Provenance of detrital K-feldspar in Jianghan Basin sheds new light on the Pliocene–Pleistocene evolution of the Yangtze River

Abstract

Research Article| September 01, 2016 Provenance of detrital K-feldspar in Jianghan Basin sheds new light on the Pliocene–Pleistocene evolution of the Yangtze River Zengjie Zhang; Zengjie Zhang 1School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China2UCD School of Earth Sciences and UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Shane Tyrrell; Shane Tyrrell 3Earth and Ocean Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Chang’an Li; Chang’an Li † 1School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China †chanli_cug@sohu.com Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar J. Stephen Daly; J. Stephen Daly 2UCD School of Earth Sciences and UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Xilin Sun; Xilin Sun 1School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China4Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, Amsterdam, Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Aoife Blowick; Aoife Blowick 2UCD School of Earth Sciences and UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Xu Lin Xu Lin 5Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Zengjie Zhang 1School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China2UCD School of Earth Sciences and UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Shane Tyrrell 3Earth and Ocean Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland Chang’an Li † 1School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China J. Stephen Daly 2UCD School of Earth Sciences and UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Xilin Sun 1School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China4Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, Amsterdam, Netherlands Aoife Blowick 2UCD School of Earth Sciences and UCD Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Xu Lin 5Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China †chanli_cug@sohu.com Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 23 Oct 2015 Revision Received: 10 Feb 2016 Accepted: 31 Mar 2016 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online Issn: 1943-2674 Print Issn: 0016-7606 © 2016 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2016) 128 (9-10): 1339–1351. https://doi.org/10.1130/B31445.1 Article history Received: 23 Oct 2015 Revision Received: 10 Feb 2016 Accepted: 31 Mar 2016 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Zengjie Zhang, Shane Tyrrell, Chang’an Li, J. Stephen Daly, Xilin Sun, Aoife Blowick, Xu Lin; Provenance of detrital K-feldspar in Jianghan Basin sheds new light on the Pliocene–Pleistocene evolution of the Yangtze River. GSA Bulletin 2016;; 128 (9-10): 1339–1351. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B31445.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The Yangtze River is the largest fluvial system draining the Tibetan Plateau, yet its time of formation—pre-Miocene versus Pleistocene—has been debated for more than a century, with a particular focus on the incision of the Three Gorges. In this study, we used laser-ablation–multiple collector–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICP-MS) to measure Pb isotope compositions of detrital K-feldspars from Pliocene–Pleistocene sediments in the Jianghan Basin, located just downstream of the Three Gorges. Our new Pb results indicate that feldspars from the Songpan-Ganzi terrane were already being delivered to the Jianghan Basin by ca. 3.4 Ma. Therefore, we suggest that the Three Gorges was incised prior to the late Pliocene. Moreover, the Pb isotopic data also record the first delivery of detritus from the Hanjiang River, one of the Yangtze’s largest tributaries in the middle reaches, into the Jianghan Basin at ca. 1.8 Ma. Most K-feldspar grains from the mid-late Pleistocene samples have similar Pb isotopic compositions to those from the major tributaries in the upper reaches, i.e., Minjiang and Jialingjiang Rivers, indicating that the eastern Tibetan Plateau, as the major sediment supplier to the Jianghan Basin and mid-lower Yangtze River, has played a key role in the sediment source-to-sink transport of this river. This study sheds light on the factors that control the supply of detrital K-feldspar in large-scale drainage systems. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.