Early Cretaceous Tectonics and Evolution of the Tibetan Plateau

Selected geological data on Early Cretaceous strata, structures, magmatic plutons and volcanic rocks from the Kunlun to Himalaya Mountains reveal a new view of the Early Cretaceous paleo-tectonics and the related geodynamic movement of the Tibetan Plateau. Two major paleo-oceans, the Mid-Tethys Ocean between the Qiangtang and Lhasa blocks, and the Neo-Tethys Ocean between the Lhasa and Himalayan blocks, existed in the Tibetan region in the Early Cretaceous. The Himalayan Marginal and South Lhasa Seas formed in the southern and northern margins of the Neo-Tethys Ocean, the Central Tibet Sea and the Qiangtang Marginal Sea formed in the southern and northern margins of the Mid-Tethys Ocean, respectively. An arm of the sea extended into the southwestern Tarim basin in the Early Cretaceous. Early Cretaceous intensive thrusting, magmatic emplacement and volcanic eruptions occurred in the central and northern Lhasa Block, while strike-slip formed along the Hoh-Xil and South Kunlun Faults in the northern Tibetan region. Early Cretaceous tectonics together with magmatic K2O geochemistry indicate an Early Cretaceous southward subduction of the Mid-Tethys Oceanic Plate along the Bangoin-Nujiang Suture which was thrust ~87 km southward during the Late Cretaceous-Early Cenozoic. No intensive thrust and magmatic emplacement occurred in the Early Cretaceous in the Himalayan and southern Lhasa Blocks, indicating that the spreading Neo-Tethys Oceanic Plate had not been subducted in the Early Cretaceous. To the north, terrestrial basins of red-beds formed in the Hoh-Xil, Kunlun, Qilian and the northeastern Tarim blocks in Early Cretaceous, and the Qiangtang Marginal Sea disappeared after the Qiangtang Block uplifted in the late Early Cretaceous.     

青藏高原北部中新统五道梁群湖相沉积碳氧同位素变化及古气候旋回

通过对中新统五道梁群湖相沉积进行全岩心钻探和碳氧同位素测试,获得青藏高原北部中新世早期古环境变化和古气候旋回的重要地质记录.五道梁群约150 m湖相沉积以灰岩、白云质灰岩与泥灰岩为主.仅在深度50.0～51.0 m出现湖相沉积间断,上下均为连续湖相沉积.深度140～145 m湖相沉积碳氧同位素剧烈变化,碳同位素(δ13C/‰)出现2次最低峰值,氧同位素(δ18O/‰)出现2次最高峰值;深度140.7 m湖相沉积碳同位素(δ13C/‰)和氧同位素(δ18O/‰)同时出现极低值.对应于渐新世/中新世界线深海沉积记录的Mi-1全球古气候事件.深度140.7～14.2 m湖相沉积碳氧同位素记录了Mi-1期后7次1.2 Ma天文周期的古气候旋回,深度62.6～9.86 m湖相沉积碳氧同位素记录了9次周期约17.4 ka的古气候旋回.根据湖相沉积碳氧同位素记录的古气候旋回,推断青藏高原北部五道梁盆地中新世早期古大湖发育时期为(24.1±0.6)Ma～(14.5±0.5)Ma,年均气温变化范围为19～21℃,平均约20.0℃.     

