Coupling between surface processes and crustal deformation: Insights from the late Cenozoic development of the Qaidam Basin, China

A central issue when studying landscape evolution is to quantify the effect of surface processes on tectonic deformation. To address this question, we systematically examine the relationship between the late Cenozoic pattern of sedimentary dispersal system in the endorheic Qaidam Basin in the northern Tibetan Plateau and its spatiotemporal variation in hydrological conditions. At present, the depocenter of the Qaidam Basin is located in the southern Qaidam Basin, which correlates with the largest stream runoff, whereas smaller depressions are located in the northern Qaidam Basin owing to lower stream runoffs. The northwestern boundary without obvious runoff corresponds to large-scale modern erosion regions in the northwestern Qaidam Basin. Based on these findings, good spatiotemporal couplings between sedimentary depressions and hydrological conditions have been proved in the Qaidam Basin, indicating that the changing hydrological pattern in the basin-bounding ranges has played as a first-order role in controlling the Quaternary landscape evolution of the Qaidam Basin.