Dynamic modeling for crustal deformation in China: Comparisons between the theoretical prediction and the recent GPS data

Using a dynamic method, we present a quantitative model for the present-day crustal movement in China. We consider not only the effect of the India–Eurasia collision, the gravitational potential energy difference of the Tibet Plateau, but also the contribution of the shear traction on the bottom of the lithosphere induced by the global mantle convection. By solving a system of force balance equations using a finite element method, we obtain the crustal movement velocity in China with respect to the Eurasia plate. The comparison between our result and the velocity field obtained from the GPS observation shows that our model satisfactorily reproduces the general picture of crustal deformation in China. Numerical modeling results reveal that the shear traction at the base of the lithosphere induced by the mantle flow is probably a considerable factor that causes the movement and deformation of the lithosphere in China continent. But its effect focus on the eastern China.