swarms are defined, suggesting that the Shangloufang–Xialoufang Fault (F11) may be the seismogenic fault of the GES. The genesis of the QES is possibly associated with the fault termination of the Yingshan–Quanjun strike‐slip fault (F10). More broadly, F10 is one of the major synthetic faults of the NNE‐/NE‐trending dextral strike‐slip faulting system between the Tanlu and Shangcheng–Macheng (F2) faults, which bound the East Dabie Block together. The synthetic and antithetic faults fully cover the Beihuaiyang belt and North Dabie unit topography. These intraplate strike‐slip faults formed to accommodate vertical and lateral movements of the Dabie Mountains, driven by the oblique subduction of the Pacific Plate, were likely responsible for generating earthquakes in both Huoshan and Jinzhai.