Major Miocene geological events in southern Tibet and eastern Asia induced by the subduction of the Ninetyeast Ridge

• DOI: 10.1007/s11631-018-0262-y
• Publication Date: 2018-02-15T22:35:28Z
• Authors: Xinlei Sun; Wei-dong Sun; Yong-bin Hu; Wei Ding; Trevor Ireland; Mei-zhen Zhan; Ji-qiang Liu; Ming-xing Ling; Xing Ding; Zhao-feng Zhang; Wei-ming Fan
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; Ridge subduction; Cenozoic mineralization; Eastern Tibetan Plateau; 01 natural sciences; Seismic anomaly; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Cenozoic adakitic rocks in the Gangdese changed from barren continental melts to ore-forming slab melts at ~ 23 Ma. The distribution and chemical characteristics of the ore-forming adakites point to an association with the Ninetyeast Ridge. The subduction of the thick, rigid Ninetyeast Ridge changed the geometry and rheology of the eastern Tibetan Plateau lithosphere and asthenosphere, restrained the eastward escape of asthenospheric mantle as well as continental fragments, and promoted the uplift and building of the Tibetan Plateau, which consequently changed the tectonic and climatic regimes in eastern Asia.