The Xining Basin on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau holds the longest continuous Cenozoic stratigraphic record in China.The sequence record contains considerable information on the history of Tibetan uplift and associated climatic change.In particular,high resolution n-alkane biomarker proxy and pollen records have been obtained from the Paleogene sediments of the Xiejia section of the basin.A combination of the n-alkane and palynological records reveals that the paleoclimate in the Xining Basin experienced a long-term cooling trend from 50.2 to 28.2 Ma with a distinctive ecological event spanning 37.5 to 32.7 Ma.Since this ecological event,a vertical zonation of vegetation from lowland arid grasses,to middle-elevation subtropical broad-leaf plants,to high-elevation coniferous trees was established.We interpret that these changes in climate and vegetation were probably responses to a combination of long term global cooling since the Eocene climatic optimum and uplift of the surrounding mountains on the northern Tibetan Plateau in the early Cenozoic.
LONG LiQunFANG XiaoMinMIAO YunFaBAI YanWANG YongLi
Using seismic data of about one year recorded by 18 broadband stations of ASCENT project,we obtained 2547 receiver functions in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.The Moho depths under 14 stations were calculated by applying the H-κ domain search algorithm.The Moho depths under the stations with lower signal-noise ratio(SNR) were estimated by the time delay of the PS conversion.Results show that the Moho depth varies in a range of ~40–60 km.The Moho near the Haiyuan fault is vague,and its depth is larger than those on its two sides.In the Qinling-Qilian Block,the Moho becomes shallower gradually from west to east.To the east of 105°E,the average depth of the Moho is 45 km,whereas the west is 50 km or even deeper.Combining our results with surface wave research,we suggest a boundary between the Qinling and the Qilian Mountains at around 105°E.S wave velocities beneath 15 stations have been obtained through a linear inversion by using Crust2.0 as an initial model,and the crustal thickness that was derived by H-κ domain search algorithm was also taken into account.The results are very similar to the results of previous active source studies.The resulting figure indicates that low velocity layers developed in the middle and lower crust beneath the transition zone of the Tibet Block and western Qinling,which may be related to regional faults and deep earth dynamics.The velocity of the middle and lower crust increases from the Songpan Block to the northeastern margin of Tibetan Plateau.Based on the velocity of the crust,the distribution of the low velocity zone and the composition of the curst(Poisson's ratio),we infer that the crust thickening results from the crust shortening along the direction of compression.
A recent integrated geophysical survey has been completed along a transect from Baicheng, Xinjiang to Da Qaidam, Qinghai, China. In this study, wide-angle seismic reflection/refraction exploration with 10 shot points has been carried out to acquire the velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle. The earthquake focal mechanism solutions and terrestrial heat flow along the transect have also been obtained and analyzed. Based on the velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle along the transect, and combined with the focal mechanism solutions and terrestrial heat flow we develop a geodynamic model for the northern margin of the Tibetan plateau. This model reveals the detailed structure of the crust and uppermost mantle, determines the relationship of basin and range coupling, explores the deep dynamic setting for superposed basins, and establishes the northern boundary condition for Tibetan plateau research.
Junmeng ZhaoFang LuZhichun LiYang WangWentao MaXun Liu
As the western end point of continental collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates, Pamir is an ideal place to research uplifting mechanisms in the Tibetan plateau. In this study, 141 644 Pn arrivals were used to obtain seismic wave velocities and anisotropy in the uppermost mantle beneath Pamir and its adjacent regions by performing tomographic inversion of Pn travel times. The data were selected from multiple databases, including ISC/EHB, the Annual Bulletin of Chinese Earthquakes, and regional bulletins of Xinjiang. The tomography results reveal significant features with high resolution and correlate well with geological structures. The main results are as follows： （1） The Pn wave velocities are particularly high in the old stable blocks such as Tarim basin, Indian plate and Tajik basin, while the low Pn velocities always lie in tectonically active regions like the western Tibetan plateau, Pamir, Tianshan and Hindu Kush. （2） Strong Pn anisotropy is found beneath the Indian-Eurasian collision zone; its direction is parallel to the collision are and nearly perpendicular to both the direction of maximum compression stress and relative crustal movement. The result is probably caused by the pure shear deformation in the uppermost mantle of the collision zone. （3） A geodynamic continent-continent collision model is proposed to show anisotropy and collision mechanisms between the Indian plate and the Tarim and Tajik basins.
