Reconstructing rates and patterns of colluvial soil redistribution in agrarian (hummocky) landscapes

Humans have triggered or accelerated erosion processes since prehistoric times through agricultural practices. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) is widely used to quantify phases and rates of the corresponding landscape change, by measuring the last moment of daylight exposure of sediments. However, natural and anthropogenic mixing processes, such as bioturbation and tillage, complicate the use of OSL as grains of different depositional ages become mixed, and grains become exposed to light even long after the depositional event of interest. Instead, OSL determines the stabilization age, indicating when sediments were buried below the active mixing zone. These stabilization ages can cause systematic underestimation when calculating deposition rates. Our focus is on colluvial deposition in a kettle hole in the Uckermark region, northeastern Germany. We took 32 samples from five locations in the colluvium filling the kettle hole to study both spatial and temporal patterns in colluviation. We combined OSL dating with advanced age modelling to determine the stabilization age of colluvial sediments. These ages were combined with an archaeological reconstruction of historical ploughing depths to derive the levels of the soil surface at the moment of stabilization; the deposition depths, which were then used to calculate unbiased deposition rates. We identified two phases of colluvial deposition. The oldest deposits (~5 ka) were located at the fringe of the kettle hole and accumulated relatively slowly, whereas the youngest deposits (<0.3 ka) rapidly filled the central kettle hole with rates of two orders of magnitude higher. We suggest that the latter phase is related to artificial drainage, facilitating accessibility in the central depression for agricultural practices. Our results show the need for numerical dating techniques that take archaeological and soil-geomorphological information into account to identify spatiotemporal patterns of landscape change, and to correctly interpret landscape dynamics in anthropogenically influenced hilly landscapes. © 2019 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Violet stimulated luminescence as an alternative for dating complex colluvial sediments in the Atacama Desert

Luminescence dating has become a key tool in studies of the Quaternary. The typically stable luminescence response of quartz grains and the absence of a significant internal dose, make quartz minerals the preferred dosimeter for monitoring the burial dose in sediments. Unfortunately, the reliability of conventional OSL (optically stimulated luminescence) dating, based on blue stimulation, can be compromised when the luminescence decay is not dominated by a rapidly decaying and stable part of the luminescence signal (i.e. the fast component). On the other hand, standard methods in luminescence dating are limited to ages of a few hundred kiloyears. In this study, violet stimulated luminescence (VSL) has been used as a means to overcome both problems, applied to a series of colluvial deposits in the Atacama Desert, Chile. Quartz from this region, characterized by poor blue-OSL response, showed a reproducible and stable VSL signal capable of recovering given doses up to ∼500 Gy and a saturation dose twice as high as conventional OSL. The VSL response from these samples has been studied in detail and the estimated ages have been compared with an already established chronology for the same site, based on IRSL of potassium feldspar single grains. Results agree for the dose range of the profile studied, ∼100–250 Gy, equivalent to ages of 29–79 ka confirming the suitability of VSL for dating sedimentary quartz with unreliable blue-OSL response and to extend the age range of conventional OSL dating.     

Application of OSL dating to middle to late Holocene arroyo sediments in Kanab Creek,southern Utah,USA

Middle to late Holocene alluvium, identified as Quaternary alluvial unit 4 (Qa4), along Kanab Creek in southern Utah, USA was dated using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) on quartz sand, and by radiocarbon dating of detrital charcoal. Entrenchment beginning in 1882 AD created arroyo walls that expose up to 35 m of the Qa4 alluvium. The stratigraphy and sedimentology suggest that fluvial aggradation along the study reach occurred rapidly. Due to the high sediment supply, short transport distances and semi-arid climate with flashy discharge, partial bleaching (zeroing) of the luminescence signal was expected to be a problem for OSL dating. We approached this problem by first using small-aliquot (∼20 grains) and single-grain dating of quartz sand to reduce the number of grains contributing to the OSL signal. Second, we used statistical parameters based on single-grain and small-aliquot equivalent dose (De) distributions of bleached sediment to help identify partial bleaching and to inform if a minimum age model (MAM) should be used for age calculation. Comparison of results with radiocarbon ages demonstrates the success of OSL dating on Kanab Creek arroyo-fill deposits, although careful attention should be paid to the sedimentary facies and stratigraphy of the targeted sample horizon to minimize the effects of partial bleaching. Thin, decimeter-scale plane-bedded and ripple cross-bedded sandy lithofacies were found to be the best target for OSL dating, as these sediments showed minimal evidence for incomplete solar resetting. Additionally, results generally indicate that better-bleached sediments are found in downstream reaches. Age control from these arroyo-fill deposits was acquired in order to fulfill larger research goals of understanding regional arroyo incision and aggradation cycles.     

