华南东部陆缘新生代隆升历史及其动力学机制

华南陆缘在新生代期间经历了千米量级的上覆盖层剥蚀和山脉隆升;同时,其东侧的东海陆架盆地经历多次构造应力场的反转并发育多期反转构造。东海陆架盆地内的构造反转与华南陆缘隆升的发生时间和触发机制是否一致有待研究。为此,本文对浙江地区的岩石样品进行磷灰石裂变径迹测试和热演化史反演分析其隆升历史,并通过地震剖面分析东海陆架盆地的反转时间及其反转所导致的地层剥蚀量;最后,将二者进行对比分析并研究其动力学机制。结果发现,华南东部陆缘地区至少存在晚始新世（34.5~33.5Ma）、中中新世（16~11.5Ma）、上新世以来（5~0Ma）三期明显的快速隆升事件,三期隆升导致的地层剥蚀量分别为227m、593m和865m;东海陆架盆地经历了古新世末-始新世初（~56Ma）、始新世末-渐新世初（~32Ma）和晚中新世（~10Ma）三期构造反转,三期反转导致的局部地层最大剥蚀量分别可达1200m、1300m和2000m。在时间上,东海陆架盆地的始新世末-渐新世初（~32Ma）和晚中新世（~10Ma）的构造反转分别滞后于浙江的晚始新世（34.5~33.5Ma）和中中新世（16~11.5Ma）的隆升时间,说明这两期挤压-剥蚀事件分别具有自西向东的迁移性,即印度-欧亚板块碰撞的远程效应可能是导致该迁移特征的原因;在强度上,东海陆架盆地的反转剥蚀量大于浙江境内的地层隆升量、挤压强度东强西弱,中新世晚期菲律宾海板块向西俯冲导致冲绳海槽弧后伸展产生向西的挤压力、这种挤压应力向陆内传递且强度变弱可能是导致该特征的原因。

     

Limestone lithofacies from the South African continental margin

Carbonate sedimentation has played an important part in the Cainozoic history of the South African offshore areas. The Agulhas Bank sector of the continental shelf and upper slope is covered by a patchy veneer of relict and Recent sediment. Under this thin cover of sediment lies a succession of Cainozoic carbonate rocks very different from those exposed onshore. The Agulhas Bank rocks have been divided into the following lithofacies: (1) lagoonal-quartzose lime wackestones; (2) pelagicforaminiferal lime packstones; and (3) infralittoral-skeletal lime packstones. The rocks within each lithofacies are not necessarily time-equivalents; indeed any one lithofacies may have a considerable time range.     

被动陆缘洋陆转换带和岩石圈伸展破裂过程分析及其对南海陆缘深水盆地研究的启示

作为伸展陆壳和正常洋壳之间重要的过渡和衔接,洋陆转换带(ocean-continent transition,简写为OCT)蕴含有丰富的地壳岩石圈伸展破裂过程的信息。文中通过系统的资料调研,在总结OCT研究历史、现状和发展趋势的基础上,阐明了OCT的现代概念、类型及其识别标志;详细介绍了以OCT为基础而建立的被动陆缘地壳岩石圈结构构造单元划分方案、表层沉积盆地构造地层格架及重要的构造变革界面特征;分析了大型拆离断层在地壳岩石圈薄化、地幔剥露过程中的控制作用;揭示了陆缘变形集中、迁移和叠合的规律,建立了被动陆缘岩石圈伸展、薄化、剥露和裂解模式。最后,论文对比了国际非岩浆型被动大陆边缘与我国南海OCT的研究,介绍了南海OCT和陆缘深水超深水盆地研究的新发现,提出深入研究南海OCT将为南海陆缘构造演化、洋盆扩张过程和深水超深水盆地的成因机制研究提供新的启示。     

