10.6084/m9.figshare.3454850.v1 Peter D. Clift Peter D. Clift Liviu Giosan Liviu Giosan Andrew Carter Andrew Carter Eduardo Garzanti Eduardo Garzanti Valier Galy Valier Galy Ali R. Tabrez Ali R. Tabrez Malcolm Pringle Malcolm Pringle Ian H. Campbell Ian H. Campbell Christian France-Lanord Christian France-Lanord Jurek Blusztajn Jurek Blusztajn Charlotte Allen Charlotte Allen Anwar Alizai Anwar Alizai Andreas Lückge Andreas Lückge Mohammed Danish Mohammed Danish M.M. Rabbani M.M. Rabbani Monsoon control over erosion patterns in the Western Himalaya: possible feed-back into the tectonic evolution Geological Society of London 2016 time δ 13 C Holocene sea level Apatite fission track ages Last Glacial Maximum tectonic evolution Himalaya Bulk sediment analyses erosion summer monsoon rains ka LGM Geology 2016-06-21 12:23:52 Dataset https://geolsoc.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Monsoon_control_over_erosion_patterns_in_the_Western_Himalaya_possible_feed-back_into_the_tectonic_evolution/3454850 <p>The Indus Delta is constructed of sediment eroded from the western Himalaya and since 20 ka has been subjected to strong variations in monsoon intensity. Provenance changes rapidly at 12–8 ka, although bulk and heavy mineral content remains relatively unchanged. Bulk sediment analyses shows more negative ε<sub>Nd</sub> and higher <sup>87</sup>Sr/<sup>86</sup>Sr values, peaking around 8–9 ka. Apatite fission track ages and biotite Ar–Ar ages show younger grains ages at 8–9 ka compared to at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). At the same time δ<sup>13</sup>C climbs from –23 to –20‰, suggestive of a shift from terrestrial to more marine organic carbon as Early Holocene sea level rose. U–Pb zircon ages suggest enhanced erosion of the Lesser Himalaya and a relative reduction in erosion from the Transhimalaya and Karakoram since the LGM. The shift in erosion to the south correlates with those regions now affected by the heaviest summer monsoon rains. The focused erosion along the southern edge of Tibet required by current tectonic models for the Greater Himalaya would be impossible to achieve without a strong summer monsoon. Our work supports the idea that although long-term monsoon strengthening is caused by uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, monsoon-driven erosion controls Himalayan tectonic evolution. </p>