Sediments shed from the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, the Qilian Mountains, are widely deposited in the foreland basin, the Jiuxi Basin, archiving plenty of information about the mountain surface uplift and erosion history. The Laojunmiao section, 1960 m thick, representing the upper sequence of the Cenozoic basin sediments, is paleomagnetically dated to about 13-0 Ma BP. Detailed sedimentary study of this sequence has revealed five sedimentary fades associations which determine four stages of sedimentary environment evolution. They are: (I) the half-deep lake system before 12.18 Ma BP, (Ⅱ) the shallow lake system between 12.18 and 8.26 Ma BP, (Ⅲ) the fan delta dominated sedimentary system in dry climate between 8.26 and 6.57 Ma BP, and (Ⅳ) alluvial fan system since 6.57 Ma BP. The associated mountain erosion and uplift are suggested to have experienced three phases, that is, tectonic stable (13-8.26 Ma BP), gradual uplift (8.26-<4.96 Ma BP), and rapid intermittent uplift (>3.66-0 Ma BP). The uplift at-3.66 Ma BP is of great importance in tectonics and geomorphology. Since then, tectonic uplift and mountain building have been accelerated and become strong intermittent. At least three significant tectonic events took place with ages at <1.80-1.23, 0.93-0.84 and 0.14 Ma BP, respectively. Thus, the uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau is a complex process of multiple phases, unequal speed and irregular movements.
By observing, measuring the fluvial sediment grain size of mid-western segment of the Qilianshan Range and studying the correlation between the grain size and uplift of the plateau, we model the correlation. These models are applied to the Laojunmiao section and the process curve of the uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau against age from 8.35 Ma is illustrated here. The process curve shows that the northern Tibetan Plateau surface has uplifted from the mean altitude of 900-3700 m since 8.35 MaBP. From 8.35 to 3.1 MaBP, the Tibetan Plateau uplifted slowly, uplifted amplitude is small, the total range is 420 m. From 3.1 MaBP up to now, the Tibetan Plateau uplifted tempestuously, showing that the uplift accelerated obviously later. It uplifted totally 2400 m. About 0.9 Ma ago, the northern Tibetan Plateau surface had uplifted to over 3000 m a.s.l., showing that the Tibetan Plateau surface had reached the cryosphere; and the mountain peaks had uplifted to more than 4000 m altitude, suggesting that there was a glacier developed on the mountains.
青海贵德盆地发育巨厚的新生代地层,并含较丰富的重要哺乳动物化石,对确定盆地及周边相似地层的年代和研究高原隆升过程具有重要的科学意义。本文结合哺乳动物采用典型剖面精确古地磁测年为基础的时间框架,对近11 Ma BP以来盆地沉积相进行了分析,划分出19个沉积岩相和湖泊、三角洲、辫状河流、水下扇三角洲和水上洪积扇5个沉积环境,以及8个沉积演化阶段。通过盆地沉积对构造隆升的响应探讨表明:>11～7.65Ma BP为高原构造稳定期,7.65～3.6Ma BP高原具阶段性逐步隆升构造特征,3.6～>2.6 Ma BP为高原整体快速隆升,2.6Ma BP左右高原大规模挤压断陷,1.8 Ma BP左右高原大规模整体快速隆升并使贵德盆地古湖被切穿排干,黄河在此诞生。
