The uplift and exhumation processes in the Qiangtang terrane of Central Tibet since the Cretaceous

The Tibetan Plateau uplift resulted in regional and global climate changes; however, the geomorphic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau is still in dispute. As a significant part of the Tibetan Plateau, the Qiangtang terrane plays an important role in understanding the geomorphic evolution of Central Tibet. The published structural deformation and low-temperature thermochronological data showed that the uplift and exhumation of the Qiangtang terrane experienced three main phases: Early Cretaceous-Paleocene (120-65 Ma), Eocene (55-35 Ma), and Post-Oligocene (<30-0 Ma). During the Early Cretaceous-Paleocene, the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision and the tectonic load of the Central Qiangtang terrane led to outward-propagating deformation and exhumation originated from the Central Qiangtang terrane. During the Eocene, northward and southward subductions of the Lhasa and Songpan-Ganzi terranes, respectively, driven by continued convergence between the Indian and Asian plates, resulted in intensive deformation and exhumation of the Southern Qiangtang terrane and the northern edge of the North Qiangtang terrane, but little erosion and deformation in the Central Qiangtang terrane and central zone of the North Qiangtang terrane. The Qiangtang terrane had attained an elevation of 3-4 km by ~35 Ma. Since the Oligocene structural deformation in the Qiangtang terrane has ceased, where surface exhumation may be related to N-S trending normal fault activity in the region. © 2023 Science Frontiers editorial department. All rights reserved.