@article{ZhangCaoYuanetal.2022, author = {Zhang, Di and Cao, Kai and Yuan, Xiaoping and Wang, Guocan and van der Beek, Peter}, title = {Late Oligocene-early Miocene origin of the First Bend of the Yangtze River explained by thrusting-induced river reorganization}, series = {Geomorphology}, volume = {411}, journal = {Geomorphology}, publisher = {Elsevier Science}, address = {Amsterdam [u.a.]}, issn = {0169-555X}, doi = {10.1016/j.geomorph.2022.108303}, pages = {13}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The origin of the First Bend of the Yangtze River is key to understanding the birth of the modern Yangtze River. Despite considerable efforts, the timing and mechanism of formation of the First Bend remain highly debated. Inverse river-profile modeling of three tributaries (Chongjiang, Lima, and Gudu) of the Jinsha River, integrated with regional tectonic and geomorphic interpretations, allows the onset of incision at the First Bend to be constrained to 28-20 Ma. The spatio-temporal coincidence of initial river incision and activity of Yulong Thrust Belt in southeastern Tibet highlights thrusting to be fundamental in reshaping the pre-existing stream network at the First Bend. These results enable us to reinterpret a change in sedimentary environment from a braided river to a swamp-like lake in the Jianchuan Basin south of the First Bend, recording the destruction of the hypothesized southwards-flowing paleo-Jinsha and Shuiluo Rivers at ~36-35 Ma by magmatism. During the late Oligoceneearly Miocene, the paleo-Shuiluo River was diverted to the north by focused rock uplift due to thrusting along the Yulong Thrust Belt, which also led to exhumation of the Jianchuan Basin. Diversion of the paleo-Shuiluo River can be explained by capture from a downstream river in the footwall of the Yulong Thrust Belt. Subsequent rapid headward erosion, that was caused by thrusting-induced drop of local base level, is recorded by upstream younging ages for the onset of incision and led to the formation of the First Bend. The combination of new ages for the onset of incision at 28-20 Ma at the First Bend and younger ages upstream indicates northwards expansion of the Jinsha River at a rate of 62 +/- 18 mm/yr. Our results suggest that the origin of the First Bend was likely triggered by thrusting at 28-20 Ma, after which the Yangtze River formed.}, language = {en} } @article{YuanJiaoDupontNivetetal.2022, author = {Yuan, Xiaoping P. and Jiao, Ruohong and Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume and Shen, Xiaoming}, title = {Southeastern Tibetan Plateau growth revealed by inverse analysis of landscape evolution model}, series = {Geophysical research letters}, volume = {49}, journal = {Geophysical research letters}, number = {10}, publisher = {American Geophysical Union}, address = {Washington}, issn = {0094-8276}, doi = {10.1029/2021GL097623}, pages = {10}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The Cenozoic history of the Tibetan Plateau topography is critical for understanding the evolution of the Indian-Eurasian collision, climate, and biodiversity. However, the long-term growth and landscape evolution of the Tibetan Plateau remain ambiguous, it remains unclear if plateau uplift occurred soon after the India-Asia collision in the Paleogene (similar to 50-25 Ma) or later in the Neogene (similar to 20-5 Ma). Here, we reproduce the uplift history of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau using a 2D landscape evolution model, which simultaneously solves fluvial erosion and sediment transport processes in the drainage basins of the Three Rivers region (Yangtze, Mekong, and Salween Rivers). Our model was optimized through a formal inverse analysis with 20,000 forward simulations, which aims to reconcile the transient states of the present-day river profiles. The results, compared to existing paleoelevation and thermochronologic data, suggest initially low elevations (similar to 300-500 m) during the Paleogene, followed by a gradual southeastward propagation of topographic uplift of the plateau margin.}, language = {en} }