Magnetostratigraphy of the late Cenozoic Laojunmiao anticline in the northern Qilian Mountains and its implications for the northern Tibetan Plateau uplift

The uplift process of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau holds the key to understand the dynamic mechanisms of continental crust shortening and mountain-building and to test the relationship between the Tibetan uplift and tectonic-climatic coupling and environmental im-pacts[1―4].However,there are still many debates in the process and mechanism of how the Tibetan Plateau uplifted to the present configuration.Among various approaches to solve these key questions,dating of the Cenozoic stratigraphy …     

ESR dating of late Cenozoic molassic deposits in the Jiuxi Basin

In the Hexi Corridor, foreland depression at the north periphery of the Tibetan Plateau, late Cenozoic sediments can be divided into the lacustrine to deltaic Red Bed. The unconformably overlying coarse fan-conglomerate was shed from the northern plateau. This remarkable alternation of sedimentary environment and discontinuity reflect intensive rise of the plateau. Moreover, this suite of coarse molasses is divided into two formations as the Yumen conglomerate and the Jiuquan Gravel by another angular discontinuity. Tentatively, we applied ESR dating on this suite of molassic deposits at the Laojunmiao Section in the Jiuxi Basin, west of the Hexi Corridor, which shows that the bottom of the Yumen conglomerate and the Jiuquan Gravel are about 3.4 and 0.9 Ma respectively, indicating that the northern plateau at least experienced two intensive tectonic movements at about 3.5 and 0.9 Ma.

     

The vegetation and climate change during Neocene and Early Quaternary in Jiuxi Basin,China

Desertification and aridification in the inland of Asia are the important scientific issues pertaining to the existing environment of mankind and the sustain-able development of society in western China. The onset and evolution sequence, development and proc-ess of history and the mechanism of this transition are thought to be one of the most attractive hot objects of research on climatic changes in the Northern Hemi-sphere during the Cenozoic, which may have involved glaciation in the North…     

Tectonic uplift and sedimentary evolution of the Jiuxi Basin in the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau since 13 Ma BP

Sediments shed from the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, the Qilian Mountains, are widely deposited in the foreland basin, the Jiuxi Basin, archiving plenty of information about the mountain surface uplift and erosion history. The Laojunmiao section, 1960 m thick, representing the upper sequence of the Cenozoic basin sediments, is paleomagnetically dated to about 13-0 Ma BP. Detailed sedimentary study of this sequence has revealed five sedimentary facies associations which determine four stages of sedimentary environment evolution. They are: (I) the half-deep lake system before 12.18 Ma BP, (II) the shallow lake system between 12.18 and 8.26 Ma BP, (III) the fan delta dominated sedimentary system in dry climate between 8.26 and 6.57 Ma BP, and (IV) alluvial fan system since 6.57 Ma BP. The associated mountain erosion and uplift are suggested to have experienced three phases, that is, tectonic stable (13-8.26 Ma BP), gradual uplift (8.26-<4.96 Ma BP), and rapid intermittent uplift (>3.66-0 Ma BP). The uplift at ∼3.66 Ma BP is of great importance in tectonics and geomorphology. Since then, tectonic uplift and mountain building have been accelerated and become strong intermittent. At least three significant tectonic events took place with ages at <1.80-1.23, 0.93-0.84 and 0.14 Ma BP, respectively. Thus, the uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau is a complex process of multiple phases, unequal speed and irregular movements.

     

Cosmogenic nuclide burial dating of an alluvial conglomerate sequence: An example from the Hexi Corridor,NE Tibetan Plateau

The thick alluvial conglomerate sequences around the Tibetan Plateau have been notoriously difficult to date. Here we use the cosmogenic nuclide burial dating method to date the Yumen and Jiuquan formations, a ∼900 m thick fanglomerate found in the Hexi Corridor, the foredeep of the Qilian Shan, and exposed in the Laojunmiao anticline. We date 16 sites with simple burial dating and 2 sites with isochron burial dating, and use these dates to reinterpret the magnetostratigraphy of the section. We suggest that the bottom of the Yumen Formation, defined by a progressive unconformity, is around 5 My. Taking this timing as the initiation of anticline growth, the long-term crustal shortening rate at the ramp zone in western Qilian Shan is about 0.72 mm/yr, consistent with those obtained from middle and eastern Qilian Shan. The boundary between the Yumen and Jiuquan Formations is near ∼1.2 My. Three other angular unconformities are dated to ∼2.6–3.1, ∼2.2–2.5, and ∼1.2–1.7 My, respectively. Burial dating offers a robust chronology for these deposits, and when combined with paleomagnetic stratigraphy offers much tighter precision.     

