Rapid surface uplift and crustal flow in the Central Andes (southern Peru) controlled by lithospheric drip dynamics.

The high flux magmatism, crustal shortening/extension and plateau formation in Cordilleran orogenic systems have been explained by removal of lithosphere (lower crust and the sub-arc mantle lithosphere) that develops beneath the magmatic arc and hinterland regions. However, the primary role of this process driving surface uplift, and crustal deformation is not well understood. Here, reconciling geodynamic model predictions with lithospheric structure and paleoelevation estimates, we suggest that viscous drip-type lithospheric removal from beneath the Central (Peruvian) Andes can explain several tectonic features: (1) "double humped" shaped/axisymmetric topographic profile and rapid surface rise (up to 1.

Implications of variable late Cenozoic surface uplift across the Peruvian central Andes.

Changes in Earth's surface elevation can be linked to the geodynamic processes that drive surface uplift, which in turn modulate regional climate patterns. We document hydrogen isotopic compositions of hydrated volcanic glasses and modern stream waters to determine late Cenozoic surface uplift across the Peruvian central Andes. Modern water isotopic compositions reproduce mean catchment elevations to a precision better than ±500 m (1σ).

Loess Plateau storage of Northeastern Tibetan Plateau-derived Yellow River sediment.

Marine accumulations of terrigenous sediment are widely assumed to accurately record climatic- and tectonic-controlled mountain denudation and play an important role in understanding late Cenozoic mountain uplift and global cooling. Underpinning this is the assumption that the majority of sediment eroded from hinterland orogenic belts is transported to and ultimately stored in marine basins with little lag between erosion and deposition. Here we use a detailed and multi-technique sedimentary provenance dataset from the Yellow River to show that substantial amounts of sediment eroded from Northeast Tibet and carried by the river's upper reach are stored in the Chinese Loess Plateau and the western Mu Us desert.

Out of Tibet: Pliocene woolly rhino suggests high-plateau origin of Ice Age megaherbivores.

Ice Age megafauna have long been known to be associated with global cooling during the Pleistocene, and their adaptations to cold environments, such as large body size, long hair, and snow-sweeping structures, are best exemplified by the woolly mammoths and woolly rhinos. These traits were assumed to have evolved as a response to the ice sheet expansion. We report a new Pliocene mammal assemblage from a high-altitude basin in the western Himalayas, including a primitive woolly rhino.