The Tectonic Evolution of the Hoh Xil Basin and Kunlun Shan: Implications for the Uplift History of the Northern Tibetan Plateau.

The deformation history of the northern Tibetan Plateau has significant and wide-ranging implications for understanding the timing and mechanisms involved in the topographic development of the orogen, yet remains controversial due to limited geologic observations. In this thesis, I focus on constraining the tectonic evolution of the Hoh Xil Basin and Kunlun Shan, located in north-central Tibet. I use a multi-faceted approach, including field mapping, magnetostratigraphic and biostratigraphic interpretation, geochronology, provenance analysis, thermochronology, 40Ar/39Ar fault gouge dating, balanced cross section construction, and isostatic uplift calculations. In Chapters II and III, I revise the sedimentary and structural history of the Hoh Xil Basin. Results indicate that late Cretaceous – early Eocene sedimentation within the Hoh Xil Basin records the deformation of the Tanggula Shan, located in central Tibet, and that deformation did not progress into northern Tibet until after 51 Ma. This marks the Tanggula Shan as the northern limit of deformation prior to the ~50 Ma Indo-Asian collision, considerably farther north than previously understood. I find that the Hoh Xil Basin underwent 28% north-south oriented crustal shortening from Eocene – late Oligocene time. Based on isostatic calculations, this amount of shortening is insufficient to produce the modern crustal thickness and elevation of northern Tibet, which implies that other mechanisms of thickening and surface uplift are required. In Chapter IV, I resolve that crustal shortening occurred in the Kunlun Shan between 47 and 24 Ma. Left-lateral strike-slip faulting initiated subsequently, possibly as early as 20 Ma. The crustal shortening history of the Kunlun Shan and Hoh Xil Basin and suggests that deformation of northern Tibet initiated soon after the onset of the Indo-Asian collision was distributed over a broad region. The mid-Miocene transition from crustal shortening to left-lateral shear is indicative of a shift in primary stress orientations and relates to the attainment of high elevation in northern Tibet. The data and interpretations from this thesis places much-needed quantitative constraints on the tectonic and topographic history of the northern Tibetan Plateau. These new constraints require reconsideration for the timing and tectonic processes involved in the deformation and uplift of northern Tibet.PHDGeologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110313/1/staischl_1.pd

A Cretaceous‐Eocene depositional age for the Fenghuoshan Group, Hoh Xil Basin: Implications for the tectonic evolution of the northern Tibet Plateau

The Fenghuoshan Group marks the initiation of terrestrial deposition in the Hoh Xil Basin and preserves the first evidence of uplift above sea level of northern Tibet. The depositional age of the Fenghuoshan Group is debated as are the stratigraphic relationships between the Fenghuoshan Group and other terrestrial sedimentary units in the Hoh Xil Basin. We present new radiometric dates and a compilation of published biostratigraphic data which are used to reinterpret existing magnetostratigraphic data from the Fenghuoshan Group. From these data, we infer an 85–51 Ma depositional age range for the Fenghuoshan Group. U‐Pb detrital zircon age spectra from this unit are compared to age spectra from Tibetan terranes and Mesozoic sedimentary sequences to determine a possible source terrane for Fenghuoshan Group strata. We propose that these strata were sourced from the Qiangtang Terrane and may share a common sediment source with Cretaceous sedimentary rocks in Nima Basin. Field relationships and compiled biostratigraphic data indicate that the Fenghuoshan and Tuotuohe Groups are temporally distinct units. We report late Oligocene ages for undeformed basalt flows that cap tilted Fenghuoshan Group strata. Together, our age constraints and field relationships imply exhumation of the central Qiangtang Terrane from the Late Cretaceous to earliest Eocene, followed by Eocene‐Oligocene deformation, and shortening of the northern Qiangtang and southern Songpan‐Ganzi terranes. Crustal shortening within the Hoh Xil Basin ceased by late Oligocene time as is evident from flat‐lying basaltic rocks, which cap older, deformed strata. Key Points The Fenghuoshan Group was deposited from late Cretaceous to early Eocene time The Fenghuoshan Group was likely sourced from the central Qiangtang Terrane Crustal shortening of the Hoh Xil Basin occurred from Eocene to Oligocene timePeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/1/ts02.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/2/fs02.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/3/tect20113.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/4/ts06.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/5/fs06.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/6/ts03.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/7/fs03.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/8/ts07.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/9/fs07.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/10/fs04.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/11/ts04.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/12/fs01.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/13/ts08.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/14/ts01.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/15/fs05.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106814/16/ts05.pd