Luminescence dating of mass-transport sediment using rock-surface burial methods: a test case from the Baksan valley in the Caucasus Mountains

Mass-transport sediments are generally difficult to date directly by existing methods. Conventional luminescence dating of sand is unsuitable because the short transport distances provide little opportunity for bleaching. However, larger clasts are often exposed to sunlight for prolonged periods before becoming entrained in mass-movements, and these clasts have the potential to be used for rock-surface luminescence dating. Mass-transport is a major component of landscape change in mountain regions; in the Baksan valley, Caucasus Mountains, high uplift rates and high precipitation create a rapidly eroding landscape where preservation of sediments is poor. The area is particularly prone to destructive debris flows, because of the large quantity of detrital material in the catchments. The debris-flow and hillslope sediment the Baksan valley are used here to test the applicability of rock-surface burial dating to mass-transport sediment. We find that colluvial clasts show a high degree of bleaching and give reproducible ages, with a large colluvial deposit dated to the early–mid Holocene. The bleaching of debris flow clasts is more variable – we suppose due to the more complex transport history of the clasts, with opportunities for lengthy storage in moraines or colluvium. Overall, the results are encouraging, and suggest that rock-surface methods can provide a useful approach to mass-transport dating in mountainous regions. However, improved targeting of samples and measurement efficiency is desirable for widespread application.     

Colluvial and alluvial sediment archives temporally resolved by OSL dating: Implications for reconstructing soil erosion

Colluvial and alluvial sediments represent important geoarchives to reconstruct long-term soil erosion and to gain insight into the complex system of sediment cascades and sediment fluxes within a catchment. In this respect, the temporal information of sediment archive formation is essential and achievable through optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. In this study, colluvial and alluvial sediments from a mesoscale catchment in northern Bavaria were investigated and dated by OSL. Insufficient sediment bleaching was detected for some of the samples. In these cases, the method proposed by Fuchs and Lang [Fuchs, M., Lang, A., 2001. OSL dating of coarse-grain fluvial quartz using single-aliquot protocols on sediments from NE Peloponnese, Greece. Quaternary Science Reviews 20, 783–787.] was applied for equivalent dose (D_e) determination. The calculated OSL ages are in stratigraphic order and their accuracy is confirmed by ¹⁴C age control. Based on the chronostratigraphies for alluvial and colluvial archives, there is a dominant synchronous sedimentation history for the Medieval and Modern period, but initiation of Holocene sedimentation occurred at different times in the upper and lower parts of the catchment. The latter phenomenon might be explained by the decoupled sediment fluxes between both the slope–channel system and the upper and lower catchment.     

中国西部甘、新边界地区岩石漆阳离子比率测年曲线的建立及其应用

岩石漆阳离子比率测年法是近年发展起来的一种新的测年方法,可广泛应用于干旱一半干旱地区第四系年代的测定。本文初步建立了中国西部甘、新边界地区岩石漆阳离子淋滤曲线,并据此对这一地区的第四纪中晚期地层的年代和断层活动年代进行了讨论     

Luminescence dating of cobbles from Pleistocene fluvial terrace deposits of the Ara River,Japan

Constraining the ages of fluvial terraces is essential to understanding fluvial responses to climate and sea-level changes and estimating uplift/incision. Luminescence dating of sand or silt grains from fluvial terrace deposits in Japan is difficult because sand layers are often absent from gravelly deposits, quartz grains are typically dominated by medium/slow components and/or contaminated by feldspars, and short transport distances and short residence times in riverbeds result in poor bleaching of luminescence signals. Luminescence dating of cobbles may overcome these difficulties, but few studies have applied this technique to fluvial terrace deposits. Here, we examine the utility of luminescence dating applied to three granodiorite cobbles from a late Pleistocene fluvial terrace deposit of the Ara River, Japan. We investigated variations of the infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and post-IR IRSL signals with depth in each cobble. The IRSL and post-IR IRSL signals generally increase with depth, indicating that the cobbles were not completely bleached before deposition. Nonetheless, the IRSL ages of the cobble surfaces (19–17 ka) are consistent with the age of a tephra layer (16–15 ka) at the base of loess deposits overlying the terrace. In contrast, IRSL ages of sand-sized feldspar grains overestimate the depositional age because of incomplete bleaching, whereas silt-sized quartz grains greatly underestimate the depositional age, likely because of the thermal instability of the medium component. Our results demonstrate that luminescence dating of cobbles could provide a better understanding of fluvial systems in which luminescence dating of sand grains is difficult.     

