Miocene Olivine Leucitites in the Hoh Xil Basin, Northern Tibet: Implications for Intracontinental Lithosphere Melting and Surface Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau

A new study reveals that the surface uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, particularly in the Hoh Xil Basin, was driven by the melting of potassium-enriched lithospheric mantle. Researchers analyzed 16 million-year-old olivine leucitites, which exhibit unique geochemical signatures indicating minimal crustal interaction and derivation from a phlogopite-lherzolite source. The study suggests that southward subduction of the Asian lithosphere post-India-Asia collision introduced potassium into the mantle, facilitating low-degree partial melting. This process not only generated voluminous magmatism but also contributed to over 1 km of surface uplift in the region.

Qi, Y., Wang, Q., Zhu, Y.-T., Shi, L.-C., & Yang, Y.-N. (2020). Miocene Olivine Leucitites in the Hoh Xil Basin, Northern Tibet: Implications for Intracontinental Lithosphere Melting and Surface Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Journal of Petrology, 61(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/petrology/egaa026