Analysis of Dynamics and Driving Factors of Wetland Landscape in Zoige,Eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Zoige Wetland is one of the largest plateau wetlands in the world. This paper provides a dynamic analysis of spatial and temporal patterns of the wetland in Zoige, Eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, supported by ERDAS8.7 and ArcGIS9.0. It is the first comparative analysis of a system of rapidly changing wetland with landscape patterns in Zoige, using 3 classified landsat Thematic Mapper images of 1977, 1994 and 2001. The classified images were used to generate wetland distributing maps, and shape index （S）, diversity index （H）, dominance index （D）, evenness index （E）, fragmentation index （F） and fractal dimension （Fd） were calculated and analyzed spatiotemporally across pure grazing area in Zoige for each landscape type and in different periods （before 1977, during 1977-1994 and 1994-2001）, as well as the driving forces of natural and anthropogenic. The study shows that for a comprehensive understanding of the shapes and trajectories of the shrinking and desertificated land expansion of the wetland, a spatiotemporal landscape metrics analysis in different periods is an improvement than only with landscape changing rates. This type of analysis can also be used to infer underlying social, economic, and political processes that drive the observed wetland forms. The results indicate that wetland patterns can be changed over relatively short periods of time. The total area of lake reduced by 164.86 km^2, grassland extended by 141.74 km^2, semi-marsh extended by 105.94 km^2, marsh reduced by 86.00 km^2 the number of landscape patches reduced by 56, and their average area decreased by 2.68 km^2, the successions within lake, marsh, semi-marsh and grassland were found obviously. S decreased stepwise： D and F increased but H decreased： The changing rate after 1994 was 2.3 to 2.9 times greater than that before. The change of the wetland landscape patterns resulted in the interaction between socio-ceenomic and natural forces of positive and negative aspects; and natural factors affected as assistant aspect. Some important human activities in this period led to the change of the landscape patterns in this region directly. Some measurements made by government and NGO delayed the converting process partly.

Cosmogenic ^(10)Be and ^(26)Al Chronology of the Last Glaciation of the Palaeo-Daocheng Ice Cap,Southeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The glacial landforms of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau （QTP） provide a unique opportunity to research hemispheric and global environmental changes. In this study, we focus on the glacial history of the palaeo-Daocheng Ice Cap （p-DIC） in the southeastern QTP during the last glacial cycle. Based on field investigations, morphostratigraphy, and surface exposure dating of roche moutonnée, polished surface and moraine debris through the terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides （TCN） ^10Be and ^26Al. We identify glacial deposits of the last deglaciation, with minimum ages of 14.9±1.3-18.7±1.7 ka, the Last Glacial Maximum （LGM） of 24.7±2.2 ka, and the early part of the last glacial period （marine oxygen isotope stage （MIS） 3） of 37.1±3.4-45.2±3.9 ka. Our results show that in this region, the extent of the glacial advance during MIS 3 was larger than that during the traditional LGM （MIS 2）. These ages are consistent with prior chronologies, and the ^10Be age is consistent with the ^26Al age for the same sample. Thus, these data provide reliable constraints on climate change in the QTP, during the last glaciation.

Optically stimulated luminescence dating of young glacial sediments from the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Poor bleaching is a significant problem for Optically Stimulated Luminescence(OSL) dating of glacial sediments. Five young glacial samples(including two modern analogues) from different depositional settings were collected beyond the Yingpu Glacier in the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. De was determined using different OSL methods. The luminescence characteristics and dating results showed that the large aliquot quartz Blue Stimulated Luminescence(BSL) is more applicable than polymineral infrared stimulated luminescence(IRSL) method. Small aliquot quartz BSL results showed poor luminescence properties due to low luminescence sensitivity of quartz in this area. The dating results also indicated that glaciofluvial samples deposited close to ice margin(~40 m and ~700 m) and supraglacial debris dominated lateral moraine samples are relatively well-bleached, whereas samples from ground moraine and low terminal moraine were poorly bleached, probably due to containing subglacial and englacial debris. The residual doses of glaciofluvial and lateral moraine crest samples were below a few Gy and age overestimations were below a few hundred years. The ground moraine and low terminal moraine samples had residual doses as high as ~110 Gy, and ages were overestimated by ~15-17 ka.

