A phylogenetic approach identifies patterns of beta diversity and floristic subregions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Patterns of taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity and their relationships with environmental correlates can help reveal the origin and evolutionary history of regional biota.The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP)harbors an exceptionally diverse flora,however,a phylogenetic perspective has rarely been used to investigate its beta diversity and floristic regions.In this study,we used a phylogenetic approach to identify patterns of beta diversity and quantitatively delimit floristic regions on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.We also examined the relationships between multifaceted beta diversity,geographical distance,and climatic difference,and evaluated the relative importance of various factors(i.e.,climate,topography and history)in shaping patterns of beta diversity.Sørensen dissimilarity indices indicated that patterns of species turnover among sites dominated the QTP.We also found that patterns of both taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity were significantly related to geographical distance and climatic difference.The environmental factors that contributed most to these patterns of beta diversity include annual precipitation,mean annual temperature,climatic gradients and climatic instability.Hierarchical dendrograms of dissimilarity and non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination based on phylogenetic beta diversity data identified ten floristic subregions in the QTP.Our results suggest that the contemporary environment and historical climate changes have filtered species composition among sites and eventually determined beta diversity patterns of plants in the QTP.

Applying the AHP-FUZZY method to evaluate the measure effect of rubble roadbed engineering in permafrost regions of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: a case study of Chaidaer-Muli Railway

This article attempts to investigate the measure effect of rubble roadbed engineering in permafrost regions of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. As a case study, Chaidaer-Muli Railway is used to evaluate the measure effect of rubble roadbed engineering in permafrost regions. The AHP(Analytic Hierarchy Process) method is thus employed to establish the evaluation indicator system. The evaluation factor is selected by analyzing the mutual relation between the permafrost environment and roadbed engineering. Thus, a hierarchical structure model is established based on the selected evaluation indices. Each factor is weighted to determine the status in the evaluation system, and grading standards are built for providing a basis for the evaluation. Then, the fuzzy mathematical method is introduced to evaluate the measure effect of rubble roadbed engineering in permafrost regions along the Chadaer-Muli Railway. Results show that most of the permafrost roadbed is in a preferable condition(b) along the Chaidaer-Muli Railway due to rubble engineering measures. This proportion reaches to 86.1%. The proportion in good(a), general(c) and poor states(d) are 0.0%, 7.5% and 6.4%, respectively, in all the evaluation sections along the Chaidaer-Muli Railway. Ground-temperature monitoring results are generally consistent with AHP-FUZZY evaluation results. This means that the AHP-FUZZY method can be applied to evaluate the effect of rubble roadbed engineering measures in permafrost regions. The effect evaluation of engineering measures will provide timely and effective feedback information for further engineering design. The series of engineering measures will more effectively protect permafrost stability.

Estimation of Regional Evapotranspiration in Alpine Area and Its Response to Land Use Change:A Case Study in Three-River Headwaters Region of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China

Three-River Headwaters （TRH） region involved in this paper refers to the source region of the Changjiang （Yangtze） River, the Huanghe （Yellow） River and the Lancang River in China. Taking the TRH region of the Qing- hai-Tibet Plateau as a case, the annual evapotranspiration （ET） model developed by Zhang et al. （2001） was applied to evaluate mean annual ET in the alpine area, and the response of annual ET to land use change was analyzed. The plant-available water coefficient （w） of Zhang＇s model was revised by using vegetation-temperature condition index （VTCI） before annual ET was calculated in alpine area. The future land use scenario, an input of ET model, was spa- tially simulated by using the conversion of land use and its effects at small regional extent （CLUE-S） to study the re- sponse of ET to land use change. Results show that the relative errors between the simulated ET and that calculated by using water balance equation were 3.81% and the index of agreement was 0.69. This indicates that Zhang＇s ET model based on revised plant-available water coefficient is a scientific and practical tool to estimate the annual ET in the al- pine area. The annual ET in 2000 in the study area was 221.2 ram, 11.6 mm more than that in 1980. Average annual ET decreased from southeast to northwest, but the change of annual ET between 1980 and 2000 increased from southeast to northwest. As a vast and sparsely populated area, the population in the TRH region was extremely unbalanced and land use change was concentrated in very small regions. Thus, land use change had little effect on total annual ET in the study area but a great impact on its spatial distribution, and the effect of land use change on ET decreased with in- creasing precipitation. ET was most sensitive to the interconversion between forest and unused land, and was least sen- sitive to the interconversion between cropland and low-covered grassland.