临夏盆地新生代沉积物粒度记录与亚洲内陆干旱化

临夏盆地毛沟剖面高分辨率粒度记录研究表明,29-7.4Ma间,临夏盆地的古气候一直保持相对稳定,而其中短暂的沉积相的改变是盆地对该期间青藏高原构造隆升事件的响应;从7.4Ma开始,流域外的风尘物质开始逐步被带人盆地,并经过了6.4Ma和5.3Ma的两次加速过程,揭示了我国西北内陆干旱气候可能从7.4Ma左右开始,且在6.4Ma和5.3Ma左右经过两次加强.通过与青藏高原构造隆升事件记录和全球气候记录对比。揭示高原在9-7Ma开始的逐步隆升和期后的阶段性加速隆升以及同期开始的全球变冷,尤其北极冰盖的形成和扩张可能是亚洲内陆干旱化的重要驱动机制.     

Relationship model of sediment grain size and Tibetan Plateau uplift in middle-west parts of Qilian Mountain

By observing, measuring the fluvial sediment grain size of mid-western segment of the Qilianshan Range and studying the correlation between the grain size and uplift of the plateau, we model the correlation. These models are applied to the Laojunmiao section and the process curve of the uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau against age from 8.35 Ma is illustrated here. The process curve shows that the northern Tibetan Plateau surface has uplifted from the mean altitude of 900–3700 m since 8.35 MaBP. From 8.35 to 3.1 MaBP, the Tibetan Plateau uplifted slowly, uplifted amplitude is small, the total range is 420 m. From 3.1 MaBP up to now, the Tibetan Plateau uplifted tempestuously, showing that the uplift accelerated obviously later. It uplifted totally 2400 m. About 0.9 Ma ago, the northern Tibetan Plateau surface had uplifted to over 3000 m a.s.l., showing that the Tibetan Plateau surface had reached the cryosphere; and the mountain peaks had uplifted to more than 4000 m altitude, suggesting that there was a glacier developed on the mountains.     

THE NORTHWARD GROWTH OF THE NORTHEASTERN TIBETAN PLATEAU IN LATE CENOZOIC: IMPLICATIONS FROM APATITE (U-Th)/He AGES OF LONGSHOU SHAN

