The Changes in Drainage Systems of Weihe Basin and Sanmenxia Basin Since Late Pliocene Give New Insights Into the Evolution of the Yellow River

Abstract

The formation of the Yellow River involved the draining of a series of ancestral local lakes along their course, substantially changing the regional, geomorphic, and paleoenvironmental evolution. However, the evolution of the Weihe-Sanmenxia Basin section of the Yellow River remains indistinct as previous studies regard the Weihe and Sanmenxia Basin as one integral basin of the Late Cenozoic. Here, we present the detrital zircon age spectra from the Pliocene-Pleistocene Sanmen Formation to clarify the drainage system evolution of the two basins since the Late Pliocene. The results reveal that these two basins belonged to different drainage systems in the Late Pliocene because no sediments from the marginal mountains of the Weihe Basin accumulated in the Sanmenxia Basin. At 2.8/2.6 Ma, the currents presented at the edge of the basins and transported the sediment of east Hua Mountain into the Sanmenxia Basin, where it was deposited. This integration likely leads to a mismatch between the deposition and regional paleoclimate in previous studies. At ∼1.0 Ma, the Sanmenxia Gorge was traversed and the Yellow River finally formed, depositing Jinshaan Gorge sediment into the Sanmenxia Basin and lower reaches of the Yellow River.

Provenance Analysis of Yellow River Terraces Highlights Causes of Siltation and Natural Hazards in the North China Plain

“…The timing of Yellow River integration has remained highly controversial. Estimates for the incision of the Sanmen Gorge range from 3.7 to 0.15 Ma (Jiang et al., 2007; Kong et al., 2014; J. Liu et al., 2022; S. Wang et al., 2002; X. Wang et al., 2022; G. Xiao et al., 2020; J. Zhang et al., 2019). The youngest integration age of 0.15 Ma was proposed based on stratigraphic analyses of the Sanmen ancient lake drainage and downstream loess‐accumulation rate (Jiang et al., 2007; S. Wang et al., 2002).…”

“…The timing of Yellow River integration has remained highly controversial. Estimates for the incision of the Sanmen Gorge range from 3.7 to 0.15 Ma (Jiang et al, 2007;Kong et al, 2014;J. Liu et al, 2022;S.…”

“…The Sanmen Gorge is the last gorge through which the mainstem Yellow River flows and conveys the entire sediment mass generated in the upper and middle reaches toward the North China Plain (Figure 1a). A number of stratigraphic and provenance studies based on geological sections and drilled cores were aimed at establishing the age of formation of the Sanmen Gorge, which remains controversial and is only roughly constrained between 1.5 and 0.15 Ma (Jiang et al., 2007; Kong et al., 2014; J. Liu et al., 2022; S. Wang et al., 2002; X. Wang et al., 2022; G. Xiao et al., 2020; J. Zhang et al., 2019). Currently, two overarching hypotheses have been posited pertaining to the integration mechanisms of the Yellow River.…”

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

“…Li et al (2014) demonstrated that the rapid persistent rise of the Tibetan Plateau began at 8 ± 1 Ma and was followed by stepwise accelerated rises at ~3.6 Ma, 2.6 Ma, 1.8–1.7 Ma, 1.2–0.6 Ma, and 0.15 Ma based on the dating of late Cenozoic basin sediments and the tectonic geomorphology of the NE Tibetan Plateau. The cumulative effect of rise in the eastern Tibetan Plateau caused the birth of the modern Yellow River in 1.2–0.6 Ma (e.g., 0.8 Ma from Zhang et al [2019]; 0.88 Ma from Yao et al [2017] and Liu et al [2020a]; 1.0 and 1.2 Ma from Hu et al [2017 and 2019, respectively]; 1 Ma from Liu et al [2019, 2022a]; 1.165 Ma from Pan et al [2005b]; 1.25 Ma from Wang et al [2022]). Thus, severe headward erosion, the onset of river capture events of the paleo-Yangtze River, and the formation of the Three Gorges during the period of 1.2–0.6 Ma suggest that the cumulative effect was also reflected in the evolution history of the Yangtze River.…”