The uplift of Tibet was a primary driver of global Cenozoic cooling
While several studies link the uplift of Tibet and associated silicate weathering to Cenozoic cooling, other research suggests that global cooling itself or atmospheric CO2 fluctuations drove these regional changes, keeping the primary causal direction actively debated.
The retrieved papers present mixed findings. Papers [0], [1], and [9] support the traditional hypothesis that tectonic uplift in the Tibetan/Himalayan region enhanced silicate weathering and contributed to Cenozoic cooling. Conversely, papers [2] and [8] argue or simulate that global cooling and atmospheric CO2 declines were the primary drivers rather than regional tectonic uplift. Therefore, the verdict is CONTESTED due to ongoing debate over the exact cause-and-effect relationships between tectonics, weathering, and global cooling.
The evidence we hold leans leans supported
How this was weighed
official record 3x · fact-check 2x · hedged 1x · crowd & reference 1x
- Monsoon‐Enhanced Silicate Weathering as a New Atmospheric CO · peer-reviewed · supports · weight 1.3 · 2020
- Trends and Transitions in Silicate Weathering in the Asian I · peer-reviewed · supports · weight 1.3 · 2022
- Enhanced weathering input from South Asia to the Indian Ocea · peer-reviewed · supports · weight 1.05 · 2023
- Large-number detrital zircon U-Pb ages reveal global cooling · peer-reviewed · refutes · weight 1.05 · 2022
- East Asian winter monsoon intensification over the Northwest · peer-reviewed · refutes · weight 1.05 · 2024
Yibo Yang, Chengcheng Ye, A. Galy, X. Fang, Y. Xue, Yudong Liu, Rongsheng Yang, Ran Zhang, W. Han, Weilin Zhang, X. Ruan. Monsoon‐Enhanced Silicate Weathering as a New Atmospheric CO2 Consumption Mechanism Contributing to Fast Late Miocene Global Cooling. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020PA004008
Paper 0 demonstrates that enhanced silicate weathering over the East Asian monsoon region contributed to late Miocene global cooling.
Zhang H, Lu H, He J, Xie W, Wang H, Zhang H, Breecker D, Bird A, Stevens T, Nie J, Li G. Large-number detrital zircon U-Pb ages reveal global cooling caused the formation of the Chinese Loess Plateau during Late Miocene.. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abq2007
Paper 2 argues that global cooling was the primary driver of regional landscape formation and dust production rather than regional tectonic deformation.
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Yibo Yang, W. Han, Chengcheng Ye, A. Galy, X. Fang. Trends and Transitions in Silicate Weathering in the Asian Interior (NE Tibet) Since 53 Ma. 2022. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.824404
Paper 1 links Tibetan Plateau uplift and increased regional silicate weathering to Cenozoic cooling via atmospheric CO2 drawdown.
Song Z, Wan S, Colin C, France-Lanord C, Yu Z, Dapoigny A, Jin H, Li M, Zhang J, Zhao D, Shi X, Li A. Enhanced weathering input from South Asia to the Indian Ocean since the late Eocene.. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2023.01.015
Paper 9 provides evidence that enhanced South Asian weathering input, driven by the uplift of the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau, played a significant role in late Cenozoic cooling.
Zhang Q, Zhang R, Hao Q, Clift PD, Roberts AP, Florindo F, Li Q, Liu J, Liu Z, Gui K, Che H, Che H, Liu S, Qiao Q, Ju L, Jin C, Liu C, Liu Q, Xiao W, Guo Z. East Asian winter monsoon intensification over the Northwest Pacific Ocean driven by late Miocene atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> decline.. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adm8270
Paper 8 suggests through paleoclimate simulations that atmospheric CO2 decline and other factors played a more vital role than Tibetan Plateau uplift in regional climate and monsoon intensification.
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