DEFORMING THE ROOF OF THE WORLD

Tectonic synthesis - this embodied An Yin’s mentoring approach. The integration of field observations, map patterns, and seemingly disparate geophysical data, sets the stage for bold ideas that reimagine kinematic models for plateau orogenesis. My experience in Tibet and its margins has relied on remote sensing data, in particular, satellite imagery, the revolutionary SRTM data, earthquake focal mechanisms, and geodesy. I continue this approach to interrogate the Tibetan Plateau and argue that south Tibet is actively uplifting and the largest rivers are in disequilibrium. In particular, I posit that surface uplift has caused the Yarlung River to reverse its flow direction from west to east. The hypothesized mechanism of surface uplift is a response from crustal thickening at depth along crustal ramps related to underthrusting India, specifically below the Higher Himalaya and the Gangdese Range. I will show that this inference is based on remote sensing, lithologic map patterns, geophysical imaging, earthquake focal mechanisms, and geodetic data that reconcile and are consistent with, the India underthrusting model. Some may think this scenario is wildly implausible, but I argue it pushes the field foreword and promotes a lively and healthy debate. Let us celebrate Yin’s legacy as an ever expanding orbital spiral of bold ideas at the forefront of our understanding of Earth, the surrounding planets, and moons.