Abstract
The Altyn Tagh fault (ATF) system forms the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau and plays a crucial role in the uplift and development of the Tibetan Plateau. It mediates the far‐field effect of the collision between the Indian and the Eurasian plates. Because of limited constraints on the lithospheric velocity structure, the detailed deformation pattern of the central ATF system remains unclear. With a dense seismic array, 483 stations with an interval of ∼1 km, across the central ATF system (the Tarim–Altyn–Qaidam dense nodal array) in late 2021, we obtain 14,079 high‐quality teleseismic P‐wave relative travel‐time residuals calculated with the multichannel cross‐correlation method, and construct a P‐wave velocity model beneath the central ATF system via the fast marching tomography (FMTOMO) method. Our results reveal distinct crustal structures in the Western Qaidam basin, Altyn Tagh range, and Eastern Tarim basin. The vertically low P‐wave velocity anomaly below the ATF, extending down to 130 km, indicates that the ATF is deep fault in the lithospheric scale. The laterally expanded low P‐wave velocity anomaly beneath the northwest Qaidam from surface to ∼60 km depth indicates the extrusion of Qaidam block, driven by the far‐field effects of the Indo‐Eurasian collision. The south‐dipping significant low P‐wave velocity anomaly beneath the southeast Tarim at ∼50 to 140 km depth indicates the underthrusting of the Tarim block, providing direct evidence of the clockwise rotation of the Tarim block.