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Nature 444, E4 (16 November 2006) | doi:10.1038/nature05368; Published online 15 November 2006

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Earth science: Palaeo-altimetry of Tibet

Peter Molnar1, Gregory A. Houseman2 & Philip C. England3

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Arising from: D. B. Rowley & B. S. Currie Nature 439, 677–681 (2006); Rowley & Currie reply

The determination of palaeo-elevation has emerged in the past 15 years as an important tool for constraining physical processes that govern the formation of mountain belts. Rowley and Currie1 report palaeo-elevations for the Lunpola basin within the Tibetan plateau and claim that these elevations are incompatible with 'mantle-thickening models' for mountain formation. We show here that their data do not support this conclusion and, indeed, are consistent with its opposite. The Tibetan plateau could have risen by a kilometre or more as its dense lower lithosphere sank into the underlying mantle.

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