Study Reveals that Surface Uplift in Late Miocene Shaped Western Tibetan Plateau

A new study led by Prof. XIAO Wenjiao from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has uncovered a rapid, two-phase uplift of the West Kunlun Range between 11 and 6 million years ago. The study was published in Geology.

Using advanced low-temperature thermochronology techniques, the research team identified two distinct periods of rapid exhumation within the West Kunlun Range: one occurring approximately 11 to 10 million years ago, and a subsequent uplift peaking between 7 and 6 million years ago. This detailed chronology provides an unprecedented understanding of how the region's surface topography developed over geological timescales.

They found that the surface uplift is directly linked to the deep collision between the Indian Plate and the Tarim Craton, which commenced around 11 million years ago.

In addition, the study shows a wave of magma activity moving toward the West Kunlun simultaneously. This phenomenon confirms that deep Earth forces drove the plateau expand outwards.

"We've pinpointed the precise moment when the tectonic collision reached a critical threshold," said XIANG Dunfeng, the study's first author. "This collision ultimately propelled the mountains skyward."

This study provides critical insights into the expansion and topographic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau, and resolves a long-standing debate regarding the timing of major surface deformation along the northwestern margin of the Tibetan Platea.

Read the full article: https://doi.org/10.1130/G53642.1

Contact

LONG Huaping

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

E-mail: longhp@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Web: http://english.egi.cas.cn