Late Cenozoic evolution in the Pamir-Tian Shan convergence: New chronological constraints from the magnetostratigraphic record of the southwestern Tianshan foreland basin (Ulugqat area)

A detailed magnetostratigraphic study of the 1120 m-thick Sankeshu Section in the southwestern Tianshan Foreland Basin reveals that sedimentation occurred from 16.7 to 2.6 million years ago (Ma), with significant increases in rate at ~7 Ma and after 2.6 Ma, marked by the influx of conglomeratic deposits. This study provides new chronological constraints on the tectonic evolution of the Pamir-Tian Shan convergence zone, showing that deformation was concentrated during the Miocene and later periods. Rock magnetic parameters indicate weak deformation influenced by northward indentation from the Pamir, correlating sedimentary events with episodic regional uplift and climatic changes.

Qiao, Q., Huang, B., Biggin, A. J., & Piper, J. D. A. (2017). Late Cenozoic evolution in the Pamir-Tian Shan convergence: New chronological constraints from the magnetostratigraphic record of the southwestern Tianshan foreland basin (Ulugqat area). Tectonophysics, 717, 51–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tecto.2017.07.013