Palaeo-altimetry of the late Eocene to Miocene Lunpola basin, central Tibet

The elevation history of the Tibetan plateau provides direct insight into the tectonic processes associated with continent–continent collisions. Here we present oxygen-isotope-based estimates of the palaeo-altimetry of late Eocene and younger deposits of the Lunpola basin in the centre of the plateau, which indicate that the surface of Tibet has been at an elevation of more than 4 kilometres for at least the past 35 million years. We conclude that crustal, but not mantle, thickening models, combined with plate-kinematic solutions of India–Asia convergence, are compatible with palaeo-elevation estimates across the Tibetan plateau. A high old time in Tibet The Himalayan mountains are testament to the massive forces involved when continents collide, and the elevation history of the adjoining Tibetan plateau provides an extended record of the event. An analysis of palaeo-altitude at the centre of the Tibetan Plateau, using oxygen-isotope based measurements of carbonates, more than doubles the period of known existence of the central region of the plateau, to 35 million years. The surface elevation of Tibet has been more than 4 kilometres for all of that time. The new data are consistent with models that explain plateau uplift as a consequence of crustal thickening, rather than mantle thickening and convective removal