Revised Chronology of Central Tibet Uplift (Lunpola Basin)

Overview

Journal Sci Adv

Specialties Biology
Science

Date 2020 Dec 10

PMID 33298435

Citations 13

Authors

Xiaomin Fang

Guillaume Dupont-Nivet

Chengshan Wang

Chunhui Song

Qingquan Meng

Weilin Zhang

Junsheng Nie

Tao Zhang

Ziqiang Mao

Yu Chen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Knowledge of the topographic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau is essential for understanding its construction and its influences on climate, environment, and biodiversity. Previous elevations estimated from stable isotope records from the Lunpola Basin in central Tibet, which indicate a high plateau since at least 35 Ma, are challenged by recent discoveries of low-elevation tropical fossils apparently deposited at 25.5 Ma. Here, we use magnetostratigraphic and radiochronologic dating to revise the chronology of elevation estimates from the Lunpola Basin. The updated ages reconcile previous results and indicate that the elevations of central Tibet were generally low (<2.3 km) at 39.5 Ma and high (3.5 to 4.5 km) at ~26 Ma. This supports the existence in the Eocene of low-elevation longitudinally oriented narrow regions until their uplift in the early Miocene, with potential implications for the growth mechanisms of the Tibetan Plateau, Asian atmospheric circulation, surface processes, and biotic evolution.

Citing Articles

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Lithospheric strike-slip faulting in central Tibet since 35-32 Ma and implications for the incipient Asian extrusional tectonics.

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