Geologic and geomorphologic evidence from the Shaluli Mountain indicates that the planation surface that formed in the Late Tertiary disintegrated during the Late Pliocene-Early Quaternary. At the same time, rift ba- sins appeared on some parts of the planation surface, and began to accumulate fluvial-lacustrine sediment. These are interpreted as being the response of this region to Phase-A of the Qingzang Tectonic Movement. After this, the Shaluli Mountain continued to rise in several pulses. Faulting and incision by some large tributaries of the Jinsha and Yalong Rivers resulted in several rift river valleys and the earliest terraces. Generally, the planation surface in this region had been uplifted to about 3500—3700 m a.s.l. no later than 550—600 ka BP, after the Kunlun-Huanghe Tectonic Move- ment, and coupled with global glacial climate, and resulted in the earliest glaciation recognized so far in the Hengduan Mountains. At the same time, loess was deposited in the Ganzi area of the northern Shaluli Mountain. During the last glacial period, the Shaluli Mountain approached its present altitude and developed several large ice caps, such as the Daocheng Ice Cap and Xinlong Ice Cap, as well as several huge valley glaciers. These paleoglaciers produced some of the most spectacular glacial topography on the Tibetan Pla- teau.
ZHOU Shangzhe1,2, XU Liubing1, CUI Jianxin1, ZHANG Xiaowei1 & ZHAO Jingdong1 1. National Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems of Ministry of Education of China and Department of Geography, Lan- zhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
锅穴地貌现象在西方地学界已有长足的研究,在中国地貌学界也并不陌生。锅穴通常形成于山区溪流河床,也形成于风化风蚀、石灰岩溶蚀、湖滨海岸浪蚀等作用。北美、北欧末次冰期大冰盖覆盖过的地方有冰水形成的锅穴。因此,锅穴是一种多成因的地貌现象。见到锅穴而不加多方辨别论证,一概说成是冰川形成,显然是十分危险的。风化和溶蚀形成锅穴属于物理化学作用,而流水和浪蚀形成锅穴属于水动力作用。关于水动力如何形成锅穴,西方地学界早就形成了公认的解释。冰水锅穴经过反复研究也确认,其形成机理与山区河流无异,均属湍急流水在河床局部形成环流驱动沙砾长期磨蚀的结果。既非西方人19世纪提出的“Mou lin Hypothesis”能够成功解释,更非眼下国内少数人倡导的“滴水穿石”能够说明。河谷跌水比想象的冰川终端冰崖缺水更加有利。
