The left‐lateral strike‐slip Altyn Tagh fault that defines the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau plays a crucial role in accommodating the Cenozoic deformation related to the growth of plateau. However, the slip history along the fault remains highly debated. Here we report new 14–16 Ma apatite fission track (AFT) and 9–11 Ma apatite (U‐Th)/He (AHe) data in the western Danghenan Shan, north Tibet. Age‐elevation relationships and AFT/AHe age differences suggest a period of rapid exhumation with an average rate of 0.1–0.3 km/Ma from 16 to 9 Ma for this area. Thermal history modeling indicates that this was preceded by accelerated exhumation between the late Oligocene and middle Miocene (~15 Ma). A northward increase in AFT ages and asymmetric topography across the western Danghenan Shan indicate that the uplift and exhumation are mainly controlled by the thrust fault along the southern flank of the western Danghenan Shan. As the thrust fault is a branch of the Altyn Tagh fault, the rapid exhumation probably represents onset of the transition along the Altyn Tagh fault from left‐slip motion to crustal shortening in the Dangnenan Shan region. Our findings show that the middle Miocene deformation is not only recorded in the middle and northern Qilian Shan but also in the southwestern portion of the Qilian Shan, which favors a synchronous middle‐Miocene deformation model for the entire Qilian Shan.

Climate change and tectonic activity through erosion control Earth’s topography, much of which is shaped by river incision. The Yarlung River has dissected the Indian‐Asian Collision Zone, and is one of the Earth’s largest rivers. However, its erosion rate history and how it interacts with regional tectonics remain ambiguous. Here, we apply low‐temperature thermochronometry and thermal‐kinematic models for bedrock samples from the Yarlung River. Our analysis reveals two stages of relatively fast exhumation occurred in different parts of the middle reach of the Yarlung River followed by remarkedly slow exhumation rate. First, a mid‐Miocene period (15–9 Ma) of rapid exhumation occurred along much of the Yarlung River, including within wide portions of the valley and its tributaries. This period of rapid exhumation coincides with the stage of high precipitation rates recorded in the Asian marginal basins and the timing of the east‐west extensional faults. In combination with extensional faults, the enhanced precipitation due to the onset of Asian monsoon would increase river discharge and thus accelerate mid‐Miocene exhumation rates. Second, a Pliocene‐Pleistocene (5–2 Ma) period of accelerated exhumation limited to gorges occurred in response to north‐south normal faulting, implying local tectonics as a first‐order control. Our results highlight roles of climatic and tectonic processes in shaping fluvial topography and how these change with time.

Dispersion in apatite (U‐Th)/He ages makes extracting thermochronological information challenging. This is particularly problematic for constraining the thermal history of sedimentary basins, as the total amount of heating during burial can be small and at the limits of the sensitivity of the apatite (U‐Th)/He system in apatite, but undetectable with other thermochronometric systems. Here we explore the importance of the differences in predepositional thermal histories for individual crystals and the effect of radiation damage‐related diffusion during both the predepositional and postdepositional thermal history on the dispersion of apatite (U‐Th)/He ages. Different predepositional thermal histories can lead to a large spread of detrital ages due to radiation damage and its effect on He diffusivity. The resulting ages may appear scattered, and relationships between age and [eU], a conventional proxy for accumulated radiation damage, may be nonexistent or nonsensical. Furthermore, other variables that are expected to control He diffusivity could vary as a function of source region, resulting in false conclusions about controls on He diffusivity and the applicability of the apatite (U‐Th)/He system in general. We suggest that in some situations in which detrital apatite (U‐Th)/He age does not correlate with [eU], it is not because of problems with the thermochronometric system, but problems with the assumed geological model.

Variations in rock strength act as a first‐order control on mountain landscapes. However, the transient topographic signal of basement exhumation has not been explored. We use model outputs to demonstrate the mobility of drainage divides in mountain ranges in response to the exhumation of basement rocks and the implications for the morphology of river catchments. The exhumation of harder rocks within a catchment reduces upstream channel steepness and erosion rates in contrast to neighboring catchments. The results are a shift in the orogen‐scale drainage divide toward the harder rocks, and the formation of range parallel longitudinal valleys as neighboring river networks capture the headwaters of catchments impacted by the harder lithology. Our model outputs provide a process explanation for the initiation of many longitudinal valleys in mountain ranges, and for the pinning of drainage divides on rocks of higher strength as seen the Central Pyrenees, Western Alps, or High Atlas.