Age and genesis of the Shagou River terraces in eastern Qilian Mountains

The fluvial terrace sequence in eastern Qilian Mountains is a record of periodic uplift events of the Tibetan Plateau. Based on paleomagnetic dating, thermolumines-cence dating, radio carbon dating and loess-paleosol sequence on terraces, we preliminarily determine the ages of five major terraces of the Shagou River, northern side of the Qilian Mountains. The ages of five terraces were about 830, 418, 250,140 and 10 ka, respectively. Analysis on characteristics of terraces show that five major terraces were mainly tectonic genesis. Therefore, five major terraces recorded five strong rising events in the Qilian Mountains during the past 830 ka. The ages of those rising events are about the same as those terraces formation. Sub-terraces, constituting a main terrace, were perhaps mainly formed by climatic changes.     

Late Cenozoic high-resolution magnetostratigraphy in the Kunlun Pass Basin and its implications for the uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau

The Kunlun Pass Basin, located in the middle of the eastern Kunlun Mountains, received relatively continuous late Cenozoic sediments from the surrounding mountains, archiving great information to understand the deformation and uplift histories of the northern Tibetan Plateau. The Kunlun-Yellow River Movement, identified from the tectonomorphologic and sedimentary evolution of the Kunlun Pass Basin by Cui Zhijiu et al. （1997, 1998）, is roughly coincident with many important global and Plateau climatic and environmental events, becoming a crucial time interval to understand tectonic-climatic interactions. However, the ages used to constrict the events remain great uncertainty. Here, we present the results of detailed magnetostratigraphy of the late Cenozoic sediments in the Kunlun Pass Basin, which show the basin sediments were formed between about 3.6 Ma and 0.5 Ma and the Kunlun-Yellow River Movement occurred at 1.2 to ～0.78 Ma. The lithology, sedimentary facies and lithofacies associations divide the basin into five stages of tectonosedimentary evolution, indicating the northern Tibetan Plateau having experienced five episodes of tectonic uplifts at ～3.6, 2.69-2.58, 1.77, 1.2, 0.87 and ～0.78 Ma since the Pliocene.     

青藏高原隆升阶段性

 青藏高原的隆升不仅是印度板块与亚洲板块碰撞导致的地球内部岩石圈地球动力学作用过程的结果,并且对全球和亚洲气候变化、亚洲地貌和地表环境过程及大量地内和地表矿产资源的形成分布产生了深刻影响。因而研究高原隆升的历史不仅对解决上述重大科学问题提供重要途径,而且可为高原区域资源环境的开发和可持续发展提供理论依据。简要回顾和梳理了国内外近年来,围绕青藏高原隆升所取得的主要进展。研究表明新生代青藏高原经历了多阶段、多幕次、准同步异幅且高原南北后期加速隆升的演化过程。具体可划分为55~30、25~10及8~0 Ma 3个主要生长隆升期次。其中55~30 Ma的高原早期隆升,主要集中在高原中南部的拉萨地块和羌塘地块,并且可能隆升到接近3 km高度,或甚至更高,有人称之为“原西藏高原”,但其周缘存在准同步异幅的变形隆升响应;25~10 Ma的中期隆升,“原西藏高原”南北缘的喜马拉雅山和可可西里-昆仑山开始强烈隆升,“原西藏高原”率先隆升到目前高度并开始向东西两侧挤出物质、拉张形成南北向裂谷,高原北缘普遍产生广泛变形隆升但幅度有限;从约8 Ma开始的晚期隆升,高原南、北部边缘的喜马拉雅山和昆仑山-西秦岭以北的高原东北部隆升显著加速,经历一系列短暂快速的多幕次构造变形和生长隆升,最终形成现今高原面貌。     

柴达木盆地中新世中期以来构造的运动学模型

柴达木盆地是位于青藏高原内部的山间盆地,盆地新生代的变形受到两侧山体隆升的主导.通过贯穿盆地地震剖面的精细构造解释和分析,依据生长地层的结构,我们认为自中新世中期以来昆仑山前冲断楔体以平均4.7 mm/a的速度向盆地逆冲,导致盆地南斜坡向昆仑山方向仰冲;这为东昆仑山北麓出露的倾向北向南逆冲的多条断层和盆地南部向南逆冲的断层控制的断层相关褶皱作用所证实.盆地北部祁连山前冲断楔体向盆地方向逆冲,导致盆地北部向北逆冲的断层在地表形成北翼陡、南翼缓的断层相关褶皱背斜,向北逆冲的断层在盆地东部局部位置出露地表.昆仑山前冲断楔体和祁连山前冲断楔体的楔顶已经相向冲断至盆地中部,并造成第四系的变形.     

