Insights into some large-scale landslides in southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(SMQTP)is of a typical large landslide-prone area due to intense tectonic activity,deeply incised valleys,high geostress and frequent earthquakes.To gain insights into large landslides in southeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,an area covering 3.34×105 km2 that extends 80e150 km on both sides of the Sichuan-Tibet traffic corridors(G318)was used to examine the spatial distribution and corresponding characteristics of landslides.The results showed that the study area contains at least 629 large landslides that are mainly concentrated on 7 zones(zones IeVII).Zones IeVII are in the southern section of the Longmenshan fault zone(with no large river)and sections with Dadu River,Jinsha River,Lancang River,Nujiang River and Yarlung Zangbo River.There are more landslides in the Jinsha River section(totaling 186 landslides)than the other sections.According to the updated Varnes classification,408 large landslides(64.9%)were recognized and divided into 4 major types,i.e.flows(275 cases),slides(58 cases),topples(44 cases)and slope deformations(31 cases).Flows,which consist of rock avalanches and iceerock avalanches,are the most common landslide type.Large landslide triggers(178 events,28.3%)are also recognized,and earthquakes may be the most common trigger.Due to the limited data,these landslide type classifications and landslide triggers are perhaps immature,and further systematic analysis is needed.

Episodes of Cenozoic Gold Mineralization on the Eastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:40Ar/39Ar Dating and Implication for Geodynamic Events

A lot of new gold deposits have been found on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during the past two decades. Among them, three main types of gold deposits have been recognized, including quartz-vein-type, shear- zone-type and porphyry-type. The former two types of gold deposits are mainly hosted within metamorphic rocks, while the latter is related to Cenozoic magmatism. Although all of these gold deposits are believed to have been formed during the uplift process of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the Cenozoic era (Wang et al., 2002b), precise isotopic age constraints have still been lacking until quite recently. This paper presents new 40Ar/39Ar data of some gold deposits on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which indicate that gold mineralization in the region occurred in response to the episodic stages of the orogenies. Recently obtained 40Ar/39Ar data on quartz and feldspars from several gold deposits, such as the Sandiao deposit, the Baijintaizi deposit, the Pusagang deposits, provide new constraints on gold mineralization on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Geochronological studies of gold deposits along the Daduhe River indicate that there are three stages of gold mineralization. The early two stages occurred as early as 65.1 Ma in the Shuibaiyang deposit and 58.95 Ma in the Ruoji deposit, while the latter stage occurred as late as 25.35 Ma in Baijintaizi and 24.70 Ma in Sandiao. Isotopic dating of three plagioclases from the Beiya deposit, Zhifanggou deposit and Luobodi deposit and a K-feldspar from the Jinchangqing deposit in Yunnan Province indicates that these deposits were formed at two stages. The Zhifanggou and Jinchangqing deposits have early stage records as old as 58.82 Ma in Zhifanggou and 55.49 Ma in Jinchangqing, but all of the above four deposits in Yunnan have late stage records of 23.18 Ma in Jinchangqing, 24.54 Ma in Zhifanggou, 24.60 Ma in Luobodi and 24.56 Ma in Hongnitang. The above results suggest that the gold deposits on the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were formed concentratedly at two main episodes, i.e. the end of the Paleocene (about 58 Ma) and the boundary between the Paleogene and the Neogene (about 25 Ma). The later episode appears to be looks like more important and was coupled with the Sichuan movement, which was extensively activated at that period. The beginning of the Cenozoic Era (about 65 Ma) might be another episode of gold mineralization, but only one deposit (Shuibaiyang) in this study has been proved to have been be formed at this stage and might be earlier than the initial collision between the Indian Plate and the Eurasia Plate. In view of geology, the above three episodes of gold mineralization are associated with three events of tectonic- magmatism and/or fluid events. Even though the gold deposits (for example, the Shuibaiyang deposit, Ruoji deposit and Pusagang deposit) were formed at different episodes, all of them are genetically related to tectonic movements in large- scale shear zones. It looks like theat tectonic events (including large-scale strike-slip) between Paleogene and Neogene had a wide influence upon gold mineralization, with new deposits formed and old deposits enriched or superimposed to be a higher grade by new stage of mineralization. The above data suggest that gold deposits were not only concentrated in some areas, but also formed mainly at different boundaries of geological times, indicating that there existed some peak stages of gold mineralization (metallogenic episodes), and that the gold deposits were formed mainly by episodic mineralization.

