Establishing the mechanisms for craton modification is critical for understanding cratonic stability and architecture. It is well known that oceanic subduction and mantle plumes can destroy and destabilize the overriding cratonic lithosphere, but the role of continental subduction in craton modification remains unclear. In the North China craton (NCC), which experienced deep continental subduction of the Yangtze block (YB) during the early Mesozoic, we report the presence of the YB crust embedded in the overriding craton. Combining our new results with previous observations, we argue that during 250–220 Ma, a 200-km-long tract of the NCC lithosphere was bulldozed by the subducted YB, resulting in a lithospheric suture far from the suture zone at the surface. This lithospheric removal occurred at middle-lower crustal levels (16–20 km depth)—much shallower than previously thought possible. The bulldozed NCC lithosphere was replenished by the subducted YB continental lithosphere rather than the asthenosphere, thus terminating the lithosphere modification. With essentially no net loss of lithosphere during deep continental subduction, the NCC maintained its stability until Early Cretaceous paleo-Pacific oceanic subduction. This “bulldoze and rebuild” model can thus account for how a craton maintains stability during a collision with another continental plate.

中文翻译：

---

推土机和重建：通过大陆俯冲引起的移除和替换来改变克拉通岩石圈

建立克拉通改造机制对于了解克拉通稳定性和结构至关重要。众所周知，大洋俯冲和地幔柱会破坏和破坏克拉通岩石圈的稳定，但大陆俯冲在克拉通改造中的作用仍不清楚。在中生代早期经历了扬子地块（YB）大陆深俯冲的华北克拉通（NCC）中，我们报告了嵌入在上覆克拉通中的扬子地块地壳的存在。结合我们的新结果和之前的观测结果，我们认为在250-220 Ma期间，北克拉通岩石圈长200公里的区域被俯冲的YB推平，导致岩石圈缝合线远离地表缝合带。这种岩石圈的去除发生在中下地壳层面（16-20公里深度）——比之前认为的要浅得多。被推平的华北克拉通岩石圈得到了俯冲的YB大陆岩石圈而不是软流圈的补充，从而终止了岩石圈改造。由于大陆深俯冲过程中岩石圈基本没有净损失，华北克拉通一直保持稳定，直到早白垩世古太平洋俯冲。因此，这种“推土机和重建”模型可以解释克拉通在与另一个大陆板块碰撞期间如何保持稳定性。