Geochemical evidences of dry climate in the Mid-Holocene in Gonghe Basin, northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Previous research on climatic change in the Mid-Holocene in China indicates that it was a warm and humid period, accompanied by stronger summer monsoons, and it is defined as the Megatherrnal in the Holocene, or the Holocene Optimum period. However, this conclusion is mainly dh＇eeted at the monsoonal region in eastem China. In this research, we chose the Gonghe Basin in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau as the study area. Geochemical analysis of the profiles of paleosols and aeolian sand in the Santala area in the middle of the Gonghe Basin, along with OSL （optically stimulated luminescence） dating, indicates that the regional climate has experienced several warm-humid and cold-dry cycles since 11.8 ka. In particular, the Mid-Holocene （8.14.6 ka） was relatively cold and dry as evidenced by drastic fluctuations in chemical weathering degree and humidity, a higher aridity index, and sparse vegetation, accompanying increased winter monsoonal strength. In order to clarify whether this is an individual or local signal, we compared our geochemical analysis results with lake and peat records and aeolian de- posits of the monsoonal boundary region. The results indicate that the climate deteriorated widely, with declines in temperature and moisture, in the Mid-Holocene in the modem monsoonal boundary zone. Furthermore, the duration of climate deteriora- tion （relatively dry period） generally decreased from west to east in the aforementioned regions. Therefore, this dry phase in Gonghe Basin may be representative of dry events in Mid-Holocene in northem China. In addition, we discuss the reasons for this dry climate from several perspectives： （1） it probably can be attributed to a decline in summer monsoonal strength; （2） the regional evaporation loss （forced by high temperature） was not compensated by regional precipitation; （3） the thermal dynamic effect of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Effects of land-use types on soil organic carbon stocks:a case study across an altitudinal gradient within a farmpastoral area on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

A crucial region for China's ‘Grain-forGreen Policy' is located within a traditional farmpastoral area, between 2000 to 3000 m above sea level, on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.However, the responses of soil organic carbon(SOC) to different land-use patterns in this region are unclear. Here, we determined the SOC(0–20 cm) content of grasslands and forests that are being converted from farmlands, as well as in abandoned arable land and arable land in this region. The factors influencing the reclaimed lands were analyzed along altitudes from 2030 to 3132 m. Our results showed that SOC content was higher for grassland and abandoned arable land than forest and arable land. The SOC content increased with the increase in altitude for total land-use patterns. Further, the grassland and abandoned arable land had higher SOC content than the forest with almost parallel trends along the increase in altitude. However, the proportion of regulated factors of altitude and species richness varied among forest, grassland, and abandoned arable land. Our results indicated that the land-use pattern of returning farmland to grassland and abandoned arable land was more effective in terms of the SOC storage in the superficial layer in this altitude range in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, thereby being beneficial to optimizing land management in this region.

A 94-ka Pollen Record of Vegetation Change in Qaidam Basin,Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

1 Introduction The northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(NE QTP),located at a triple junction of influences of the Asian summer monsoon,westerly jet stream and Siberian high,is of considerable significance with regard to regional responses to global climate change.Qarhan Salt Lake is the largest playa located in the central eastern

Variations of methane stable isotopic values from an Alpine peatland on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Isotopic signature is a powerful tool to discriminate methane(CH_(4)) source types and constrain regional and global scale CH_(4) budgets.Peatlands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are poorly understood about the isotopic signature of CH_(4) due to the limited experimental conditions.In this study,three campaigns of diurnal air samples spacing 2-3 h were taken from an alpine peatland on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau to investigate its source signal characteristics.Both CH_(4) concentration and its stable carbon isotope(δ^(13)C-CH_(4)) were measured to derive the carbon isotopic signature of the CH_(4) source using the Keeling plot technique.Diurnal variation patterns in CH_(4) concentration and δ^(13)C-CH_(4) were observed during summertime,with depleted δ^(13)C-CH_(4) signals and high CH_(4) concentration appearing at nighttime.The δ^(13)C-CH4 signature during summer was calculated to be-71 % ± 1.3%,which falls within the range of other wetland studies and close to high-latitude peatlands.The boundary layer dynamic and CH_(4) source were supposed to influence the measured CH_(4) concentration and δ^(13)C-CH_(4.)Further investigations of CH_(4) isotopic signals into the nongrowing season are still needed to constrain the δ^(13)C-CH_(4) signature and its environmental controls in this region.

