Constraining tectonic uplift and advection from the main drainage divide of a mountain belt

Chuanqi He; Ci Jian Yang; Jens M. Turowski; Gang Rao; Duna C. Roda-Boluda; Xiao Ping Yuan

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-20748-2

Constraining tectonic uplift and advection from the main drainage divide of a mountain belt

Chuanqi He, Ci Jian Yang, Jens M. Turowski, Gang Rao, Duna C. Roda-Boluda, Xiao Ping Yuan

Geology and Geochemistry

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

One of the most conspicuous features of a mountain belt is the main drainage divide. Divide location is influenced by a number of parameters, including tectonic uplift and horizontal advection. Thus, the topography of mountain belts can be used as an archive to extract tectonic information. Here we combine numerical landscape evolution modelling and analytical solutions to demonstrate that mountain asymmetry, determined by the location of the main drainage divide, increases with increasing uplift gradient and advection velocity. Then, we provide a conceptual framework to constrain the present or previous tectonic uplift and advection of a mountain belt from the location and migration direction of its main drainage divide. Furthermore, we apply our model to Wula Shan horst, Northeastern Sicily, and Southern Taiwan.

Original language	English
Article number	544
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	12
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20748-2
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2021

Funding

We express our gratitude to Niels Hovius, Brian J. Yanites, Wolfgang Schwanghart, Rong Yang, Liran Goren, and Mimmo Palano for fruitful discussions that greatly improved this work. Special thanks are also given to Taylor Schildgen, Joel Scheingross, Mitchall D’Arcy, and Stefano Luigi Gariano for advice on choosing natural landscapes as case studies. This work was supported by the Basic Science Centre Programme for Multiphase Media Evolution in Hypergravity of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51988101), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41502203 and 41941016), the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research (No. 2019QZKK0708), and the National Science and Technology Major Project (No. 2017ZX05008-001).

Funders	Funder number
Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research	2019QZKK0708
National Outstanding Youth Science Fund Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China	41502203, 41941016
National Natural Science Foundation of China	51988101
National Major Science and Technology Projects of China	2017ZX05008-001

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title = "Constraining tectonic uplift and advection from the main drainage divide of a mountain belt",

abstract = "One of the most conspicuous features of a mountain belt is the main drainage divide. Divide location is influenced by a number of parameters, including tectonic uplift and horizontal advection. Thus, the topography of mountain belts can be used as an archive to extract tectonic information. Here we combine numerical landscape evolution modelling and analytical solutions to demonstrate that mountain asymmetry, determined by the location of the main drainage divide, increases with increasing uplift gradient and advection velocity. Then, we provide a conceptual framework to constrain the present or previous tectonic uplift and advection of a mountain belt from the location and migration direction of its main drainage divide. Furthermore, we apply our model to Wula Shan horst, Northeastern Sicily, and Southern Taiwan.",

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AU - Yuan, Xiao Ping

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AB - One of the most conspicuous features of a mountain belt is the main drainage divide. Divide location is influenced by a number of parameters, including tectonic uplift and horizontal advection. Thus, the topography of mountain belts can be used as an archive to extract tectonic information. Here we combine numerical landscape evolution modelling and analytical solutions to demonstrate that mountain asymmetry, determined by the location of the main drainage divide, increases with increasing uplift gradient and advection velocity. Then, we provide a conceptual framework to constrain the present or previous tectonic uplift and advection of a mountain belt from the location and migration direction of its main drainage divide. Furthermore, we apply our model to Wula Shan horst, Northeastern Sicily, and Southern Taiwan.

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Constraining tectonic uplift and advection from the main drainage divide of a mountain belt

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