Exhuming Asia-A thermochronological perspective:Preface

Asia is the largest continent on Earth and records a prolonged history of continental growth and tectonic reactivation during the Phanerozoic.Several tectonic forces at the continental palaeomargins induced mountain building,both at the margins themselves(e.g.the Himalayas)and into the continental interior(e.g.the Tianshan).In many parts of Asia,mountain building and associated crustal exhumation/denudation are still very active as a