Analysis of the rising and sinking movement of the crust in Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, China

The average swelling height of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (Tibet) is about 4.1 km. The area is about 2 300 000 km2. It is the highest and the largest plateau in the world. Mount Qomolangma, the highest peak in the world, is located in the southern fringe of the plateau, and its height is still increasing. What is the driving force for the rising of the Qinghai-Xizang plateau? How high will the plateau still rise from now on? These questions are much concerned by people. In this paper the distribution of the pressure at different depths in the region of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau are derived according to the three-dimensional structures of the S-wave velocity in the crust and upper mantle. The crust and upper mantle structures of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is deliberated on the basis of the distribution with a comprehensive analysis on the rock types, earthquakes and the relative crust movements. Then the two questions raised above are discussed.