A Comparative Study on the Effect of Down‐Pulling Lithospheric Root Beneath the West and East Mountain Ranges in the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

Abstract In order to understand the tectonic stress mechanism caused by crust equilibrium and lithospheric root pull in the West and East Qinghai‐Tibet plateau, two‐dimensional viscoelastic models are established and computed on the basis of geophysical data. The results show that the horizontal deviatoric compression mainly comes from down‐pulling lithospheric root and the northward convergence of Indian plate is secondary in the West Section, forming the topography “Mountain rising and Basin sinking”. While the horizontal deviatoric compression in the rigid upper crust induced by the down‐pulling lithospheric root is relatively weak in the East Section. By comparing the numerical modeling results, the difference of deep material and tectonic stress system may imply different evolution stages of mountain uplift in the West and East Qinghai‐Tibet plateau.