Three‐dimensional velocity field of present‐day crustal motion of the Tibetan Plateau derived from GPS measurements

Abstract Using the measurements of 750 GPS stations around the Tibetan Plateau for over 10 years since 1999, we derived a high‐resolution 3‐D velocity field for the present‐day crustal movement of the plateau. The horizontal velocity field relative to stable Eurasia displays in details the crustal movement and tectonic deformation features of the India‐Eurasia continental collision zone with thrust compression, lateral extrusion, and clockwise rotation. The vertical velocity field reveals that the Tibetan Plateau is continuing to rise as a whole relative to its stable north neighbor. However, in some subregions, uplift is insignificant or even negative. The main features of the vertical crustal deformation of the plateau are the following: (a) The Himalayan range is still rising at a rate of ~2 mm/yr. The uplift rate is ~6 mm/yr with respect to the south foot of the Himalayan range. (b) The middle eastern plateau has a typical uplift rate between 1 and 2 mm/yr, and some high mountain ranges in this area, like the Longmen Shan and Gongga Shan, have surprising uplift rates as large as 2–3mm/yr. (c) In the middle southern plateau, there is a basin and endorheic subregion with a series of NS striking normal faults, showing obvious sinking with the rates between 0 and ‐3 mm/yr. (d) The present‐day rising and sinking subregions generally correspond well to the Cenozoic orogenic belts and basins, respectively. (e) At the southeastern corner of the plateau. There is an apparent trend that the uplift rate is gradually decreasing from between 0.8 and 2.3 mm/yr in the inner plateau to between ‐0.5 and ‐1.6 mm/yr outside the plateau, with the decrease of terrain height.