Winter estimation of surface roughness length over eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Based on the Monin-Obulchov similarity theory, a scheme was developed to calculate surface roughness length. Surface roughness length over the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau during the winter season was then estimated using the scheme and eddy covariance measurement data. Comparisons of estimated and measured wind speeds show that the scheme is feasible to calculate surface roughness length. The estimated roughness lengths at the measurement site during unfrozen, frozen and melted periods are 3.23x10(-3), 2.27x10(-3) and 1.92x10(-3) m, respectively. Surface roughness length demonstrates a deceasing trend with time during the winter season. Thereby, setting the roughness length to be a constant value in numerical models could lead to certain degree of simulation errors. The variation of surface roughness length may be caused by the change in land surface characteristic.

Energy exchange of an alpine grassland on the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The seasonal variability in the surface energy exchange of an alpine grassland on the eastern Qinghai- Tibetan Plateau was investigated using eddy covariance measurements. Based on the change of air temperature and the seasonal distribution of precipitation, a winter season and wet season were identified, which were separated by transitional periods. The annual mean net radiation （Rn） was about 39 % of the annual mean solar radiation （Rs）. Rn was relatively low during the winter season （21% of Rs） compared with the wet season （54 % of Rs）, which can be explained by the difference in surface albedo and moisture condition between the two seasons. Annually, the main consumer of net radiation was latent heat flux （LE）. During the winter season, sensible heat flux （H） was dominant because of the frozen soil condition and lack of precipita- tion. During the wet season, LE expended 66 % of Rn due to relatively high temperature and sufficient rainfall cou- pled with vegetation growth. Leaf area index （LAI） had important influence on energy partitioning during wet season. The high LAI due to high soil water content （θv） contributed to high surface conductance （go） and LE, and thus low Bowen ratio （β）. LE was strongly controlled by Rn from June to August when gc and θv were high. During the transitional periods, H and LE were nearly equally parti- tioned in the energy balance. The results also suggested that the freeze-thaw condition of soil and the seasonal distribution of precipitation had important impacts on the energy exchange in this alpine grassland.

An annually laminated stalagmite from the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau provides evidence of climate instability during the early MIS5e in the Asian summer monsoon

The Marine Isotope Stage(MIS5e)is characterized by a warmer climate than that of the pre-industrial period,and serves as an analog for the Current Warm Period(CWP).However,uncertainties persist regarding its climatic stability.Here,we retrieved a stalagmite(WXB075)from Wanxiang Cave in the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,and employed abs-olute^(230)Th dating and relative annual layer data to establish a high-precision chronological framework for reconstructing the history of the Asian summer monsoon(ASM)and environmental evolution during early MIS5e with multiple proxies.The findings indicate that the annually laminated stalagmite was formed during Cooling Event 27(C27).The deposition of WXB075 experienced a hiatus(~125.58 ka BP)due to a significant cooling event in the North Atlantic,which may be linked to the unstable climate in the Northern Hemisphere.Additionally,the impact of meltwater discharge in high northern latitudes results in a two-phase evolution of the ASM,i.e.,an initial weaker stage followed by a gradual increase(with exception of deposition hiatus).The climatic instability of ASM is generally characterized by a quasi-60 year cycle that affects vegetation conditions,biological productivity,and karst hydroclimate dynamics.However,the increase in meltwater and decrease in temperature in the Northern Hemisphere have led to a weakened ASM and subsequent reduction in precipitation.Consequently,vegetation degradation above the cave has occurred along with a slowdown of karst hydroclimate.The vegetation conditions,organic matter content,and wet/drought of the karst hydroclimate were affected by both the large-scale monsoon circulation and local environment during extreme weakening(strengthening)of the monsoon when high-frequency climatic events of ASM occurred.A comparison ofδ^(18)O records between early MIS5e and the past 2000 years reveals that the climate during early MIS5e differed significantly from that of CWP,Medieval Warm Period(MWP),and Dark Age Cold Period(DACP)but was similar to Little Ice Age(LIA).Comparison with other geological records from the Northern Hemisphere indicates that climate instability was a widespread phenomenon during MIS5e.The power spectrum analysis of WXB075δ^(18)O reveals significant quasi-60 and 35 a cycles during the early MIS5e,which is consistent with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation(AMO).The comprehensive results demonstrate that the ASM in the early MIS5e was closely linked to solar activity,Intertropical Convergence Zone(ITCZ)position,and Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation(AMOC).