Testing the use of feldspars for optical dating of hurricane overwash deposits

The geological record preserved in coastal salt marshes provides an opportunity to determine past hurricane activity during the Late Holocene in New England, USA. High precision dating is important to correlate overwash sand layers associated with hurricane strikes between different sites along the coastline. Three different optical dating methods have been tested and compared with independent age control; i) optically stimulated luminescence from quartz, ii) infrared stimulated luminescence from K-feldspar, and iii) a subtraction method.Quartz and K-feldspar dating results for three samples in a core from Round Hill Beach Marsh are in stratigraphic order and they are consistent within errors with radiocarbon ages and with each other. Subtraction dating results agreed with the quartz and K-feldspar ages for two of the three samples, but the subtraction age of the youngest sample gave an age underestimate. Replicate equivalent dose values from quartz showed a larger variation than those from feldspars, and this resulted in larger errors for the quartz and subtraction ages than those based on feldspars. K-feldspar yields the most precise optical ages, but is complicated by the need to correct for anomalous fading. Both quartz and K-feldspar are suitable for optical dating of hurricane overwash deposits in New England.     

Development of the SAR TT-OSL procedure for dating Middle Pleistocene dune and shallow marine deposits along the southern Cape coast of South Africa

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating is now commonly used to estimate the depositional age of Quaternary landforms along the southern Cape coast of South Africa. Due to the early onset of dose saturation in the quartz-rich sediments from this region, determining the age of deposits much older than the last three glacio-eustatic sea-level high stands has been a challenge. In this study, we explored the feasibility of using the thermally-transferred OSL (TT-OSL) dating method to obtain ages for aeolian and shallow marine deposits at three different localities that hold promise to further illuminate the long and complex Late Quaternary sea-level history of this region. The bleachability and behaviour of both the recuperated OSL (ReOSL) and the basic-transferred OSL (BT-OSL) signals were investigated, and used as independent chronometers to infer (a) the degree of bleaching of the sediments and (b) the stability of the ReOSL signal for dating of older samples. We examined the sensitivity of both signals to varying preheat temperatures and further developed the single-aliquot regenerative-dose procedure for TT-OSL dating of our samples. To verify our procedures, and to understand some of the underlying mechanisms responsible for the problems we observed, modern analogues and known-age Marine Isotope Sub-stage (MIS) 5e samples from the same localities were also measured. The Middle Pleistocene deposits investigated in this study produced statistically consistent ReOSL and BT-OSL ages compatible with sea-level high stands during Marine Isotope Stage 11. This result is of considerable significance, as it may yield new insights into maximum sea-level heights during this period, which is widely considered an appropriate analogue for future environmental conditions.     

Using three different approaches of OSL for the study of young fluvial sediments at the coastal plain of the Usumacinta–Grijalva River Basin,southern Mexico

We use three different approaches of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) to study young fluvial sediments located at the main channels of one of the largest fluvial systems of North America: the Usumacinta–Grijalva. We use the pulsed photo‐stimulated luminescence (PPSL) system also known as portable OSL reader, full OSL dating and profiling OSL dating in samples extracted from vertical sediment profiles (n = 9) of riverbanks to detect changes in depositional rates of sediments and to obtain the age of the deposits. The results of the PPSL system show that the luminescence signals of vertical sediment profiles highly scattered from the top to the bottom contrast with the luminescence pattern observed on well‐reset sequences of fluvial deposits where luminescence increase from the top to the bottom of the profile. The profiling and full OSL ages yielded large uncertainty values on their ages. Based on the inconsistencies observed in both ages and luminescence patterns of profiles we suggest that these fluvial deposits were not fully reset during their transport. As an explanation, we propose that in the Usumacinta and Grijalva rivers the cyclonic storms during the wet season promote the entrainment of large volumes of sediments due to high‐erosional episodes around the basin resulting from hyper‐concentrated and turbid flows. We conclude that the PPSL, profiling and full OSL dating of sediments are useful tools to quantify and to assess the depositional patterns in fluvial settings during the Holocene. These techniques also can yield information about sites where increases in the sediment load of rivers may produce poorly resetting of grains affecting the results of OSL dating. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A test case for anomalous fading correction in IRSL dating

Infrared-stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating of feldspars has the potential to date deposits beyond the age range of quartz optical (OSL) dating. Successful application of feldspar IRSL dating is, however, often precluded due to anomalous-fading, the tunnelling of electrons from one defect site to another. In this paper we test procedures proposed for anomalous-fading correction by comparing feldspar IRSL and quartz OSL dating results on a suite of samples from continental deposits from the southeastern Netherlands. We find that even after anomalous-fading correction IRSL ages underestimate the burial age of the deposits and argue that this may be a consequence of a dependency of anomalous fading rate on the dose rate and on the absorbed dose.     

