Understanding how erosion processes respond to climatic and tectonic variations is a key issue in geosciences. The Himalaya-Karakoram mountains, with their high elevations, relief, and significant water discharge that feeds deep-sea turbidite fans, offer a prime setting for deciphering the relative controls on erosion. However, the extent to which climate change has influenced the erosion patterns of this tectonically active region remains debated, partly due to the limited detailed record of its erosional history during periods of pronounced climate fluctuations, such as the Pleistocene. In this study, we present multiproxy provenance and thermochronological analyses of turbidite sediments from the Indus Fan to reconstruct the Pleistocene erosional history of the Himalaya-Karakoram mountains. Detrital zircon U-Pb age spectra and Nd-Sr isotopes from the Indus Fan detritus indicate an increase in erosional contribution from the Lesser Himalayan Sequence starting at ca. 1.2 Ma, peaking ca. 0.9 Ma, and declining to pre−1.2 Ma levels after ca. 0.8 Ma. Detrital apatite fission-track ages further suggest that the source region experienced accelerated erosion between ca. 1.2 Ma and 0.9 Ma. We propose that during the middle Pleistocene, erosion in the Himalaya-Karakoram mountains was concentrated in frontal parts of the Himalaya, where dominantly the Lesser Himalayan Sequence is exposed, which experienced rapid erosion and contributed more material to the Indus Fan compared to earlier and later periods. This shift in erosion patterns was likely linked to a southward shift in the orographic precipitation, driven by weakening of the South Asian monsoon during the mid-Pleistocene transition.
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Research Article|
April 16, 2025
Early Publication
Shift in erosion pattern of the Himalaya-Karakoram mountains during the mid-Pleistocene transition recorded by Indus Fan deposits Available to Purchase
Han Feng;
Han Feng
1
Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Metallogeny, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China2
School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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Huayu Lu;
Huayu Lu
2
School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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Barbara Carrapa;
Barbara Carrapa
3
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
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Linhai Cheng;
Linhai Cheng
4
Chongqing Jinfo Mountain Karst Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
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Hanzhi Zhang;
Hanzhi Zhang
2
School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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Qingyu Wang;
Qingyu Wang
2
School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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Zhengquan Yao
Zhengquan Yao
1
Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Metallogeny, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China5
Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China
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Han Feng
1
Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Metallogeny, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China2
School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
Huayu Lu
2
School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
Barbara Carrapa
3
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
Linhai Cheng
4
Chongqing Jinfo Mountain Karst Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Hanzhi Zhang
2
School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
Qingyu Wang
2
School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
Zhengquan Yao
1
Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Metallogeny, First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China5
Laboratory for Marine Geology, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center, Qingdao 266237, China
Publisher: Geological Society of America
Received:
16 Nov 2024
Revision Received:
05 Mar 2025
Accepted:
20 Mar 2025
First Online:
16 Apr 2025
Online ISSN: 1943-2674
Print ISSN: 0016-7606
© 2025 Geological Society of America
GSA Bulletin (2025)
Article history
Received:
16 Nov 2024
Revision Received:
05 Mar 2025
Accepted:
20 Mar 2025
First Online:
16 Apr 2025
Citation
Han Feng, Huayu Lu, Barbara Carrapa, Linhai Cheng, Hanzhi Zhang, Qingyu Wang, Zhengquan Yao; Shift in erosion pattern of the Himalaya-Karakoram mountains during the mid-Pleistocene transition recorded by Indus Fan deposits. GSA Bulletin 2025; doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B38154.1
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