Project 2.1

Theme 2: Orogenic processes – how continents weld together?

Theme Co-leaders: Prof. Jonathan Aitchison (Australia), Prof. Zengqian Hou (China)

Project 2.1

2.1.1 Title: Formation and Modification of the Red River Submarine Fan and Links to the Episodic Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau

2.1.2 Leader(s) from different ACTER partner institutions:

2.1.3 Project description:

This project aims to clarify the roles that the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and the strike-slip motion of the Red River Fault Zone played in the formation of the Yinggehai-Qiongdongnan basin at the northwest corner of the South China Sea. We will construct the tectonic-stratigraphic framework of the Yinggehai-Qiongdongnan basin, and carry out U-Pb and fission track analyses on detrital zircons from the Oligocene-Pliocene strata (mainly in the Red River submarine fan). By comparing the dating results with age spectrum of zircons in the potential source areas, such as the Tibetan Plateau, eastern Vietnam and Hainan Island, we will identify the clastic sources of the Red River submarine fan, reveal the temporal and spatial evolution of the paleo-Red River, and discuss the tectonic-sedimentary response of the Yinggehai-Qiongdongnan basin to the episodic uplift of the Tibetan Plateau.

The Red River Fault
The Red River Fault links the Tibetan Plateau with the South China Sea. The southeast extrusion of the Tibetan Plateau is transmitted to the South China Sea by the Red River Fault, and impacted on the development of Red River submarine fan and even the formation of the Qiongdongnan-Yinggehai basin.

2.1.4 Participants (including research students):

  • Prof. Xiaodian Jiang (Ocean University of China)
  • Prof. Zheng-Xiang Li (Curtin University)
  • Deyong Li (Ocean University of China, Dr.)
  • Wei Gong (Ocean University of China, PhD candidate)
  • Chaoyang Li (Ocean University of China, PhD candidate)
  • Congying Li (Ocean University of China, Master candidate)

2.1.5 Relevant publications: 

  • Jiang, X.D., Li, Z.X., 2014. Seismic reflection data support episodic and simultaneous growth of the Tibetan Plateau since 25 Myr. Nature Communications 5:5453, doi: 10.1038/ncomms6453.
  • Jiang, X.D., Li, Z.X., Li, H.B., 2013. Uplift of the West Kunlun Range, northern Tibetan Plateau, dominated by brittle thickening of the upper crust. Geology 41, 439-442.
  • Jiang, X. D., 2014. Dynamic support of the Tien Shan lithosphere based on flexural and rheological modeling. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 93, 37-48.
  • Jiang, X.D., Jin, Y., 2005. Mapping the deep lithospheric structure beneath the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau from gravity anomalies. Journal of Geophysical Research 109, B07407, doi: 10.1029/2004JB003394.
  • Jiang, X.D., Jin, Y., McNutt, M.K., 2004. Lithospheric deformation beneath the Altyn Tagh and West Kunlun faults from recent gravity surveys, Journal of Geophysical Research 109, B05406, doi: 10.1029/2003JB002444.
  • Jiang, X.D., Jin, Y., 2012. The Rheological Structure of the East Tibetan Plateau. Geophysical Research Abstracts 14, EGU2012-1728.
  • Jiang, X.D., Jin, Y., 2012. The foreland basin geometry along Longmen Range from high resolution Gravity data and its tectonic implication. AGU Fall Meeting Abstract, T33E-2696.
  • Jiang, X.D., 2012. Tectonic evolution of the East China Sea shelf since Cretaceous, AOGS-AGU (WPGM), SE54-A002.
  • Jiang, X.D. Partitioning the uplifting mechanism of the Tibetan plateau from the east to the west. 16th SEISMIX International Symposium on Multi-scale Seismic Imaging of the Earth’s crust and Upper Mantle, P21.