Sediment storage and morphology of the Yalu Tsangpo valley due to uneven uplift of the Himalaya

• Published in: Science China. Earth sciences Vol. 58; no. 8; pp. 1440 - 1445
• Main Authors: Wang, ZhaoYin, Yu, GuoAn, Wang, XuZhao, Melching, Charles S., Liu, Le
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Science China Press 01.08.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Canyons; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Field tests; Gravel; Morphology; Research Paper; River valleys; Rivers; Sediment transport; Sediments; Valleys; 不均匀; 喜马拉雅; 存储; 形态; 抬升速率; 沉积物; 流域泥沙; 雅鲁藏布大峡谷; Himalaya Mountains; Asia, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau; Pakistan, Himalayas; China, People's Rep., Xizang, Tsangpo R; himalaya; wide valley; uneven uplift; sediment deposits; Yalu Tsangpo River
• ISSN: 1674-7313; 1869-1897; 1869-1897
• DOI: 10.1007/s11430-015-5113-7

The fluvial process of the Yalu Tsangpo River occurs concurrently with the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Therefore, the river exhibits unique features in morphology and sediment deposition. Field investigations were performed from 2009-2011 and the depth of the interface between the sediment deposits and bed rock was detected with an electromagnetic imaging sys- tem （EH4） at 29 cross sections. Sediment deposits were sampled along the Yalu Tsangpo valley from Xietongmen to the Yalu Tsangpo Canyon. The results show that a huge amount of sediment has been deposited in four wide valley sections because the uplift rate in these sections was lower than that in the downstream gorge sections over the past million years. About 518 billion m3 of gravel and sand have been stored in the high mountain river valleys, which has changed the V-shaped mountain river valley into a U-shaped wide river valley in the four sections. In the sections with high uplift rates the river bed is incised and has formed gorges and the Yalu Tsangpo Canyon.