Low slip rates and long-term preservation of geomorphic features in Central Asia

In order to understand the dynamics of the India Asia collision zone, it is important to know the strain distribution in Central Asia, whose determination relies on the slip rates for active faults. Many previous slip-rate estimates of faults in Central Asia were based on the assumption that offset landforms are younger than the Last Glacial Maximum (approximately 20 kyr ago). In contrast, here we present surface exposure ages of 40 to 170 kyr, obtained using cosmogenic nuclide dating, for a series of terraces near a thrust at the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Combined with the tectonic offset, the ages imply a long-term slip rate of only about 0.35 mm x yr(-1) for the active thrust, an order of magnitude lower than rates obtained from the assumption that the terraces formed after the Last Glacial Maximum. Our data demonstrate that the preservation potential of geomorphic features in Central Asia is higher than commonly assumed.     

Methoxy n-fatty acids in surface soils from the Gongga and Kunlun Mountains: Ecological implications

GC-MS characteristics of surface soil samples from the eastern and northern Tibetan Plateau provide tentative identification of 8(–14)-Methoxy hexadecanoic acid (iME-16:0) and 9(–17)-methoxy octadecanoic acid (iME-18:0). Sixty surface soil samples were collected from the eastern slope of Gongga Mountain, at elevations ranging from ~1230 to 4500 m (eastern Tibetan Plateau), and from the northern slope of West Kunlun Mountains, ranging from ~1300 to 5500 m (northern Tibetan Plateau). This study also analyzed the methoxy n-fatty acids (MFAs) of Gongga Mountain tree leaves from six common living species, at the elevation of 2900–4200 m. MFAs dominate these samples, with more centrally located methoxy groups eluting earlier than those with methoxy groups located closer to the end of the main carbon chain. MFAs occur prominently in most of the Gongga Mountain soil samples (and from six tree samples) from dominantly coniferous and deciduous broadleaved forests. Other than in two narrow vegetation zones between 4000–4350 m and 2900–3300 m, no MFAs were found in 19 Kunlun Mountains soil samples from areas covered mainly with montane desert and alpine desert steppe vegetation. Based on the inventory of plants and soils from which MFAs have been isolated, we conclude that the MFAs most probably originate from specific woody plants. If we can exclude some particular grasses as sources, MFAs may be specific woody plants-derived biomarkers; thus they would serve as an important additional proxy for comprehensive and precise ecological reconstructions.     

Spatial differences in rock uplift rates inferred from channel steepness indices along the northern flank of the Qilian Mountain, northeast Tibetan Plateau

The rate and distribution of deformation along the Qilian Mountain, on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, is needed to understand the evolution of high topography associated with the plateau. Recently, a number of empirical studies have provided support for the contention, common to most models of fluvial incision, that rock uplift rate exerts a first-order control on the gradient of longitudinal river profiles. Along the northern Qilian Mountain, this method is used to extract information about the spatial patterns of differential rock uplift. Analysis of the longitudinal profiles of bedrock channels reveals systematic differences in the channel steepness index along the trend of the frontal ranges. Local comparisons of channel steepness reveal that lithology and precipitation have limited influence on channel steepness. Similarly, there is little evidence suggesting that channel steepness is influenced by differences in the sediment loads. We argue that the distribution of channel steepness in the Qilian Mountain is mostly the result of differential rates of rock uplift. Thus, channel steepness indices reveal a lower rock uplift rate in the eastern portion of the Qilian Mountain and a higher rate in the middle and west. The highest rates appear to occur in the middle-west portions of the range, just to the west of the Yumu Shan.     

