Erosion rates of Northern Qilian Shan revealed by Cosmogenic 10Be
Online published: 2015-02-20
Copyright
Knowledge of temporal and spatial distribution of erosion is the key to understanding the climate-tectonic interaction and topographical evolution of mountain belts and to making clear the long debate whether erosion is controlled by tectonics or climate. The newly developed cosmogenic nuclides method provides us with an advanced and convenient tool to measure millennium basin-wide erosion rate, allowing us to analyze its relationship with modern climatic, geomorphic and tectonic factors. Hence, we adopted the 10Be method to investigate the basin-wide millennium erosion rates of Northern Qilian Mountains and aimed to find the controlling factors of erosion rates of this area. We collected and analyzed 9 samples from Heihe River and the front of the Northern Qilian Mountains. Our results, together with published 10Be derived erosion rates in this area, showed that the erosion rates of the basins we studied ranged from 18.7 mm/ka to 833 mm/ka, and that the weighted average erosion rates of the middle section of the Northern Qilian Mountains was about 323 mm/ka. Spatial distribution of erosion rates and correlation analysis reveal that the basin-wide erosion rate was nonlinearly correlated to the basin average slope, while no apparent correlation between erosion rate and precipitation was found. Altogether, it indicated that the slope or terrain steepness was the major controlling factor on erosion rate of the Northern Qilian Mountains area. By comparing the basin-wide average erosion rates and the vertical slip rates of faults of the Northern Qilian Mountains, our research also revealed that the surface erosion rates generally agreed with vertical slip rates of the Northern Qilian Mountains faults, implying that the Northern Qilian Mountains area was experiencing topographical uplift and outgrowth.
Kai Hu , Xiaomin Fang , Zhijun Zhao , Granger Darryl . Erosion rates of Northern Qilian Shan revealed by Cosmogenic 10Be[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 2015 , 30(2) : 268 -275 . DOI: 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2015.02.0268
| [1] | Beaumont C, Jamieson R A, Nguyen M H, et al.Himalayan tectonics explained by extrusion of a low-viscosity crustal channel coupled to focused surface denudation[J]. Nature, 2001, 414(6 865): 738-742. |
| [2] | Dahlen F A, Suppe J.Mechanics, growth, and erosion of mountain belts[J]. Geological Society of America Special Papers, 1988, 218: 161-178. |
| [3] | Burbank D W, Blythe A E, Putkonen J, et al.Decoupling of erosion and precipitation in the himalayas[J]. Nature, 2003, 426(6 967): 652-655. |
| [4] | Godard V, Bourlès D L, Spinabella F, et al.Dominance of tectonics over climate in himalayan denudation[J]. Geology, 2014, 42(3): 243-246. |
| [5] | Molnar P, England P.Late cenozoic uplift of mountain ranges and global climate change: Chicken or egg?[J]. Nature, 1990, 346(6 279): 29-34. |
| [6] | Raymo M E, Ruddiman W F.Tectonic forcing of late cenozoic climate[J]. Nature, 1992, 359(6 391): 117-122. |
| [7] | Ding Yongjian, Zhou Chenghu, Shao Ming’an,et al.Studies of Earth surface proceses: Progress and prospect[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 2013, 28(4): 407-419. |
| [7] | [丁永建,周成虎,邵明安,等. 地表过程研究进展与趋势[J]. 地球科学进展, 2013, 28(4): 407-419.] |
| [8] | Granger D E, Kirchner J W, Finkel R.Spatially averaged long-term erosion rates measured from in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides in alluvial sediment[J]. Journal of Geology, 1996, 104: 249. |
| [9] | Brown E T, Stallard R F, Larsen M C, et al.Denudation rates determined from the accumulation of in situ-produced 10Be in the luquillo experimental forest, Puerto Rico[J]. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 1995, 129(1/4): 193-202. |
| [10] | Granger D E, Lifton N A, Willenbring J K.A cosmic trip: 25 years of cosmogenic nuclides in geology[J]. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 2013,125(9/10): 1379-1402. |
| [11] | Wang Xingshan, Zhang Jie, Qin Zhong. Methods for measuring erosion rate of rock: An overview[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 2013, 28(4): 447-454. |
| [11] | [王兴山,张捷,秦中. 岩石侵蚀速率测算方法研究综述及展望[J]. 地球科学进展, 2013, 28(4): 447-454.] |
| [12] | Bookhagen B, Strecker M R. Spatiotemporal trends in erosion rates across a pronounced rainfall gradient: Examples from the southern central andes[J]. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2012, 327/328: 97-110. |
| [13] | Wobus C, Heimsath A, Whipple K, et al.Active out-of-sequence thrust faulting in the central nepalese himalaya[J]. Nature, 2005, 434(7 036): 1 008-1 011. |
