Lithosphere–asthenosphere interactions beneath northeast China and the origin of its intraplate volcanism

Northeast China hosts one of the largest Cenozoic intraplate volcanic regions in the world.However, the mechanisms that generate the volcanism, its spatial-temporal distribution, andcompositional signatures remain highly debated due to the lack of high-resolution imagesof the mantle’s thermochemical structure. We jointly inverted new surface-wave dispersiondata, surface heat flow, geoid height, and elevation data to image the fine-scale thermal andcompositional structures beneath northeast China and infer regions of partial melting in themantle. Our model reveals a complex circulation pattern in the asthenosphere and a highlyvariable lithospheric structure. Combining predictions from our model with independentgeochemical data from recent basaltic volcanism, we demonstrate that the generation, location,and composition of intraplate volcanism in this region are controlled by the interactionbetween shallow asthenospheric circulation and lithospheric thickness.