The provenance of upper Cretaceous strata in the Tethys Himalaya provides critical constraints on the closure time of the Neo-Tethys Ocean and the initial India–Asia collision. This paper reports ...detailed petrographic studies, in-situ detrital zircon U–Pb ages and Lu–Hf isotopic analyses, whole rock Nd-isotopes, and Cr–spinel electronic microprobe data from upper Cretaceous clastic sedimentary rocks of the Tethys Himalaya near Gyangze, southern Tibet. The Berriasian–Coniacian Jiabula Formation consists of black mudstone, chert and minor quartz arenite, and is dominated by detrital zircons with Archean–Cambrian U–Pb ages which were most likely derived from the Indian continent. Overlying conformably is the Santonian–Maastrichtian Chuangde Formation, which consists of red shale, limestone and chert. The Chuangde Formation is in turn overlain by the late Maastrichtian–late Paleocene Zongzhuo Formation, which is composed of black mudstone and lithic sandstone enclosing various olistoliths of sandstone, limestone and chert. The Rilang conglomerate is a lens which is located within the upper part of the Zongzhuo Formation and consists of an upward-thinning and fining succession of volcanic conglomerate, sandstone and black mudstone. The Zongzhuo Formation and the Rilang conglomerate record an abrupt influx of Cretaceous zircon grains with juvenile Hf isotopic compositions, arc-related Cr–spinels and positive εNd
(0) sediments, suggesting an arc and suture-zone provenance. The change in provenance of upper Cretaceous strata from the southern Indian continent to a northern arc and suture zone is attributed to either (1) initial collision between the Indian plate and Lhasa terrane, or (2) initial collision between the Indian plate and an intra-oceanic arc. We prefer option (1) that the initiation of India–Asia collision occurred during Maastrichtian (~
70–65
Ma).
►The provenance of upper Cretaceous strata in the Tethys Himalaya provides significant constraints on the closing of the Neo-Tethys Ocean and the initial India–Asia collision. ►We carried out a detailed provenance study on the upper Cretaceous clastic sedimentary rocks of the northern Tethys Himalaya, near Gyangze, southern Tibet. ►Provenance drastically changed from the Indian continent to an arc and suture zone during the deposition of the Santonian–Maastrichtian Chuangde Formation. ►The change in provenance of upper Cretaceous strata is attributed to initial collision between the Indian plate and Lhasa terrane during Maastrichtian (70–65
Ma).
Deserts are a major source of loess and may undergo substantial wind-erosion as evidenced by yardang fields, deflation pans, and wind-scoured bedrock landscapes. However, there are few quantitative ...estimates of bedrock removal by wind abrasion and deflation. Here, we report wind-erosion rates in the western Qaidam Basin in central China based on measurements of cosmogenic 10Be in exhumed Miocene sedimentary bedrock. Sedimentary bedrock erosion rates range from 0.05 to 0.4mm/yr, although the majority of measurements cluster at 0.125±0.05mm/yr. These results, combined with previous work, indicate that strong winds, hyper-aridity, exposure of friable Neogene strata, and ongoing rock deformation and uplift in the western Qaidam Basin have created an environment where wind, instead of water, is the dominant agent of erosion and sediment transport. Its geographic location (upwind) combined with volumetric estimates suggest that the Qaidam Basin is a major source (up to 50%) of dust to the Chinese Loess Plateau to the east. The cosmogenically derived wind erosion rates are within the range of erosion rates determined from glacial and fluvial dominated landscapes worldwide, exemplifying the effectiveness of wind to erode and transport significant quantities of bedrock.
•We report 10Be-erosion rates on wind eroded bedrock surfaces, Qaidam Basin—China.•Rates are 0.05–0.4mm/yr, with the majority clustering at 0.125±0.05mm/yr.•Identify the Qaidam Basin as source for dust to the Chinese Loess Plateau.•Highlight the effectiveness of wind to erode and transport bedrock material.•Investigated abrasion and deflation and their wind-erosion efficiency.
