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Mountain Building Processes of the Tian Shan
Mountain Building Processes of the Tian Shan
The Tian Shan orogenic belt stretches over 2,500 km from east to west and is one of the Earth's largest intracontinental orogenic belts.
Shortening and Propagation in the Eastern Kuqa Fold-And-Thrust Belt, South Tian Shan
Shortening and Propagation in the Eastern Kuqa Fold-And-Thrust Belt, South Tian Shan
Understanding how spatially variable mountain-building processes proceed within large intracontinental orogens provides critical insights into continental tectonics and regional paleoenvironmental evolution. As the mountains grew, deformation propagated into foreland basins around the range, forming a series of fold-and-thrust belts (FTBs). To better understand the spatial distribution of crustal shortening, and basinward propagation process in foreland FTBs, we interpret and reconstruct three high-resolution seismic profiles across the Eastern Kuqa FTB, South Tian Shan. Our study indicates that the total crustal shortening of the Eastern Kuqa FTB increases westward. Within the Kuqa FTB, a telescoped distribution pattern of crustal shortening is also observed in frontal thin-skinned structures above the regional salt décollements. In addition, we find that the basinward propagation of Kuqa FTB is episodic, which is featured by a two-stage evolution pattern.
Related paper: Li, F., Cheng, X., Chen, H., Shi, X., Li, Y., Charreau, J., Weldon, R., 2023. Cenozoic Shortening and Propagation in the Eastern Kuqa Fold-And-Thrust Belt, South Tian Shan, NW China. Tectonics ,42, e2022TC007447.
Mountain building in the central South Tian Shan: constrained by multi-spatiotemporal foreland deformation records
Mountain building in the central South Tian Shan: constrained by multi-spatiotemporal foreland deformation records
The central South Tian Shan (cSTS), a key transitional segment between the well-studied eastern and western South Tian Shan. This region is characterized by extensive glaciation, peaks exceeding 6000 m, complex drainage patterns, and the active range-front Maidan Fault—highlighted by the recent Mw 7.0 Wushi earthquake. Our results reveal that the South Tian Shan accommodates crustal shortening through spatially variable mountain-building processes, highlighting the coexistence of transpressional and in-sequence thrust wedge processes across the range. This differential mountain building provides new insights into the evolution of active intracontinental orogens on a thousand-kilometer scale.
Related paper: Li, F., Shi, X., Charreau, J., Chen, H., Lavé, J., Cheng, X., Ge, J., Blard, P.-H., Yang, R., Large, E., Zimmermann, C., & Protin, M. (under review). Differential mountain building in the South Tian Shan revealed by multi-spatiotemporal foreland deformation.
Salt Tectonics and Active Shortening in the foreland fold-and-thrust belt (FTB)
Salt Tectonics and Active Shortening in the foreland fold-and-thrust belt (FTB)
Shortening styles in salt-influenced foreland thrust-and-fold belt can vary markedly, with the volume and distribution of salt prior to shortening being a key control.
Impact of salt layer distribution on the surface active deformation in fold-and-thrust belts
Impact of salt layer distribution on the surface active deformation in fold-and-thrust belts
The impact of salt layer distribution and related structures on surface active deformation remains debated due to salt mobility and poorly constrained deformation kinematics. The Kuqa foreland basin in the South Tian Shan provides a well-preserved example of the intracontinental compressional salt-bearing basin, where gypsum-salt detachments and salt-related structures vary significantly from west to east. Based on new deformation rate estimates from deformed geomorphic surfaces in the Western Kuqa and deep structures imaged by seismic reflection profiles, we analyze the spatial distribution of active deformation and possible mechanisms in the Kuqa FTB. Our findings highlight the critical role of weak salt layer distribution and the degree of coupling between the basement, salt, and overburden layers in controlling surface active deformation in salt-bearing fold-and-thrust belts.
Related paper: coming soon...
Active Fold Growth and Drainage Development
Active Fold Growth and Drainage Development
Transverse drainages are prominent landscape features in active foreland thrust-and-fold belts. Understanding their response to folding processes is pivotal for comprehending landscape evolution and erosion-deformation interactions within the foreland.
Active fold growth and river-fold interaction in the foreland
Active fold growth and river-fold interaction in the foreland
We focus on the extensively developed transverse drainages across the Tugerming anticline in the southern Tian Shan foreland. Based on fold topography, drainage patterns, and various morphometric indices, we conducted a detailed geomorphological analysis of the Tugerming anticline. Our study reveals the significance of considering the hinterland catchment size in interpreting river-fold interactions and associated channel morphology within foreland transverse drainages.
Related paper: Li, F., Shi, X., Charreau, J., Cheng, X., Yang, R., Chen, H., Ge, J., Wang, J., 2024. Geomorphic expression of transverse drainages across the Tugerming anticline, southern Tian Shan: Implications for the river-fold interaction in the foreland. Journal of Structural Geology ,180, 105081.
Paleoseismology and Active Deformation in the Pamir–Tian Shan Collision Zone
Paleoseismology and Active Deformation in the Pamir–Tian Shan Collision Zone
The Pamir–Tian Shan region, located in the western part of the India–Eurasia collision system, is among the most seismically active and geodynamically complex intracontinental zones. Constraining the source parameters, seismogenic structures, and rupture processes of major earthquakes here is essential for understanding intracontinental orogenesis and assessing regional seismic hazards.
1949 Kahit Ms7.8 Earthquake
1949 Kahit Ms7.8 Earthquake
Late Quanternary deformation of the Darvaz fault, Pamir
Late Quanternary deformation of the Darvaz fault, Pamir
The sinistral-slip Darvaz Fault (DF) marks the boundary between the Pamir and Tajik Basin
Multiscale Analysis of Curved Strike-slip Fault System in the Hengduan Mountains, SE Tibet
Multiscale Analysis of Curved Strike-slip Fault System in the Hengduan Mountains, SE Tibet
The Hengduan Mountains in the SE Tibetan Plateau develop one of the world’s most complex active fault systems, shaped by two dominant sets of active strike-slip faults: (1) arcuate sinistral-slip fault, and (2) dextral-slip fault systems near the Sagaing and Red River systems. These fault systems have a complex kinematic history associated with the India-Asia collision and drive eastward crustal extrusion and clockwise rotation around the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (EHS). However, the dynamic mechanisms that drive the crustal/lithospheric deformation and associated fault motions are largely debated.
To further understand the kinematic mechanism drives such differential block rotation, and deeper lithospheric controls on active continental strike-slip faults observed in the SE Tibet , we conduct a multiscale analysis of strike-slip fault systems around the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis.
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