| Session Details | |
| Section | SE - Solid Earth Sciences |
| Session Title | Cenozoic Deformation of Orogenic Belts in Asia: a Multiscale Spatial and Temporal Investigation |
| Main Convener | Dr. Huiping Zhang (China Earthquake Administration, China) |
| Co-convener(s) | Dr. Kristin Morell (University of California, Santa Barbara, United States) Prof. Wenjun Zheng (Sun Yat-sen University, China) Dr. Zhikun Ren (China Earthquake Administration, China) Dr. Renjie Zhou (University of Queensland, Australia) |
| Session Description | Orogenic belts in Asia, such as Himalayas, Longmen Shan, Qilian Shan around the Tibetan Plateau, host some of the most complex and diverse deformation, particularly during the Cenozoic. Many fundamental tectonic processes find their classic examples here, including collisional tectonics, subduction of the oceanic plates, opening of the marginal seas, and changes in the thermal state of the lithosphere induced by crustal and mantle processes. Questions and controversies persist over the above processes as to how they interact with each other and how they may contribute to creating the widespread intracontinental deformation in Asia. For example, although most agree that the high topography of Tibetan Plateau expanded in the late Cenozoic, an increasing body of evidence suggests that a significant portion of the present-day plateau may have a protracted history of deformation starting before or shortly after India-Eurasia collision. The geometry and kinematics of orogenic systems serve as critical indicators for deciphering the mechanisms of continental deformation, and are important boundary conditions for investigating their effects on the atmospheric circulation and long-term climate change. These data are also essential for understanding the geodynamic processes that operate in these orogenic systems across time scales. New data and hypotheses are needed to advance our understanding in the space-time processes and patterns of deformation in these orogenic regions. In this session, we seek contributions from studies on spatiotemporal processes and patterns of the Cenozoic deformation throughout Asian orogenic belts, especially in E/SE Asia and Pacific regions. In particular, we welcome contributions that address these topics from interdisciplinary studies that utilize structural geology, sedimentology, thermochronology, active tectonics, and numerical methods. These data may include inferences of timing and pattern of deformation across multiple scales, from individual faults to basins and ranges, to orogenic systems that lie along plate boundaries. |