ESR and OSL dating of fossil-bearing deposits from Naracoorte Cave Complex palaeontological sites,south Australia

Little work has been undertaken on combined dating of sedimentary quartz grains using electron spin resonance (ESR) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) techniques in Australia. This study aims to assess the suitability of a combined ESR and OSL dating approach for establishing improved chronologies of Middle-Late Pleistocene deposits within the Naracoorte Cave Complex (NCC), South Australia. Here, we apply ESR and OSL dating in tandem to a series of samples collected from three different NCC sites: Whale Bone, Specimen and Alexandra cave. ESR quartz dating focuses on the multi-centre (MC) approach, which involves comparative evaluations of Al and Ti centre signals, while paired luminescence dating focuses on single-grain OSL analysis and includes examination of multi-grain averaging effects. The comparative ESR-OSL dating results exhibit broad agreement for deposits spanning 50–150 thousand years, with either the Ti–H or Al centre ages overlapping with paired OSL ages at 2σ in nearly all cases. MC ESR evaluations (Al v Ti–Li v Ti–H age assessments) indicate incomplete resetting of the bleachable Al centre signal for a small number of samples. Two-thirds of samples exhibit Ti–Li ages that are significantly older than corresponding Al centre ages, which is unexpected from a bleaching kinetics perspective and may indicate a broader reliability issue for Ti–Li palaeodose evaluation with these particular samples. Our findings: (i) support the applicability of both palaeodosimetric dating methods in this depositional setting; (ii) highlight the merits of applying combined ESR-OSL analyses in tandem, and; (iii) provide one of the first reliable evaluations of quartz ESR MC dating for samples with natural dose ranges as low as only a few tens of Gy. These results show that the Whale Bone, Specimen and Alexandra cave sites are temporally related and can be used to derive multi-site reconstructions of faunal assemblages and palaeoenvironmental history.     

Mineralization episode of porphyry copper deposits in the Jinshajiang-Red River mineralization belt: Re-Os dating

Re-Os isotopic dating for the molybdenites from the porphyry copper deposits of the Jinshajiang-Red River mineralization belt in Yunnan Province yields isochron ages of 33.9±1.1 Ma for the Machangqing deposit and 34.4±0.5 Ma for the Tongchang deposit. This result shows that both the Machangqing and the Tongchang porphyry Cu-Mo deposits from two different ore-fields formed simultaneously. This new data and the published Re-Os model ages of molybdenite (35.4 Ma, 35.9 Ma, 36.2 Ma) of the Yulong porphyry copper deposit in Tibet, which is located in the same Jinshajiang-Red River mineralization belt as the Machangqing deposit and the Tongchang deposit, suggest that these three Cenozoic porphyry copper deposits in the Jinshajiang-Red River mineralization belt were contemporary for their mineralization episode. That is to say, even their present locality is far away and nearly iso-distantly distributed, these three porphyry Cu(Mo) deposits belong to the same mineralization episode at the end of Eocene.     

Dating of lower terrace sediments from the Middle Rhine area, Germany

Modern and known-age Pleistocene fluvial sediments were investigated by optical dating of quartz to test the suitability of the approach for dating deposits from the deeply incised Middle Rhine Valley. Samples from modern flood sediments revealed skewed distributions indicating different residual levels of equivalent dose (D_e) within the different aliquots. Nevertheless, a substantial number of aliquots from the modern deposits reflect D_e values close to zero. For the Pleistocene samples, optical ages are in general consistent with age control given by the presence of the Laacher See Tephra and radiocarbon dating. However, some samples overestimate the known age by a few thousand years when using the arithmetic mean. This is apparently explained by including aliquots in the determination of mean D_e where the optical signal was incompletely bleached at deposition. The most difficult issue in this context is identifying a suitable approach that can distinguish between the variability of D_e due to partial bleaching and microdosimetry. However, even when considering these limitations it appears that optical dating will by a quite suitable method to date Pleistocene sediments from such a complex fluvial environment, especially when focusing on a precision scale beyond a few thousand years.     

