Cenozoic Uplift of the Central Yunnan Fragment, Southwestern China, Revealed by Apatite (U-Th)/He Dating

Abstract

The age of central Yunnan fragment uplift has long been debated, with estimates ranging from the Late Eocene to about 1 Ma. To determine the central Yunnan fragment uplift time in the Cenozoic, apatite (U-Th)/He (AHe) was used to analyze the low-temperature thermochronology of samples from the Jiaozi Mountain area of the eastern central Yunnan fragment. The sampling area is located in the Dongchuan District of Kunming, Yunnan Province, near the Xiaojiang fault zone. The results show that AHe ages from the eastern part of central Yunnan fragment were mainly concentrated around 25.7–37.9 Ma, and intensive uplift had happened before 36.5 Ma. Together with previous low-temperature thermochronology research on the western and eastern central Yunnan fragment, we concluded that the Yunnan Plateau uplifted prior to 36.5 Ma, in a west to east sequence. The uplift caused a change in paleo-geographical terrain, which may have altered the ancient river systems of the southeast Tibetan Plateau.

Keywords

central Yunnan fragment / (U-Th)/He dating / uplift / Cenozoic

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