Unveiling evapotranspiration patterns and energy balance in a subalpine forest of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau:observations and analysis from an eddy covariance system

Evapotranspiration is an important parameter used to characterize the water cycle of ecosystems.To under-stand the properties of the evapotranspiration and energy balance of a subalpine forest in the southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,an open-path eddy covariance system was set up to monitor the forest from November 2020 to October 2021 in a core area of the Three Parallel Rivers in the Qing-hai-Tibet Plateau.The results show that the evapotranspira-tion peaked daily,the maximum occurring between 11:00 and 15:00.Environmental factors had significant effects on evapotranspiration,among them,net radiation the greatest(R^(2)=0.487),and relative humidity the least(R^(2)=0.001).The energy flux varied considerably in different seasons and sensible heat flux accounted for the main part of turbulent energy.The energy balance ratio in the dormant season was less than that in the growing season,and there is an energy imbalance at the site on an annual time scale.

Soil Taxonomy and Distribution Characteristics of the Permafrost Region in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Understanding the soil taxonomy and distribution characteristics of the permafrost region in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP) is very important. On the basis of extensive field surveys and experimental analysis, this study carries out soil taxonomic classification of the permafrost region in the QTP. According to Chinese Soil Taxonomy, the soil of the permafrost region in the QTP can be divided into 6 Orders(Histosols, Aridosols, Gleyosols, Isohumosols, Cambosols, Primosols), 11 Suborders, 19 Groups and 24 Subgroups. Cambosols are the dominant soil type in the permafrost region, followed by Aridosols. From the east to the west of the permafrost region in the QTP, the soil type gradually changes from Cambosols to Aridosols, showing a meridional zonality. The eastern region is dominated by Cambosols, with no obvious latitudinal zonality. From the south to the northwest of the western region, the dominance of Aridosols and Cambosols gradually transited to Aridosols, presenting a latitudinal zonality. The soil in the western region shows a poor vertical zonality, while the distribution of suborders of Cambosols in the eastern region shows a more obvious vertical zonality. The result indicates that precipitation and vegetation are the main factors that influence the zonal distribution of soil. The permafrost in the east has some effect on the vertical soil zonality, but the effect is weakened in the west.

Regional Differentiation Regularity and Influencing Factors of Population Change in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP) is the most unique region of human-land relations, and its main factor is population. By building a population and space dataset of the QTP at the township level from 1982 to 2017, this paper presents the pattern evolvement and regional distribution characteristics of township-level population in the QTP in detail for the first time. By using Geodetector method to analyze the influencing factors of township-level population change in the QTP, this paper provides scientific foundations for studying the Third Pole, ecological environment protection of the QTP, and human-land relations. The conclusions are as follows:1) The population spatial distribution is not balanced at the township level, presents the regional differentiation characteristics of ‘dense in southeast and sparse in northwest’ along the ‘Qilian-Jilong Line’, and demonstrates the phenomenon of population center of gravity moving to the hinterland of the plateau at an accelerated speed;2) The township-level population develops in a decentralized trend in general, and the cold-and hot-spot distribution of population has prominent spatial distribution characteristics. The population hot spots are concentrated in the surrounding areas of Xining, Golmud, Hotan and Lijiang;3) The population of the QTP is increasing, and the inter-annual change of township population has a relatively stable regional regularity;4) The level of per capita income is the leading factor in the change of township population, and its effect intensity is increasing continuously. The relative effect intensity of urbanization level and location conditions on population change has decreased significantly after 2000. The adaptability of living environment,such as topography and climate, has little influence on population change.

Review on Regional Climate Change Induced by Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Uplift

[Objective]The aim was to study the influence of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau uplift on regional climate in China.[Method] Trough relevant study of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its surrounding movement,the tectonic movement of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and its surrounding areas,especially the case of the impact caused by plateau phased uplift were studied based on paleomagnetic measurements.[Result]The increasing Qinghai-Tibet Plateau led to obvious transition from dry to cold in northwest China and it became dry quickly,which led to loess accumulation,replacement of vegetation types and human activity.Meanwhile,it was dry,and there was certain degree of climate changes in the area.[Conclusion] Qinghai-Tibet Plateau had far-reaching significance on basic climate characteristics in northwest China.