OSL dating of tsunami deposits from Phra Thong Island,Thailand

To evaluate the potential of optical dating (OSL) in establishing a proper tsunami chronology for Phra Thong Island (SW Thailand), the method was applied to a suite of tsunamigenic and littoral sandy deposits, for which independent age control was available. Small aliquots of coarse grained quartz were used for measurements, and processed statistically by means of appropriate age models. Based on the equivalent dose distributions, the well bleached littoral deposits were analysed with the central age model (CAM); the tsunamigenic samples revealed poor bleaching, thus, the minimum age model (MAM) was applied. The cross-check with independent age data showed good agreement between luminescence ages and the existing radiocarbon chronology for the littoral deposits. The poorly bleached deposits of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami revealed residuals of less than 40 years, which are insignificant for older deposits and demonstrate the general suitability of the dating technique for tsunamites on Phra Thong. Afterwards, the approach was extended to tsunamigenic and littoral sediments of unknown age. Since those revealed properties similar to their reference deposits, the procedures of statistical D_e determination were adopted. The resulting ages were in agreement with the stratigraphical position and (largely) with the wider chronological context.     

Luminescence dating of an Upper Pleistocene alluvial fan and aeolian sandsheet complex: The Senne in the Münsterland Embayment,NW Germany

An up to 15 m thick alluvial fan and aeolian sandsheet complex is exposed in the upper Senne area, on the southern slope of the Teutoburger Wald Mountains (NW Germany). The origin and age of these deposits have been controversially discussed for many years, ranging from Saalian glaciofluvial to periglacial Weichselian deposits. In order to provide a high-resolution chronological framework for the deposits, we conducted luminescence dating of 12 samples from two localities (Oerlinghausen and Augustdorf pits). Both coarse-grain potassium-rich feldspar and quartz minerals were used for luminescence dating. Feldspar was measured using an elevated temperature post-IR infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL). Quartz was measured using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) with a conventional single aliquot regenerative dose (SAR) protocol. Feldspar results tend to overestimate quartz ages for the lower part of the sections (alluvial plain and alluvial fan facies) but are consistent with quartz ages for the upper part of the sections (aeolian facies). Quartz ages from both central and minimum age models suggest deposition during the Late Pleistocene Pleniglacial to Late Glacial.     

A combined luminescence and radiocarbon dating study of the Ili loess,Central Asia

Similar to the loess in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), the loess deposits in the Ili basin of Central Asia arid area play an important role in understanding the climate and environmental changes. However, in contrast to the intensively investigated loess deposits in the CLP, the Ili loess is still insufficiently known and poorly understood. The geochronology study of the Ili loess remains controversial. In order to examine the potential of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating for the Ili loess, we carry out a combined luminescence and radiocarbon dating study on a 6.9 m loess section in the south margin of the Ili basin. Polymineral fine grains were investigated by post infrared (IR) OSL using a Multiple-Aliquot Regenerative-dose (MAR) protocol. Radiocarbon dating of organic carbon were carried in a 3 Megavolt (MV) multi-element Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). The results indicate that the OSL ages are in agreement with the observed stratigraphy in the field, which is well correlated with that of the CLP, but the AMS ¹⁴C ages are much younger than the OSL and assumed stratigraphical ages. Thus, the OSL dating technique may provide an absolute chronology in this loess section. Further methodological approaches and more samples analysis will lead to the improvement of this chronology for high-resolution paleoclimatic interpretation.     

Luminescence dating without sand lenses: An application of OSL to coarse-grained alluvial fan deposits of the Lost River Range,Idaho, USA

