Abstract Several palaeoclimate proxy records have been interpreted as representing the direct effects of Tibetan uplift on climate, and particularly the intensity of the Asian summer monsoon. However, there are other possible causes for the transitions and changes which have been observed, such as varying greenhouse gas concentrations, nodes or extremes in orbital forcing, and changing continental configurations. In this study we model the direct effects of Tibetan uplift on sea surface temperatures (SSTs), vegetation, and river discharge. We investigate whether these climatic effects of topographic uplift are likely to be detectable in proxy records, and also whether the proxies could be used to distinguish between different paradigms for the history of plateau uplift. We find that the SSTs in the western Pacific, South China Sea and Indian Ocean are generally insensitive to Tibetan uplift; however, vegetation in the region of the plateau itself, and river discharge from the Yangtze, Pearl, and in particular the Ganges/Brahmaputra, could provide a good test of our understanding of Tibetan uplift history.

Abstract This chapter describes sandstone sills intruded into the middle Miocene Pil´sk Suite, which are well exposed along a continuously exposed 8-km (5-mi) section on the southeast coast of Schmidt Peninsula, Sakhalin (Russian Far East). This suite forms part of a relatively thin Neogene succession (probably no more than 1100 m thick [3608 ft]), which unconformably overlies Cretaceous deposits. The succession was deposited on a topographic high, which marks the Mesozoic outer arc high and is now deformed within a large-scale dextral strike-slip fault system, part of the Eurasia- North America plate boundary. The Pil´sk Suite is dominated by organic-rich biosiliceous rocks (opoka, porcelanite, and rare chert). Within this siliceous succession are abundant brown, well-cemented sandstones, subparallel to bedding, with erosional top and bottom contacts. Their changing stratigraphic position makes correlation across distances greater than about 10 m (33 ft) difficult. They are interpreted as having an injected origin. Trains of upright to gently inclined folds deform the pre-late Miocene succession, including the brown sandstones. The vergence of these structures, and the transport direction of associated thrust faults, is generally toward the southwest. The injected sandstone sills were clearly cemented prior to brittle deformation. Deformation is concentrated into high-strain zones spaced approximately 1 km (0.6 mi) apart, which are probably part of a large flower structure. Almost all the sandstone sills are found within these zones, adding several tens of meters to the stratigraphic thickness. Given the relatively thin post-middle Miocene succession, it is likely that this injection resulted in coeval deformation of the sediment surface.

Abstract Miocene-Pliocene sediments in the northern part of Sakhalin, in the Russian Far East, contain substantial hydrocarbon reservoirs and are the target of further exploration. These sandstones are well sorted and have been interpreted as the deltaic deposits of the paleo-Amur River, sourced from the Russian mainland. Despite their economic importance, no facies interpretation of the sediments from the onshore sections, nor the paleogeographic evolution of the delta through the Neogene, have previously been published. From outcrop we have identified nine facies associations recording deposition in delta-top, beach, delta-front, transitional, and offshore marine settings. The distribution of these facies associations through time indicates that the paleo-Amur delta prograded east across Sakhalin in two major episodes: first in the Early-Middle Miocene and later in the Late Miocene-Pliocene. These delta-top to delta-front sandstone deposition events are separated by a more mud-rich episode. To the east, limited terrigenous supply resulted in accumulation of biosiliceous sediments. Paleogeographic reconstructions show that the distribution of sand and biosiliceous marine sediment was probably controlled by a combination of tectonic configuration and persistent patterns of longshore currents.