Geology topics

Research about Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Northeastern Tibetan Plateau.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2025

Apatite geo-thermochronology and geochemistry constrain Oligocene-Miocene growth and geodynamics of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Understanding the geodynamics of plateau evolution requires examining the spatial and temporal aspects of mountain building in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, which are still under debate. Here we integrate apatite geo-thermochronological and geochemical data from the Oligocene-Miocene succession of the Xunhua Basin to elucidate the evolution of the regional topography. The results suggest sediment provenance changes, at ca. 28, 20 and 12 Ma, indicating topographic growth of the West Qinling, Laji Shan, and Jishi Shan source areas, respectively. Our findings reveal Oligocene-Miocene stepwise deformation and middle Miocene stress reorganization within the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. We attribute this to Oligocene lithospheric foundering beneath the south-central Tibetan Plateau and the middle Miocene initiation of sinistral strike-slip faults due to the underthrusting of India and North China. This study highlights the roles of lithospheric removal and continental underthrusting in plateau growth, and the value of multi-proxy apatite analyses in provenance studies.

Northeastern Tibetan Plateau↗

USGS2014

Cenozoic mountain building on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Northeastern Tibetan Plateau growth illuminates the kinematics, geodynamics, and climatic consequences of large-scale orogenesis, yet only recently have data become available to outline the spatiotemporal pattern and rates of this growth. I review the tectonic history of range growth across the plateau margin north of the Kunlun fault (35°–40°N) and east of the Qaidam basin (98°–107°E), synthesizing records from fault-bounded mountain ranges and adjacent sedimentary basins. Deformation began in Eocene time shortly after India-Asia collision, but the northeastern orogen boundary has largely remained stationary since this time. Widespread middle Miocene–Holocene range growth is portrayed by accelerated deformation, uplift, erosion, and deposition across northeastern Tibet. The extent of deformation, however, only expanded ~150 km outward to the north and east and ~150 km laterally to the west. A middle Miocene reorganization of deformation characterized by shortening at various orientations heralds the onset of the modern kinematic regime where shortening is coupled to strike slip. This regime is responsible for the majority of Cenozoic crustal shortening and thickening and the development of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.

Book chapter↗