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Large‐scale drainage capture and surface uplift in eastern Tibet–SW China before 24 Ma inferred from sediments of the Hanoi Basin, Vietnam
Author(s) -
Clift Peter D.,
Blusztajn Jerzy,
Nguyen Anh Duc
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2006gl027772
Subject(s) - geology , drainage basin , structural basin , china , central asia , geochemistry , geomorphology , drainage , yangtze river , hydrology (agriculture) , physical geography , archaeology , geography , ecology , cartography , geotechnical engineering , biology
Current models of drainage evolution suggest that the non‐dendritic patterns seen in rivers in SE Asia reflect progressive capture of headwaters away from the Red River during and as a result of surface uplift of Eastern Asia. Mass balancing of eroded and deposited rock volumes demonstrates that the Red River catchment must have been much larger in the past. In addition, the Nd isotope composition of sediments from the Hanoi Basin, Vietnam, interpreted as paleo‐Red River sediments, shows rapid change during the Oligocene, before ∼24 Ma. We interpret this change to reflect large‐scale drainage capture away from the Red River, possibly involving loss of the middle Yangtze River. Reorganization was triggered by regional tilting of the region towards the east. This study constrains initial surface uplift in eastern Tibet and southwestern China to be no later than 24 Ma, well before major surface uplift and gorge incision after 13 Ma.