Lin, C; Wu, C; Shields, GA; Guan, X; Liu, X; Zhang, W; Ren, C; Lin, C; Wu, C; Shields, GA; Guan, X; Liu, X; Zhang, W; Ren, C; Li, L; - view fewer (2025) Provenance analysis reveals transition from a partitioned to a unified lake in the Mesozoic Qaidam Basin, NE Tibetan Plateau. Journal of the Geological Society , Article jgs2025-038. 10.1144/jgs2025-038. (In press).

Text Manuscript_with figures and tables.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 25 July 2026. Download (6MB)

Abstract

Investigating the pre-Cenozoic tectonic heritage of the Qaidam Basin provides critical insights into intracontinental deformation related to subduction and collision along the southern margin of the Eurasia continent. Yet, its pre-Cenozoic sediment provenance and tectono-sedimentary development have received limited attention. Here we integrate sedimentological, heavy mineral and detrital zircon U–Pb data to elucidate the provenance of Mesozoic strata and the associated pre-Cenozoic tectonic heritage in the SW Qaidam Basin. Our data show that the SW Qaidam Basin was characterized by separate fault-bounded basins with local provenance during the Early-Middle Jurassic. During the late Jurassic, however, a unified depression developed across the basin with the Eastern Kunlun Range as a persistent detrital source. The Altyn Tagh Range gradually increased in importance through the Jurassic, achieving dominance by the late Early Cretaceous. This tectonic transition likely reflects far-field effects of subduction along the southern continental margin. Upper Jurassic units at the Washixia and Hongshuigou sections on both sides of the Altyn Tagh Fault display striking similarities, allowing us to establish that the Altyn Tagh Fault experienced a strike-slip displacement of at least 350 km during the Cenozoic Era.

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