Early Permian–Late Triassic Magmatism in the Tuotuohe Region of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau: Constraints on the Tectonic evolution of the Western Segment of the Jinshajiang Suture

In this paper we present new zircon U-Pb ages,whole-rock major and trace element analyses,and zircon Hf isotopic data for magmatic rocks in the Tuotuohe region of the western segment of the Jinshajiang suture.Our aim is to constrain the Early Permian-Late Triassic tectonic evolution of the region.Zircons from the magmatic rocks of the Tuotuohe region are euhedralsubhedral in shape and display fine-scale oscillatory zoning as well as high Th/U ratios （0.4-4.6）,indicating a magmatic origin.The zircon U-Pb ages obtained using LA-ICP-MS are 281 ± 1 Ma,258 ± 1 Ma,244 ± 1 Ma,and 216 ± 1 Ma,which indicate magmatism in the Early Permian-Late Triassic.A diorite from Bashihubei （BSHN） has SiO2 =57.18-59.97 wt％,Al2O3=15.70-16.53 wt％,and total alkalis （Na2O ＋ K2O） =4.46-6.34 wt％,typical of calc-alkaline and metaluminous series.A gabbro from Bashibadaoban （BSBDB） belongs to the alkaline series,and is poor in SiO2 （45.46-54.03 wt％） but rich in Al2O3 （16.19-17.39 wt％） and total alkalis （Na2O ＋ K2O =5.48-6.26 wt％）.The BSHN diorite and the BSBDB gabbro both display an enrichment of LREEs and LILEs and depletion of HFSEs,and they have no obvious Eu anomaly; they have relatively low MgO contents （2.54-4.93 wt％）,Mg# values of 43 to 52,and low Cr and Ni contents （8.07-33.6 ppm and 4.41-14.2 ppm,respectively）,indicating they differentiated from primitive mantle magmas.They have low Nb/U,Ta/ U,and Ce/Pb ratios （1.3-9.6,0.2-0.8,and 0.1-18.1,respectively）,and their initial Hf isotopic ratios range from ＋9.6 to ＋16.9 （BSHN diorite） and ＋6.5 to ＋12.6 （BSBDB gabbro）,suggesting their primary magmas were derived mainly from the partial melting of a mantle wedge that had been metasomatized by subduction fluids.Taking all the new data together,we conclude that the western and eastern segment of the Jinshajiang suture regions underwent identical processes of evolution in the Early Permian-Late Triassic：oceanic crust subduction before the Early Permian,continental collision during the Early-Middle Triassic,and post-collisional extension from the Late Triassic.

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.

Extracting water body data based on SDWI and threshold segmentation:A case study in permafrost area surrounding Salt Lake in Hoh Xil,Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China

There are a large number of lakes,rivers,and other natural water bodies distributed in the permafrost area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP).The changes in water bodies will affect the distribution of water resources in sur-rounding areas and downstream areas,resulting in environmental impact and bringing potential flood disasters,which will induce more serious issues and problems in alpine and high-altitude areas with a fragile habitat(such as the QTP in China).Generally,effective,reasonable,and scientific monitoring of large-scale water bodies can not only document the changes in water bodies intuitively,but also provide important theoretical reference for subsequent environmental impact prediction,and disaster prevention and mitigation in due course of time.The large-scale water extraction technology derived from the optical remote sensing(RS)image is seriously affected by clouds,bringing about large differences among the extracted water result products.Synthetic aperture radar(SAR)RS technology has the unique advantage characteristics of all-weather,all-day,strong penetration,and not being affected by clouds,which is hopeful in extracting water body data,especially for days with cloudy weather.The data extraction of large-scale water bodies based on SAR images can effectively avoid the errors caused by clouds that become prevalent at present.In this paper,the Hoh Xil Salt Lake on the QTP and its surrounding five lakes are taken as the research objects.The 2-scene Sentinel-1 SAR image data covering the whole area on 22 August 2022 was used to verify the feasibility of extracting water body data in permafrost zones.Furthermore,on 22 August 2022,the wealth here was cloudy,which made the optical RS images,e.g.,Sentinel-2 images full of clouds.The results show that:using the Sentinel-1 image and threshold segmentation method to extract water body data is efficient and effective with excellent results in permafrost areas.Concretely,the Sentinel-1 dual-polarized water index(SDWI),calculated by combining dual vertical–vertical(VV)polarized and verti-cal–horizontal(VH)polarized data is a useful index for water extraction and the result is better than each of the VV or VH polarized images.

