The Splitting 660 km Discontinuity Associated with Lithospheric Delamination in the Northern Part of the North-South Seismic Zone, China

The north-south seismic zone (NSSZ) is a destructive zone of large-scale earthquakes in China, and the earthquake mechanism associated with deep structures remains unclear. Previous studies have indicated that lithospheric delamination or absence of lithospheres in the western part of the NSSZ may facilitate the eastern extrusion of the Tibetan Plateau and lead to stress accumulation and release. However, the deep process of lithospheric delamination needs to be further clarified. In this study, I collect abundant high-quality teleseismic data recorded by permanent seismic stations and perform common conversion point (CCP) stacking of receiver functions in the north part of the NSSZ. The results show that lithospheric delamination might result in the splitting 660 km discontinuity and a thickening region of the mantle transition zone (MTZ).