Early Cenozoic Tectonics of the Tibetan Plateau

Geological mapping at a scale of 1:250000 coupled with related researches in recent years reveal well Early Cenozoic paleo-tectonic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau. Marine deposits and foraminifera assemblages indicate that the Tethys-Himalaya Ocean and the Southwest Tarim Sea existed in the south and north of the Tibetan Plateau, respectively, in Paleocene-Eocene. The paleooceanic plate between the Indian continental plate and the Lhasa block had been as wide as 900km at beginning of the Cenozoic Era. Late Paleocene transgressions of the paleo-sea led to the formation of paleo-bays in the southern Lhasa block. Northward subduction of the Tethys-Himalaya Oceanic Plate caused magma emplacement and volcanic eruptions of the Linzizong Group in 64.5-44.3 Ma, which formed the Paleocene-Eocene Gangdise Magmatic Arc in the north of Yalung-Zangbu Suture (YZS), accompanied by intensive thrust in the Lhasa, Qiangtang, Hoh Xil and Kunlun blocks. The Paleocene-Eocene depression of basins reached to a depth of 3500-4800 m along major thrust faults and 680-850 m along the boundary normal faults in central Tibetan Plateau, and the Paleocene-Eocene depression of the Tarim and Qaidam basins without evident contractions were only as deep as 300-580 m and 600-830 m, respectively, far away from central Tibetan Plateau. Low elevation plains formed in the southern continental margin of the Tethy-Himalaya Ocean, the central Tibet and the Tarim basin in Paleocene-Early Eocene. The Tibetan Plateau and Himalaya Mts. mainly uplifted after the Indian-Eurasian continental collision in Early-Middle Eocene.     

青藏高原中新世构造岩相古地理

系统分析青藏高原新生代中新世50余个沉积盆地的类型、构造背景、岩石地层序列,对青藏高原中新世构造岩相古地理演化特征进行分析和探讨。中新世,青藏高原海相沉积已经全面退出,全部转为陆相沉积,约23Ma时高原及周边不整合面广布,标志高原整体隆升。塔里木、柴达木及西宁-兰州、羌塘、可可西里等地区主体表现为大面积的构造压陷湖盆沉积。约17.2Ma左右,阿尔金山显著隆升,使柴达木盆地西叉沟一带再无生物礁灰岩出现,且在盆地西部出现了短暂的沉积间断。这一时期,柴达木盆地西部开始进入湖退期,而东南部则快速湖进;同时,大约17.7Ma索尔库里山间盆地初始凹陷形成。另外,高原腹地五道梁-沱沱河盆地受南部唐古拉山的挤压抬升,在16Ma左右结束了五道梁组的沉积,在可可西里—唢呐湖一带则再次凹陷接受唢呐湖组沉积,形成高原腹地的大型压陷湖盆。13～10Ma期间,藏南南北向断陷盆地的形成,是高原隆升到足够高度开始垮塌的标志;约8Ma以来,高原东北部几乎所有湖盆均进入湖退期,普遍出现冲积扇、辫状河和水下扇砂砾岩堆积。     

Miocene Tectonic Evolution from Dextral-Slip Thrusting to Extension in the Nyainqentanglha Region of the Tibetan Plateau

Dextral-slip in the Nyainqentangiha region of Tibet resulted in oblique underthrusting and granite generation in the Early to Middle Miocene, but by the end of the epoch uplift and extensional faulting dominated. The east-west dextral-slip Gangdise fault system merges eastward into the northeast-trending, southeast-dipping Nyainqentangiha thrust system that swings eastward farther north into the dextral-slip North Damxung shear zone and Jiali faults. These faults were took shape by the Early Miocene, and the large Nyainqentangiha granitic batholith formed along the thrust system in 18.3-11.0 Ma as the western block drove under the eastern one. The dextral-slip movement ended at -11 Ma and the batholith rose, as marked by gravitational shearing at 8.6-8.3 Ma, and a new fault system developed. Northwest-trending dextral-slip faults formed to the northwest of the raisen batholith, whereas the northeast-trending South Damxung thrust faults with some sinistral-slip formed to the southeast. The latter are replaced farther to the east by the west-northwest-trending Lhunzhub thrust faults with dextral-slip. This relatively local uplift that left adjacent Eocene and Miocene deposits preserved was followed by a regional uplift and the initiation of a system of generally north-south grabens in the Late Miocene at -6.5 Ma. The regional uplift of the southern Tibetan Plateau thus appears to have occurred between 8.3 Ma and 6.5 Ma. The Gulu, Damxung-Yangbajain and Angan graben systems that pass east of the Nyainqentangiha Mountains are locally controlled by the earlier northeast-trending faults. These grabens dominate the subsequent tectonic movement and are still very active as northwest-trending dextral-slip faults northwest of the mountains. The Miocene is a time of great tectonic change that ushered in the modern tectonic regime.     