Electrical Structure and Fault Features of Crust and Upper Mantle beneath the Western Margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:Evidence from the Magnetotelluric Survey along Zhada-Quanshui Lake Profile

The magnetotelluric （MT） survey along the Zhada （札达）-Quanshui （泉水） Lake profile on the western margin of the Qinghai （青海）-Tibet plateau shows that the study area is divided into three tectonic provinces by the Yalung Tsangpo and Bangong （班公）-Nujiang （怒江） sutures. From south to north these are the Himalayan terrane, Gangdise terrane, and Qiangtang （羌塘） terrane. For the study area, there are widespread high-conductivity layers in the mid and lower crust, the top layers of which fluctuate intensively. The high-conductivity layer within the Gangdise terrane is deeper than those within the Qiangtang terrane and the Himalaya terrane, and the deepest high-conductivity layer is to the south of the Bangong-Nujiang suture. The top surface of the high-conductivity layer in the south of the Bangong-Nujiang suture is about 20 km lower than that in the north of it. The high-conductivity layer within the Gangdise terrane dips toward north and there are two high-conductivity layers within the crust of the southern Qiangtang terrane. In the upper crust along the profile, there are groups of lateral electrical gradient zones or distortion zones of different scales and occurrence indicating the distribution of faults and sutures along the profile. According to the electrical structure, the structural characteristics and space distribution of the Yalung Tsangpo suture, Bangong.Nujiang suture, and the major faults of Longmucuo （龙木错） and Geerzangbu are inferred.

Formation and Evolution of the Late Mesozoic-Cenozoic Ruo'ergai Basin,Northeastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The Middle Triassic Ladinian-Upper Triassic Norian series in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Ruo’ergai basin of Songpan area is characterized of large thick shallow marine-deep marine fine grained clastic.The strata are regionally unconformable between each adjacent two of the Middle-Late Triassic fine grained clastic,the Jurassic coal-containing clastic,the Cretaceous-Paleogene variegated coarse clastic。

Joint Inversion of the 3D P Wave Velocity Structure of the Crust and Upper Mantle under the Southeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau Using Regional Earthquake and Teleseismic Data

The special seismic tectonic environment and frequent seismicity in the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau show that this area is an ideal location to study the present tectonic movement and background of strong earthquakes in China's Mainland and to predict future strong earthquake risk zones. Studies of the structural environment and physical characteristics of the deep structure in this area are helpful to explore deep dynamic effects and deformation field characteristics, to strengthen our understanding of the roles of anisotropy and tectonic deformation and to study the deep tectonic background of the seismic origin of the block＇s interior. In this paper, the three-dimensional （3D） P-wave velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle under the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is obtained via observational data from 224 permanent seismic stations in the regional digital seismic network of Yunnan and Sichuan Provinces and from 356 mobile China seismic arrays in the southern section of the north-south seismic belt using a joint inversion method of the regional earthquake and teleseismic data. The results indicate that the spatial distribution of the P-wave velocity anomalies in the shallow upper crust is closely related to the surface geological structure, terrain and lithology. Baoxing and Kangding, with their basic volcanic rocks and volcanic clastic rocks, present obvious high-velocity anomalies. The Chengdu Basin shows low-velocity anomalies associated with the Quaternary sediments. The Xichang Mesozoic Basin and the Butuo Basin are characterised by low- velocity anomalies related to very thick sedimentary layers. The upper and middle crust beneath the Chuan-Dian and Songpan-Ganzi Blocks has apparent lateral heterogeneities, including low-velocity zones of different sizes. There is a large range of low-velocity layers in the Songpan-Ganzi Block and the sub-block northwest of Sichuan Province, showing that the middle and lower crust is relatively weak. The Sichuan Basin, which is located in the western margin of the Yangtze platform, shows high-velocity characteristics. The results also reveal that there are continuous low-velocity layer distributions in the middle and lower crust of the Daliangshan Block and that the distribution direction of the low-velocity anomaly is nearly SN, which is consistent with the trend of the Daliangshan fault. The existence of the low-velocity layer in the crust also provides a deep source for the deep dynamic deformation and seismic activity of the Daliangshan Block and its boundary faults. The results of the 3D P-wave velocity structure show that an anomalous distribution of high-density, strong-magnetic and high-wave velocity exists inside the crust in the Panxi region. This is likely related to late Paleozoic mantle plume activity that led to a large number of mafic and ultra-mafic intrusions into the crust. In the crustal doming process, the massive intrusion of mantle-derived material enhanced the mechanical strength of the crustal medium. The P-wave velocity structure also revealed that the upper mantle contains a low-velocity layer at a depth of 80-120 km in the Panxi region. The existence of deep faults in the Panxi region, which provide conditions for transporting mantle thermal material into the crust, is the deep tectonic background for the area＇s strong earthquake activity.