塔里木盆地南缘新生代沉积:对青藏高原北缘隆升和塔克拉玛干沙漠演化的指示

塔里木盆地南缘新生代沉积地层厚达万米以上。研究的叶城和阿尔塔什两个剖面分别厚4500m和7000m,基本代表了塔里木南部的新生代沉积。叶城剖面的底界年龄根据磁性地层测定约为8Ma。阿尔塔什剖面的底界年龄根据海相碳酸盐岩87Sr/86Sr的比值与全球Sr同位素曲线对比,约为30～35Ma。从岩性地层分析,剖面的下部为中新统乌恰群,主要由泥岩和粉砂岩组成,沉积相为低能环境的辫状河和曲流河。剖面的中部是上新统阿图什组,由红色泥岩、砂岩夹薄层砾岩以及埋藏风成黄土构成,沉积环境为冲-洪积扇的中远端。剖面的上部是上新统—下更新统西域组,由中粗砾岩夹块状粉砂岩透镜体(埋藏风成黄土)组成,主要是近源洪积扇沉积和风成沉积,以上地层层序可以进行很好的区域对比。塔里木盆地南缘新生代沉积由新近纪红层向上变化为逆粒序砾岩和碎屑流沉积,记录了青藏高原北缘隆升造成的沉积环境的变化,尤其是干旱化气候的阶段性演化。在约8Ma时,叶城和阿尔塔什两个剖面都发育了风成沙丘沉积。而在阿尔塔什剖面,沙丘沉积之下还发育了一套厚层的膏盐沉积,指示了塔里木盆地南缘在此前后已经相当干旱,只是仅凭这些证据还难以判断沙漠发育的规模。而上新世—更新世阿图什组和西域组中发育的埋藏风成黄土沉积,则指示了塔克拉玛干沙漠在此时已经发育到了相当规模,极度干旱的气候条件(可能类似于现在)已经形成。     

构造事件的沉积响应—建立青藏高原大陆碰撞、隆升过程时空坐标的设想和方法

沉积盆地的地层形态、岩相类型以及空间配置样式是构造事件的重要标识.沉积序列中特征岩石组分的出现标志着毗邻造山带隆升的初始启动时间,与物源区地层单元垂向叠置序列相反或相同的岩屑组分剖面分布则是幕式构造旋回的反映.在前陆盆地中砾石层的出现被认为是冲断岩席活动的记录,而在断陷盆地和走滑拉分盆地中通常可识别出100m级的向上变粗和向上变细的旋回层,它们被解释为构造高地重复隆升和溯源侵蚀的结果.最近的研究工作表明,急剧的构造沉降主要是通过细粒级河湖相沉积补偿的,广泛的砾岩进积发生在构造活动的平静期.构造驱动的山脉隆升表现为砾岩地层呈楔状体,纵向河流水系发育;重力均衡回返所导致的山系隆升则形成以横向河流水系为主的板状砾岩沉积.从青藏高原腹地、周缘和外延海洋盆地的沉积记录中可获取重大构造变革时期的信息,也许是解决目前有关印度与亚洲大陆碰撞、高原隆升等时性或穿时性以及限定陆内变形调节机制的一个重要手段.     

构造事件的沉积响应——建立青藏高原大陆碰撞、隆升过程时空坐标的设想和方法

沉积盆地的地层形态、岩相类型以及空间配置样式是构造事件的重要标识，沉积序列中特征岩石组分的出现标志着毗邻造山带隆升的初始启动时间，与物源区地层单元垂向叠置序列相反或相同的岩屑组分剖面分布则是幕式构造旋回的反映，在前陆盆地中砾石层的出现被认为是冲断岩席活动的记录，而在断陷盆地和走滑拉分盆地中通常可识别出100m级的向上变粗和向上变细的旋回层，它们被解释为构造高地重复姓升和溯源侵蚀的结果，最近的研究工作表明，急剧的构造沉降主要是通过细粒级河湖相沉积补偿的，广泛的砾岩进积发生在构造活动的平静期，构造驱动的山脉隆升表现为砾岩地层呈楔状体，纵向河流水系发育；重力均衡回返所导致的山系隆升则形成以横向河流水系为主的板状砾岩沉积，从青藏高原腹地、周缘和外延海洋盆地的沉积记录中可获得取重大构造变革时期的信息，也许是解决目前有关印度与亚洲大陆碰撞、高原隆升等时性或穿时性以及限定陆内变形调节机制的一个重要手段。     

Sedimentology,provenance and geochronology of the Miocene Qiuwu Formation: Implication for the uplift history of Southern Tibet