Climate Signals from Tree Ring Chronologies of the Upper and Lower Treelines in the Dulan Region of the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

The radial growth of trees In mountainous areas is subject to environmental conditions associated with changes In elevation. To assess the sensitivity of tree-ring growth to climate variation over a wide range of elevations, we compared the chronological characteristics of Sabina przewalskii Kom. and their relationships with climatic variables at the upper and lower treellnes In the Dulan region of the northeastern Qlnghal-Tlbetan Plateau. It was found that the radial growth in this region was controlled primarily by precipitation in late spring and early summer （from May to June）. In addition, a higher temperature from April to June could Intensify drought stress and lead to narrow tree rings. The significant similarity In climate-tree growth relationships at both the upper and lower treellnes Indicated that tree rings of S. przewalskU In this region are able to provide common regional climate information. However, the chronologies at the lower forest limits showed a higher standard deviation and more significant correlations with climatic factors, suggesting that the radial growth there was more significantly Influenced by climate variation. The first principal component of the four chronologies showed a common growth response to local climate. The second principal component showed a contrasting growth response between different sampling sites. The third principal component revealed different growth patterns In response to altitudinal variation. Further analysis Indicated that the precipitation In late spring and early summer controlled the growth of S. przewalskii on a regional scale and that other factors, such as mlcroenvlronment at the sampling sites, also affected the strength of the climatic response of tree growth.

Chronological Link Between the Abrupt Change of the Loess Grain Size Sequence and the Formation of River Terraces on the Eastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Since the Late Early-Pleistocene

Based on the study of magnetostratigraphy,magnetic susceptibility and grain size of Garze A section on the southeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau since the late early-Pleistocene,the basal age of Garze loess is located at～1.16 MaBP and a series of abrupt paleoclimatic changes is detected.The times of abrupt changes are of distinct series features,and the interval between each two adjacent abrupt changes is～50 kyr or～100 kyr.The most significant abrupt changes occur at around 1.06,0.85,0.6,0.46,0.39 and 0.14 MaBP.There is a chronological link between the abrupt changes of paleoclimate and the formation of river terraces and it is almost simultaneous with a strengthening trend of neotectonic activities.Therefore,maybe the climatic transition controll the timing of terrace formation,and the tectonic uplift originate potential energy and has a direct effect on channel incision, both the climatic transition and the tectonic uplift are important.Terraces are the products of the interaction of instable climatic variations and tectonic uplift.Like the loess-paleosol sequences,river terrace sequences are also controlled by the climate-tectonic coupling system and are ruled by climate-tectonic gyration with a～100 kyr paracycle,which may be the short eccentricity period of the earth.

Analysis of Longitudinal Profiles along the Eastern Margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Resulting from the collision of the Eurasian and Indian plates, the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau is commonly known as the ＇roof of the world＇. Collectively the Yarlung Tsangpo, Nu, Laneang, Yangtze, Yalong, and Yellow River basins drain the eastern margin of the plateau. In this paper, we utilize Shuttle Radar Topography Mission elevation data to examine morphometric and relief attributes of these basins to reveal insights rates of incision. A robust into tectonic activity and technique using Maflab is proposed to alleviate errors associated with SRTM data in the derivation of river longitudinal profiles. Convex longitudinal profiles are interpreted to be a product of uplift rates that exceed rates of channel incision along the entire margin of the Qinghai- Tibetan Plateau. Highest relief towards the south reflects extensive fluvial incision. High relief is also prominent along major active faults. Erosion patterns are related to distance from knickpoints. Highest rates of erosion and incision are evident towards the south, with decreasing values towards the north, suggesting a link between tectonic activity and erosion.