Study on the Landcover Changes Based on GIS and RS Technologies: A Case Study of the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve in the Hinterland Tibet Plateau, China

With global warming and increased human activity, more and more ground surface areas have been affected, which leads to the creation of many problems. To understand the ecological environment changes in a typical alpine region, information on landcovers changes in the study area from 2000 to 2020 was obtained by combining remote sensing, geographic information system, and traditional statistical analysis for the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. The results show that the changes of surface cover in Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve are relatively concentrated, mainly distributed in the sections of south, northwest, central, and northeast, with the area of the changed regions and the unchanged regions being 31,127.45 km2 and 271,941.37 km2, respectively. The transformation between the various types of ground landcover is mainly characterized by a shift from other types to grassland and from grassland to bare land. And the regions of change are mostly concentrated between 3500 - 4600 m in elevation.

Restoration Prospects for Heitutan Degraded Grassland in the Sanjiangyuan

In many ecosystems ungulates have coexisted with grasslands over long periods of time. However, high densities of grazing animals may change the floristic and structural characteristics of vegetation, reduce biodiversity, and increase soil erosion, potentially triggering abrupt and rapid changes in ecosystem condition. Alternate stable state theory provides a framework for understanding this type of dynamic. In the Sanjiangyuan atop the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau (QTP), grassland degradation has been accompanied by irruptions of native burrowing animals, which has accentuated the loss of ground cover. Severely degraded areas of alpine meadows are referred to as 'Heitutan'. Here, using the framework of alternate stable state theory, we describe the proximate and ultimate drivers of the formation of Heitutan on the QTP, and we assess prospects for recovery, in relation to the degree of biophysical alteration, of these alpine meadows. Effective rehabilitation measures must address the underlying causes of degradation rather than their symptoms. Heitutan degradation is not uni-causal. Rather it reflects different mechanisms operating at different spatio-temporal scales across this vast region. Underlying causes include overly aggressive exploitation of the grasslands (e.g. overgrazing), amplification of grazing and erosion damage by small mammals when outbreaks occur, and/or climate change. Given marked variability in environmental conditions and stressors, restorative efforts must vary across the region. Restoration efforts are likely toyield greatest success if moderately and severely degraded areas are targeted as the first priority in management programmes, before these areas are transformed into extreme Heitutan.

三江源区植物根-土复合体的抗拉拔力特征及影响因素分析

为研究高寒地区草地恢复过程中牧草根系固土稳定性机制,在青藏高原三江源区对燕麦根—土复合体进行原位拉拔试验,系统分析了燕麦根—土复合体抗拉力的表现特征及影响因素。结果表明:(1)根—土复合体的抗拉力在不同地形、种植方式等不同情况下,表现出的特征不一致。高密度区比低密度区的抗拉力小,撒播区比条播区的抗拉力小,高坡度区比低坡度区抗拉力小,远离冲蚀沟区比冲蚀沟区附近抗拉力小,且差异显著(P<0.05)。(2)根—土复合体的抗拉力与地上生物学性状相关性低,与根系生物学性状相关性高。(3)复合体的抗拉力与根径(RD)、须根条数(RN)呈极显著正相关(P<0.01),与根长(RL)、单根生物量(RW)呈显著正相关(P<0.05)。

青藏高原国家公园群区域人类活动环境胁迫强度与空间效应——以三江源地区为例

随着人类活动对青藏高原环境系统的影响持续增强,研究各类生产生活活动的环境胁迫强度及其空间效应,是青藏高原国家公园群建设背景下精准实施环境管控、规范保护利用行为的科学基础,对提升青藏高原可持续发展能力具有重要意义。以三江源地区为例,在COD、氨氮、二氧化硫和氮氧化物4类人为源污染物排放量测算基础上,定量评估县域环境胁迫指数,解析青藏高原国家公园群区域人类活动的点—线—面环境胁迫空间效应。研究结果表明:人为源污染物排放对三江源地区的环境胁迫强度较低,且地域分异格局显著,中心城市(镇)胁迫强度较高,而国家公园所在的玛多、杂多、治多和曲麻莱4县仅为平均胁迫强度的1/2;2012—2016年间,城镇化和工业化过程的环境胁迫呈显著"点状"空间效应,农牧业生产方式的"面状"效应突出,旅游和交通运输为由点及线的"线状"胁迫。建议从提升全要素环境设施承载能力、建立全覆盖环境分区管控体系、实施生产生活旅游活动全过程环境规制等方面,制定缓解青藏高原国家公园群区域环境胁迫强度的管控与应对措施。

