The relationship between intraplate earthquakes and intraplate deformation is one of the great conundrums faced by plate tectonics theory. In particular, large earthquakes are more common in Eurasia than in other continents around the world. Formed by the Neoproterozoic collision of the Cathaysia Block and the Yangtze Craton along the Jiangnan Orogenic Belt, the South China Block is well known for its relative stability in the Cenozoic era. However, numerous intraplate earthquakes have occurred in the Yangtze Craton and their mechanism is not well known. Incomplete understanding of the deep geological structure and deep-shallow coupling mechanism has led to two hypotheses about the nature and origin of intraplate earthquakes in the area: the far-field effects of plate subduction and the internal deformation of intraplate lithosphere. In this paper we attempt to provide a new perspective to the intraplate earthquake mechanism in the South China Block. In doing so, we have collected and reviewed multi-source and multi-scale high-precision geophysical data to improve the interpretation of the South China Block at depths from 1000 km to 1 km. The data interpretations help clarify the coupling relationship between the lithospheric structures and intraplate earthquakes in the South China Block. This paper emphasizes the strong structural heterogeneity in the South China Block. In plan view, the block is a mosaic structure formed by the assembly of various continental micro-blocks along several weak zones since the Neoproterozoic. In cross section, the structures of different units are segmented by detachment faults. For our analysis, we have used a three-layer model to describe the coupling of the asthenosphere-lithosphere, lithospheric mantle-crust and within the crust in the South China Block. The three cascade effects are coupled to form an intraplate earthquake triggering mechanism in the Yangtze Craton. The subduction effects of the Pacific Plate and the blocking by the Yangtze Craton are considered to cause a large-scale stress concentration in the Huaying Mountain fold-and-thrust belt; combined with three sets of detachment layers as internal factors, this stress results in numerous small-magnitude intraplate earthquakes occurring in the stable craton. This paper suggests that the deep structures can control the shallow tectonic processes and the plate tectonic responses and that the lithospheric strength can affect the triggering of intraplate earthquakes.

板内地震与板内变形之间的关系是板块构造理论面临的巨大难题之一。特别是，欧亚大陆的大地震比世界其他大洲更为普遍。华南地块是由华夏地块和长江克拉通沿江南造山带的新元古代碰撞形成的，以其在新生代时期的相对稳定性而闻名。但是，长江克拉通地区发生了许多板内地震，其机制还不清楚。对深部地质结构和深浅耦合机制的不完全理解导致了关于该区域板内地震的性质和成因的两个假设：板块俯冲的远场效应和板内岩石圈的内部变形。本文试图为华南地块的板内地震机制提供一个新的视角。为此，我们收集并审查了多源，多尺度的高精度地球物理数据，以改善对华南地块从1000 km到1 km深度的解释。数据解释有助于弄清华南地区岩石圈结构与板内地震之间的耦合关系。本文强调了华南地块的强烈结构异质性。在平面图中，该块是自新元古代以来沿多个弱区聚集的各种大陆微块形成的镶嵌结构。在横截面中，不同单元的结构被分离断层分割。为了我们的分析，我们用三层模型描述了软流圈-岩石圈，岩石圈地幔-地壳以及华南地块内地壳内部的耦合。三种级联效应耦合在一起，形成了长江克拉通的板内地震触发机制。认为太平洋板块的俯冲作用和扬子克拉通的阻滞作用引起了华鹰山褶皱冲断带的大规模应力集中。结合三组分离层作为内部因素，这种应力导致稳定克拉通中发生多次小规模板内地震。本文认为深部构造可以控制浅层构造过程和板块构造响应，岩石圈强度可以影响板内地震的触发。