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Denudation rates of crystalline rock in the Huangling anticline of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River in China since the Eocene

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Abstract

In the crystalline rock region of the Huangling anticline center located in the eastern part of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, 6 typical geological topographical section lines were selected and their paleotopographies were reconstructed. Based on the difference between the present topography and the paleotopography, the denudation thicknesses of different topographical positions could be calculated. According to the principle of denudation correlated with deposition, the initial denudation age of the crystalline rock was inferred from the sedimentary strata deposited in the Jianghan basin near the Huangling anticline, including crystalline rock gravel from the Huangling anticline, which was about 56.5 MaBP. The widespread and intensive denudation took place at about 2.4 MaBP. On the basis of the above-mentioned initial denudation age (56.5 MaBP) and the denudation thicknesses, the denudation rates of different topographical summit levels, different topographical terrace levels and various watershed systems were calculated. The greatest denudation rate is 49.56 mm/ka. The average denudation rate is 16.97 mm/ka in the crystalline rock region of the Huangling anticline.

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Correspondence to Liping Zhang.

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Zhang, L., Yang, D. & Zhu, D. Denudation rates of crystalline rock in the Huangling anticline of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River in China since the Eocene. Sci. China Ser. D-Earth Sci. 46, 928–940 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02991339

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