Located on the south of the Gangdese,the Qiuwu Formation has traditionally been considered as Eocene coal-bearing clastic sediments consisting of sandstone,mudstone and conglomerate,unconformably on top of Gangdese batholith.However,its precise age and depositional environment remain ambiguous.Here,we present a newly measured stratigraphic section near the Ngamring County,western Xigaze.Detrital zircon U-Pb ages were also applied to trace the provenance of sediments and to constrain the maximum depositional age of the Qiuwu Formation.Sedimentary facies analyses indicate subaqueous fan and alluvial fan depositional environments.Clast composition of the conglomerate is dominated by magmatic rocks at the lower part,while chert and mafic detritus occur in the upper part,suggesting a southern source.Sandstone modal analyses indicate that the compositions of quartz,feldspar and lithic grains changed from transitional arc to dissected arc,implying the unroofing of the Gangdese arc.Detrital zircon U-Pb ages of the Qiuwu Formation are compared with those from Gangdese magmatic rocks and Yarlung-Zangbo ophiolites,suggesting that the Gangdese arc is a main source of the Qiuwu detritus and that the southern source played a role during the later stage.The major peak of detrital zircon ages is at 45-55 Ma,which corresponds to Linzizong volcanic rocks in southern Gangdese arc.The weighted mean age of the five youngest zircons from the lower part of the section is 21.0 ± 2.2 Ma,suggesting that the Qiuwu Formation was deposited in early Miocene,coeval with other conglomerates exposed along the southern margin of Gangdese.Combining new observations with previously published data,we propose that the provenance of the Qiuwu Formation had shifted from a single northern source to double sources from both the north and the south.Activities of Great Counter Thrust were primarily responsible for the shift by making the south area a high elevation to provide sediments for the Qiuwu Formation.     

青藏高原循化、临夏和贵德盆地新近纪沉积充填 速率演化及其对构造隆升的响应

通过对青藏高原东北部循化盆地、临夏盆地和贵德盆地沉积相和沉积充填速率演化的对比分析,提出研究区新生代4个构造隆升阶段。①渐新世晚期—中新世早期(25～20Ma),3个盆地沉积相和沉积速率的变化表明青藏高原新生代向北东的增生作用在渐新世已抵达西秦岭北缘地区,同时,22Ma拉脊山强烈隆升,区域上整体地势差异不显著。②中新世中期(17～13Ma),随着高原东北缘盆山耦合的相互作用,湖盆进一步扩张,14Ma左右积石山的隆起及西秦岭、拉脊山的持续隆升,使得研究区转变为盆地周缘型。③中新世晚期(11～6Ma),8Ma左右沉积相的转变、沉积速率的增大及不整合面的存在,都说明高原在该段时间内存在强烈的构造隆升活动,裂变径迹热年代学证据反映的构造隆升与沉积响应也是一致的。④上新世(5Ma以来),沉积速率继续增大,区域上地势差异增强,湖盆逐步萎缩消亡。     

Southern Granulite Terrain, South of the Palghat-Cauvery Shear Zone: Implications for India-Madagascar Connection

The present paper correlates the southern Madgascar terrain, south of the Ranotsara shear with the granulite terrain of southern India, occurring south of the Palghat-Cauvery (P-C) shear zone. Both the terrains have witnessed high temperature to ultra high temperature granulite metamorphism at 550 Ma and are traversed by shear zones and deep crustal faults. The 550 Ma old granulite terrains of Madagascar and southern India have similar lithologies, in particular, sapphirine bearing pelitic assemblages. Graphite deposits and gem occurrences are common to both these terrains. The 550 Ma old southern granulite terrain of southern India comprises of different blocks, the Madurai and the Kerala Khondalite belt, but all the blocks have similar lithologies with pelite—calc silicate rocks inter-banded with two pyroxene granulite bodies. These lithologies occur amidst an essentially charnockitic terrain. The protolith ages of the southern granulite terrain, south of the P-C shear zone ranges between 2400–2100 Ma. The terrain as a whole has witnessed the 550 Ma old granulite event. The granulite metamorphism took place under temperatures of 800–1000°C and at pressures of 9.5 to 5 Kbar.The source of heat for the high temperature granulite event of the southern Madagascar terrain has been linked to advective heat transfer along mantle deep faults. The source for the high temperature granulite metamorphism for the southern granulite terrain may be attributed to high temperature carbonatite and alkaline intrusives in an extensional setting which followed an initial crustal thickening.Many workers have linked Madagascar to southern India by connecting the Ranotsara shear either to the P-C shear zone or to the Achankovil shear zone, further south. The important factor is the lithologies of the Madagascar terrain, south of Ranotsara shear zone and the 550 Ma. old southern Indian granulite terrain are similar in many aspects. It will be more appropriate to link the Ranotsara shear to the curvilinear lineament bounding the Anaimalai-Kodaikanal ranges and which merges with the southern margin of the P-C shear zone.However, north of the Ranotsara shear/fault, the northern Madagascar terrain comprises of a dominant Itremo sequence (< 1850 Ma) and 780 Ma old calc-alkaline intrusives. The latter have similarities with that of Aravallis and the Sirohi, Malani sequences occurring further north east. The Rajasthan terrain has witnessed igneous intrusive activity at 1000–800 Ma. If we can broaden the area of investigations and include the above areas, the Madagascar-India connection can be better understood.     