Longshou Shan, located at the southern edge of the Alxa block, is one of the outermost peripheral mountains and the northeasternmost area of the northeastern Tibetan plateau. In recent years, through geochronology, thermochronology, magnetic stratigraphy and other methods, a large number of studies have been carried out on the initiation time of major faults, the exhumation history of mountains and the formation and evolution of basins in the northeastern Tibet Plateau, the question of whether and when the northeastward expansion of the northeastern Tibet Plateau has affected the southern part of the Alxa block has been raised. Therefore, the exhumation history of Longshou Shan provides significant insight on the uplift and expansion of the Tibetan plateau and their dynamic mechanism. The Longshou Shan, trending NWW, is the largest mountain range in the Hexi Corridor Basin, and its highest peak is more than 3 600m(with average elevation of 2800m), where the average elevation of Hexi Corridor is 1 600m, the relative height difference between them is nearly 2200m. This mountain is bounded by two parallel thrust faults: The North Longshou Shan Fault(NLSF)and the South Longshou Shan Fault(SLSF), both of them trends NWW and has high angle of inclination(45°~70°)but dips opposite to each other. The South Longshou Shan Fault, located in the northern margin of the Hexi Corridor Basin, is the most active fault on the northeastern plateau, and controls the uplift of Longshou Shan.Due to its lower closure temperature, the lower-temperature thermochronology method can more accurately constrain the cooling process of a geological body in the upper crust. In recent years, the low-temperature thermochronology method has been used more and more in the study of the erosion of orogenic belts, the evolution of sedimentary basins and tectonic geomorphology. In this study, the apatite (U-Th)/He(AHe) method is used to analyze the erosion and uplift of rocks on the south and north sides of Longshou Shan. 11 AHe samples collected from the south slope exhibit variable AHe ages between~8Ma and~200Ma, the age-elevation plot shows that before 13~17Ma, the erosion rate of the Longshou Shan is very low, and then rapid erosion occurs in the mountain range, which indicates that the strong uplift of Longshou Shan occurred at 13~17Ma BP, resulting in rapid cooling of the southern rocks. In contrast, 3 AHe ages obtained from the north slope are older and more concentrated ranging from 220Ma BP to 240Ma BP, indicating that the north slope can be seen as a paleo-isothermal surface and the activity of the north side is weak. The results of thermal history inverse modeling show that the South Longshou Shan Fault was in a tectonic quiet period until the cooling rate suddenly increased to 3.33℃/Ma at 14Ma BP, indicating that Longshou Shan had not experienced large tectonic events before~14Ma BP.
We believe that under the control of South Longshou Shan Fault, the mountain is characterized by a northward tilting uplift at Mid-Miocene. Our results on the initial deformation of the Longshou Shan, in combination with many published studies across the northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau, suggest that the compression strain of the northeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau may expand from south to north, and the Tibetan plateau has expanded northeastward to the southern margin of the Alxa block as early as Mid-Miocene, making Longshou Shan the current structural and geomorphic boundary of the northeastern plateau.     

Tectonic-climatic events in eastern Qilian Mountains over the past 0.83 Ma

The eastern part of Qilian Mountains experienced strong tectonic uplift during the late Quaternary, and climate record there was influenced by Tibetan Plateau to some extent. Based on studies on the fluvial terrace series and eolian loess deposition, we find that the tectonic uplifts of the Tibetan Plateau had coupled with climatic changes in our studied region and others since the mid-Pleistocene. The uplift that occurred at 0.83 Ma corresponded to significant desert expansion in L6 and periodic variation since MIS16, while the 0.14Ma one to the further drying in northwest China. Those coupled events may indicate that tectonic uplift drove climatic changes, and the Tibetan Plateau has important impacts on East Asian Monsoon system.     

Pleistocene magnetic susceptibility and paleomagnetism of the Tibetan loess and its implications on large climatic change events

Ganzi loess represents the oldest Tibetan loess, its formation is the key to determining the readjustment of Tibetan atmospheric circulation and the relationship between Tibetan uplift and global climatic change. Detailed magnetostratigraphic study shows that the Ganzi loess was formed at about 1.13 MaBP. It also reveals that there are two notable climatic events occurring in 0.95–0.92 Ma and 0.65–0.5 Ma respectively. The both demonstrate that the Tibetan atmospheric circulation was readjusted and the Tibetan Plateau entered the cryosphere at 21.13 Ma, and the Tibetan glaciation might reach its maximum at ∼0.65–0.5 Ma.

     

祁连山北缘断裂带的现代构造运动

本文依据现今区域水准测量资料及跨断层位移测量资料阐明祁连山北缘断裂带现今活动特点是以近南北—北东向的挤压并兼有右旋走滑的水平活动方式为主,在玉门一张掖段并伴有近似反对称的升降运动,最大垂直形变梯度R为0.2毫米/公里·年左右,跨断层基线测量的缩短速率为0.2—0.5毫米/年。在河西走廊内部,受次级构造运动的影响也存在有局部的隆起、拗陷的升降运动及断裂活动     

Cenozoic basin development and its indication of plateau growth in the Xunhua-Guide district

