Kunlun Volcanic Group
| Kunlun Volcanic Group | |
|---|---|
 Kunlun Volcanic Group
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,808 m (19,055 ft) |
| Coordinates | 35.52°0′0″N 80.2°0′0″E / 35.52000°N 80.20000°ECoordinates: 35.52°0′0″N 80.2°0′0″E / 35.52000°N 80.20000°E |
| Geography | |
| Location | China, Kunlun Mountains |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Pyroclastic cones |
| Last eruption | May 1951 |
Kunlun volcanic group, also known as Ashikule, is a volcanic field in northwestern Tibet. Eight other volcanic fields are also in the area. The field is within a basin that also contains three lakes.
Volcanism in the field has produced lavas and cones, with rocks having varying compositions dominated by trachyandesite. Volcanism in the field may be influenced by faults in the area.
The dates obtained from the field range from 5.0 ± 0.6 million years ago to 74,000 ± 4,000 years ago. An eruption of Ashi volcano was observed in 1951, making this one of China's youngest volcanoes.
The Tibetan Plateau formed through the collision of India with Eurasia.K-rich volcanic activity in the Tibetan Plateau has been occurring since 50 million years ago. After 8 million years ago, this volcanism occurred mainly in northwestern Tibet. It is not clear why volcanism occurs in the Tibetan plateau considering that the area is dominated by the collision between continents rather than subduction, which happens in other volcanically active areas. Southward subduction of the Asian Plate and the northward one of the Indian Plate have been found.Mélange from these subducting plates forms the source material of the magmas of the volcanic fields in northwestern Tibet, although isotope data suggest that the Ashikule magma may not derive from subduction. Magma generation in Ashikule could have been affected by garnet or garnet-containing crustal layers. More generally, the crust beneath northern and central Tibet is suspected to be partially molten between 55–60 kilometres (34–37 mi) of depth.
Rocks younger than 350,000 years have been found in the Tengchong system in the southeast and the Ashikule plateau in the northwestern part of Tibet. These are also the only volcanic systems with Holocene activity in Tibet. The volcanic areas of northwestern Tibet for the most part are situated at over 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) altitude and are poorly accessible.
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