The interplay between climate and tectonics during the upward and outward growth of the Qilian Shan orogenic wedge, northern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract Mountains grow upward and outward when the accretion of material outpaces its removal. Mountain building is synergistically influenced by geodynamics, internal structures (crustal and lithospheric), and climate. The northward growth of the Qilian Shan, which occupies a transition zone between the ~4500 m high central Tibetan plateau and the adjacent