由于大别山在中生代经受了造山期后的混合岩化、高温变质和强烈的构造运动，使岩石中有关的岩石学信息要么被剥蚀拆离，要么被混融改造，单靠岩石学或地质学的研究难以解决碰撞造山与超高压变质岩石形成折返过程的许多问题。于是，地球物理研究及深部地壳调查的信息就显得更为重要。上世纪末在大别山东段进行的综合地球物理调查, 取得的资料不仅提供了较精细的地壳结构信息, 而且不同方法取得的资料有很好的相关性。根据这些资料作综合研究可以编制出较为可靠的地壳构造剖面图。大别造山带的地壳可分为北淮阳、北大别、南大别与宿松四个构造单元。其中宿松高压变质带的中下地壳为扬子俯冲地壳，而北淮阳下方的中下地壳可能为中朝克拉通的地壳。南、北大别的中下地壳结构具有明显差别，反映了它们曾经有过不同的演化轨迹，不应把它们合并为同一个构造单元。现今大别造山带的结构主要反映了早—中侏罗世扬子克拉通的向北陆-陆俯冲及同期大别造山带的挤压变形，和晚侏罗世以来以北大别为中心的地壳伸展和上隆揭顶。推测在三叠纪南北碰撞时晓天—磨子潭断裂带可能处于缝合带的中心位置，它不象是俯冲前沿的逆断层。这种缝合带形状不很规则, 沿走向宽度也有较大变化, 可横跨北大别与北淮阳的邻近区带。

Recent 24 s deep seismic reflection records revealed five flat reflectors in the lithospheric mantle in Eastern China. With increasing depth, they are named M1 to M5 and can be seen on both field single-shot and stacked records. Reflector M1 corresponds to the Moho discontinuity, whereas M5 may be the reflection from the bottom of the current lithosphere, which is about 78 km deep according to geothermal measurements. The other three reflectors seem peculiar and might result from interactions between the lithosphere and deeper mantle. Based on lithological and geochemical data, it is suggested that the lithosphere has been thinned from about 150 km to about 60 km in the Late Mesozoic, and then has been thickened to about 78 km during the Cenozoic. The thinning process produced a granulite layer in the old lower crust caused by magmatic underplating, whereas an eclogite layer formed beneath owing to the subduction of the Paleo-Tethys and Yangtze Craton during the Permian and Early Mesozoic. Reflector M2 at about 12 s two-way traveltime (TWT) might result from the Paleozoic Moho, which represents the boundary between the previous granulite and eclogite facies. Reflector M3 at about 14 s might correspond to the bottom of the eclogite layer, beneath which the old lithospheric mantle remained. The old and the newly developed mantle may have different compositions, resulting in reflector M4. The multi-layered mantle reflectors demonstrate a mantle structure that possibly correlates with the lithospheric thinning process that occurred in Eastern China during the Late Mesozoic. The discovery of multi-layered mantle reflectors in the studied areas indicates a high heterogeneity of the upper mantle. Reflection seismology with improved technology, together with velocity and resistivity imaging and rock-physics measurements, can provide more details of the heterogeneity and related dynamic processes that occurred in the lithospheric mantle.

对大陆科学钻探孔区小尺度拱弧反射的标定表明, 由于地壳中存在基性岩体或其他侵入体是常见的现象, 上拱弧形反射是常见的, 并不都属于多重地震拱弧构造. 多重地震拱弧构造由多个上拱弧形反射组成, 至少有两个拱弧反射同时在上地壳和下地壳出现. 在上地壳弧形反射体附近有侵入体伴生, 这些侵入体(其中包体除外)的稀土元素分布无明显的负铕异常. 根据典型地震剖面的分析, 目前至少可识别出以下三种类型的多重地震拱弧构造. 其中的第1 种类型为简单的垂直组合型, 出现在中新生代裂谷带两侧, 可能是向上侵位的通道不通畅时幔源岩浆由下向上的逐步分异的产物. 第2 种称为弥漫型的多重岩浆拱弧构造, 一般位于中新生代的裂谷盆地中,由于盆地的多次扩张伴随着玄武岩浆的侵位, 形成了许多拱弧反射体. 第3 种称为花束型的多重地震拱弧构造离裂谷区较远, 与幔源玄武岩浆的快速渗入上地壳有关.