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The Dadu River in the eastern Tibetan Plateau has the potential to record transient variations of tectonic uplift since the Late Cenozoic. In this study, we extracted bedrock channels of the Dadu River drainage basin from the 30 m ASTER digital elevation model. The longitudinal river profiles were then analyzed, and three generations of knickpoints were recognized via the slope area method. By solving the analytical solution of the linear transient stream power incision model, we determined a Late Cenozoic history of regional tectonic uplift. The results reveal slow pre–middle Miocene uplift rates (<0.1 mm/a) and then increased gradually to 0.33 ± 0.03 mm/a since 12–15 Ma until present. This increase of uplift rate from bedrock channel inversion is consistent with the regional findings of low‐temperature themochronology, emphasizing the potential and significance to utilize channel profiles to infer the tectonic uplift history. Plain Language Summary: Recently, numerous thermochronology studies have provided constraints on the timing of rapid denudation along the eastern Tibetan Plateau. However, the rates of denudation/uplift determined by thermochronological profiles are often given as an average since a certain time duration. Thus, it is difficult to quantify the history of the tectonic uplift and whether uplift has been uniform or varied through time. We used the linear simulation method and inverted the longitudinal river profiles to decipher the Late Cenozoic uplift history of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. The results reveal that before the middle Miocene, the uplift rate was slow (<0.1 mm/a), and it increased gradually to 0.33 ± 0.03 mm/a since 12–15 Ma until present. Key Points: Linear inversion of the longitudinal river profiles for Tibetan Plateau uplift historyIncrease of the uplift rate since 12-15 Ma, consistent with regional resultsNew evidence of the late Miocene tectonic uplift in eastern Tibet [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The causes of terrace formation in active orogenic belts have long been studied. Here, we present a synthesis of 147 available papers on the ages of Quaternary terraces within the Tibetan Plateau and along the surrounding orogenic belts. More than 1500 ages were collected to establish a database for exploring the causes of fluvial terrace formation. Because the age data were collected from different settings, ages younger than 200 ka were grouped into three regional climate systems: the westerlies, Indian summer monsoon, and East Asian summer monsoon. We further examined the relationship between terrace formation and climate change, as well as the contribution of tectonic uplift. Our results indicate that the intervals of fluvial terrace formation are synchronous with transitions in global climate from cooler to warmer conditions (stadials to interstadials). We propose that the formation of fluvial terraces across the Tibetan Plateau has been controlled mainly by cyclical climate changes, although there is not a one-to-one correspondence. • An age database for fluvial terraces across the Tibetan Plateau since ∼3 Mya. • Fluvial terraces development during stadials-interstadials transition periods. • Complex interaction of climatic and tectonic processes in terrace generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]