Objective Structural lows and major rift systems provide the basis for the creation of large rivers.The uplift of the Qinling and Daba Mountains structural belts and Tibetan Plateau would have provided the basis for the origin and northwest–southeast flow of the ancient Hanjiang River(Lu et al.,2018).After a long-term evolution,the present pattern of Hanjiang River has been formed.Five to six river terraces in the Hanzhong and Yunxian basins along the flanks of Hanjiang River valleys had been identified and some terraces had been dated by using optically stimulated luminescence(OSL),paleomagnetic,and electron spin resonance(ESR)dating methods,and correlating the pedostratigraphy and magnetic susceptibility with the Luochuan loess section by our team(Sun et al.,2016,2017).These terraces are composed of fluvial deposits overlaid with eolian deposits,and record the evolution history of the Hanjiang River.(Fig.1).This study is aimed to deduce the birth time of the present Hanjiang River by using 26Al/10Be burial dating method to date the highest fluvial terraces of the Hanjiang River.