The Xunhua, Guide and Tongren Basins are linked with the Laji Mountain and the northern West Qinling thrust belts in the Xunhua-Guide district. Basin depositional stratigraphy consists of the Oligocene Xining Group, the uppermost Oligocene-Pliocene Guide Group and the Lower Pleistocene. They are divided into three basin phases by unconformities. Basin phase 1 is composed of the Xining Group, and Basin phase 2 of the Zharang, Xiadongshan, Herjia and Ganjia Conglomerate Formations in the Guide Group, and Basin phase 3 of the Gonghe Formation and the Lower Pleistocene. Three basin phases all develop lacustrine deposits at their lower parts, and alluvial-braided channel plain depositional systems at upper parts, which constitute a coarsening-upward and progradational sequence. Basin deposition, paleocurrent and provenance analyses represent that large lacustrine basin across the Laji Mountain was developed and sourced from the West Qinling thrust belt during the stage of the Xining Group (Basin phase 1), and point-dispersed alluvial fan-braided channel plain deposition systems were developed beside the thrust and uplifted Laji Mountain and sourced from it, as thrusting migrated northwards during the stage of the Guide Group (Basin phase 2). Evolution of basin-mountain system in the study area significantly indicates the growth process of the distal Tibetan Plateau. The result shows that the Tibetan Plateau expanded to the northern West-Qinling at Oligocene (29–21.4 Ma) by means of northward folded-and-thrust thickening and uplifting and frontal foreland basin filling, and across the study area to North Qilian and Liupan Mountain at the Miocene-Pliocene (20.8–2.6 Ma) by means of two-sided basement-involved-thrust thickening and uplifting and broken foreland basin filling, and the distant end of Tibetan Plateau behaved as regional erosion and intermontane basin aggradational filling during the Pliocene and early Pleistocene (2.6–1.7 Ma).

     

A new pollen record of the last 2.8 Ma from the Co Ngoin,central Tibetan Plateau

A new pollen record from the lake of Co Ngoin in the central Tibetan Plateau provides information on the vegetation and climate changes during the last 2.8 Ma. Seven major significant changes in pollen associations indicate the processes of vegetation change and possible tectonic uplifts. The seven changes in vegetation succession include a temperate montane conifer and broad-leaved mixed forest, cold temperate montane dark conifer forest, alpine shrub-meadow and alpine desert, montane dark coniferous forest and alpine shrub meadow, montane dark coniferous forest and alpine shrub meadow, montane dark coniferous forest and alpine meadow, and alpine desert and meadow. The pollen record provides the evidence of at least five times tectonic uplifts occurring at about 2.58 Ma, 1.87 Ma, 1.17 Ma, 0.83 Ma, and 0.3 Ma ago, respectively. Before 0.8 Ma, this region maintained the altitude below 4000 m a.s.l. Larger amplitude of uplift occurring at about 0.8 Ma ago enforced the plateau rising into cryosphere, shaping the basic topographic pattern of modern plateau. The major successions in vegetation of this area were largely controlled by stepwise uplift of the Tibetan Plateau.

     

青藏高原东南缘大凉山新生代隆升建造过程——多封闭系统低温热年代学与热模型限制

长波长、低起伏度大凉山构造带新生代隆升剥露与建造过程是解译青藏高原东向扩展过程的关键核心地区之一.本文基于大凉山构造带喜德剖面和沐川剖面9件样品的多封闭系统低温热年代学年龄(即磷灰石(U-Th)/He(AHe)、磷灰石裂变径迹(AFT)和锆石(U-Th)/He(ZHe))定年,揭示出多封闭系统热年代学年龄与古岩性柱深度具有明显的正相关性,即伴随古岩性柱深度增大,多封闭系统热年代学年龄明显减小.喜徳剖面多封闭系统低温热年代学AHe、AFT和ZHe年龄值分别为7—9Ma、14—22Ma和25—38Ma;沐川剖面多封闭系统低温热年代学AHe和AFT年龄值分别为10—26Ma、23—85Ma,ZHe年龄值为未完全退火年龄.多封闭系统热年代学和QTQt热史模拟揭示,大凉山构造带喜徳和沐川剖面岩性柱所有样品都经历大致相似的三阶段热演化过程,尤其是晚新生代快速隆升剥露阶段(30—20 Ma以来),其平均剥露速率分别为~0.15mm·a-1和~0.20mm·a-1,抬升剥露量分别为~3.0km和~1.5km.结合区域低温热年代学特征的大凉山构造带地表隆升动力学模型,揭示出重力均衡作用下地壳缩短与剥露作用(即构造隆升剥露机制)控制形成了现今大凉山造山带长波长、低起伏和高海拔地貌建造过程.     