Mechanism of Diabatic Heating on Precipitation and the Track of a Tibetan Plateau Vortex over the Eastern Slope of the Tibetan Plateau

Existing studies contend that latent heating(LH)will replace sensible heating(SH)to become the dominant factor affecting the development of the Tibetan Plateau vortex(TPV)after it moves off the Tibetan Plateau(TP).However,in the process of the TPV moving off the TP requires that the airmass traverse the eastern slope of the Tibetan Plateau(ESTP)where the topography and diabatic heating(DH)conditions rapidly change.How LH gradually replaces SH to become the dominant factor in the development of the TPV over the ESTP is still not very clear.In this paper,an analysis of a typical case of a TPV with a long life history over the ESTP is performed by using multi-sourced meteorological data and model simulations.The results show that SH from the TP surface can change the TPV-associated precipitation distribution by temperature advection after the TPV moves off the TP.The LH can then directly promote the development of the TPV and has a certain guiding effect on the track of the TPV.The SH can control the active area of LH by changing the falling area of the TPV-associated precipitation,so it still plays a key role in the development and tracking of the TPV even though it has moved out of the main body of the TP.

April-September minimum temperature reconstruction based on Sabina tibetica ring-width chronology in the central eastern Tibetan Plateau,China

Minimum temperatures have remarkable impacts on tree growth at high-elevation sites on the Tibetan Plateau,but the shortage of long-term and high-resolution paleoclimate records inhibits understanding of recent minimum temperature anomalies.In this study,a warm season(April–September)reconstruction is presented for the past 467 years(1550–2016)based on Sabina tibetica ring-width chronology on the Lianbaoyeze Mountain of the central eastern Tibetan Plateau.Eight warm periods and eight cold periods were identified.Long-term minimum temperature variations revealed a high degree of coherence with nearby reconstructions.Spatial correlations between our reconstruction and global sea surface temperatures suggest that warm season minimum temperature anomalies in the central eastern Tibetan Plateau were strongly influenced by large-scale ocean atmospheric circulations,such as the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation.

Atmospheric Sulfur and Nitrogen Deposition in Five Nature Reserves of Sichuan Basin to Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Transect Region,Southwest-ern China

Enhanced sulfur and nitrogen deposition has been observed in many transect regions worldwide,from urban/agricultural areas to mountains.The Sichuan Basin(SCB),with 18 prefectural cities,is the most economically-developed region in western China,while the rural Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP)lies west of the SCB.Previous regional and national atmospheric modeling studies have sug-gested that large areas in the SCB-to-QTP transect region experience excessive deposition of sulfur and nitrogen.In this study,we applied a passive monitoring method at 11 sites(one in urban Chengdu and 10 from fivenature reserves)in this transect region from September 2021 to October 2022 to confirm the high sulfur and nitrogen deposition fluxes and to understand the gaps between the modeling and observation results for this transect region.These observations suggest that the five reserves are under eutrophication risk,and only two reserves are partially under acidification risk.Owing to the complex topography and landscapes,both sulfur and nitrogen deposition and critical loads exhibit large spatial variations within a reserve,such as Mount Emei.Regional atmospheric modeling may not accurately capture the spatial variations in deposition fluxes within a reserve;however,it can capture general spatial patterns over the entire transect.This study demonstrates that a combination of state-of-the-art atmospheric chemical models and low-cost monitoring methods is helpful for ecological risk assessments at a regional scale.