Distinct continental margins and associated stratigraphic architecture patterns during the seafloor spreading of South China Sea

In this paper we compare four types of stratigraphic architectures around the continental margins in the South China Sea (SCS) based on a plentiful of seismic profiles. The results indicate that stratigraphic patterns are not only related closely to structure regimes of peripheral of the SCS, but also are restrained by crust structure from continental crust to oceanic crust. In the extensional setting, depositional centres during the syn‐spreading stage are located in the strong extensional area. A wedge‐decrease continental crust represented by the Pearl River Mouth type is characterized by high deposition and subsidence rate during the syn‐rifting and syn‐spreading stages in the distal zone. And in the Zhongjiannan type with a continental ribbon, high deposition and subsidence rate during the syn‐rifting and syn‐spreading stages are present in the proximal zone. However, in the southern and eastern margins with compressional setting, the Liyue and Zengmu microcontinent blocks are separated from the South China with the seafloor spreading of SCS, in which a confined or relative thin syn‐spreading deposits are presence. High deposition and subsidence rate is closely related to the collision or subduction condition during the post‐spreading stage in the Liyue bank type and the Zengmu type, a huge progradational clinoforms are present along the subduction and collision margin. Therefore, this study shows distinct stratigraphic architecture in different continental rifted margins, distinct depositional and subsidence characteristics formed during the process of lithospheric rupture can provide an effective method for the study on the continental marginal sea in the western Pacific.     

Sapphirine/kornenipine-bearing rocks and crustal uplift history of the Limpopo belt,Southern Africa

Sapphirine/kornerupine-bearing rocks occur within the anorthosites of the Messina layered intrusion in the Limpopo mobile belt of Zimbabwe. The X_Mg range of the major minerals is as follows: cordierite (0.98-0.93); enstatite (0.97-0.86); chlorite (0.98-0.92); phlogopite (0.98-0.90); sapphirine (0.98-0.86); kornerupine (0.94-0.88); gedrite (0.96-0.85); spinel (0.92-0.78). There are four rock types, the constituent minerals of which have different values, which decrease in the above mineral order; other minerals are corundum, sillimanite and relict kyanite. We recognise twenty reactions without phlogopite and nine reactions involving phlogopite. The textural relations and the plots of the microprobe data of coexisting minerals in the MgO-Al₂O₃-SiO₂-(H₂O) system are consistent with the following sequence of main reactions: (1) enstatite+corundum cordierite+sapphirine; (4) sapphirine+sillimanite cordierite+corundum; (8) kornerupine+corundum cordierite+sapphirine; (13) kornerupine cordierite+sapphirine+enstatite; (15) enstatite+spinel chlorite+sapphirine; (18) cordierite+sapphirine chlorite+corundum; (20) sapphirine chlorite+corundum+spinel. The early reactions are shown by coarse-grained reaction intergrowths, kornerupine and gedrite breakdown is shown by finer-grained symplectites, and the latest reactions by very fine-grained products in micro-fractures. These selected reactions illustrate a remarkably steep trajectory from thePT peak close to 10 kbar and 800° C to the minimum observable at 3.5–4.5 kbar and 700° C as indicated by the pure MASH system. Very rapid uplift took place under nearly isothermal conditions. The protolith of this material was possibly sedimentary, derived from altered volcanic rocks. The bulk composition is close to the composition of kornerupine or to a mixture of alunite, chlorite and pyrophyllite. These texturally and mineralogically complex rocks contain a wealth of relevant data for documenting crustal uplift history.     

