The present topography of the northern Tibetan Plateau is characterized by the northwest-trending Eastern Kunlun Range, Qaidam Basin, and Qilian Shan, which figure importantly into the evolution and mechanism of Tibetan plateau development during Cenozoic Indo-Asian convergence. Understanding the Cenozoic deformation history and the source-to-sink relationship through time has significant implications for deciphering the growth history of the northern Tibetan Plateau. Despite decades of study, the timing, pattern, and mechanisms of deformation across the northern Tibetan Plateau are still vigorously debated. The North Qaidam thrust belt, located between the Qaidam Basin and Qilian Shan thrust belt, provides a valuable record of Cenozoic deformation in the northern Tibetan Plateau. Here, we present the results of new geologic mapping, structural and sedimentology analysis, and apatite fission track thermochronology to constrain the Cenozoic evolution history and reconstruct the paleogeomorphology of the eastern domain of the North Qaidam thrust belt and its foreland, the Wulan Basin. Our analyses reveal the North Qaidam thrust belt experienced multi-phase exhumation since the Cretaceous. A period of Eocene localized thrust-related uplift of the North Qaidam thrust belt initiated shortly after India-Asia collision, and lower erosion rates in the Oligocene allowed the thrust belt to expand along-strike eastward. Local uplift shed sediments to the southwest, directly into the Qaidam Basin. Reactivation of the proximal thrust faults and initiation of the northwest-striking right-slip Elashan fault at ca. 15−10 Ma drove the final accelerated mid-Miocene cooling and denudation to the surface. This phase of deformation established the overall framework morphology of the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, including the overall structure of the basins and ranges.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Article Contents
Research Article|
May 12, 2022
Cenozoic deformation in the eastern domain of the North Qaidam thrust belt, northern Tibetan Plateau
Bing Li;
Bing Li
1
Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China2
Sinoprobe Center, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and China Geological Survey, Beijing 100037, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Yongchao Wang;
Yongchao Wang
1
Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China2
Sinoprobe Center, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and China Geological Survey, Beijing 100037, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Andrew V. Zuza;
Andrew V. Zuza
3
Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
Search for other works by this author on:
Xuanhua Chen;
Xuanhua Chen
1
Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China2
Sinoprobe Center, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and China Geological Survey, Beijing 100037, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Zhaogang Shao;
Zhaogang Shao
1
Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China2
Sinoprobe Center, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and China Geological Survey, Beijing 100037, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Zeng-Zhen Wang;
Zeng-Zhen Wang
1
Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China2
Sinoprobe Center, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and China Geological Survey, Beijing 100037, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Yujun Sun;
Yujun Sun
1
Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China2
Sinoprobe Center, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and China Geological Survey, Beijing 100037, China
Search for other works by this author on:
Chen Wu
Chen Wu
4
Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Search for other works by this author on:
GSA Bulletin (2022)
Article history
received:
09 Jun 2021
rev-recd:
07 Dec 2021
accepted:
20 Feb 2022
first online:
12 May 2022
Citation
Bing Li, Yongchao Wang, Andrew V. Zuza, Xuanhua Chen, Zhaogang Shao, Zeng-Zhen Wang, Yujun Sun, Chen Wu; Cenozoic deformation in the eastern domain of the North Qaidam thrust belt, northern Tibetan Plateau. GSA Bulletin 2022; doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B36215.1
Download citation file:
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.