Fission track age of granite batholith from Southern Tibet:implications for the plateau uplift

Fission track (FT) ages of apatite and zircon from four granite batholiths from Lhasa and Shannan areas are measured.The FT ages of apatite range from 3.2±8.3 Ma, corresponding to the uplift rates of 0.12±0.20 mm·a~(-1) during this period. The upliftheight is 580m, showing that there is not large-scale rapid uplifting in southern Tibet from 3.2 to 8.3 Ma. The zircon FT ages of Lhasabatholith are 25.9±1.7 and 32.7±2.8 Ma, yielding an uplift rate of 0.08 mm·a~(-1) between 26 and 33 Ma. Combining this work withother studies, it is suggested that the average uplift rate in southern Tibet is low from the time of collision between India and Asian conti-nents to ～3Ma. The uplift of Tibetan Plateau seems to have finished in multi-stage processes with varied rates.     

青藏高原地面抬升证据讨论

当前学术界在青藏高原地面何时达到现代高度问题上存在着许多不同观点,概括起来主要有３种：１４Ｍａ前已达到高于现代的最大高度,８Ｍａ前已达到或超过现代高度,距今３．４Ｍａ来分阶中强烈上升并逐步达到现代高度,之所以出现如此大的意见分歧,除高原面积广阔,研究程度不深和覆盖面不够的原因外,不同研究者所使用研究方法和证据的差异也是重要因素,在分析了各种证据对高原地面上升的记录机理后,我们认为夷平面、河流附地,     

Origin of middle Miocene leucogranites and rhyolites on the Tibetan Plateau: Constraints on the timing of crustal thickening and uplift of its northern boundary

Leucogranites play a significant role in understanding crustal thickening, melting within continental collisional belts, and plateau uplift. Field investigations show that Miocene igneous rocks from the Hoh Xil Lake area mainly consist of two-mica leucogranites and rhyolites. We studied the Bukadaban two-mica leucogranites and the Kekao Lake, Malanshan and Hudongliang rhyolites by zircon U-Pb, muscovite and sanidine 40Ar/39Ar geochronology, and whole-rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic analysis. Results yielded crystallization and cooling ages for the Bukadaban leucogranites of 9.7±0.2 and 6.88±0.19 Ma, respectively. Extrusive ages of the Kekao Lake and Malanshan rhyolites are 14.5±0.8 and 9.37±0.30 Ma, respectively. All rocks are enriched in SiO2 (70.99%-73.59%), Al2O3 (14.39%-15.25%) and K2O (3.78%-5.50%) but depleted in Fe2O3 (0.58%-1.56%), MgO (0.11%- 0.44%) and CaO (0.59%-1.19%). The rocks are strongly peraluminous (A/CNK=1.11?1.21) S-type granites characterized by negative Eu anomalies (δ Eu=0.18-0.39). In also considering their Sr-Nd isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sri=0.7124 to 0.7143; δ Nd (9 Ma) =-5.5 to -7.1), we propose that these igneous rocks were generated through dehydration melting of muscovite in the thickened middle or lower crust of northern Tibet. Melting was probably triggered by localized E-W stretching decompression in the horse tails of Kunlun sinistral strike-slip faults. Reactivation of the Kunlun strike-slip faults, accompanied by emplacement of leucogranite and eruption of rhyolite in the Hoh Xil Lake area, indicates that large-scale crustal shortening and thickening in northern Tibet mainly occurred before 15 Ma. In addition, these findings suggest that the northern Tibetan Plateau attained its present elevation (~5000 m) at least 15 Ma ago.     