Fission track dating of the Cenozoic uplift in Mabian area, southern Sichuan Province, China

The apparent ages of samples are obtained from fission track dating of apatite samples collected from the fault zones in Mabian area, southern Sichuan Province. In addition, thermal history is simulated from the obtained data by applying AFT Solve Program, to acquire the thermal evolution history of the samples. The result shows that tectonically the Mabian area was relatively stable between 25 and 3 Ma, compared to the inner parts and other marginal areas of the Tibetan Plateau. The studied area had little response to the rapid uplift events that occurred for several times in the Tibetan Plateau during 25-3 Ma. The latest thermal event related to the activity of the Lidian fault zone (about 8 Ma ) is later than that of the Ebian fault zone (18-15 Ma ) to the west, indicating to some extent that the evolution of fault activity in the Mabian area has migrated from west to east. The latest extensive tectonic uplift occurred since about 3 Ma. As compared with the Xianshuihe fault zone, the Mabian area is closer to the east- ern margin of the plateau, while the time of fast cooling event in this area is later than that in the southeast segment of the Xianshuihe fault zone (3.6-3.46 Ma ). It appears to support the assumption of episodic uplift and stepwise outward extension of the eastern boundary of the Tibetan Plateau in late Cenozoic.     

兰州地区晚第三纪磁性地层与古环境意义

兰州地区位于黄土高原和青藏高原的过渡带,其第三纪地层对研究风尘沉积发育和青藏高原隆升都有着特殊的意义.本研究以0.5 m间距对兰州盆地皋兰山剖面240 m的晚第三纪地层进行古地磁样品采集,古地磁样品共计422个;以50 ℃为间隔从室温至500 ℃用热退磁仪和超导磁力仪完成了皋兰山剖面样品的系统热退磁和剩磁测量.结果表明皋兰山剖面上部地层的实测极性柱出现2个负极性大段中间夹着4个正极性小段,其特点与Gilbert时的典型特征完全一致,并且两端未完全出露的正极性分别与Chron2A.3n和Chron3An.1n相对应,最终确定皋兰山剖面的年代为6～3.5 Ma.由此推断,皋兰山剖面顶部的五泉砾岩形成大约开始于3.5 Ma,五泉砾岩底界年代的确定,为青藏高原的A幕运动提供了地质证据.皋兰山剖面深度602 m处出现由河湖相砂岩向以风成红粘土为主常夹有薄层砂岩的地层转变,通过岩性地层及年代的推断,兰州地区的风尘序列堆积发育的年代至少为7 Ma,与黄土高原风尘序列堆积底界8～7 Ma基本一致,说明了兰州地区与黄土高原在风尘序列堆积过程中具有统一性.     

塔里木盆地东北缘晚新生代钻孔岩心磁性地层年代学及其构造意义

塔里木盆地的高分辨率沉积记录对于理解青藏高原隆升、亚洲内陆干旱化乃至全球气候变化至关重要.建立可靠的地层年代标尺对于研究塔里木盆地晚新生代沉积环境演化、构造运动及古气候变化具有重要意义.本文对塔里木盆地东北缘库尔勒地区的两个全取心钻孔ZK3（深500 m）、ZK5（深300 m）进行详细的磁性地层学研究,结果表明,ZK3孔中更新统底界为54.8 m,下更新统底界为167.0 m,上新统底界为432.0 m,钻孔底部年龄约为6.2 Ma,属上中新统上部;ZK5孔中更新统底界为64.7 m,下更新统底界为241.5 m,钻孔底部年龄约为3.2 Ma,属上上新统.基于上述磁性地层年代标尺,通过沉积速率分析发现ZK3孔在3.0—3.6 Ma之间沉积速率明显增大,反映了塔里木盆地北部天山在此期间的快速隆升.通过东西部多个盆地地质剖面沉积速率的对比分析发现,这期构造活动在区域上具有准同期活动特征,在时代上与晚中新世以来青藏高原快速隆升的时代一致,可能与青藏高原的隆升扩展效应有关.     

