Investigation of the Timing and Strain Magnitude of Late Cretaceous-Tertiary Thrusting in Central and Northern Tibet

0106677关于青藏高原形成的阴霍顿流假说在其预测的应变分布和高原的时间演化方面存在很大差异。如果隆升涉及上地壳的少量缩短，并且是被动抬升的，则缩短应变应为小而同步的。如果隆升是由于巨大的缩短，使上地壳增厚一倍，那么整个高原的应变应该是显著的和历时的。该项目将尝试评估上地壳形变，从而检验这两个模型对青藏高原的演化。预计结果将为青藏高原的建造方式和时间提供新的约束，并使高原抬升的各种机制得以量化。

0106677 Yin & HortonCurrent hypotheses concerning the formation of the Tibetan plateau are widely different in terms of their predicted strain distribution and temporal evolution of the plateau. If the uplift involved little upper crustal shortening and was passively uplifted, shortening strain should be small and synchronous. If the uplift was due to large shortening that doubled the upper crustal thickening, strain should be significant and diachronous across the plateau. This project will attempt to evaluate upper crustal deformation and therefore test these two models for the evolution of the Tibetan plateau. Results are expected to provide new constraints on how and when the Tibetan plateau was constructed and allow various mechanisms for uplifting the plateau to be quantified.