Discovery of rhyolitic tuffaceous slate in the southwestern margin of Yangtze Craton:Zircon U-Pb ages(2491 Ma)and tectonic-thermal events

The Mesoproterozoic Dongchuan Group that is widely exposed in Yimen area,central Yunnan Province is a series of sedimentary sort of low-grade metamorphic rocks interbedded with volcanic rocks,which are closely related to the early tectonic evolution of the Earth.However,its formation era,sedimentary filling sequence,and geotectonic characteristics have always been in dispute.In this study,several rhyolitic tuffaceous slate interlayers with a centimeter-level thickness were found in the previously determined Heishan Formation of the Dongchuan Group located to the western part of Yimen-Luoci fault zone.This paper focuses on the study of the rhyolitic tuffaceous slate in Qifulangqing Village,Tongchang Township,Yimen County.LA-ICP-MS zircon dating was conducted,achieving the crystallization age of magma of 2491±15 Ma and the metamorphic ages of about 2.3 Ga,2.0 Ga,and 1.8 Ga for the first time.Meanwhile,according to in-situ Hf isotope analysis,the zirconεHf(t)values were determined to range from−3.0 to 7.6,with an average of 2.7.Furthermore,the first-stage Hf model age(TDM1)was determined to be 2513−2916 Ma,indicating that the provenance of the rhyolitic tuffaceous slate is the depleted mantle or juvenile crust between the Middle Mesoarchean and the Late Neoarchean.Therefore,it is believed that the strata of the slate were deposited in the Late Neoarchean,instead of the Mesoproterozoic as determined by previous researchers.Accordingly,it is not appropriate to group the strata into the Mesoproterozoic Dongchuan Group.Instead,they should be classified as the Maolu Formation of the Neoarchean Puduhe Group given the lithologic association and regional information.Furthermore,the magma ages of 2491±15 Ma are highly consistent with the eras of the large-scale Late Neoarchean orogenic magmatic activities on the northern margin of the Yangtze Craton,and thus reflect the orogenic process consisting of subduction and collision from Late Neoarchean to Early Paleoproterozoic.The magmatic activities during this period were possibly caused by the convergence of the supercontinent Kenorland.Meanwhile,the metamorphic ages of 2.3 Ga,2.0 Ga,and 1.8 Ga are highly consistent with three metamorphic ages of 2.36 Ga,1.95 Ga,and 1.85 Ga of the northern margin of the Yangtze Craton,indicating that the strata experienced Paleoproterozoic tectonic-thermal events.The study area is located on the eastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,and thus was possibly re-transformed by magmatism subjected to the subduction of the Meso-Tethys Ocean during the Early Cretaceous.The discoveries made in this study will provide strong petrological and chronological evidence for analyzing the early crustal evolution of the Yangtze block.

2021年新疆皮山M_(S)5.4和叶城M_(S)5.4双震序列及青藏高原西北缘地震活动特征

利用新疆、西藏区域台网记录的P波和S波到时数据,对2009年1月至2021年9月期间的青藏高原西北缘的地震事件开展了精定位;利用新疆区域台网的地震波形数据,对2021年9月4日皮山M_(S)5.4地震和9月5日叶城M_(S)5.4双震序列中的12次M_(S)≥3.5地震事件开展了震源机制解反演;综合精定位与震源机制解结果,分析了皮山M_(S)5.4和叶城M_(S)5.4双震序列的震源特征;结合本文作者已取得的于田地区强震活动性研究结果,讨论了青藏高原西北缘两个强震区内(皮山—叶城地区与于田地区)的强震相关性.研究结果表明,(1)皮山M_(S)5.4和叶城M_(S)5.4双震序列的发震断层为NW向的泽普断裂带,两次M_(S)5.4地震的质心深度为17 km左右.(2)皮山M_(S)5.4和叶城M_(S)5.4地震之间伴有NE-SW向的次级隐伏拉张断层破裂.(3)2015年皮山M_(S)6.5地震序列呈现出NW向的单侧破裂,其余震区与此次皮山M_(S)5.4和叶城M_(S)5.4双震序列余震区没有重叠,两者属于不同的地震序列.(4)近年来,青藏高原西北缘"盆山交接地带"上的于田地区和皮山—叶城地区的强震活动性特征、发震构造模式及局部的构造动力源均不同.以东经80°为界,在其东侧的于田地区,大部分地震沿着NE向大型断裂带分布,少数地震沿着近乎NS向或NNE-SSW向的条带展布;断层错动方式以正断型或走滑型为主.在其西侧皮山—叶城地区,大部分地震活动沿着NW向分布,少量地震沿着NNE向的条带展布;断层错动方式以逆冲错动为主.