Early Cenozoic Mega Thrusting in the Qiangtang Block of the Northern Tibetan Plateau

Recent mapping and seismic survey reveal that intensive compression during the Early Cenozoic in the Qiangtang block of the central Tibetan Plateau formed an extensive complex of thrust sheets that moved relatively southward along several generally north-dipping great thrust systems. Those at the borders of the ~450 km wide block show it overrides the Lhasa block to the south and is overridden by the Hohxil-Bayanhar block to the north. The systems are mostly thin-skinned imbricate thrusts with associated folding. The thrust sheets are chiefly floored by Jurassic limestone that apparently slid over Triassic sandstone and shale, which is locally included, and ramped upward and over Paleocene-Eocene red-beds. Some central thrusts scooped deeper and carried up Paleozoic metamorphic rock, Permian carbonate and granite to form a central uplift that divides the Qiangtang block into two parts. These systems and their associated structures are unconformably overlain by little deformed Late Eocene-Oligocene volcanic rock or capped by Miocene lake beds. A thrust system in the northern part of the block, as well as one in the northern part of the adjacent Lhasa block, dip to the south and appear to be due to secondary adjustments within the thrust sheets. The relative southward displacement across this Early Cenozoic mega thrust system is in excess of 150 km in the Qiangtang block, and the average southward slip-rate of the southern Qiangtang thrusts ranged from 5.6 mm to 7.4 mm/a during the Late Eocene-Oligocene. This Early Cenozoic thrusting ended before the Early Miocene and was followed by Late Cenozoic crustal extension and strike-slip faulting within the Qiangtang block. The revelation and understanding of these thrust systems are very important for the evaluation of the petroleum resources of the region.     

Early Cretaceous Thrust and Nappe Tectonics in North Qilian Shan,Northern Tibetan Plateau: Evidence from Field Mapping,Geochronology, and Deep Structural Analysis

The North Qilian Shan fold and thrust belt, located at the northern Tibetan Plateau and southern margin of the Hexi Corridor, is a key tectonic unit to decode the formation and expansion of the plateau. Previous studies emphasize the Cenozoic deformation due to the far-field response to the Indo–Asian collision, but the Mesozoic deformations are poorly constrained in this area. We conducted detailed field mapping, structural analysis, geochronology, and structural interpretation of deep seismic ...     

青藏高原中段渐新世逆冲推覆构造

青藏高原中段渐新世发育大规模逆冲推覆构造,在地块边界与汇聚部位形成大型逆冲推覆构造体系,典型实例如东昆仑南部逆冲推覆构造系统、羌塘地块北侧逆冲推覆构造系统、伦坡拉—安多—索县逆冲推覆构造系统、冈底斯逆冲推覆构造系统、喜马拉雅山脉主中央逆冲系。大部分逆冲断层呈现叠瓦状排列,指示自北向南逆冲推覆构造运动方向,与印度大陆北向俯冲存在动力学成因联系。高精度同位素测年资料显示,喜马拉雅山脉主中央逆冲系与羌塘地块北侧风火山逆冲推覆构造初始发育时代均早于35 Ma,东昆仑南部逆冲推覆构造运动与风火山相关岩浆侵位年龄为28.8～26.5 Ma。青藏高原腹地强烈逆冲推覆构造运动结束于早中新世五道梁群湖相沉积之前。青藏高原渐新世逆冲推覆构造运动对地壳缩短增厚与均衡隆升具有重要贡献。     

