Characteristics and Tectonic Significance of the Gravity Field in South China

Based on gravity data processed with the matched filter, depth continuation and horizontal gradient we obtained the spatial distribution of the gravity field and made analyses of the tectonic framework of South China. Then, inversion was conducted for the depth to study the depth variation of the boundary between the crust and upper mantle, namely the Mohorovicic discontinuity (Moho). The results demonstrate that the Moho depth in South China ranges from 30 to 40 km, and the crust thins from west to east, 27-29 km under the continent margin and shallow sea. We think it possible that the Tanlu fault crosses the Yangtze River and extends southwards along the Ganjiang and Wuchuan-Sihui faults to the South China Sea, and that there is an E-W hidden structural belt along 24.5°-26°.