Basic information

Yongshun John Chen, born in 1956, chair professor,obtained PhD of Geophysics from Princeton University.Associate professor of Geophysics, Oregon State University, USA. Professor of Geophysics, Peking University, China.

Made pioneering contributions to the dynamics in ocean expansion of the plate boundary and the oceanic crust formation mechanism.

The formation mechanism better explains the mid-ocean ridge oceanic crust of main earthquake observation results and on the mainland of ophiolite suite field observation results, and are widely used by the international mrine geologists.

Now chairman of interRidge, and was chief editor of Marine Geophysical Researches,editor of JGR-Solid Earth, reviewing expert of geo-foundation.

published over 100 articles in Nature, JGR, EPSL, GRL, and so on.

Main Publications from 2000

Chen, Y. J., Dependence of crustal accretion and ridge axis topography on spreading rate, mantle temperature, and hydrothermal cooling,  in  Dilek, Y., Moores, E.M., Elthon, D., and Nicolas, A., eds., Ophiolites and Oceanic Crust: New Insights from Field Studies and the Ocean Drilling Program; Boulder, Colorado, Geological Society of America Special Paper 349, p. 161-179, 2000.

Chen, Y. J., Thermal effects of gabbro accretion from a deeper second melt lens at the fast spreading East Pacific Rise, Journal of Geophysical Research, 106, 8581-8588, 2001.

Graham, D., G. Ito, and Y. J. Chen, Physical and chemical effects of mantle plume-spreading ridge interaction, RIDGE Events, v.11, No. 2, p. 12, 2001.

Chen, Y. J., Seafloor spreading and dynamics of mid-ocean ridges, in Earth’s Structure, Evolution and Dynamics, Advances in Earth Sciences, vol. 1, edited by Y. Zhang and A. Yin, Chinese Higher Education Press, Beijing, p. 283-329, 2002 (in Chinese).

Chen, Y. J., Influence of the Iceland mantle plume on crustal accretion at the inflated Reykjanes Ridge – Magma lens and low hydrothermal activity? Journal of Geophysical Research, 108(B11), 2524, 10.1029/2001JB000816, 12 November 2003.

Chen, Y. J. and J. Lin, High sensitivity of ocean ridge thermal structure to changes in magma supply: the Galapagos Spreading Center, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 221, 263-273, 2004. Citation: 20

Chen, Y. J. (2004), Modeling the thermal state of the oceanic crust, in Mid-Ocean Ridges: Hydrothermal Interactions Between the Lithosphere and Oceans, Geophys. Monogr. Ser., vol. 148, edited by C. R. German, J. Lin, and L.M. Parson, pp. 95-110, AGU, Washington, D. C.

Zhu, J., J. Lin, S. Guo, and Y.J. Chen* (2008), Hydrothermal plume anomalies along the Central Indian Ridge, Chinese Science Bulletin, 53(16), 2527-2535.

Fu, Y. V., Y. J. Chen*, A. Li, S. Zhou, X. Liang, G. Ye, G. Jin, M. Jiang, and J. Ning (2008), Indian mantle corner flow at southern Tibet revealed by shear wave splitting measurements, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L02308, doi:10.1029/2007GL031753.

Liang, X., S. Zhou, Y. J. Chen*, G. Jin, L. Xiao, P. Liu, Y. Fu, Y. Tang, X. Lou, and J. Ning (2008), Earthquake distribution in southern Tibet and its tectonic implications, J. Geophys. Res., 113, B12409, doi:10.1029/2007JB005101.

Wei, S., Y.J. Chen*, E. Sandvol, S. Zhou, H. Yue, G. Jin, T.M. Hearn, M. Jiang, H. Wang, W. Fan, Z. Liu, Z. Ge, Y. Wang, and J. Ni (2010), Regional earthquakes in northern Tibetan Plateau: Implications for lithospheric strength in Tibet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L19307, doi:10.1029/2010GL044800. Citation: 6

Zhu, J., J. Lin, Y. J. Chen*, C. Tao, C. R. German, D. R. Yoerger, and M. A. Tivey (2010), A reduced crustal magnetization zone near the first observed active hydrothermal vent field on the Southwest Indian Ridge, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L18303, doi:10.1029/2010GL043542.

