Tectonic geomorphology of the Qilian Shan in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau: Insights into the plateau formation processes

Zhang, Huiping; Zhang, Peizhen; Prush, Veronica; Zheng, Dewen; Zheng, Wenjun; Wang, Weitao; Liu, Caicai; Ren, Zhikun

doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2017.04.016

Cited by 60 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 70 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…According to analyses of elevation distribution, ~4,200 m is an important elevation for the upstream part of the Bayin River watershed (Figure ). Meanwhile, river longitudinal profiles of the Bayin River show that the slopes of the main river and several tributaries all become gentler above ~4,200 m, representing an antecedent erosional surface (Zhang et al, ; Figure ). South to the Arangguole River Valley, the Zongwulong Mountains represents a dissected landscape including deep incised valley and high relief (Figure ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This combination has been abundantly applied in the southern Tibetan Plateau (e.g., Burbank et al, ; Finnegan et al, ; Thiede & Ehlers, ; Yang et al, ; Yu et al, ; Zeitler et al, ; Zhang et al, ) but limited in the endorheic Northwest China due to the modern arid environment. The lack of studies combining provenance, low‐temperature thermochronology, and morphological analyses leads to a widespread debate on the Cenozoic growth of the northern Tibetan Plateau (Figure ; e.g., Allen et al, ; Jolivet et al, , ; Tapponnier et al, ; Wang et al, , ; Dai et al, ; Wang et al, ; Yin, Dang, Wang, et al, , Yin, Dang, Zhang, et al, ; Liu et al, ; Liu et al, ; Clark et al, ; Zheng et al, , ; Clark, ; Lin et al, , ; Zhuang et al, , ; Jian et al, , ; Dai et al, ; Yuan et al, ; Yu, Fu, et al, , Yu, Huang, et al, ; Cheng et al, ; Zuza et al, ; Wei et al, ; Zhang et al, ; Li, Wu, & Yu, ; Li, Yan, et al, ; McRivette et al, ). For example, in the central segment of the northern Qaidam basin, researchers came to different conclusions using similar methods (e.g., Bush et al, ; Ji et al, ; Lu & Xiong, ; Wang et al, ; Zhuang et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Landscape and Tectonic Evolution of Bayin River Watershed, Northeastern Qaidam Basin, Northern Tibetan Plateau: Implications for the Role of River Morphology in Source Analysis and Low‐Temperature Thermochronology

Guo

Guan

et al. 2019

JGR Earth Surface

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Bayin River, the largest river in the northeastern Qaidam basin, plays an important role in the source-to-sink system and landscape evolution at the basin-mountain boundary between the Qilian Mountains and the Qaidam basin in the northern Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we conduct field observation, topographic analysis, zircon U-Pb dating, and apatite (U-Th)/He dating to constrain the landscape and tectonic evolution of the Bayin River watershed. Bedrock zircon U-Pb dating indicates the age group of 420-450 Ma for far-source sediments and the age group of >1,700 Ma for near-source sediments in the Bayin River watershed. Detrital zircon U-Pb dating results from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic strata in the Bayin River watershed reveal that the most important source transition occurred during the Cretaceous. The Zongwulong Mountains gradually uplifted throughout the Cenozoic, along with decreasing far source and increasing near source based on detrital zircon U-Pb dating. Rapid uplift occurred across the Qilian Mountains during the late Cenozoic, leading to high normalized steepness indices, young apatite (U-Th)/He ages, and deep incised valleys at the basin-mountain transition zone. The knickpoints caused by the latest headward erosion just reach an elevation of~3,800 m on the river longitudinal profiles, indicating that the latest uplift magnitude is~300-400 m relative to the basin surface of the Qaidam basin. Elevation distribution and apatite (U-Th)/He ages reveal that river incision leads to high relief in the Zongwulong Mountains and influences its tectonic evolution. . Landscape and tectonic evolution of Bayin River watershed, northeastern Qaidam basin, northern Tibetan Plateau: Implications for the role of river morphology in source analysis and low-temperature thermochronology.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape and Tectonic Evolution of Bayin River Watershed, Northeastern Qaidam Basin, Northern Tibetan Plateau: Implications for the Role of River Morphology in Source Analysis and Low‐Temperature Thermochronology

Guo

Guan

et al. 2019

JGR Earth Surface

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The growth and activity of a fault will affect the along‐strike topographic relief, which conversely can also be a proxy for the distribution of vertical displacements along the fault (Hetzel, Tao, Niedermann, et al, ; Jackson et al, ; Keller et al, ; King et al, ). However, topographic relief is governed by both tectonic activity and climatic conditions (Molnar & Stock, ; Zhang et al, , ). To find out which factor plays a dominant role in the formation of topographic relief, we can analyze quantitatively the relationship between the distribution of vertical displacement and spatial variations in the present‐day topography along a fault.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Constraining the Distribution of Vertical Slip on the South Heli Shan Fault (Northeastern Tibet) From High‐Resolution Topographic Data