青藏东北缘早第三纪盆地充填的沉积型式及构造背景--以囊谦和下拉秀盆地为例

一系列中小型早第三纪红色盆地出露于青藏高原的东北缘,它们是在印度-欧亚板块碰撞过程中因陆壳变形和高原隆升产生的。典型早第三纪盆地的地质填图和详细的沉积学研究,及构造、沉积和岩浆热事件的综合分析表明,这些盆地具有两阶段构造-沉积特征,即早期受控于逆冲挤压背景,盆地接受底部冲积扇体系的粗碎屑岩段沉积,局部伴有岩浆活动;晚期受控于走滑-拉分背景,盆地充填湖泊-三角洲体系的含膏砂泥岩段夹薄层灰岩,并伴有广泛的岩浆作用。青藏东北缘早第三纪盆地在盆地构造格架、沉积层序结构、沉积物组成和岩浆活动等方面均存在明显的阶段性演化。盆地古水流统计和岩浆岩4 0 Ar/ 3 9Ar定年结果表明,青藏东北缘早第三纪盆地沉积物主要形成于始新世晚期-渐新世早期 (38～ 2 9Ma)。盆地沉积型式和岩浆活动受印度-欧亚板块碰撞早期逆冲挤压和走滑-拉分构造格局的控制。     

青藏高原中段古近纪早期古构造演化

青藏高原古近纪早期发育大量区域逆冲推覆构造系统,典型实例如冈底斯逆冲断裂系、纳木错西逆冲推覆构造、伦坡拉逆冲推覆构造、唐古拉山北逆冲推覆构造、东昆仑南部左旋斜冲断裂系.古近纪逆冲推覆构造对古新世-始新世沉积盆地具有重要控制和改造作用.冈底斯古新世-始新世早期发育大量中酸性岩浆侵入和多期中酸性火山喷发,岩石Sr/Y-Y地球化学显示为岛弧岩浆岩,推断与古近纪早期新特提斯残留古大洋板块俯冲存在成因联系.古近纪早期新特提斯残留大洋板块俯冲向印度大陆板块俯冲的转换时代约为46-45 Ma,转换期前逆冲推覆构造运动与新特提斯残留古大洋板块俯冲存在密切关系:转换期后印度大陆板块俯冲导致更为强烈的逆冲推覆构造运动和挤压缩短变形,不仅使早期很多逆冲推覆构造继续发生构造运动,还在喜马拉雅、冈底斯、风火山、东昆仑南部形成大量新的逆冲推覆构造系统.     

Early Miocene Paleoaltitude of the Tuotuohe Basin, Central-Northern Tibetan Plateau and its Tectonic Implications

Reconstruction of the paleoaltitude history of the Tibetan Plateau is critical for understanding the linkage between tectonics and its effect on regional and global climate change. Presently, most of the paleoaltitude studies are concentrated on the southern and southeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau, and few studies have been conducted in the central-northern part. In this paper we focused on the Wudaoliang Formation in the Tuotuohe Basin, central to northern Tibetan Plateau, to reconstruct p...     

Luminescence-dated aeolian deposits of late Quaternary age in the southern Tibetan Plateau and their implications for landscape history

Aeolian deposits are widely distributed in the interior of the Tibetan Plateau, and their chronology is poorly known. It is not yet clear whether they accumulated only after the last deglaciation, or over a longer time. We applied quartz OSL dating to aeolian samples from the Lhasa area with OSL ages ranging from 2.9 ± 0.2 to at least 118 ± 11 ka. The probability density frequency (PDF) distribution of 24 ages reveals age clusters at about 3, 8, 16–21, 33, and 79–83 ka, indicating enhanced sediment accumulation then. The results show that aeolian deposition occurred throughout most of the last 100 ka. This implies that: 1) an ice sheet covering the whole Tibetan Plateau during the last glacial maximum (LGM) could not have existed; and 2) erosion during the last deglaciation was not as strong as previously proposed, such that not all pre-Holocene loess was removed. The age distribution shown in the PDF indicates that aeolian accumulation is episodic. Sand-formation events revealed by age clusters at 3, 8, and 16–21 ka imply roughly synchronous environmental responses to corresponding global-scale arid events.     