Toward an Integrative Geological and Geophysical View of Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquakes

The Cascadia subduction zone (CSZ) is an exceptional geologic environment for recording evidence of land-level changes, tsunamis, and ground motion that reveals at least 19 great megathrust earthquakes over the past 10 kyr. Such earthquakes are among the most impactful natural hazards on Earth, transcend national boundaries, and can have global impact.Reducing the societal impacts of future events in the US Pacific Northwest and coastal British Columbia, Canada, requires improved scientific understanding of megathrust earthquake rupture, recurrence, and corresponding hazards. Despite substantial knowledge gained from decades of research, large uncertainties remain about the characteristics and frequencies of past CSZ earthquakes. In this review, we summarize geological, geophysical, and instrumental evidence relevant to understanding megathrust earthquakes along the CSZ and associated uncertainties. We discuss how the evidence constrains various models of great megathrust earthquake recurrence in Cascadia and identify potential paths forward for the earthquake science community

Eocene to late Oligocene history of crustal shortening within the Hoh Xil Basin and implications for the uplift history of the northern Tibetan Plateau

The timing and magnitude of deformation across the northern Tibetan Plateau are poorly constrained but feature prominently in geodynamic models of the plateau's evolution. The Fenghuoshan fold and thrust belt, located in the Hoh Xil Basin, provides a valuable record of the Cenozoic deformation history of the northern Tibetan Plateau. Here we integrate fault gouge geochronology, low-temperature thermochronology, geologic mapping, and a balanced cross section to resolve the deformation history of Hoh Xil Basin. Chronologic data suggest that deformation initiated in the mid-Eocene continued until at least 34 Ma and ceased by 27 Ma. The balanced cross section resolves 34 +/- 12 km upper crustal shortening (24 +/- 9%). We explore whether the observed Cenozoic shortening can account for the modern elevation and lithospheric thickness in the northern Tibetan Plateau. For a range of reasonable preshortening conditions, we conclude that the observed shortening alone cannot achieve modern crustal and mantle lithospheric thicknesses or modern elevation without either the removal of lithospheric mantle, the influx of lower crustal material, or some combination of these processes. Our results, along with previous studies, suggest that crustal shortening propagated into the northern Tibetan Plateau shortly after the onset of the Indo-Asian collision. The small magnitude of shortening and the late Oligocene cessation of deformation in the northern Tibetan Plateau raise questions of how and where the remaining Indo-Asian convergence was accommodated between Eocene to mid-Miocene time, prior to the approximately late Miocene establishment of the deformation patterns observed in the present day

A Cretaceous-Eocene depositional age for the Fenghuoshan Group, Hoh Xil Basin: Implications for the tectonic evolution of the northern Tibet Plateau

The Fenghuoshan Group marks the initiation of terrestrial deposition in the Hoh Xil Basin and preserves the first evidence of uplift above sea level of northern Tibet. The depositional age of the Fenghuoshan Group is debated as are the stratigraphic relationships between the Fenghuoshan Group and other terrestrial sedimentary units in the Hoh Xil Basin. We present new radiometric dates and a compilation of published biostratigraphic data which are used to reinterpret existing magnetostratigraphic data from the Fenghuoshan Group. From these data, we infer an 85-51Ma depositional age range for the Fenghuoshan Group. U-Pb detrital zircon age spectra from this unit are compared to age spectra from Tibetan terranes and Mesozoic sedimentary sequences to determine a possible source terrane for Fenghuoshan Group strata. We propose that these strata were sourced from the Qiangtang Terrane and may share a common sediment source with Cretaceous sedimentary rocks in Nima Basin. Field relationships and compiled biostratigraphic data indicate that the Fenghuoshan and Tuotuohe Groups are temporally distinct units. We report late Oligocene ages for undeformed basalt flows that cap tilted Fenghuoshan Group strata. Together, our age constraints and field relationships imply exhumation of the central Qiangtang Terrane from the Late Cretaceous to earliest Eocene, followed by Eocene-Oligocene deformation, and shortening of the northern Qiangtang and southern Songpan-Ganzi terranes. Crustal shortening within the Hoh Xil Basin ceased by late Oligocene time as is evident from flat-lying basaltic rocks, which cap older, deformed strata.</p