A Review of Jurassic Paleoclimatic Changes and Tectonic Evolution in the Qaidam Block, Northern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Ruiyang Chai, Yanan Zhou (), Anliang Xiong, Zhenwei Chen, Dongwei Liu, Nan Jiang, Xin Cheng, Jingong Zhang and Hanning Wu
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Ruiyang Chai: State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Yanan Zhou: State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Anliang Xiong: State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Zhenwei Chen: State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Dongwei Liu: State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Nan Jiang: School of Petroleum Engineering and Environment Engineering, Yan’an University, Yan’an 716000, China
Xin Cheng: State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Jingong Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
Hanning Wu: State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 16, 1-20

Abstract: Understanding the mechanisms and speed of paleo-aridification in the Qaidam Block—driven by tectonic uplift and shifts in atmospheric circulation—provides critical long-term context for assessing modern climate variability and anthropogenic impacts on water resources and desertification. This knowledge is essential for informing sustainable development strategies. We reconstruct the post-Triassic–Jurassic extinction tectonic-climatic evolution of the Qaidam Block on the northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau margin through an integrated analysis of sedimentary facies, palynological assemblages, and Chemical Index of Alteration values from Late Triassic to Jurassic strata. The Indo-Eurasian convergence drove the uplift of the East Kunlun Orogen and strike-slip movement along the Altyn Tagh Fault, establishing a basin-range system. During the initial Late Triassic to Early Jurassic period, warm-humid conditions supported gymnosperm/fern-dominated ecosystems and facilitated coal formation. A Middle Jurassic shift from extensional to compressional tectonics coincided with a climatic transition from warm-humid, through cold-arid, to hot-arid states. This aridification, evidenced by a Bathonian-stage surge in drought-tolerant Classopollis pollen and a sharp decline in Chemical Index of Alteration values, intensified in the Late Jurassic due to the Yanshanian orogeny and distal subduction effects. Resultant thrust-strike-slip faulting and southeastward depocenter migration, under persistent aridity and intensified atmospheric circulation, drove widespread development of aeolian dune systems (e.g., Hongshuigou Formation) and arid fluvial-lacustrine environments. The tectonic-climate-ecosystem framework reveals how Jurassic tectonic processes amplified feedback to accelerate aridification. This mechanism provides a critical geological analog for addressing the current sustainability challenges facing the Qaidam Basin.

Keywords: Qaidam Block; Triassic–Jurassic; tectonics; paleoclimate; co-evolution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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