Formation of the Three Gorges (Yangtze River) no earlier than 10 Ma

Zhang, Zengjie; Daly, J. Stephen; Chang-an, LI; Tyrrell, Shane; Sun, Xilin; Badenszki, Eszter; Li, Yawei; Zhang, Dai; Tian, Yuntao; Yan, Yi

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103601

Cited by 26 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…The Three Gorges was formed by severe incision along narrow fault zones, in response to the tectonic uplift of massive limestone formations of late Paleozoic and Mesozoic age (Zheng et al, 2013;Zhang et al, 2021). The Yangtze River transects the Huangling anticline at the eastern margin of the Three Gorges (Richardson et al, 2010).…”

Section: Three Gorges Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Chronology of Early Human Settlement in Three Gorges Region, China—Contribution of Coupled Electron Spin Resonance and Uranium-Series Dating Method

et al. 2022

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The Three Gorges region (TGR) located in the geographic center of China, is a transition zone between mountain and plain areas, and a probable migration corridor for hominins and other mammals between South and North China. Detailed chronological information of paleoanthropological evidence in this area could help us better understand the human evolution in East Asia. The OSL and U-series dating methods are two conventional dating methods generally adopted to date such sites; however, their applications were limited by the dating range—restricted to several hundred of millennia and ambiguous stratigraphic relationship between the archaeological remains and the dating target materials. Cosmogenic nuclide burial dating of quartzite stone artifacts and coupled electron spin resonance and uranium series dating (ESR/U-series) of fossil teeth have the potential to date Early–Middle Pleistocene hominin sites in Asia and were applied increasingly in China in recent years. However, the application of cosmogenic 26Al/10Be burial dating is limited in TGR because most sites are dominated by limestone, leading to the scarcity of the quartz component. In this case, the coupled ESR/U-series method plays a more important role in the establishment of the chronology of human settlement. In TGR, by using the coupled ESR/U-series method, we have dated seven important Early and Middle Pleistocene hominin settlement sites, including Longgupo, Jianshi, Yunxian, Meipu, Bailongdong, Changyang, and Yumidong sites. Based on our dating results, we propose that hominins were settled in TGR probably from the early stage of Early Pleistocene (∼2.5−2.2 Ma) at the Longgupo site to the late Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene of the Yumidong site (∼274−14 ka) and very likely to spread to other parts of East Asia during this time period. In view of the potential of coupled ESR/U-series dating on fossil teeth from the hominin sites in the TGR, future work may consider the micro damage or non-destructive analysis of enamel fragment with the ESR method and laser ablation ICP-MS techniques that will make possible the direct dating of precious human fossils in China.

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Section: Three Gorges Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Chronology of Early Human Settlement in Three Gorges Region, China—Contribution of Coupled Electron Spin Resonance and Uranium-Series Dating Method

et al. 2022

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“…In this study, Pb isotopic compositions of detrital K‐feldspar from the Pearl River and Cenozoic deposits from the northern South China Sea, including drillholes from the Pearl River Mouth Basin (PRMB) and International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1501, have been analyzed to constrain the initiation of the Pearl River. The Pb signal carried in detrital K‐feldspar is now a well‐established provenance method that has been widely applied to the evolution of major river systems (Alizai et al., 2011; Blowick et al., 2019; Clift et al., 2002, 2008; Z. Zhang et al., 2016, 2017, 2021; Z. Zhang, Daly, Tian, et al., 2022; Z. Zhang, Daly, Yan, et al., 2022). Moreover, we have compared these Pb data with published detrital zircon U‐Pb age datasets from offshore basins in South China to permit a more comprehensive discussion of the drainage evolution of the Pearl River.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Late Oligocene Formation of the Pearl River Triggered by the Opening of the South China Sea