Thermal history of the Sonnblick Dome,south-east Tauern Window,Austria: Implications for heterogeneous uplift within the Pennine basement

The Sonnblick Dome is one of several domal structures affecting the interface between basement and cover within the Pennine Zone of the Tauern Window in the eastern Alps. Rb-Sr isotopic data, comprising 19 biotite and 22 white mica ages from variably deformed granitic gneisses, provide new evidence of the thermal and tectonic history of the dome and its relationships with other parts of the south-east Tauern Window. White mica ages generally cluster between 26 and 30 Ma although there are values up to 82 Ma, which appear to reflect incomplete equilibration during Tertiary metamorphism under low amphibolite facies conditions; six closely spaced samples from an intensely sheared gneiss lamella are more tightly grouped between 26 and 27.6 Ma and provide the best estimate of the age of syntectonic crystallization. Biotite ages are systematically younger, ranging from 19 to 23.5 Ma, reflecting closure during post-metamorphic cooling. Sonnblick Dome and the Hochalm Dome approximately 20 km further east, where closure of Rb-Sr in biotite did not occur until 16.5 Ma; the metamorphic peak here is also probably younger, possibly as late as 22 Ma. The Sonnblick Dome was formed before 27 Ma and the deformation style had changed to extension before biotite closure by 19 Ma. In contrast, rapid updoming in the Hochalm Dome was previously dated at 16.5 Ma and the differences in thermal history can be linked to differences in deformation history. Overall the geochronological data from the south-east Tauern Window demonstrate the heterogeneity of thermal history on a geographical scale of 10 km and emphasize the importance of tectonic displacements in controlling temperature within orogenic belts.     

Southern African topography and erosion history: plumes or plate tectonics?

The physiography of southern Africa comprises a narrow coastal plain, separated from an inland plateau by a horseshoe-shaped escarpment. The interior of the inland plateau is a sedimentary basin. The drainage network of southern Africa is characterized by three river divides, broadly parallel to the coastline. These features contrast strongly with the broad dome and radial drainage patterns predicted by models which ascribe the physiography of southern Africa to uplift over a deep mantle plume. The drainage divides are interpreted as axes of epeirogenic uplift. The ages of these axes, which young from the margin to the interior, correlate closely with major reorganizations of spreading regimes in the oceanic ridges surrounding southern Africa, suggesting an origin from stresses related to plate motion. Successive epeirogenic uplifts of southern Africa on the axes, forming the major river divides, initiated cyclic episodes of denudation, which are coeval with erosion surfaces recognized elsewhere across Africa.     

青藏高原柴达木盆地新生代沉积充填速率演化 及其对构造隆升的响应

压实作用可能会对地层的真实厚度和沉积速率造成影响,因而需要进行矫正,但在实际研究中很少考虑这些影响。通过对柴达木盆地东北缘大红沟剖面新生代地层古厚度的恢复,原始沉积速率的详细研究及盆地内其它剖面研究资料的对比,发现该区52～13Ma间至少存在3次大规模的构造隆升事件,时间分别在约49.5Ma、45.5～33Ma、25～16Ma,揭示了柴达木盆地北缘沉积演化和南祁连山隆起的过程,发现经矫正后的沉积速率峰值与前人所总结的新生代青藏高原隆升期可以较好地对比,为探讨青藏高原构造隆升过程及沉积速率对其发展的响应提供重要的信息。     

Rates of fluvial sedimentation: Implications for archaeological variability

Rates of fluvial sedimentation exhibit spatial and temporal variability that is important with respect to the study of prehistoric archaeological sites. Sedimentation rates within fluvial basins vary in response to internal dynamics, geomorphic controls, and external factors including climate and tectonics. Fluvial rates of sedimentation may be estimated using sedimentary, pedogenic, biogenic, and radiometric evidence. Holocene rates of sedimentation vary by three orders of magnitude, as shown by radiometric data from numerous localities in North America. Sedimentation rates define rates of matrix accumulation in archaeological sites. These act as controls on site construction and site modification. Artifact densities, spatial patterning, and preservation are all conditioned by rates of matrix accumulation. These dimensions of prehistoric sites are critical to the evaluation of variability within and between archaeological sites and to the study of past settlement/subsistence systems.     

Late quaternary glacial history of the South Orkney Plateau, Antarctica

Piston cores from the South Orkney Plateau penetrated overcompacted diamictons in water depths of up to 250 m. Detailed textural and petrological analyses of these diamictons indicate that they are basal tills. Seismic records from the plateau show a widespread surface of glacial erosion and provide additional evidence of an ice cap grounded to a depth of 250 m. Piston cores from the slope of the plateau penetrated diatomaceous muds resting directly on poorly sorted muds with very little to no biogenic material. The ice-rafted debris in these glacial-marine sediments is composed almost exclusively of material derived from the South Orkney Islands. This implies deposition beneath an ice shelf as opposed to iceberg rafting. In contrast, diatomaceous muds contain relatively abundant exotic iceberg-rafted material and reflect a glacial-maritime setting similar to that of today. The sharp contact separating diatomaceous surface sediments from basal tills and sub-ice shelf deposits indicates that the ice cap and ice shelf retreated from the plateau rapidly. Radiocarbon dates for diatomaceous muds from a glacial trough on the plateau indicate that the ice cap and ice shelf retreated from the plateau prior to 6000 to 7000 years ago. The homogeneity of surficial diatomaceous sediments suggests that sea ice conditions over the plateau have not changed radically since that time.     