Zheng

et al. 2018

JGR Solid Earth

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reconstruction of the along‐fault slip distribution provides an insight into the long‐term rupture patterns of a fault, thereby enabling more accurate assessment of its future behavior. The increasing wealth of high‐resolution topographic data, such as Light Detection and Ranging and photogrammetric digital elevation models, allows us to better constrain the slip distribution, thus greatly improving our understanding of fault behavior. The South Heli Shan Fault is a major active fault on the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we built a 2 m resolution digital elevation model of the South Heli Shan Fault based on high‐resolution GeoEye‐1 stereo satellite imagery and then measured 302 vertical displacements along the fault, which increased the measurement density of previous field surveys by a factor of nearly 5. The cumulative displacements show an asymmetric distribution along the fault, comprising three major segments. An increasing trend from west to east indicates that the fault has likely propagated westward over its lifetime. The topographic relief of Heli Shan shows an asymmetry similar to the measured cumulative slip distribution, suggesting that the uplift of Heli Shan may result mainly from the long‐term activity of the South Heli Shan Fault. Furthermore, the cumulative displacements divide into discrete clusters along the fault, indicating that the fault has ruptured in several large earthquakes. By constraining the slip‐length distribution of each rupture, we found that the events do not support a characteristic recurrence model for the fault.

show abstract

“…1.9 Ma, considering that the Ganyanchi Basin formed within the Haiyuan fault zone. Specifically, extension along the basin-bounding master faults likely uplifted the surrounding mountains relative to the basin floor, leading to a local "bathtub" basin-filling process such as has been inferred for larger basins within the interior of the Tibetan Plateau (e.g., Tapponnier et al, 2001;Zhang et al, 2017). In a controversial interpretation, it appears that the northern Tibetan Plateau experienced a significant episode of surface uplift in middle to late Miocene time (e.g., Molnar, 2005;Zheng et al, 2006;Wang et al, 2016), the amplitude of which is estimated to be ~1-2 km (Molnar, 2005).…”

Section: Implications For Northeastern Tibetmentioning

confidence: 98%

Magnetostratigraphy of the Ganyanchi (Salt Lake) Basin along the Haiyuan fault, northeastern Tibet

Sheng-xue

Cowgill

et al. 2018

Geosphere

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although Quaternary deposits within the Ganyanchi (Salt Lake) pull-apart basin along the eastern Haiyuan fault preserve a record of both the paleoenvironmental and tectonic evolution of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, this sedimentary archive has yet to be dated. Here we report a paleomagnetic study of a 328-m-long sediment core drilled near the modern depocenter of the basin, and use this record to both date the onset of sedimentation and reconstruct the depositional history of the basin. The observed magnetic polarity sequence comprises 13 normal and 12 reversed polarity zones, and we explore two possible correlations to the geomagnetic polarity time scale. Our preferred correlation minimizes changes in sedimentation rate and extends from the Brunhes normal polarity chron to the Gauss normal polarity chron. This correlation indicates that the Ganyanchi Basin began to develop by at least ca. 2.76 ± 0.03 Ma. Sediment accumulation rates (SAR) were elevated in two intervals, from ca. 1.92 to 1.78 Ma, when they were ~130.3 m/m.y., and from ca. 0.77 Ma to present, when they were ~234.6 m/m.y. We attribute these enhanced depositional episodes to both Northern Hemisphere cooling and local tectonic effects, with SAR values increasing as the regional climate has shifted toward overall drier and cooler conditions.

show abstract

Tectonic geomorphology of the Qilian Shan in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau: Insights into the plateau formation processes

Cited by 60 publications

References 70 publications

Landscape and Tectonic Evolution of Bayin River Watershed, Northeastern Qaidam Basin, Northern Tibetan Plateau: Implications for the Role of River Morphology in Source Analysis and Low‐Temperature Thermochronology

Landscape and Tectonic Evolution of Bayin River Watershed, Northeastern Qaidam Basin, Northern Tibetan Plateau: Implications for the Role of River Morphology in Source Analysis and Low‐Temperature Thermochronology

Constraining the Distribution of Vertical Slip on the South Heli Shan Fault (Northeastern Tibet) From High‐Resolution Topographic Data

Magnetostratigraphy of the Ganyanchi (Salt Lake) Basin along the Haiyuan fault, northeastern Tibet

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About