Paleoelevation reconstruction using oxygen isotopes is making a significant contribution to understanding the Cenozoic uplift of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. This paper presents new oxygen ...and carbon isotopic compositions from well dated Tertiary paleosols, lacustrine calcareous carbonates, and marls from the Nianbo (60–54 Ma) and upper Pana Formations (51–48 Ma) of the Linzizong Group in the Linzhou (Penbo) Basin. The sediments of the Nianbo Formation, which are >180 m-thick, were deposited in alluvial fans, braided rivers, fan deltas, and on nearshore to offshore lacustrine settings, whereas those of the upper Pana Formation are >100 m-thick and are comprised predominantly of proximal alluvial fan and braided river deposits. Correlations between the lithofacies and stable isotopic compositions suggest that the basin was mainly a hydrologically open environment. It is confirmed that the δ18Oc and δ13Cc values from Nianbo and Pana Formations have not yet been reset by late-stage diagenesis based on petrographic examination, oxygen isotope of the fossil ostracodes, and tectonic deformation of strata. The paleoelevations are reconstructed using the corrected most negative paleosurface water δ18Opsw values. These imply that the Linzhou area had attained an elevation of 4500±400 m during the period of the Indo-Asian collision, i.e., achieved a near-present elevation, and may form an Andean-type mountain range stretching the Gangdese arc before collision. The Gangdese Mountains probably maintained high elevations since at least the Paleocene and could play a crucial role in the climate change in the interior of the Tibetan Plateau during the Early Cenozoic. The paleogeomorphic scenario of the Eocene Tibet is proposed to exist at two high mountains in excess of 4500 m that sandwiched a low elevation basin.
•δ18O data of Ostracode analyzed in situ by NanoSIMS rule out diagenetic reset.•The southern Lhasa terrane reached an elevation of 4500 m in Paleocene–Eocene.•Eocene Tibet was two high mountains sandwiched one low corridor.
The provenance of Sibumasu terrane sedimentary rocks and their tectonic relationships with surrounding terranes exposed in Southeast Asia record separation and accretion of Gondwana-derived terranes ...during Late Paleozoic and Mesozoic time. This paper reports sandstone petrographic and U–Pb detrital zircon geochronologic data from Ordovician to Lower Jurassic strata within the Sibumasu terrane in Shan State, Myanmar. The Ordovician strata are composed of limestone and siltstone. The Lower Silurian Linwe and Upper Silurian Namhism Formations are comprised of limestone, silty sandstone, conglomerate and sandstone, respectively. Sandstones from both Ordovician and Silurian strata are dominated by 567–470Ma and 982–917Ma detrital zircons that are interpreted to be sourced from the eastern Gondwana supercontinent. The Carboniferous unit is composed of metasedimentary rocks (phyllite, slate, quartzite, and meta-marl). Sandstones from Carboniferous units show a strong 1165–1070Ma detrital zircon age peak that is not present in the Ordovician and Silurian strata. These zircon grains were most likely derived from both the Albany–Fraser Province in Southwest Australia and Maud Province in Antarctic. The Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic, shallow marine Loi-an Group consists of thin- to medium-bedded sandstone and mudstone that unconformably overly the Permian to Middle Triassic Plateau Limestone Group. Sandstones from the Loi-an Group contain abundant Permian to Triassic detrital zircons that are interpreted to have been derived from the Sukhothai Arc of the western Indochina terrane. Formation of this arc is attributed to eastward (present coordinates) subduction of Paleo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath Indochina. Therefore, we propose that the Sibumasu terrane was juxtaposed against northwestern Australia as part of the Gondwana supercontinent during Paleozoic to Early Permian time. During the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic, Sibumasu strata record an abrupt influx of Permian and Triassic zircon grains, signifying a change in provenance from Gondwana to the Sukhothai Arc. These data are consistent with a tectonic model involving rifting of the Sibumasu terrane from Gondwana and subsequent docking with the Indochina/Simao terranes during Mesozoic time.
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•Sibumasu juxtaposed against northwestern Australia prior to Early Permian.•Sibumasu docked with the Indochina terrane during Late Triassic.•Sibumasu is contiguous with S. Qiangtang westwards.
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