Tectonosedimentary evolution model of an intracontinental flexural (foreland) basin for paleoclimatic research

Intracontinental flexural (foreland) basin sediments are now frequently used as archives for detailed paleoclimatic and sedimentary environmental reconstruction, fossil and stratigraphic correlation, and tectonic evolution and uplift of basin and orogen. However, sedimentologic characteristics vary considerably in time-space with the evolution of flexural basin, apt to cause misinterpretation of climatic change and stratigraphic correlation. Based on high resolution fossil mammal and magnetostratigraphic constraints and sedimentary facies analysis, here we took the Linxia Basin at the front of the NE Tibetan Plateau as a case to demonstrate and figure out a model how sedimentology and stratigraphy vary temporospatially with the evolution of such flexural basin. The results show that the Linxia Basin is a type intracontinental foreland basin subjected to two phases of flexural deformation exerted by the West Qin Ling (Mts.) and NE Tibetan Plateau to the south. Phase I began latest at the beginning of the Miocene (23.3 Ma), indicated by a balanced fast flexural subsidence and mostly fine sediment infilling giving rise to the early underlying unconformity. It manifests as an obvious sediment wedge with high filling rate, thickening toward mountains and an occurrence of a mountains-parallel big river - shallow lake system along the foredeep, suggesting a less high mountain topography. In the late Phase I, from ~ 13 Ma to 8 Ma, the subsidence and thickening rates began to decrease, accompanied by faults and deformation propagating gradually into the basin, causing gradual basinward migration of the foredeep and its accompanying river-lake system. Since ~ 8 Ma in Phase II, the West Qin Ling and NE Tibetan began to uplift rapidly and thrust/load onto the Linxia Basin, causing strong mountain erosion, thrust-fold belt propagation and basin overfilling. This forced the mountains-parallel river - lake system to turn to the mountains-perpendicular alluvial - braided river system, and finally to an outflow system by the Quaternary onset of the Yellow River in the basin. Concurrent are rapid rotation of the basin, occurrence of growth strata and late unconformities, widespread expansion of boulder conglomerates, great decreasing and increasing sedimentation rates above and before the hanging wall of the fault-fold system and new supplementary provenance from the thrust-fold system. This demonstrates that in stable climate, same lithologic units such as distinct lacustrine sediments and alluvial conglomerates will migrate basinwards with the foredeep moving into basin, causing a great diachroneity and often misleads to recognize the same lithologic unit in space as one unit in time. A dynamic model is presented that should help to avoid such pitfalls in tectonic basin evolution, especially concerning stratigraphic correlation and paleoclimatic change research.