Tectonic Controls on Surface Erosion Rates in the Longmen Shan, Eastern Tibet

The Longmen Shan range, located on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, is characterized by steep topography and a shortening rate of <3 mm/yr. This peculiar configuration is a source of controversy and questions about the topographic evolution and dynamics of this orogenic plateau margin. Investigating the variations in surface denudation over different spatial and temporal scales is important for a better understanding of topographic evolution, but there is still a lack of erosion-rate data averaged over millennial timescales along the frontal range of the Longmen Shan, especially in its southern part. We present 25 new catchment-wide denudation rates derived from Be-10 concentrations in river sediments across the southern Longmen Shan. Our results show that average denudation rates increase from <0.15 mm/yr near Ya'an, located in the Sichuan Basin, northwestward to >0.50 mm/yr inside the southern Longmen Shan. The denudation rates correlate with slope gradient, relief, channel steepness, and specific stream power but exhibit a fair degree of scattering at high values. In combination with previous Be-10 and low-temperature thermochronology analyses, we found the denudation rates over kyr- to Myr-timescales to be roughly consistent across the southern Longmen Shan, suggesting this part of the range is close to an exhumational steady state. In terms of spatial distribution, high rates of exhumation and denudation are localized in the hanging walls of major thrust faults, highlighting the role of tectonic structures in regulating the pattern of denudation and topography across the Longmen Shan. Our results favor the brittle crustal shortening model in which rock uplift pattern across the Longmen Shan is largely controlled by upper crustal shortening. Along-strike variations in the distribution of denudation rates and topography can probably be attributed to segmentation of subsurface fault structures.

Automated summary

The research on denudation rates in the southern Longmen Shan suggests spatial variations and a potentially close-to-exhumational-steady-state condition. High rates of exhumation and denudation are predominantly localized in the hanging walls of major thrust faults in this region.