The evolution of Yarlung Tsangpo River: Constraints from the age and provenance of the Gangdese Conglomerates, southern Tibet

Abstract

Cenozoic conglomerates are exposed discontinuously along the length of the Yarlung Tsangpo suture zone on the southern margin of the Gangdese arc. These conglomerates (the “Gangdese Conglomerates” herein) record a crucial stage in the uplift and erosion histories of the southern Tibet after the initial India–Asia collision. In the Mt. Kailas area, the Gangdese Conglomerates strata consist of multiple sedimentary cycles and each cycle is a fining-upward sequence that was deposited by alluvial fan, braided-river and delta systems. Whereas in the Xigaze area, the Gangdese Conglomerates strata comprise a coarsening-upward sequence that was deposited by delta, braided-river and alluvial fan systems. Based on the detrital and igneous zircon U–Pb ages, the depositional ages of the Gangdese Conglomerates are late Oligocene to early Pliocene (ca. 26–5Ma) in the Mt. Kailas area, late Oligocene to middle Miocene (ca. 26–15Ma) in the Xigaze area, and late Oligocene to early Miocene (ca. 26–19Ma) in the Zedong area. Paleocurrent measurements and provenance data (i.e., conglomerate clast composition, sandstone petrology and detrital zircon age) indicate that the initial detritus of the Gangdese Conglomerates were entirely derived from the north (mainly from the Gangdese arc). Sediment resulting from denudation to the south (the Xigaze forearc basin, the Yarlung Tsangpo suture zone and the northern margin of the Indian plate) first appeared by the early Miocene (ca. 19Ma) and subsequently increased in abundance gradually. Our new results, together with previous data from the Xigaze area, reveal 3 major stages in the evolution of the Yarlung Tsangpo River system: (1) the southward-flowing stage (ca. 26–19Ma) featured southward-draining transverse rivers that transported materials from the Gangdese arc southward. Southward paleocurrents in the Gangdese Conglomerates indicate a northern source. (2) The westward-flowing stage (ca. 19–15Ma) developed due to the uplift of the suture zone and Tethys Himalaya to the south. Northward-draining rivers began to develop, and lakes resembling a string of beads formed and finally connected together, initiating the westward-flowing paleo-Yarlung Tsangpo River. Westward paleoflows were recorded in the Gangdese Conglomerates. (3) The eastward-flowing stage (ca. 15Ma–present) resulted from differential uplift and denudation of the southern Tibet, which reversed the direction of the young Yarlung Tsangpo River by ca. 15Ma. The deposition of the Gangdese Conglomerates was controlled by eastward paleoflows. At this point, the modern eastward-flowing Yarlung Tsangpo River system was established.