Study of main faults and deep-seated structural characteristics of Shanghai and adjacent areas based on gravity and magnetic anomalies
- 1Shanghai Institute of Geological Survey, Shanghai 200072, China
Abstract
Objective Shanghai and its surrounding areas play a vital role in China’s economic development. As the region is also prone to earthquakes that are felt by local residents, its crustal structure has attracted considerable research interest. Despite previous investigations, uncertainties remain regarding the spatial distribution of major deep-seated faults, particularly the Hu-Su and Jiang-Shao faults, and their offshore extensions into the East China Sea. Methods Airborne gravity and magnetic data were used to perform three-dimensional physical-property inversion and construct crustal residual-density and magnetization models for the study area. Results Correlation analysis of gravity and magnetic anomalies revealed that the sources of these anomalies are distinct but spatially associated, with absolute correlation coefficients below 0.4. Medium-to high-intensity magnetic anomalies are widely distributed along density-anomaly gradient zones, suggesting that intermediate-to-felsic intrusions along the margins of uplifted structures are the main source of the magnetic anomalies. Conclusions This study provides critical quantitative constraints on the faults and on a crustal ring structure. Analysis of the gravity and magnetic features of the Hu-Su and Jiang-Shao fault segments that extend into the East China Sea indicates that both faults reach a depth of 20 km and control the tectonic framework of the Shanghai region. In addition, the density model reveals a crustal ring structure in the Yangtze Estuary. Significance Our findings highlight the value of 3D inversion models derived from magnetic and gravity data and underscore the need to revise interpretations through 3D inversions of high-quality potential-field data—a step that is vital for understanding the crustal structure in the region.
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BibTeX
@article{xiangyun2026study,
title = {{Study of main faults and deep-seated structural characteristics of Shanghai and adjacent areas based on gravity and magnetic anomalies}},
author = {HU Xiangyun and XIE Jianlei and ZHANG Henglei},
journal = {Dizhi lixue xuebao},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2026130},
url = {https://doi.org/10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2026130},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Study of main faults and deep-seated structural characteristics of Shanghai and adjacent areas based on gravity and magnetic anomalies
AU - HU Xiangyun
AU - XIE Jianlei
AU - ZHANG Henglei
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Dizhi lixue xuebao
DO - 10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2026130
UR - https://doi.org/10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2026130
AB - Objective Shanghai and its surrounding areas play a vital role in China’s economic development. As the region is also prone to earthquakes that are felt by local residents, its crustal structure has attracted considerable research interest. Despite previous investigations, uncertainties remain regarding the spatial distribution of major deep-seated faults, particularly the Hu-Su and Jiang-Shao faults, and their offshore extensions into the East China Sea. Methods Airborne gravity and magnetic data were used to perform three-dimensional physical-property inversion and construct crustal residual-density and magnetization models for the study area. Results Correlation analysis of gravity and magnetic anomalies revealed that the sources of these anomalies are distinct but spatially associated, with absolute correlation coefficients below 0.4. Medium-to high-intensity magnetic anomalies are widely distributed along density-anomaly gradient zones, suggesting that intermediate-to-felsic intrusions along the margins of uplifted structures are the main source of the magnetic anomalies. Conclusions This study provides critical quantitative constraints on the faults and on a crustal ring structure. Analysis of the gravity and magnetic features of the Hu-Su and Jiang-Shao fault segments that extend into the East China Sea indicates that both faults reach a depth of 20 km and control the tectonic framework of the Shanghai region. In addition, the density model reveals a crustal ring structure in the Yangtze Estuary. Significance Our findings highlight the value of 3D inversion models derived from magnetic and gravity data and underscore the need to revise interpretations through 3D inversions of high-quality potential-field data—a step that is vital for understanding the crustal structure in the region.
SN - 1006-6616
ER -