Cenozoic uplift of West Qinling, northeast margin of Tibetan plateau—a detrital apatite fission track record from the Tianshui basin

Abstract

The Cenozoic sedimentation in the Tianshui basin, which is located at the junction of the Liupanshan and West Qinling, northeast margin of the Tibetan plateau, provides a record for the regional tectonism and exhumation history of the surrounding mountains. Thermochronologic study on the detrital apatite grains from sandstones at Yaodian, near Tianshui, has revealed two rapid tectonic uplift-exhumation events of the source area, which happened at 23.7 and 14.1 Ma, respectively. The fast exhumation (0.34 mm/a) at 23.7 Ma, which recorded the tectonic uplift of West Qinling, led to the formation of the Neogene Tianshui basin and initiated the reception of alluvial deposits. This event is most likely in response to the synchronous tectonism of the Tibetan plateau. The source region experienced another rapid exhumation (1.05 mm/a) at 14.1 Ma, when the Tianshui basin began to depress broadly and fluvial-lacustrine sediments dominated the Late Miocene.