青藏高原东北缘循化盆地中中新世—早上新世黏土矿物及其古气候意义

青藏高原东北缘古气候可能受控于全球变冷、青藏高原隆升及局地地形变化的影响。为解析气候演化过程及驱动因素,本文以青藏高原东北缘循化盆地西沟剖面作为研究对象,在已有古地磁年龄约束基础上,分析了中中新世—早上新世沉积物中黏土矿物的组成和微观形貌特征。结果表明,西沟剖面沉积物中黏土矿物主要由伊利石、蒙脱石、绿泥石和高岭石组成,其中伊利石含量最高,平均为59. 3％;蒙脱石次之,平均为18. 2％,绿泥石平均含量为12. 3％,高岭石平均含量为10. 2％。根据剖面中黏土矿物含量和比值的变化特征,结合循化盆地西沟剖面的沉积速率、孢粉记录、有机质碳同位素和沉积岩地球化学比值,并与深海氧同位素值（δ18O）变化曲线对比,将循化盆地14. 6~5. 0 Ma气候环境演化划分为3个阶段：14. 6~12. 7 Ma,气候干冷期,与北半球冰盖扩展引发的全球性降温事件有关;12. 7~8. 0 Ma,气候相对温暖湿润期,可能与循化盆地周围山体隆升有关,即积石山在~12. 7 Ma隆升至临界高度,成为西风带输送水汽的地形屏障,使得循化盆地内的降水增强;8. 0~5. 0 Ma,气候再次转向干冷期,该阶段气候的干旱化对应于青藏高原在8 Ma左右的快速隆升,高原进一步的隆升阻碍东亚季风西风带的暖湿气流向内陆的输送,从而引起区域干旱化。     

青藏高原古大湖与夷平面的关系及高原面形成演化过程

青藏高原经过古近纪挤压缩短和增厚地壳均衡隆升,晚新生代形成了以走滑和伸展为主的相对稳定构造环境。中新世早期与晚更新世分别发育巨型古大湖,上新世-早更新世发育很多规模较大的古湖泊,古大湖对夷平面形成演化具有重要的控制作用。中新世早期(（24.1±0.6） ~（14.5±0.5）Ma)以古大湖的湖面为侵蚀基准面,经过隆起区剥蚀夷平和长期湖相沉积,在高海拔环境下形成早期夷平面。中新世晚期-第四纪以湖面与五道梁群湖相沉积顶面为基准,在高海拔环境下继续发生剥蚀夷平和准平原化,逐步形成主夷平面或高原面。第四纪河流溯源侵蚀导致内外流水系分界线自东向西迁移,在青藏高原东部形成高山峡谷地貌。     

青藏高原腹地典型盆-山构造形成时代

青藏高原腹地发育NE向、NW向与SN向不同方向的盆-山构造系统.应用热年代学与ESR测年方法,测定青藏高原腹地典型盆-山构造-地貌的形成时期.结果表明,羌塘地块南部NE向双湖-和平盆-山构造的形成时期为0~5 Ma,拉萨地块中部NE向羊八井-当雄盆-山构造裂陷开始时代为6.8~8 Ma,而拉萨地块中部NW向格仁错-申扎盆-山构造的形成时期为0~6.5 Ma.青藏高原腹地典型盆-山构造-地貌初始形成时代相近,约为5~8 Ma,对应于区域构造环境自近SN向挤压缩短向近EW向伸展裂陷的转变时代.     

