Cenozoic surface uplift of Tibetan Plateau has driven the birth and reorganization of large river systems in Asia. The development of the Yangtze River, closely linked to plateau uplift, has important implications for the regional tectonic‐geomorphology processes, but is still under debate. The key scientific question is whether the Upper Yangtze (upper Jinshajiang) once flowed southeast to the South China Sea. In this study, we carried out provenance analysis on Paleogene sedimentary rocks in the Jianchuan Basin, composed of the Baoxiangsi, Jinsichang, and Shuanghe formations. We compared them with similar deposits in other regional basins, as well as with potential sources. Heavy‐mineral and geochemical data show that sediments from the Jinsichang formation are more mature compared with those from the Shuanghe and Baoxiangsi formations. The Jinsichang formation represents the products of a large fluvial system, whereas the Baoxiangsi formation is mainly dominated by local sources. The Shuanghe formation contains material from both distant sources and locally eroded materials. Detrital zircon U‐Pb age patterns from the Jianchuan Basin are similar to those in sediments in the Gonjo, Simao, and Chuxiong basins, and show great similarity with the modern Jinshajiang River. Statistical analysis of the zircon ages suggests that the Songpan‐Ganzi terrane was the primary source for all sediments, while the Yangtze Craton and northern Qiangtang terrane constitute secondary sources. Taken together these data confirm that a paleo‐Jinshajiang flowed south toward to the South China Sea from the SE Tibetan Plateau in the late Eocene, constraining the age of formation of the First Bend.

The Weihe Basin is an intracontinental rift basin in central China that provides an ideal location for studying the interactions between regional tectonics and monsoonal climate change. In this paper, we present detrital zircon U–Pb ages from sediments from Core LYH drilled in the northern margin of the basin. We use these to illuminate changing sediment transport processes, provenance and palaeo-environments during the Quaternary. The sediments are dominated by zircon age groups of 100–400 Ma and 400–550 Ma, and three secondary age peaks at 700–1100 Ma, 1700–2100 Ma and 2400–2600 Ma. Multidimensional scaling plots support the conclusion that the Central Loess Plateau and the Luo River are the dominant sources of sediments to the core site. Before c. 1.06 Ma, the Qinling Mountains and the Wei River, as well as the Yellow River, had minor influence on the sedimentation at the core site. These results are consistent with the existence of a palaeolake prior to 1.06 Ma, which allowed sediments supplied to the south and east edge of the basin to be reworked to the northern side of the Weihe Basin. Subsequently, the Luo River has provided a steady source of sediments to the northern Weihe Basin.

This study focused on the surface microtextures of quartz grains deposited by dam-break floods in Jiacha Gorge, situated in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River. Utilizing a scanning electron microscope (SEM), 200 quartz grains were observed and analyzed based on their microtextural features. Our findings reveal specific microtextures—such as angular outlines, high relief, flat cleavage surfaces, conchoidal fractures, and steps—that serve as clear indicators of the extreme energy associated with dam-break floods in Jiacha Gorge, distinguishing them from meteorological floods and smaller-scale dam-break events. These features also facilitate the differentiation of dam-break flood deposits from those of other sedimentary environments. This research demonstrates that quartz microtextures are a valuable tool for reconstructing sediment transport processes during extreme flood events. We recommend integrating microtextural analysis with complementary methods to refine interpretations and address methodological uncertainties in future studies.

Understanding the provenance and sediment surface processes of the Mu Us sandy land (MU) is critical for comprehending aeolian deposits and dust transportation in inland Asia and the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). In this study, we analyzed the detrital zircon U–Pb ages in the sediments of the MU, together with the previously collected data from sediments in the Hobq desert and CLP. Our findings demonstrate that there is spatial heterogeneity in the sediment characteristics of the MU and Hobq regions, with noticeable differences between northeastern and southwestern areas. In addition, the northeastern part of the CLP displays significant dissimilarities from other regions of the CLP. The NE MU, Eastern Hobq, and NE CLP inherit the main characteristics of basement rocks from the Western North China Craton, with prominent age ranges of 1600–2200 Ma and 2200–2800 Ma, indicating that this region is likely more controlled by in-situ weathering and recycling. In contrast, the SW MU, West-Middle Hobq and most parts of CLP show multiple sources, with a higher proportion of 200–350 Ma and 350–600 Ma, reflecting that the aeolian deposits in this area may be associated with more frequent earth surface processes such as sand-driving winds and fluvial transport. Although all three regions are situated within the square bend of the Yellow River and under the prevailing winds direction, sediments in the first two areas appear to have a more mixed contribution of both local and distal sources. In contrast, deposits in the CLP region were primarily sourced from the northeast Tibetan Plateau via the upper Yellow River. This indicates a variation in dust sources from north to south and suggests that the MU is part of the same sedimentary system as the CLP, rather than its direct source.