Early tectonic uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau

The Hexi Corridor is the northmost foreland basin of the Tibetan Plateau and its formation is controlled by the northern marginal fault of Tibet, Altyn Tagh Fault （ATF）-North Qilian Shan marginal Fault （NQF）, and the southern Kuantan Shan-Longshou Shan Fault （KLF）. So its study is important to understanding the mechanism of Tibet formation and its influence on global climate change. The oldest Cenozoic sediments in the Corridor is the Huoshaogou Formation which consists of terrigenous fine conglomerate, sandstone, sandy mudstone and mudstone, depositing in al- luvial to lacustrine and fan delta sedimentary environments. Detailed paleomagnetic measurements of this sequence at Yumen clearly reveal eleven pairs of normal and reversed polarities. Fossil mammals found around the section support that most of the observed polarities can be well correlated with chrons between 13n and 18r of the standard geomagnetic polarity time scale, yielding ages of 40.2-33.35 Ma. The mean declinations of this sequence and its immediately above stratigraphy indicate an 18.3° rapid clockwise rotation of the Hexi Corridor. Since this sequence has been strongly folded and is capped by an angular unconformity, we think that the presence of the thick alluvial fan conglomeration at the bottom of the foreland basin may indicate the initial deformation and uplift of the northern Qilian Shan. This process could occur at latest at 40.2 Ma, driven by the faults NQF and KLF that thrust onto the Hexi corridor respectively from its southern and northern margins. These faults are in an early response to the collision of India with Asia, while the unconformable termination and rotation of the Huoshaogou Formation at -33.35 Ma indicate other early episode of rapid tectonic deformation and uplift of the northern Tibet.     

祁连山东段冲积扇的发育时代及其成因

第四纪期间祁连山东段山麓地带广泛发育了多级冲积扇,它们是研究区域构造抬升与气候变化最为直接的载体.本文主要通过ESR,IRSL以及14C等绝对测年手段对该区冲积扇的形成年代进行研究,结果表明祁连山东段北麓最高级冲积扇形成于0.85 MaBP,而毛毛山南麓的最高级冲积扇形成于0.43 MaBP.随后各地又相继发育了0.25,0.16,0.06,0.01 MaBP等多级冲洪积台地.根据主要冲积扇的形成年代及其与区域构造气候事件的对比,认为它们是构造运动与气候变化共同作用的产物.     

Magnetostratigraphy of Late Cenozoic fossil mammals in the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau

~~Magnetostratigraphy of Late Cenozoic fossil mammals in the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau~~~~     

A tropical paleosol at high elevation in the Yulong Mountains and its implication on the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau

A paleosol dated for about 500–700 kaBP and developed on a glacial deposit at ～3 000 m a.s.l. in the Yulong Mountains is studied using soil chemical, morphological and mineralogical methods. The analytical results indicate that this soil was formed under tropical and humid conditions and can be classified as red soil, which cannot be formed in the present alpine environment at the studied site. This implies that the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau has experienced intense uplift since the formation of the paleosol. According to the necessary conditions for the formation of the modern red soil in China, we estimate that the uplift height of the Plateau since 500–700 kaBP would have exceeded 800 m.     

Extension of drylands in northern China around 250 kaBP linked with the uplift of the southeast margin of Tibetan Plateau

Study on two loess sections, one located at Wuwei near the Tengger Desert in northwestern China, another located near Ganzi at the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau in southwest China, reveals a coeval drying step occurred at ~250 kaBP. It is expressed by the increase in eolian grain-size at Wuwei, and by a drastic extension of C4 plants and a decrease of loess chemical weathering intensity at Ganzi. Examination of the available eolian data indicates that the event has also been clearly documented in the loess sections near the deserts in northern China, and in the eolian records from the North Pacific. On the contrary, the signal is rather weak for the central and southern Loess Plateau regions as well as for Central Asia, where the climates are influenced by the southeast Asian monsoon and the westerlies, respectively. Since the climate at Ganzi is under strong control of the southwest Asian monsoon, we interpret this drying ste p as a result of decreased influence of the southwest summer monsoon. This decre ase in monsoon moisture is attributable to the uplift of the Hengduan Mountains, the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau at～250 ka ago.     

Deep seismic reflection profile across the juncture zone between the Tarim Basin and the West Kunlun Mountains

Fine structures of the crust and upper mantle of the basin-and-range juncture on the northwestern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are first delineated by the deep seismic reflection profile across the juncture zone between the Tarim Basin and the West Kunlun Mountains. Evidence is found for the northward subduction of the northwest marginal lithosphere of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its collision with Tarim lithosphere beneath the West Kunlun Mountains. The lithosphere image of the face-to-face subduction and collision determines the coupling relationship between the Tarim Basin and the West Kunlun Mountains at the lithosphere scale and reflects the process of continent-continent collision.     

Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and environmental changes

Major progress, problems, and challenges of recent investigation of the Tibetan Plateau uplift processes and resulting environmental changes are reviewed and summarized briefly, which especially covers the National Tibetan Research Projects of the Chinese Eighth (1992-1996) and Ninth (1997-2001) "Five-Year Projects". The Tibetan Plateau uplift is a complicated multiple cyclic process. The Gangdise and Himalayas began to uplift in the Middle Eocene and Early Miocene respectively, while the main part of the Plateau merely underwent corresponding passive deformation and secular denudation, resulting in two planation surfaces. The third and also the strongest uplift involved the whole Plateau and its marginal mountains commenced at 3.6 Ma. Successive Kunlun-Huanghe movement at 1.1-0.6 Ma and Gonghe movement at 0.15 Ma raised the Plateau to its present height. The Asian monsoonal system and Asian natural environment formed in response to these tectonic uplifts.     

Recent change of the ice core accumulation rates on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Three ice cores recovered from the Himalayas (i.e. the East Rongbuk Glacier and the Far East Rongbuk Glacier at Mt. Qomolangma (Everest), and the Dasuopu Glacier at Xixiabangma) show a sharp decline in the accumulation rates since the 1950s, which is consistent with the precipitation fluctuation over India and the low northern latitude zone (5°-35°N). Correspondingly, an increasing trend is observed for the ice core accumulations from the central and northern Qingh ai-Tibetan Plateau (i.e. the Xiao Dongkemadi Glacier in the central Tanggula Mountains, the Guliya Ice Cap in the western Kunlun Mountains, and the Dunde Ice Cap in the Qilian Mountains) since the 1950s, which is consistent with the precipi tation fluctuation over the middle-high northern latitude zone (35°-70°N). However, the variation magnitude of the high-elevation ice core accumulations is more significant than that of precipitation at the low-eleva- tion places, suggesti ng its extra sensitivity of high-elevation areas to climatic change. The inter-d ecadal abrupt change of the African-Asian summer monsoon in the1960s may attribute to the recent ice core accumulation change during the recent decades.     

Geomorphologic evolution and environmental changes in the Shaluli Mountain region during the Quaternary

Geologic and geomorphologic evidence from the Shaluli Mountain indicates that the planation surface that formed in the Late Tertiary disintegrated during the Late PUocene-Early Quaternary. At the same time, rift basins appeared on some parts of the planation surface, and began to accumulate fluvial-lacustrine sediment. These are interpreted as being the response of this region to Phase-A of the Qingzang Teetnnic Movement. After this, the Shaluli Mountain eontinued to rise in several pulses. Faulting and incision by some large tributaries of the Jinsha and Yalong Rivers resulted in several rift river valleys and the earliest terraces. Generally. the planation surface in this region had been uplifted to ahout 3500--3700 m a.s.I, no later than 550-600 ka BP. after the Kunlun-Huanghe Tectonic Movement, and coupled with global glacial climate, and resulted in the earliest glaciation recognized so far in the Hengduan Mountains. At the same time, Ioess was deposited in the Ganzi area of the northern Shaluli Mountain. During the last glacial period, the Shaluii Mountain approached its present altitude and developed several large ice caps, such as the Daocheng Ice Cap and Xinlong Ice Cap, as well as several huge valley glaciers. These paleoglaciers produced some of the most Spectacnlar glacial topography on the Tibetan Plateau.     

Uplift processes for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: A comparative study of Yecheng section and Siwalik group

Comparative studies of the Yecheng section at the northern piedmont of the Kunlun Mountain, and the Surai Khola section at the southern piedmont of the Himalayan Mountain, indicates that the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is dominated by continuous uplift over the past 10 Ma. And the effective time scale for dividing the uplift stages would be 1 Ma. The uplift processes of the entire plateau can be divided mainly into three stages, i.e., a slow uplift stage (10.0-6.0 MaBP), a transitional uplift stage (6.0-2.5 MaBP) and a rapid uplift stage (since 2.5 MaBP). The plateau might have risen to 2000 m above sea level by 4.6 MaBP in response to uplift and to more than 3000 m by 2.5 MaBP.