Metamorphic fluxes of water and carbon in rivers of the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Geothermal activities are common in active orogenic zones and play an important role in surface-earth geochemical processes.Here we analyzed the water chemical compositions,stable and radioactive carbon isotopes of dissolved inorganic carbon(δ^(13)CDICandΔ^(14)CDIC)of hot springs and large rivers in the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP).The hot springs had major ions’concentrations varying in a wide range,and most hot springs’alkalinities resulted from high-temperature silicate alteration.The observed hot springs’waters were affected by the mixing of metamorphic fluids and surface waters,which altered the water chemistry andΔ^(14)CDICof the hot springs.Because the observedΔ^(14)CDICin hot springs was much higher than the theoreticalΔ^(14)CDICin metamorphic fluids(i.e.,-1000‰),we used an isotopic mass balance approach(i.e.,Δ^(14)CDIC)to quantify the contribution of surface waters to the hot springs.After the ions of metamorphic fluids were calibrated byΔ^(14)CDIC,the metamorphic water fluxes were calculated by the chemical mass balance approach of Ge/Si ratios,using the Monte-Carlo method.We found that the proportion of metamorphic water fluxes to the river discharge ranged from 0.17%for the Yellow River to 0.52%for the Jinsha River,and it would be much higher in some tributaries.The horizontal metamorphic contributions of alkalinity to the large rivers ranged from 0.87%to 3.96%in eastern QTP,and the vertical metamorphic carbon outgassing would be much higher.The metamorphic fluids fluxes estimated in this study were much lower than previous estimations extrapolated from small Himalayan rivers,and thus we thought that the previous estimations of metamorphic carbon fluxes in QTP were likely over-estimated.We propose that systematic studies are needed to be conducted to constrain the metamorphic carbon flux in QTP.This study shed light on the release of metamorphic carbon in the orogenic zone,placing limits on the results of orogenic forcing on chemical weatherability.

The geological structure background and the crustal structure in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau

The geological structure background, the crustal structure and the shape of Moho in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau are studied. Based on artificial seismic sounding profile as well as geological data. The main results are summarized as follows: (1) The geotectonic subdivisions and the characteristics of main deep and large faults in the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau are presented; (2) The general features of the Moho are obtained mainly based on artificial seismic sounding data; (3) There exists well corresponding relation between surface faults and some features of the Moho, which suggests that such complex crustal structure might be the preparation environment of strong earthquakes.

Coarse fragment content influences estimates of soil C and N stocks of alpine grassland on the northeastern edge of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,China

Soil organic carbon(SOC)and total nitrogen(TN)stocks are usually calculated with samples collected using core samplers.Although the calculation considers the effects of gravel in soil samples,other coarse fragments such as stones or boulders in soil may not be collected due to the restricted diameter of core samplers.This would cause an incorrect estimation of soil bulk density and ultimately SOC and TN stocks.In this study,we compared the relative volume of coarse fragment and bulk density of fine earth determined by large size soil sampler with three core samplers.We also investigated the uncertainties in estimation of SOC and TN stocks caused by this soil sampler procedure in three typical alpine grasslands on the northeast edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP),China.Results show that(1)the relative volume and size of coarse fragment collected by large size sampler were significantly(p<0.05)higher and larger than those of core samplers,while bulk density of fine earth,SOC and TN stocks show opposite patterns in all grassland types;(2)SOC and TN stocks determined by core samplers were 17%-45%and 18%-46%higher than larger size sampler for three typical alpine grasslands;and(3)bulk density of fine earth,SOC and TN stocks exponentially decreased with the increasing of coarse fragment content.We concluded that core sampler methods significantly underestimated the volume occupied by coarse fragment but overestimated SOC and TN stocks.Thus,corrections should be made to the results from core samplers using large size samplers on regions with gravel and stone-rich soils in future studies.

Numerical simulation of temporal and spatial evolution of fold-thrust belts in the northern and northeastern margins of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Fold-thrust belts are common structural styles under the background of long-term regional tectonic shortening.The northern and northeastern margins of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau are located on the edge of the growth and expansion of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.Since nearly 10 Ma,some significant and typical fold thrust belt have been formed.The spatial-temporal evolution of these fold-thrust belts and the characteristics of surface deformations are significant issues in geodynamics.In this paper,we use the elastoplastic finite element model with considering the contact nonlinearity to study the spatialtemporal evolution of the fold-thrust belts in the northern and northeastern margins of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,with particular attention to the details of the relationship between the depth and the shallow,the spatialtemporal order,and the characteristics of the surface deformation,etc.,in order to make a relatively complete mechanical interpretation of the spatial-temporal evolution of the foldthrust belts in the northern and northeastern margins of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from the perspective of geodynamics.