Determination of the early Paleozoic accretionary complex in Southwestern Yunnan, China: Implications for the tectonic evolution of the Proto-Tethys Ocean

Accretionary complex study provides important knowledge on the subduction and the geodynamic processes of the oceanic plate,which represents the ancient ocean basin extinction location.Nevertheless,there exist many disputes on the age,material source,and tectonic attribute of the Lancang Group,located in Southwest Yunnan,China.In this paper,the LA-ICP-MS detrital zircon U‒Pb chronology of nine metamorphic rocks in the Lancang Group was carried out.The U‒Pb ages of the three detrital zircons mainly range from 590-550 Ma,980-910 Ma,and 1150-1490 Ma,with the youngest detrital zircons having a peak age of about 560 Ma.The U‒Pb ages of the six detrital zircons mainly range from 440-460 Ma and 980-910 Ma,and the youngest detrital zircon has a peak age of about 445 Ma.In the Lancang Group,metamorphic acidic volcanic rocks,basic volcanic rocks,intermediate-acid intrusive rocks,and high-pressure metamorphic rocks are exposed in the form of tectonic lens in schist,rendering typical melange structural characteristics of“block+matrix”.Considering regional deformation and chronology,material composition characteristics,and the previous data,this study thinks the Lancang Group may be an early Paleozoic tectonic accretionary complex formed by the eastward subduction of the Changning-Menglian Proto-Tethys Ocean,which provides an important constraint for the Tethys evolution.

青藏高原西北缘高原面与陡坡地貌形成过程的裂变径迹热年代学约束

对青藏高原西北缘高原内部和陡坡地貌带2个花岗岩体10件磷灰石裂变径迹年龄测定表明,高原内部大红柳滩—郭扎错逆冲断裂上盘磷灰石裂变径迹年龄为24.8±4.9～14.0±1.3Ma,此外,一个玄武岩烘烤的热事件年龄为7.9±0.8Ma;而陡坡地貌带的西昆仑中间逆冲断裂上盘的磷灰石裂变径迹年龄为2.9±0.5～0.9±0.3Ma。进一步的热历史模拟结果显示,高原内部自渐新世以来经历了2期隆升-剥露,分别是渐新世—早中新世(30～16Ma)和上新世以来(≤5Ma),而陡坡带只记录了晚中新世以来(≤8Ma)的隆升-剥露,暗示他们经历了不同的热演化历史。结合前人在该区的磷灰石裂变径迹年龄数据和野外地质现象,认为现今高原边缘陡坡地貌带可能是自晚中新世以来(≤8Ma)高原边界断裂伴有向塔里木盆地后展式叠瓦逆冲产生的构造抬升的结果;现今高原面有可能是由高原边界断裂系于大约5～2Ma以来强烈活动逐渐形成的,其隆升-剥蚀幅度>2000～3000m。这对自晚中新世以来青藏高原西北缘高原面与陡坡地貌形成过程提供了磷灰石裂变径迹热年代的重要约束。