Monazite age spectra in the Late Cenozoic strata of the Changjiang delta and its implication on the Changjiang run-through time

Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, inversion of eastern and western geomorphology, eastward flowing of large rivers, and run-through of the Changjiang River exert great influence on sedimentation and environ-mental variations in the East China Sea. Provenance discrimination of Tibetan-Plateau-originated sediments in the river-mouth areas and marginal seas is key to figure out these issues.In the past, most studies of the run-through time of the Changjiang and the Yellow rivers focused on geomo…     

PRESENT KINEMATICS CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NORTHERN YUMUSHAN ACTIVE FAULT AND ITS RESPONSE TO THE NORTHEASTWARD GROWTH OF THE TIBETAN PLATEAU

Qilian Shan and Hexi Corridor, located in the north of Tibetan plateau, are the margin of Tibetan plateau's tectonic deformation and pushing. Its internal deformations and activities can greatly conserve the extension process and characteristics of the Plateau. The research of Qilian Shan and Hexi Corridor consequentially plays a significant role in understanding tectonic deformation mechanism of Tibetan plateau. The northern Yumushan Fault, located in the middle of the northern Qilian Shan thrust belt, is a significant component of Qilian Shan thrust belt which divides Yumushan and intramontane basins in Hexi Corridor. Carrying out the research of Yumushan Fault will help explain the kinematics characteristics of the northern Yumushan active fault and its response to the northeastward growth of the Tibetan plateau.Because of limited technology conditions of the time, different research emphases and some other reasons, previous research results differ dramatically. This paper summarizes the last 20 years researches from the perspectives of fault slip rates, paleao-earthquake characteristics and tectonic deformation. Using aerial-photo morphological analysis, field investigation, optical simulated luminescence(OSL)dating of alluvial surfaces and topographic profiles, we calculate the vertical slip rate and strike-slip rate at the typical site in the northern Yumushan Fault, which is(0.55±0.15)mm/a and(0.95±0.11), respectively. On the controversial problems, namely "the Luotuo(Camel)city scarp" and the 180 A.D. Biaoshi earthquake, we use aerial-photo analysis, particular field investigation and typical profile dating. We concluded that "Luotuo city scarp" is the ruin of ancient diversion works rather than the fault scarp of the 180 A.D. Biaoshi earthquake. Combining the topographic profiles of the mountain range with fault characteristics, we believe Yumu Shan is a part of Qilian Shan. The uplift of Yumu Shan is the result of Qilian Shan and Yumu Shan itself pushing northwards. Topographic profile along the crest of the Yumu Shan illustrates the decrease from its center to the tips, which is similar to the vertical slip rates and the height of fault scarp. These show that Yumu Shan is controlled by fault extension and grows laterally and vertically. At present, fault activities are still concentrated near the north foot of Yumu Shan, and the mountain ranges continue to rise since late Cenozoic.     

A 2.8 Ma record of environmental evolution and tectonic events inferred from the Cuoe core in the middle of Tibetan Plateau

Based on a multi-proxy investigation into the deep core of the Cuoe Lake in the middle of Tibetan Plateau, a 2.8 Ma paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental evolution is reconstructed. The result of magnetic stratum indicates that the lake basin was formed at about 2.8 MaBP, while the multi-proxy analyses of lithology, grain size, magnetic susceptibility and geochemical elements reveal that there have been three major environmental evolution stages and at least two intensive uplifts of the Tibetan Plateau in the lake basin area, i.e. during 2.8-2.5 MaBP, the lake basin came into being as a result of the disaggregation of the planation surface and rapid rising of the Tibetan Plateau. During 2.5-0.8 MaBP, with gradual uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, the environment of this area was more effectively controlled by the climatic cycle of the alternative glacial-interglacial stages. After 0.8 MaBP, the middle part of the Plateau accelerated its uplift and entered cryoshere.