Three-dimensional thermo-mechanical modeling of the Cenozoic uplift of the Tianshan mountains driven tectonically by the Pamir and Tarim |
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| Institution: | 1. Key Laboratory of Western China''s Environmental Systems, Ministry of Education & Research School of Arid Environment and Climate Change, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou Gansu 730000, China;2. Key Laboratory of Continental Collision and Plateau Uplift & Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China;3. School of Earth Sciences & Key Laboratory of Western China''s Mineral Resources (Gansu Province), Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China;4. Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074 Tübingen, Germany;5. Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources Research, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China |
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| Abstract: | We develop a three-dimensional thermo-mechanical model as an approximate representation of the lithosphere of the Tianshan orogenic belt and adjacent geological units for simulating the uplift mechanism of the Tianshan mountains in the Cenozoic. We apply a velocity boundary condition approximating the northward push of the Pamir and Tarim against the Tianshan block to derive lithospheric deformation of the model. In particular, we investigate systematically the influence of gravity-induced creep deformation on mountain uplift. Our modeling results indicate that: (1) the modeled topographic pattern coincides well with the actual topography, implying that the tectonic push of the Pamir and Tarim can cause significant uplift of the Tianshan mountains; (2) the lithosphere of the Tianshan mountains is mechanically weaker than that of the platforms to the south and north of the Tianshan orogenic belt; and (3) the gravity-induced creep deformation has a significant influence on the process and elevation of mountain uplift. Therefore, when subjected to the tectonic compression resulting from the northward push of the Pamir and Tarim, the relatively weak lithosphere of the Tianshan mountains would deform easily and hence absorb more shortening, resulting in lithospheric thickening and consequent mountain uplift. |
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