Shifts in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, Himalayan exhumation, and late Cenozoic climate

Research Article| January 01, 2011 Shifts in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, Himalayan exhumation, and late Cenozoic climate Howard A. Armstrong; Howard A. Armstrong Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mark B. Allen Mark B. Allen Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Howard A. Armstrong Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK Mark B. Allen Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 05 Jan 2010 Revision Received: 26 Jul 2010 Accepted: 28 Jul 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2011 Geological Society of America Geology (2011) 39 (1): 11–14. https://doi.org/10.1130/G31005.1 Article history Received: 05 Jan 2010 Revision Received: 26 Jul 2010 Accepted: 28 Jul 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Howard A. Armstrong, Mark B. Allen; Shifts in the Intertropical Convergence Zone, Himalayan exhumation, and late Cenozoic climate. Geology 2011;; 39 (1): 11–14. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G31005.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The Early Miocene (ca. 23–16 Ma) was the time of peak Himalayan exhumation and postulated mid-crustal channel flow in the High Himalayas, a tectonic configuration not recognized before or after in the range. Previous models have correlated this rapid exhumation with the onset of the Asian monsoon, and/or suggested that it contributed ultimately to mid-Miocene global cooling via silicate weathering and/or organic carbon burial, and consequent atmospheric CO2 drawdown. Based on published Pacific Ocean sedimentation records and India-Eurasia plate reconstructions, we compare the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) with the paleolatitude of the Himalayas, and show that these converged in the Early Miocene. Because the ITCZ is a zone of high precipitation, we suggest that this convergence was an important driver of Early Miocene High Himalayan exhumation and erosion. Continued northward motion of the Indian plate took the Himalayas north of the ITCZ, which migrated south through the remainder of the Miocene. High Himalayan exhumation and ductile shearing correspondingly decreased after the Early Miocene. This mechanism for increased Himalayan erosion is independent of the timing of the onset or enhancement of the Asian monsoon, which is debated. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.