Revealing the evolutionary history of the Yangtze River based on sediments provenance in the middle and lower reaches and offshore regions: progress, challenges and prospects

The Yangtze River, as a critical link between the Tibetan Plateau and the marginal seas of the western Pacific, serves as an important window for understanding the coupling mechanisms of tectonics, geomorphology, and climate in East Asia. Extensive research has been conducted on the formation and evolution of the Yangtze River, covering a wide range of regions from the upstream plateau gorges and river terraces in Three Gorges to the gravel layers in the mid-lower reaches, the Jianghan Basin and offshore basins. These studies have employed multidisciplinary approaches such as tectonic geomorphology and sedimentology to in-depth analyse. However, the timing of the river’s full connection remains highly debated, with hypotheses ranging from the Eocene, pre-Miocene, late Miocene, to the early—middle Pleistocene transition. Based on provenance analysis of sediments from the middle—lower Yangtze River and the offshore region, this study systematically reviews the methods and progress in the research on the Yangtze River’s evolution, discussing the applicability and challenges of different provenance approaches. Although multiple provenance methods provide crucial evidence for understanding the river’s evolution, each method has its limitations. High-closure-temperature provenance methods (e.g., detrital zircon U-Pb dating) are significantly affected by recycled materials, making it difficult to accurately distinguish sediment contributions from the eastern Tibetan Plateau and the middle—lower Yangtze River. Low closure temperature methods (e.g., fission track dating, mica and potassium feldspar ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating) can effectively reflect the unique uplift and erosion processes of the eastern marginal Tibetan Plateau, but such studies remain relatively scarce. Moreover, terrestrial sediments are often influenced by local sources and suffer from poor depositional continuity, making it challenging to trace long-term provenance changes. In contrast, marine sedimentary sequences are less affected by local sources and offer advantages such as better continuity and higher chronological precision. It should be highlighted in the combined application of multiple isotopic provenance methods and the research on recording marine sedimentation including East China Sea Basin in the future. A comprehensive analysis with the change of sedimentation rate is expected to effectively reveal the evolution of the Yangtze River.