青藏高原西北缘晚新生代构造变形研究

晚新生代,印亚碰撞的远程效应使青藏高原周缘发生了强烈的构造变形和隆升作用,然而不同学者对高原强烈构造变形和隆升时代的认识却大相径庭。本文通过对青藏高原西北缘晚新生代褶皱冲断带的构造变形、沉积作用、岩浆活动与地貌响应等的综合研究,依据古新统至中新统地层的连续沉积和产状的协调一致,提出青藏高原西北缘在古新世—中新世末并未发生区域性强烈的构造变形,并基于褶皱、生长地层、楔顶沉积和冲断带中局部不整合等标定青藏高原西北缘强烈构造变形的时代为上新世—早更新世,其中最强烈的构造变形发生于西域砾岩沉积结束阶段,即约1.1～0.7Ma的昆黄运动最终使中更新世以前地层全面褶皱-抬升,形成区域性的乌苏群与西域砾岩之间的角度不整合,这为青藏高原西北缘晚新生代的构造变形提供了关键的构造地质学证据;同时,根据磷灰石裂变径迹的研究成果提出青藏高原西北缘的主要隆升可能是在上新世—早更新世通过高原边缘的边界断层系以后展式逆冲扩展作用抬升形成的,并就裂变径迹热历史模拟的剥蚀厚度提出西域砾岩很可能主要来自高原边缘地形变化最剧烈的陡坡带,支持西域砾岩属构造成因的认识。

青藏高原西北缘中新世晚期A型花岗岩的特征及意义

在阿克萨依湖幅1∶25万区域地质调查中,于青藏高原西北缘的西昆仑山南坡巴颜喀拉盆地发现了多个小型黑云母二长花岗岩体。对其中规模较大的一个岩体的岩石地球化学研究结果显示,该岩体富集大离子亲石元素和轻稀土元素,亏损高场强元素和重稀土元素,δEu负异常,无Nb的亏损,属壳幔混合的偏铝质A2(PA)型花岗岩。TIMS法单颗粒锆石U-Pb年龄测定获得10.0Ma±0.1Ma的年龄值(MSWD=0.66),表明该岩体为中新世晚期岩浆活动的产物。该岩体可能是中新世晚期青藏高原后造山阶段岩石圈发生拆沉作用形成的,就位于阿尔金巨型走滑断裂系的拉张区域,是阿尔金巨型走滑断裂系强烈活动阶段的反映,对青藏高原地质构造演化和高原隆升的研究可能具有重要意义。

四川盆地西北部新生代构造变形模式讨论--对认识青藏高原东北缘新生代变形机制的意义

综合造山带内的构造热年代学及盆地内部进行的磷灰石裂变径迹研究,提出了四川盆地西北部的三个背斜(潼梓关背斜、九龙山背斜和南阳坝背斜)主要是新生代构造变形的产物。野外观察发现汉中盆地是一个第四纪的拉分盆地,其主控断层具左行走滑性质。新生代青藏高原东缘大型地块向东挤出,遭遇强硬的四川克拉通阻挡之后,沿着龙门山形成了一个右行的走滑挤压带,并且影响到邻近的四川盆地,形成北东向背斜。这期构造变形往北延伸进入米仓山,形成具有逆冲性质的北东向断层。四川盆地北面也存在向东的挤出作用,这和汉中盆地主控断层的左行走滑性质是匹配的。四川盆地北面的地块挤出影响了米仓山前缘的四川盆地,由于龙门山和米仓山构造变形的叠加,使得最东面的南阳坝背斜相对于其它两个背斜在褶皱轴上发生了偏转。

青藏高原西北缘第四纪火山岩的年龄、地球化学特征及意义

对青藏高原西北缘普鲁北钾质火山岩进行40Ar-39Ar定年得到的最新年龄为0.81Ma±0.21Ma。火山岩的SiO2含量为53.08%～55.12%,全碱含量为7.36%～8.04%,K2O/Na2O比值为1.17～1.2,属橄榄安粗岩系列。岩石以高度富集LREE、LILE(K、Rb、Sr、Ba、Th等)和高度亏损HREE、HFSE(Nb、Ta、Ti等)元素为特征。岩石具高的(87Sr/86Sr)i比值(0.7088～0.7089)和低的εNd值(-6.05～-5.54),表明火山岩源区为EMⅡ型的经古俯冲作用改造的大陆岩石圈富集地幔。同时,其Ti/Y、Zr/Y、La/Rb、Zr/Rb、K/La、Pb/La比值类似于板内洋岛玄武岩(OIB),可能暗示岩浆源区经历过软流圈流体或者深部流体对古俯冲地幔楔的叠加交代作用。普鲁北钾质火山岩为青藏高原西北缘晚新生代陆-陆碰撞造山深部岩石圈拆沉作用在地表响应的岩浆产物。