Chen, Y.J., and S.-P. Pei (2010), Tomographic structure of East Asia: II. Stagnant slab above 660 km discontinuity and its geodynamic implications, Earthquake Science, Volume 23, Number 6, 613-626, DOI: 10.1007/s11589-010-0760-4.

Fu, Y.V., A. Li, and Y. J. Chen (2011), Crustal and Upper Mantle Structure of Southeast Tibet from Rayleigh Wave Tomography, J. Geophys. Res., 115, B12323, doi:10.1029/2009JB007160.

Pei, S., Y. Sun, M.N. Toksoz, Y.J. Chen, X. Gao, Z. Wang, J. Zhao, and H. Liu (2011), Imaging Poisson’s ratio of uppermost mantle beneath China, BSSA, 101，1452-1461, doi:10.1785/0120090024.

Liang, X., Sandvol, E., Chen*, Y.J., Hearn, T., Ni, J., Klemperer, S., Shen, Y., Tilmann, F. (2012). A complex Tibetan upper mantle: A fragmented Indian slab and no south-verging subduction of Eurasian lithosphere. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 333-334, 101-111, doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2012.03.036.

Pei, S. and Y.J. Chen* (2012), Link between seismic velocity structure and the 2010 Ms 7.1 Yushu earthquake, Qinghai, China: Evidence from aftershocks tomography, Bull. Seis. Soc. Am., 102 (1), doi: 10.1785/0120110138.

Yue, H., Y. J. Chen*, E. Sandvol, J. F. Ni, T. M. Hearn, S. Zhou, Y. Feng, Z. Ge, A. Trujillo, Y. Wang, G. Jin, Y. Tang, X. Liang, M. Jiang, and S. Wei (2012), Lithospheric and Upper Mantle Structure of the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau, J. Geophys. Res., 117, B05307, doi:10.1029/2011JB008545.

Gong, J., and Y. J. Chen* (2013), Evidence of lateral asthenosphere flow beneath the South China craton driven by both Pacific plate subduction and the India-Eurasia continental collision, Terra Nova, doi:10.1111/ter.12069.

Tang, Y., Y. J. Chen*, S. Zhou, J. Ning, and Z. Ding (2013), Lithosphere structure and thickness beneath the North China Craton from Joint inversion of ambient noise and surface wave tomography, J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 118, 2333-2346.

Tang, Y., M. Obayashi, F. Niu , S. Grand, Y.J. Chen, H. Kawakatsu, S. Tanaka, J. Ning, J. Ni (2014), Changbaishan volcanism in northeast China linked to subduction-induced mantle upwelling, Nature Geoscience, 7, 470-475, doi:10.1038/ngeo2166. (SCI)

Li, J.., H. Jian, Y. John Chen*, S. Singh, A. Ruan, X. Qiu, M. Zhao, X. Wang, X. Niu, J. Ni, J. Zhang, and the DY115-06 Scientifit Team (2015), Seismic evidence of extremely thick crust with a lower crustal melt body at the ultra-slow Southwest Indian Ridge, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, doi:10.1002/2014GL062521.

Guo, Z., Y.J. Chen*, J. Ning, Y. Feng, S. Grand, F. Niu , H. Kawakatsu, S. Tanaka, M. Obayashi, J. Ni (2015), High resolution crustal structure beneath NE China from 3D joint inversion of ambient noise and receiver functions using NECESSArray data, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 416, 1-11.

Xue, J., Y. Zhou, and Y.J. Chen (2015), Tomographic resolution of plume anomalies in the lowermost mantle, Geophys. J. Int., 201 (2), 979-995, doi:10.1093/gji/ggv067.

Guo, Z., Y.J. Chen*, J. Ning, Y. Yang, J.C. Afonso, and Y. Tang, Crustal and upper mantle structure of Northeast China from Rayleigh wave tomography: evidence of an on-going upper mantle convection for intra-plate volcanism, Earth Planet. Sci. Letts, under revision, 2015.