Early Pleistocene drainage pattern changes in Eastern Tibet: Constraints from provenance analysis, thermochronometry, and numerical modeling

The geometry and evolution of fluvial systems are thought to be related to surface uplift. In eastern Tibet, rivers exhibit peculiar drainage patterns but how these patterns were established and their connection with the plateau uplift are still under debate.

Yang et al. (2020) used a multi-disciplinary approach including provenance analysis, thermochronometry, topographic analysis and numerical modeling to investigate the changing drainage pattern of the Dadu and Anning Rivers, located on the eastern Tibetan Plateau margin (Fig.1). By combining these approaches, this study reveals a pale-connection between the Dadu and Anning Rivers and a subsequent cut-off of this connection since the Early Pleistocene due to the motion of the active sinistral strike-slip Daliangshan fault, which resulted in enhanced incision of the Dadu and the transience of the Dadu River profile. This study highlights that river reorganization can effectively enhance river incision and affect landscape development independently from regional-scale uplift.

Fig.1 The map pattern of rivers in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. RRF: Red River fault; JJF: Jinhe-Jianhe fault; LTF: Litang fault; XSHF: Xianshuihe fault; ANHF: Anninghe fault; DLSF: Daliangshan fault; XJF: Xiaojiang fault; LMSF: Longmenshan fault; YDA: Yindun Arc; SGT: Songpan-Ganze Terrane; SCB: South China Block; SB: Sichuan Basin.

For Details: Yang, R., Suhail, H.A., Gourbet, L., Willett, S.D., Fellin, M.G., Lin, X., Gong, J., Wei, X., Maden, C., Jiao, R., Chen, H., 2020. Early Pleistocene drainage pattern changes in Eastern Tibet: Constraints from provenance analysis, thermochronometry, and numerical modeling. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 531. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.115955