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating is increasingly used to estimate the age of fluvial deposits. A significant limitation, however, has been that conventional techniques of sampling and dose rate estimation are suitable only for thick (>60 cm) layers consisting of sand size or finer grains. Application of OSL dating to deposits lacking such layers remains a significant challenge. Alluvial fans along the western front of the Lost River Range in east-central Idaho, USA are one example. Deposits are typically pebble to cobble sheetflood gravels with a sandy matrix but thin to absent sand lenses. As a result, the majority of samples for this project were collected by excavating matrix material from gravelly deposits under light-safe tarps or at night. To examine the contributions of different grain-size fractions to calculated dose-rates, multiple grain-size fractions were analyzed using ICP–MS, high resolution gamma spectrometry and XRF. Dose rates from bulk sediment samples were 0.4–40% (mean of 18%) lower than dose-rate estimates from the sand-size fractions alone, illustrating the importance of representative sampling for dose rate determination. We attribute the difference to the low dose-rate contribution from radio-nuclide poor carbonate pebbles and cobbles that occur disproportionately in clast sizes larger than sand. Where possible, dose rates were based on bulk sediment samples since they integrate the dose-rate contribution from all grain sizes. Equivalent dose distributions showed little evidence for partial bleaching. However, many samples had significant kurtosis and/or overdispersion, possibly due to grain-size related microdosimetry effects, accumulation of pedogenic carbonate or post-depositional sediment mixing. Our OSL age estimates range from 4 to 120 ka, preserve stratigraphic and geomorphic order, and show good agreement with independent ages from tephra correlation and U-series dating of pedogenic carbonate. Furthermore, multiple samples from the same deposit produced ages in good agreement. This study demonstrates that with modified sampling methods and careful consideration of the dose rate, OSL dating can be successfully applied to coarse-grained deposits of climatic and tectonic significance that may be difficult to date by other methods.     

阿尔金断裂带东段晚更新世阶地沉积物红外释光测年及其构造意义

对流经阿尔金断裂带东段的段家沙河、疏勒河和踏实河的阶地沉积物进行了细颗粒多测片红外释光(IRSL)测年,初步确定了晚第四纪各级阶地的形成年代和构造抬升速率。疏勒河在昌马盆地南缘发育7级阶地,光释光测年结果显示这些总高度超过100m的阶地可能主要形成于数万年以内,抬升速率约为2.5mm/a;照壁山峡谷疏勒河保留有5级阶地,大致形成于20万年前,阶地的抬升速率约为0.7mm/a;段家沙河在红柳峡上形成4级阶地,形成于距今7万年以来,其抬升速率约为06mm/a     

DETRITAL ZIRCON U-PB DATING OF MODERN RIVERS' DEPOSITS IN PAMIR,SOUTH TIAN SHAN AND THEIR CONVERGENCE ZONE

By dating detrital zircon U-Pb ages of deposition sequence in foreland basins, we can analyze the provenance of these zircons and further infer the tectonic history of the mountain belts. This is a new direction of the zircon U-Pb chronology. The precondition of using this method is that we have to have all-around understanding to the U-Pb ages of the rocks of the orogenic belts, while the varied topography, high altitude of the zircon U-Pb ages of the orogenic belts are very rare and uneven. This restricts the application of this method. Modern river deposits contain abundant geologic information of their provenances, so we can probe the zircon U-Pb ages of the geological bodies in the provenances by dating the detrital zircon U-Pb ages of modern rivers' deposits. We collected modern river deposits of 14 main rivers draining from Pamir, South Tian Shan and their convergence zone and conducted detrital zircon U-Pb dating. Combining with the massive bed rock zircon U-Pb ages of the magmatic rocks and the detrital zircon U-Pb ages of the modern fluvial deposit of other authors, we obtained the distribution characteristics of zircon U-Pb ages of different tectonic blocks of Pamir and South Tian Shan. Overlaying on the regional geological map, we pointed out the specific provenance geological bodies of different U-Pb age populations and speculated the existence of some new geological bodies. The results show that different tectonic blocks have different age peaks. The main age peaks of South Tian Shan are 270~289Ma and 428~449Ma, that of North Pamir are 205~224Ma and 448~477Ma, Central Pamir 36~40Ma, and South Pamir 80~82Ma and 102~106Ma. The Pamir syntaxis locates at the west end of the India-Eurasia collision zone. The northern boundary of the Pamir is the Main Pamir Thrust(MPT)and the Pamir Front Thrust(PFT). In the Cenozoic, because of the squeezing action of the India Plate, the Pamir thrust a lot toward the north and the internal terranes of the Pamir strongly uplifted. For the far-field effect of the India-Eurasia collision, the Tian Shan on the north margin of the Tarim Basin also uplifted intensely during this period. Extensive exhumation went along with these upliftings. The material of the exhumation was transported to the foreland basin by rivers, which formed the very thick Cenozoic deposition sequence. These age peaks can be used as characteristic ages to recognize these tectonic blocks. These results lay a solid foundation for tracing the convergence process of Pamir and South Tian Shan in Cenozoic with the help of detrital zircon U-Pb ages of sediments in the foreland basin.