Crustal density structure and flexure mechanism of the Tarim Basin, China, constrained by latest in situ gravity observations

The crustal density structure in the Tarim Basin, NW China in response to the plate flexure is so far poorly constrained. We present new insights into the crustal density structure of the Tarim Basin using gravity/GNSS data from 728 mobile stations. The results suggest that the basin is not a uniform unit but spliced by at least two independent blocks. The high Bouguer gravity anomaly to the middle-south basin corresponds to convex crustal strata. Basing on the results of flexure analysis, we conclude that the crustal lithosphere beneath the Tarim Basin might have been suffered from the upwelling intrusion of deep material that weakened the strength and made the structure convex-upward, and subsequently deformed under the vertical and horizontal loading.