The progressive co-evolutionary development of the Pan-Tibetan Highlands, the Asian monsoon system and Asian biodiversity

Abstract

Within the ongoing controversy regarding the orogeny of the Tibetan Plateau region, two directly conflicting endmember frameworks have emerged in which either: (1) a high central ‘proto-plateau’ existed before the onset of India–Asia continental collision; or (2) the early Paleogene central Tibet comprised a wide east–west-oriented lowland c. 1–2 km above sea-level, bounded by high (>4.5 km) mountain systems. Reconstructing the development of the plateau correctly is fundamental to running realistic Earth system models that explore monsoon and biodiversity evolution in the region, and understanding the interplay between monsoon dynamics, landscape and biodiversity is critical for future reso..