Understanding the tectonic history of the Qilian Shan provides significant insights into the growth pattern of the northern Tibetan Plateau. Due to the limitation of methodology and lack of detailed geological information over remote mountain ranges, there has been less information on the Pleistocene evolution of the southern Qilian Shan. Existing models for the Qilian Shan growth also fail to specify whether the southern Qilian Shan grew northward or southward during the late Cenozoic. Here we present provenance data on fieldwork paleocurrents, petrography, heavy mineral analysis, and zircon UPb ages from the Danghe valley between Danghe Nanshan and Yema Nanshan, southern Qilian Shan. Results show a ‘seesaw-like’ change of provenance from Yema Nanshan to the north during the early Pleistocene to Danghe Nanshan to the south, which suggests the northward thrusting of Danghe Nanshan. Integrated with previous studies, our inference of a Quaternary rapid exhumation of the southern Qilian Shan reinforces the argument of northward propagation of the southern Qilian Shan during the Pleistocene and suggests a complex growth pattern of the Qilian Shan, northeastern Tibetan Plateau.

中文翻译：

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更新世党河南山向北逆冲：对青藏高原东北部祁连山生长的影响

了解祁连山的构造历史对于了解青藏高原北部的生长模式具有重要意义。由于方法学的限制以及缺乏偏远山区详细的地质资料，关于南祁连山更新世演化的资料较少。现有的祁连山生长模型也未能明确南祁连山在新生代晚期是向北还是向南生长。在这里，我们提供了来自祁连山南部党河南山和野马南山之间的党河山谷的野外调查古水流、岩相学、重矿物分析和锆石 UPb 年龄的物源数据。结果表明，早更新世期间，物源从野马南山向北到向南的党河南山发生了“跷跷板”变化，这表明党河南山向北逆冲。结合前人研究，我们对南祁连山第四纪快速折返的推论，强化了更新世南祁连山向北扩展的论点，并暗示了青藏高原东北部祁连山的复杂生长模式。