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Local slab penetration into lower mantle controls deep-focus seismicity and Changbaishan volcanism in northeast China

Author

Listed:
  • Lei Gao

    (University of Science and Technology of China
    Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences)

  • Haijiang Zhang

    (University of Science and Technology of China
    University of Science and Technology of China
    University of Science and Technology of China)

  • Robert Myhill

    (University of Bristol)

  • Ji Gao

    (University of Science and Technology of China
    University of Science and Technology of China
    University of Science and Technology of China)

  • Wei Leng

    (University of Science and Technology of China
    University of Science and Technology of China
    University of Science and Technology of China)

Abstract

Intraplate volcanism in the Changbaishan region of northeast China is underlain by a deep subduction-related earthquake cluster in the mantle transition zone, but the underlying physical connections between them remain elusive. Here we use teleseismic double-difference tomography to obtain high-resolution images of the subducting Pacific slab to provide better constraints on slab morphology and potential relationships with volcanism and deep-focus seismicity. Our results reveal a narrow slab tongue penetrating the lower mantle, flanked to the north and south by slab stagnating in the mantle transition zone. This geometry creates a gap for sub-slab hot materials to ascend, providing a deep mantle source for Changbaishan volcanism. Additionally, the slab tongue is warped, which spatially coincides with a cluster of deep earthquakes, implying that an active deformation zone causes the clustered deep earthquakes. Our findings demonstrate that Changbaishan volcanism and deep-focus earthquakes are fundamentally controlled by the subducting slab’s dynamic morphology beneath northeast China.

Suggested Citation

  • Lei Gao & Haijiang Zhang & Robert Myhill & Ji Gao & Wei Leng, 2025. "Local slab penetration into lower mantle controls deep-focus seismicity and Changbaishan volcanism in northeast China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-8, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-58053-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58053-5
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