青藏高原西北部区域地壳形变、构造地貌与孕震构造模型研究——以2008年与2014年新疆于田7.3级地震为例

为了清晰认识发生于青藏高原西北部2008年与2014年的两次于田MS7.3地震发震构造环境与构造地貌特征,本文利用DEM（数字高程模型）数据分析＂喀喇昆仑—西昆仑—康西瓦地区＂的地形地貌特征,结合区域活动断裂研究资料、相对于塔里木盆地的两期GPS速度场资料和区域运动学特征等讨论两次MS7.3地震所处的青藏高原西北部区域构造环境和地壳运动学特征,分析喀喇昆仑断裂、阿尔金断裂康西瓦段、龙木错-邦达错断裂及贡嘎错断裂所围限的西昆仑地块的地质构造背景、阿尔金断裂西南端发震断裂活动性及孕震环境等发震构造基本条件;进而利用＂地形剖面＂方法及断裂分布特征分析震源区的地形地貌特征,给出晚第四纪以来的地貌形态与发震构造的关系,从区域构造地貌学和GPS地壳运动学的角度探讨中上地壳变形特征及孕震过程;最后讨论区域孕震构造、克尔牙张性裂谷演化过程和地球动力学背景等。通过地形剖面及区域地貌综合分析新疆于田2008年MS7.3拉张型发震构造和2014年MS7.3走滑拉张型地震的发震构造特点的区别,认为2014年发生的地震可能与2008年MS7.3地震同震库伦应力变化、触发过程及震后变形过程密切相关,并且青藏高原西北部地区存在明显的东西向拉张性构造单元,可能与青藏高原1015 Ma以来的地壳减薄过程有关。

岗德尔山河流阶地及其所反映的河套与银川盆地的沟通

鄂尔多斯西北缘岗德尔山地处黄河中游,介于河套和银川盆地之间,山体西侧广泛发育河湖相沉积构成的阶地,留下了更新世以来黄河贯通两盆地的记录,是解剖新构造运动和水系关系的典型区域。作者实地详细考察了岗德尔山西侧的构造与地貌,发现了被抬升成阶地的河湖相沉积层,揭示了阶地高度沿现今黄河显示出"低-高-低"的拱形特征,T2阶地河湖相沉积层露头顶部和中部的光释光年龄分别为82.23±9.88 ka、116.76±11.41 ka,底部的电子自旋共振年龄为467±124 ka。阶地的时空分布特征表明,岗德尔山西侧中、晚更新世曾经存在过连接河套和银川两盆地的河湖地貌,岗德尔山沿着桌子山断裂带(主要是岗德尔山东麓断层)抬升的同时,山体还有向北扩展的趋势。由于构造抬升,湖泊缓慢萎缩,河流逐渐占优,留下了现今所见的两级河湖相阶地。研究揭示,银川与河套两盆地本已沟通,更新世构造抬升使两盆地之间的湖泊逐渐缩小,河流逐步壮大,最终形成现今所见的黄河。

羌塘高原无人区边缘地带人类聚落布局的社会经济根源--针对三个典型县的比较研究

Human activities in the marginal zone of the Changtang Plateau(CTP)uninhabited area are important research topics in China and globally.Based on the core-periphery theory of geography,this paper selected three counties in the marginal zone of the CTP uninhabited area with significant transitional physical geography features and socio-economic conditions as case areas.We used the data set of settlement patches identified by visual interpretation in Google Earth Pro,combining them with field survey data to study the evolution of human settlements on the CTP,the characteristics of settlement layout,and their socio-economic roots.The study found that:(1)Since the democratic reform in Tibet,the production mode of herders on the CTP has transitioned from four-season nomadic herding to cold-season sedentary grazing,warm-season rotational grazing,and then to a combination of sedentary grazing and forage supplementation.In structural changes of grassroots organizations,village boundaries were clarified,grazing ranges were fixed,and settlement systems were formed.(2)On a large scale,the settlement layout on the CTP showed a certain degree of agglomeration in local areas,but the settlements’spatial agglomeration decreased as the observation scale decreased.The settlement size structure matched the typical rank-size rule of rural settlements.(3)The settlement layout of the CTP showed significant traffic lines and dominant location orientation.These orientation characteristics revealed“core-periphery”regional differences.Changes in production conditions,such as artificial grass cultivation and part-time employment,affected the dependence on traditional grazing points.Settlements moved from resource dependence to dependence on multiple elements,such as resources and facilities.The religious,cultural heritage of the sacred mountains,lakes,and temples influenced the settlement layout,leading to clustering in local areas and to group format.This study expands our understanding of the settlement pattern in the marginal zone of uninhabited areas and provides valuable references for advancing the optimization of the CTP human settlement system in the new era.