Climate-driven formation of fluvial terraces across the Tibetan Plateau since 200 ka: A review

Abstract

The causes of terrace formation in active orogenic belts have long been studied. Here, we present a synthesis of 147 available papers on the ages of Quaternary terraces within the Tibetan Plateau and along the surrounding orogenic belts. More than 1500 ages were collected to establish a database for exploring the causes of fluvial terrace formation. Because the age data were collected from different settings, ages younger than 200 ka were grouped into three regional climate systems: the westerlies, Indian summer monsoon, and East Asian summer monsoon. We further examined the relationship between terrace formation and climate change, as well as the contribution of tectonic uplift. Our results indicate that the intervals of fluvial terrace formation are synchronous with transitions in global climate from cooler to warmer conditions (stadials to interstadials). We propose that the formation of fluvial terraces across the Tibetan Plateau has been controlled mainly by cyclical climate changes, although there is not a one-to-one correspondence.