Zhang

Daly

Tian

et al. 2023

Geophysical Research Letters

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The Pearl River is one of the largest rivers entering the South China Sea, yet its initiation time remains debated, a topic we address using Pb isotopes in detrital K‐feldspar. Based on these Pb data, Eocene and Early Oligocene sandstones from the northern South China Sea are interpreted to have been supplied with sediment by proximal rivers draining the Cathaysia Block. In contrast, the Late Oligocene and Miocene sandstones are mainly derived from the western Pearl tributaries (e.g., Hongshui River), suggesting that the Pearl River had formed by the Late Oligocene. Detrital zircon data from the Beibuwan Basin previously suggested that the western tributaries flowed into this basin before being captured by the paleo‐Pearl River. These lines of evidence suggest that progressive headward erosion of the eastern Pearl River and late Oligocene integration of this large fluvial system can be linked to contemporaneous sea‐floor spreading of the South China Sea.

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“…Most previous studies suggest that the formation age of the Three Gorges is 1.2 –0.7 Ma (Pleistocene) based on studies of terraces in the Three Gorges, Quaternary deposits in the Jianghan Basin, and continuous cores of boreholes in the Yangtze delta (Tang and Tao, 1997; Li et al, 2001; Yang et al, 2006; Wang et al, 2009; Xiang et al, 2011, 2018; Liu et al, 2018; Sun et al, 2018). Other studies, however, have indicated that the Three Gorges formed before the Pliocene, based on the fluvial deposition in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, detrital zircons in the Yangtze delta, Nd and Pb isotopes in the sediments of the Hanoi Basin, and the Cenozoic sediments in the Jianghan Basin and offshore basins in East China (Clift et al, 2008; Jia et al, 2010; Zheng et al, 2013; Yang et al, 2019; Fu et al, 2021; Sun et al, 2021; Zhang et al, 2021). Despite disagreement surrounding the formation time of the Three Gorges, previous studies have indicated that the opening of the Three Gorges was an important capture event that led to the birth of the modern Yangtze River (Yang et al, 2006; Wang et al, 2009; Jia et al, 2010; Liu et al, 2018; Sun et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

New evidence from heavy minerals and detrital zircons in Quaternary fluvial sediments for the evolution of the upper Yangtze River, South China

et al. 2022

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In the Three Gorges and adjacent areas, there are three planation surfaces and five terraces along the Yangtze River that record the evolution history of the river system. Here, we used diagnostic heavy minerals, U-Pb geochronology, and trace elements of detrital zircons from one planation surface, two terraces, and a modern point bar to reconstruct the evolution history of the upper Yangtze River, specifically the Chuan River in the Sichuan Basin. The sediments in the lowest planation surface had different felsic source rocks derived from east of the Three Gorges, which indicated that before the disintegration of the lowest planation surface (0.75 Ma), there were two paleorivers: the westward-flowing paleo-Chuan River and eastward-flowing paleo-Yangtze River separated by the Huangling Dome. At 0.75–0.73 Ma, the dominant detrital zircons from the Sichuan Basin in the sediments of terrace T5 (the highest terrace) confirmed that the paleo-Yangtze River cut through the Three Gorges and captured the paleo-Chuan River, and the Daliang Mountains became the new drainage divide. Finally, the appearance of materials from the upper Jinsha River in terrace T2 indicated that the paleo-Yangtze River progressively captured the paleo-Jinsha River, and the modern upper Yangtze River formed before 0.05 Ma. These river capture events of the upper Yangtze River confirmed the Quaternary uplift of the SE Tibetan Plateau.

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Formation of the Three Gorges (Yangtze River) no earlier than 10 Ma

Cited by 26 publications

References 78 publications

The Chronology of Early Human Settlement in Three Gorges Region, China—Contribution of Coupled Electron Spin Resonance and Uranium-Series Dating Method

The Chronology of Early Human Settlement in Three Gorges Region, China—Contribution of Coupled Electron Spin Resonance and Uranium-Series Dating Method

Late Oligocene Formation of the Pearl River Triggered by the Opening of the South China Sea

New evidence from heavy minerals and detrital zircons in Quaternary fluvial sediments for the evolution of the upper Yangtze River, South China

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