Signatures of mountain building: Detrital zircon U/Pb ages from northeastern Tibet

Abstract

Although detrital zircon has proven to be a powerful tool for determining provenance, past work has focused primarily on delimiting regional source terranes. Here we explore the limits of spatial resolution and stratigraphic sensitivity of detrital zircon in ascertaining provenance, and we demonstrate its ability to detect source changes for terranes separated by only a few tens of kilometers. For such an analysis to succeed for a given mountain, discrete intrarange source terranes must have unique U/Pb zircon age signatures and sediments eroded from the range must have well-defi ned depositional ages. Here we use ~1400 single-grain U/Pb zircon ages from northeastern Tibet to identify and analyze an area that satisfi es these conditions. This analysis shows that the edges of intermontane basins are stratigraphically sensitive to discrete, punctuated changes in local source terranes. By tracking eroding rock units chronologically through the stratigraphic record, this sensitivity permits the detection of the differential rock uplift and progressive erosion that began ca. 8 Ma in the Laji Shan, a 10-25-km-wide range in northeastern Tibet with a unique U/Pb age signature.

Provenance fluctuations of aeolian deposits on the Chinese Loess Plateau since the Miocene

“…Brown and blue lines denote the westerly jet and East Asian winter monsoon, respectively. Red dots indicate late Miocene tectonic uplift in North Qilian , Qinghai Nanshan , Guide Basin (Lease et al, 2007), Jishi Shan (Lease et al, 2011), Linxia Basin (Fang et al, 2003), the Liupan Mountains (Zheng et al, 2006;Wang et al, 2011), the Altun Mountains including Dangjin Shan (Wan et al, 2001) and Danghe Nanshan (Wang et al, 2003a,b), the Gobi Altyn Mountains (Jolivet et al, 2001), the western Kunlun Mountains (Wang et al, 2003a,b), the South Tianshan Mountains including Yaha (Charreau et al, 2006) and Kuche (Huang et al, 2006), and the Gobi Altai Mountains (Jolivet et al, 2007). (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)…”

Provenance, U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology, Hf isotopic analyses, and Cr-spinel geochemistry of the northeast Yukon-Koyukuk Basin: Implications for interior basin development and sedimentation in Alaska

“…Himalayas and Andes), differences in 65 sedimentary filling patterns are recognizable by variations in large-scale axial and 66 transverse river systems and smaller transverse rivers observed draining into and within 67 the foreland and hinterland basins separated by an orogenic high (Burbank et al, 1996; 68 Clark et al, 2004; DeCelles, 2012; Dietze et al, 2014; Hessler and Fildani, 2015). This 69 4 variation in drainage systems leads to differences in provenance signatures recorded 70 within the basin sediments (Lease et al, 2007; Bayona, et al, 2008; Cina, et al, 2009; 71 DeCelles et al, 2014). Therefore, the provenance signature of the sediments that occupy 72 these basins should help in understanding the evolution of the synorogenic sediment 73 routing systems on either side of the orogen.…”

“…U-Pb ages 43 of detrital zircons collected from the lowest stratigraphic mafic-to ultramafic-rich 44 sediments yield maximum depositional ages (107 Ma) that reflect initial erosion of the 45 structurally highest Angayucham terrane and initiation of basin formation and deposition 46 variation in drainage systems leads to differences in provenance signatures recorded 70 within the basin sediments (Lease et al, 2007;Bayona, et al, 2008;Cina, et al, 2009;71 DeCelles et al, 2014). Therefore, the provenance signature of the sediments that occupy 72 these basins should help in understanding the evolution of the synorogenic sediment 73 routing systems on either side of the orogen.…”

A late Eocene palynological record of climate change and Tibetan Plateau uplift (Xining Basin, China)

“…During the Miocene, slow subsidence was disrupted by shortening related to the Indo-Asian collision, resulting in localized range uplift and enhanced flexural subsidence and basin compartmentalization . Consequently the Longzhong Basin was subdivided into sub-basins: the Xining Basin to the west, the Lanzhou and Longxi basins to the east, and the Linxia Basin to the southwest (Lease et al, 2007;Hough et al, 2011).…”