Quaternary tectonic evolution of the Pamir‐Tian Shan convergence zone, Northwest China

A steady total shortening rate of 6–9 mm/yr has been maintained across the western Tarim Basin during the Quaternary, despite spatial and temporal variations in deformation. This finding emerges from a synthesis of active structures in the Pamir‐Tian Shan convergence zone, where deformation rates on eight faults and folds range between ~0.1 and 5.6 mm/yr. The study combines geologic and geomorphic mapping with differential GPS surveys of deformed terraces and optically stimulated luminescence dating to delineate the timing, rate, and migration of Quaternary deformation. It reveals that while deformation is concentrated at the interface of the Pamir‐Tian Shan orogens in the westernmost Tarim Basin, it becomes more distributed across a zone of faults and folds farther east, with shortening rates varying on individual structures.

Thompson Jobe, J. A., Li, T., Chen, J., Burbank, D. W., & Bufe, A. (2017). Quaternary tectonic evolution of the Pamir‐Tian Shan convergence zone, Northwest China. Tectonics, 36(12), 2748–2776. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017tc004541