Accretion of oceanic plateaus at continental margins: Numerical modeling

The accretion of oceanic plateaus has played a significant role in continental growth during Earth's history, which is evidenced by the presence of oceanic island basalts (OIB) and plume-type ophiolites in many modern orogens. However, oceanic plateaus can also be subducted into the deeper mantle, as revealed by seismic tomography. The controlling factors of accretion versus subduction of oceanic plateaus remain unclear. Here, we investigate the dynamics of oceanic plateau accretion at active continental margins using a thermo-mechanical numerical model. Three major factors for the accretion of oceanic plateaus are studied: (1) a thinned continental margin of the overriding plate, (2) “weak” layers in the oceanic lithosphere, and (3) a young oceanic plateau. For a large oceanic plateau, the modes of oceanic plateau accretion can be classified into one-sided and two-sided subduction–collisional regimes, which mainly depend on the geometry of the continental margin (normal or thinned). For smaller-sized seamounts, accretion occurs only if all three factors are satisfied, of which a thinned continental margin is the most critical. Possible geological analogues for the two-sided subduction–collisional mode include the Taiwan orogenic belt and subduction of the Ontong Java Plateau. The accretion model for small oceanic plateaus applies to the Nadanhada Terrane in Northeast China.     

Oil source rocks at the mesozoic and cenozoic continental margins: Communication 1. Oil source rocks at continental margins in the Triassic-Jurassic and Neocomian-Aptian

The presence of rocks capable of generating hydrocarbons (HC) in the section of sedimentaryrock basins is an essential criterion for their qualification as structures with oil and gas pools. Although organic matter (OM) is always present as dissemination in genetically different sediments, it is believed that rocks enriched with OM of the sapropel series (2 to 3% C_org) can generate a significant amount of liquid HC. However, rock sequences with the C_org ranging from 3–5 to 15–20% are considered oil source formations. The rock section of large petroliferous basins usually includes one or two source sequences, which generated liquid and gaseous HCs after submergence to high temperature and pressures zones. In the basin confined to the Arctic slope of Alaska, one of the main producers of liquid HC is represented by the Upper Triassic clays and limestones of the Shublik Formation. In the Barents Sea and North Sea basins, such rocks are represented by the Spekk Formation and the Kimmeridge Clay, respectively; in the West Siberian basin, by the Bazhenovo Formation; in the Persian Gulf, by the Fahlian, Sargelu, and Garau formations; in basins of the Caribbean region, by marls and clayey limestones of the La Luna Formation. In perioceanic basins of the South Atlantic, the major source sequences are represented by the Neocomian and Barremian clays and marls. The source rocks are identified as the Lagoa Feia Formation in the Campos and Santos basins. They are cognized as the Black Marlstone or Bukomazi Formation in the Lower Congo, Kwanzaa-Cameroon, and Angola basins.     

西藏高原与喜马拉雅的隆升历史和研究方法:回顾与进展

西藏高原和喜马拉雅的隆升历史是新生代以来众多地质事件的边界条件。因此,它对于我们理解新生代全球气候变冷以及亚洲环境变化等许多地质过程都具有深远的意义。尽管各种替代指标已经被广泛应用于研究高原隆升历史,然而,不同方法所得出的高原隆升历史并不一致。这主要归咎于一些替代指标本身存在多解性和不确定性,从而严重阻碍了获取正确的高原隆升历史。在对这些替代指标进行详细的阐述之后,对其指示的高原隆升历史进行重新评估,并结合在高原腹地开展的工作,提出了原西藏高原的隆升模式,即拉萨地体和羌塘地体在始新世就已经达到现在的海拔高度,而此时青藏高原北部还是低地,南部和西部可能还处在海洋环境。在中新世时,高原向北、向东和向南生长并在第四纪时形成现在的高原特征。