Paleocene to Pliocene low-latitude, high-elevation basins of southern Tibet: Implications for tectonic models of India-Asia collision, Cenozoic climate, and geochemical weathering

Research Article| September 14, 2017 Paleocene to Pliocene low-latitude, high-elevation basins of southern Tibet: Implications for tectonic models of India-Asia collision, Cenozoic climate, and geochemical weathering Miquela Ingalls; Miquela Ingalls † 1Department of the Geophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA †ingalls@uchicago.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David Rowley; David Rowley 1Department of the Geophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gerard Olack; Gerard Olack 1Department of the Geophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Brian Currie; Brian Currie 2Department of Geology & Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45055, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Shanying Li; Shanying Li 2Department of Geology & Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45055, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jennifer Schmidt; Jennifer Schmidt 3Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Marissa Tremblay; Marissa Tremblay 4Department of Earth & Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA5Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, California 94709, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Pratigya Polissar; Pratigya Polissar 6Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, 61 Route 9W, Palisades, New York 10964, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David L. Shuster; David L. Shuster 4Department of Earth & Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA5Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, California 94709, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ding Lin; Ding Lin 7Institute for Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Albert Colman Albert Colman 1Department of the Geophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Miquela Ingalls † 1Department of the Geophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA David Rowley 1Department of the Geophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA Gerard Olack 1Department of the Geophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA Brian Currie 2Department of Geology & Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45055, USA Shanying Li 2Department of Geology & Environmental Earth Science, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45055, USA Jennifer Schmidt 3Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015, USA Marissa Tremblay 4Department of Earth & Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA5Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, California 94709, USA Pratigya Polissar 6Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, 61 Route 9W, Palisades, New York 10964, USA David L. Shuster 4Department of Earth & Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA5Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, California 94709, USA Ding Lin 7Institute for Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China Albert Colman 1Department of the Geophysical Sciences, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA †ingalls@uchicago.edu. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 12 Dec 2016 Revision Received: 18 May 2017 Accepted: 12 Jul 2017 First Online: 02 Jan 2018 Online Issn: 1943-2674 Print Issn: 0016-7606 © 2017 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2018) 130 (1-2): 307–330. https://doi.org/10.1130/B31723.1 Article history Received: 12 Dec 2016 Revision Received: 18 May 2017 Accepted: 12 Jul 2017 First Online: 02 Jan 2018 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Miquela Ingalls, David Rowley, Gerard Olack, Brian Currie, Shanying Li, Jennifer Schmidt, Marissa Tremblay, Pratigya Polissar, David L. Shuster, Ding Lin, Albert Colman; Paleocene to Pliocene low-latitude, high-elevation basins of southern Tibet: Implications for tectonic models of India-Asia collision, Cenozoic climate, and geochemical weathering. GSA Bulletin 2017;; 130 (1-2): 307–330. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B31723.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The elevation history of the Tibetan Plateau promises insight into the mechanisms and dynamics that develop and sustain high topography over tens of millions of years. We present the first nearly continuous Cenozoic elevation history from two sedimentary basins on the southern Tibetan Plateau within the latest Cretaceous to Eocene Gangdese arc. Oxygen-isotope and Δ47 clumped-isotope compositions of nonmarine carbonates allow us to constrain carbonate formation temperature and reconstruct the paleoprecipitation record of the Eocene to Pliocene Oiyug Basin and Paleocene to Eocene Penbo Basin. We exploit the systematic decrease of surface temperature and meteoric water δ18O values with elevation to derive paleoelevation estimates for these basins. Minimally altered and unaltered pedogenic and lacustrine carbonates from the Oiyug Basin yield Δ47, CDES (relative to the carbon dioxide equilibrium scale [CDES]) values of 0.625‰ to 0.755‰, which correspond to temperatures of 1–30 °C using a Δ47 thermometer for low-temperature carbonates. Similarly, the Penbo Basin yielded Δ47, CDES values of 0.701‰ to 0.726‰, corresponding to temperatures of 6–12 °C. The apparent evidence for survival of primary clumped-isotope values in the face of substantial burial and heating is an important result for the field of carbonate clumped-isotope thermometry.Our paleoelevation estimates for the Eocene to Pliocene Oiyug Basin (∼6.5–4.1 km) support previous evidence that high elevations were attained in southern Tibet by at least ca. 30 Ma. Stable-isotope results allow for the possibility of significant topographic subsidence during the Miocene as a result of regional extension. In the Penbo Basin, our paleoelevation estimates for the Paleocene to Eocene Nianbo Formation (4.4 +1.3/–1.7 km) and Eocene Pana Formation (4.1 +1.2/–1.6 km) extend the altitude record of the southern Tibetan Plateau to pre–India-Asia collision. These results support the "Lhasaplano" model of an Andean-type continental margin tectonic system.The rise of the Himalayas and Tibet is often invoked to understand isotopic proxies for global chemical weathering in the Cenozoic and has constrained the debate on the nature of CO2–climate–weathering feedbacks. The nature of the Tibetan paleoelevations from pre- to postcollision, as presented here, indicates that high relief at low latitude prevailed on the Asian margin much earlier than previously thought. Thus, high topography alone at low latitude is not sufficient to account for the Cenozoic weathering proxy record. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.