Miocene Tectonic Evolution from Dextral-Slip Thrusting to Extension in the Nyainqêntanglha Region of the Tibetan Plateau

Dextral-slip in the Nyainqêntanglha region of Tibet resulted in oblique underthrusting and granite generation in the Early to Middle Miocene, but by the end of the epoch uplift and extensional faulting dominated. The east-west dextral-slip Gangdise fault system merges eastward into the north into the dextral-slip North Damxung shear zone and Jiali faults. These faults were took shape system in 18.3-11.0 Ma as the western block drove under the eastern one. The dextral-slip movement ended at ～11 Ma and the batholith rose, as marked by gravitational shearing at 8.6-8.3 Ma, and a new fault system developed. Northwest-trending dextral-slip faults formed to the northwest of the raisen batholith, whereas the northeast-trending South Damxung thrust faults with some sinistral-slip formed to the southeast. The latter are replaced farther to the east by the west-northwest-trending Miocene deposits preserved was followed by a regional uplift and the initiation of a system of generally north-south grabens in the Late Miocene at ～6.5 Ma. The regional uplift of the southern Tibetan Plateau thus appears to have occurred between 8.3 Ma and 6.5 Ma. The Gulu, Damxungcontrolled by the earlier northeast-trending faults. These grabens dominate the subsequent tectonic movement and are still very active as northwest-trending dextral-slip faults northwest of the mountains. The Miocene is a time of great tectonic change that ushered in the modern tectonic regime.     

青藏高原各拉丹冬地区冰川变化的遥感监测

以位于青藏高原长江源头的各拉丹冬地区冰川为例, 利用2000年的TM数字遥感影像资料、 1969年的航空相片遥感资料、地形图及数字地形模型, 通过遥感图像处理和分析提取研究区小冰期最盛期(LIA)、 1969年和2000年的冰川范围, 并在地理信息系统技术支持下分析该地区冰川的进退情况. 研究结果表明, 该地区1969年冰川面积比小冰期最盛期的冰川面积减少了5.2%, 2000年的冰川面积比1969年的冰川面积减少了1.7%. 从1969年到2000年最大冰川退缩速度为-41.5 m*a-1, 最大冰川前进速度为+21.9 m*a-1. 本区的冰川基本处于稳定状态, 冰川退缩的速度不是太大, 并有前进的冰川存在.     

青藏高原羌塘盆地南部古近纪逆冲推覆构造系统

西藏羌塘地块南部古近纪发育肖茶卡-双湖逆冲推覆构造、多玛-其香错逆冲推覆构造、赛布错-扎加藏布逆冲推覆构造,构成古近纪大型逆冲推覆构造系统。沿逆冲推覆构造的前锋断层,二叠系白云岩与大理岩化灰岩、三叠系砂岩与页岩、侏罗系碎屑岩与碳酸盐岩和三叠纪—侏罗纪蛇绿岩自北向南逆冲推覆于古近纪红色砂砾岩之上,形成规模不等的构造岩片与飞来峰。羌塘盆地南部主要的逆冲断层和下伏的褶皱红层被中新世湖相沉积地层角度不整合覆盖,表明逆冲推覆构造运动自中新世以来基本停止活动。羌塘盆地南部古近纪逆冲推覆构造运动在近南北方向产生的最小位移为90km,指示新生代早期上地壳缩短率约为47%。古近纪逆冲推覆构造对羌塘盆地油气资源具有重要影响。     

Research Status and Prospect of the Interaction Between Tibetan Plateau Shear Line and Tibetan Plateau Vortex

The Tibetan Plateau Shear Line (TPSL) is usually accompanied by the Tibetan Plateau Vortex (TPV) and this phenomenon is one of the assembled weather systems over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and its surrounding areas. This assembled system plays a very important role in the high impact weather process in the TP and East China. We reviewed the research history and progress of TPVs and TPSLs, and mainly discussed the relationship and interaction mechanism of them. According to the latest research achievement of TPSLs and its relationship with TPVs, the development and application trends of related theory and methods, we proposed several notable new research directions in the field of this study. It is not clear for the relationship and the physical mechanism of the interaction between TPSLs and TPVs as well as some high impact weather initiated by them currently. Therefore, this research work is really quite important for theoretical development of weather dynamics of the TP, and is expected to provide a theoretical guide for severe weather analysis and forecast over the TP and its neighborhood.