青藏高原“黑土滩”退化草地及其生态恢复近10年研究进展——兼论三江源生态恢复问题

"黑土滩"是全球草地生态系统退化行为在青藏高原三江源区的特殊表现形式,严重威胁着三江源区生态安全和草地畜牧业发展。该文在调研近10年290多个相关文献资料基础上,综合分析了近10年内黑土滩研究和治理工作的主要研究进展。并进一步讨论了一些新的观点,如"黑土滩二次发生"、"黑土滩的水热空洞效应"、"黑土滩人工草地暂稳态机制"等。作者建议针对黑土滩生态恢复,发展黑土滩治理的"分区-分类-分级-分段"的技术体系;研究更多植物物种组合(>10种)的混合群落构建技术;研发启动和引导黑土滩人工草地自我恢复技术及近自然恢复模式;组织开展第二次"黑土滩"本底调查工作;完善低成本治理模式,推动三江源生态建设的可持续性。

Profoundly entwined ecosystem services,land-use change and human well-being into sustainability management in Yushu,Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The nexus exploration among land use/land cover change,ecosystem services and human well-being has been increasingly crucial in the context of Future Earth.However,the spatial heterogeneity and the entwining process among these three aspects have not yet been in-depth and systematically explored.Here we identified the spatiotemporal pattern of ecosystem services during the past 20 years in Yushu,the eco-fragile region and the centre of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,as well as clarified its relationships with land use change and human well-being.We revealed that:(1)The structure of the ecosystem and land use in this area have been increasingly stable,and the ecological projects have exerted a positive impact.(2)Although the ecological environmental issues still need more attention,the ecosystem services of the area have been positively developing.(3)Derived by the ecosystem services increase,environmental projects and policies,the human well-beings of culture and education performed much better than other aspects.(4)It is crucial to carry out long-term ecological projects and increase educational investment for maintaining the stability of this ecologically fragile area.This study provides significant support for the regional ecological sustainability decision making,especially for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,the roof of the world.

High geo-stress distribution and high geo-stress concentration area models for eastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet plateau

High geo-stress and its engineering problems have severely affected the development of civil infrastructures in western China. The problems include high rock slope instabilities,rock burst,gas explosion and large-scale soft rock deformation in deep tunnels.This paper investigates the distribution of the high geo-stresses and the models of the stress concentration areas in the eastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet plateau so that a solid foundation can be formed to address the problems.The investigation is based on a comprehensive analysis of the previous research data of the eastern margin and uses remote sensing techniques,geophysics,geochemistry,and large scale geological surveying methods.The investigation has found that some special tectonic zones have high geo-stresses.The high geo-stresses are located at(1) the convergent boundary areas between two fault blocks with large strength differences,(2) the tectonic necks in front of active fault blocks,and(3) the intersection and/or termination areas of faults within the fault blocks.An example for(1) is the north Qilian high geo-stress area.Another example for(2) is the Minshan high geo-stress area in the northwest Sichuan.Furthermore,the investigation has summarized six basic models to characterize the high geo-stress concentration areas.The first one is the convergent stress concentration model at the boundary of two fault blocks.The other five stress concentration modes are oblique fissures or intersecting areas,areas without lower velocity layer in the crust,areas of compression induced tensile cracking,tectonic wedge areas,and tectonic neck areas,respectively.

Late Triassic–Cenozoic Thermochronology in the Southern Sanjiang Tethys, SW China, New Insights from Zircon Fission Track Analysis

The Sanjiang Tethys orogenic belt is located in the southeast side of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It has undergone the opening and closing movements in different periods of Tethys oceans, complex accretive orogeny and strong mineralization from Paleozoic to Mesozoic. Using zircon fission track(ZFT) thermochronology, this study reveals the Sanjiang Tethys has experienced multi-stage tectonic activities during the Late Triassic–Cenozoic. The 15 ZFT ages with their decomposition components obtained from Sanjiang Tethysian region range from 212 to 19 Ma, which not only shows 6 age groups of 212, 179–172, 156–133, 121–96, 84–70 and 50–19 Ma, but also constrains the age limit of the tectonothermal events. These age groups recorded the Paleo-Tethys main and branches ocean opening/closure time. The age-elevation plot indicates the Sanjiang region had differential uplifting and exhumation and fast uplifting times of ca. 133, 116 and 80 Ma, coinciding with the age groups mentioned above. These results show new geochronological evidences and viewpoints.