How do continental plateaus grow? Climate-tectonic interactions in Tibet, Anatolia and the Central Andes

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Continental plateaus are some of the most striking features on the surface of the Earth, fundamentally altering the Earth's regional and even global climate, and encompassing among the most seismically active places on Earth. However, they remain relatively poorly understood tectonic features. Why do they form in some settings and not others? Does climate play a role in preserving them or in triggering their formation in the first place? What mechanisms (faults, folds, processes deep in the tectonic plate) allow them to grow both higher and wider over time? How does lateral movement along faults helps accommodate their growth? My students and I will seek to address these questions on each of Earth's major plateaus: the Andean Plateau in NW Argentina, the western end of the Tibetan Plateau in China, and on the Anatolian Plateau in eastern Turkey. My research team will create geologic and geomorphic maps in the field and using satellite imagery. We will collect data from faults and use surface exposure dating of geomorphic surfaces (e.g. river terraces, glacial moraines) cut by these faults to measure how fast they are moving. Finally, we will use landscape indicators such as watershed shape, river profiles and glacial snowline to determine regional patterns of uplift and deformation. Ultimately, this interdisciplinary research will contribute to constraining the connection between deep Earth processes, uplift, climate and deformation within the three largest plateaus on Earth. The insights gained through this work will contribute to understanding climate-tectonic interactions, seismic hazards and mountain building in other regions and at other times in Earth's history.