Magnetostratigraphy of the Dali Basin in Yunnan and implications for late Neogene rotation of the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

[1] The rotation pattern and fault activity in the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau (SEMTP) provide meaningful constraints on the geodynamic evolution of the plateau. However, the lack of Cenozoic paleomagnetic studies and accurate age constraints on Neogene sediments prevents a better understanding of the late Cenozoic tectonic activity in this area. To clarify the tectonic rotation pattern and deformation history of the SEMTP, we report new magnetostratigraphic data from a late Neogene sedimentary sequence in the Dali Basin, northwestern Yunnan Province, China. Rock magnetic analyses indicate that both magnetite and hematite are the main carriers of the characteristic remanent magnetizations (ChRMs). Magnetostratigraphic results show that the sedimentary profile spans from Chron C4n.1r to Chron C2n. The age of the sedimentary sequence in the Dali Basin can thus be paleomagnetically constrained to an interval from late Miocene to early Pleistocene. The basal age of the sediments is ~7.6 Ma, which indicates that the unroofing of Diancang Shan and activation of the Dali fault system were initiated at this time. The appearance of conglomerates and syntectonic sediments suggests the reactivation of the Dali fault system at ~2.5 Ma. Moreover, the overall mean ChRM direction suggests that the Dali Basin experienced significant (4.4 ± 2.5°), but minor post–late Miocene rotation. This indicates that most of the clockwise rotation demonstrated by previous paleomagnetic studies in the SEMTP occurred prior to late Miocene and may be concentrated between Eocene and Miocene, which is contemporaneous with the sinistral slip of the Ailao Shan-Red River fault.