| [14] | Yao T, Masson-Delmotte V, Gao J, et al.A review of climatic controls on δ18O in precipitation over the Tibetan Plateau: Observations and simulations[J]. Reviews of Geophysics, 2013, 51(4): 525-548. |
| [15] | Liu Yong, Zou Songbing.A study on the distributing climatic models in arid mountainous area-distributing temperature and precipitation models in high spatial resolution in the Qilian Mountains[J]. Journal of Lanzhou University(Natural Sciences), 2006, 42(1): 7-12. |
| [15] | [刘勇, 邹松兵. 祁连山地区高分辨率气温降水量分布模型[J]. 兰州大学学报:自然科学版, 2006, 42(1): 7-12.] |
| [16] | Chen Shaoyong, Dong Anxiang, Han Tong.Differences in summer precipitation between the east and west of Qilian Mountains and its contributing factors[J]. Journal of Nanjing Institute of Meteorology,2007, 30(5): 715-719. |
| [16] | [陈少勇, 董安祥, 韩通. 祁连山东、西部夏季降水量时空分布的差异及其成因研究[J]. 南京气象学院学报, 2007, 30(5): 715-719.] |
| [17] | Hetzel R.Active faulting, mountain growth, and erosion at the margins of the Tibetan Plateau constrained by in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclides[J]. Tectonophysics, 2013, 582: 1-24. |
| [18] | Palumbo L, Hetzel R, Tao M X, et al.Catchment-wide denudation rates at the margin of NE Tibet from in situ-produced cosmogenic 10Be[J]. Terra Nova, 2011, 23(1): 42-48. |
| [19] | Fang X M, Liu D L, Song C H, et al.Oligocene slow and miocene-quaternary rapid deformation and uplift of the Yumu Shan and north Qilian Shan: Evidence from high-resolution magnetostratigraphy and tectonosedimentology[J]. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 2012, 373:1-12. |
| [20] | Tapponnier P, Xu Z Q, Roger F, et al.Oblique stepwise rise and growth of the Tibet Plateau[J]. Science, 2001, 294(5 547): 1 671-1 677. |
| [21] | Fang X M, Zhao Z J, Li J J, et al.Magnetostratigraphy of the late cenozoic Laojunmiao anticline in the northern Qilian Mountains and its implications for the northern Tibetan Plateau uplift[J]. Science in China(Series D), 2005, 48(7): 1 040-1 051. |
| [22] | Zhang Huiping, Zhang Peizhen, Zheng Dewen, et al.Tectonic geomorphology of the Qilian Shan: Insight into the late Cenozoic landscape evolution and deformation in the north eastern Tibetan Plateau[J]. Quaternary Sciences, 2012, 32(5): 907-920. |
| [22] | [张会平, 张培震, 郑德文, 等. 祁连山构造地貌特征:青藏高原东北缘晚新生代构造变形和地貌演化过程的启示[J]. 第四纪研究, 2012, 32(5): 907-920.] |
| [23] | Zhang P Z, Shen Z, Wang M, et al.Continuous deformation of the Tibetan Plateau from global positioning system data[J]. Geology, 2004, 32(9): 809-812. |
| [24] | Dunai T J. Cosmogenic Nuclides-principles, Concepts and Applications in the Earth Surface Sciences[M]. UK: Cambridge University Press, 2010: 187. |
| [25] | Lal D.Cosmic ray labeling of erosion surfaces: In situ nuclide production rates and erosion models[J]. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 1991, 104(2/4): 424-439. |
| [26] | Nishiizumi K, Lal D, Klein J, et al.Production of 10Be and 26Al by cosmic rays in terrestrial quartz in situ and implications for erosion rates[J]. Nature, 1986, 319(6 049): 134-136. |
| [27] | Bierman P, Steig E J.Estimating rates of denudation using cosmogenic isotope abundances in sediment[J]. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 1996, 21: 125-139. |
| [28] | Greensfelder Liese.Subtleties of sand reveal how mountains crumble[J]. Science,2002, 295(5 553): 256-258. |
| [29] | Ouimet W B, Whipple K X, Granger D E.Beyond threshold hillslopes: Channel adjustment to base-level fall in tectonically active mountain ranges[J]. Geology, 2009, 37(7): 579-582. |
| [30] | Roering J J, Kirchner J W, Dietrich W E.Hillslope evolution by nonlinear, slope-dependent transport: Steady state morphology and equilibrium adjustment timescales[J].Journal of Geophysical Research, 2001, 106(B8): 16 499-16 513. |
| [31] | Burbank D W, Anderson R S.Tectonic Geomorphology[M]. New Jersey: Black Publishing, 2000. |
| [32] | Hu Xiaofei, Pan Baotian, Kirby E, et al.Spatial differences in rock uplift rates inferred from channel steepness indices along the northern flank of the Qilian Mountain, northeast Tibetan Plateau[J]. Chinese Science Bulletin, 2010, 55(23): 2 329-2 338. |
| [32] | [胡小飞, 潘保田, Kirby E, 等. 河道陡峭指数所反映的祁连山北翼抬升速率的东西差异[J]. 科学通报, 2010, 55(23): 2 329-2 338.] |
| [33] | Hetzel R, Niedermann S, Tao M X, et al.Low slip rates and long-term preservation of geomorphic features in central Asia[J]. Nature, 2002, 417(6 887): 428-432. |
| [34] | Hetzel R, Tao M X, Stokes S, et al.Late pleistocene/holocene slip rate of the Zhangye thrust (Qilian Shan, China) and implications for the active growth of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau[J]. Tectonics, 2004, 23(6), doi:10.1029/2004TC001653. |
| [35] | Zheng D W, Clark M K, Zhang P Z, et al.Erosion, fault initiation and topographic growth of the north Qilian Shan (northern Tibetan Plateau)[J]. Geosphere, 2010, 6(6): 937-941. |
/
| 〈 |
|
〉 |
甘公网安备62010202000687
