Neogene–Quaternary Channel Evolution and Provenance Shift of the Middle Yellow River.

The formation age of the middle Yellow River and the existence of a northward‐flowing river have been fiercely debated. The age distribution of detrital zircon varied spatiotemporally and produced contradictory provenance interpretations. The Jinshaan Gorge, the main part of the middle Yellow River and key to studying fluvial evolution and clarifying disputes, developed its topography during the late Cenozoic. In this study, we systematically review the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the North China Craton, perform detrital zircon U–Pb dating in the Neogene−Quaternary sediments and investigate the topography along the Jinshaan Gorge, and the sedimentology and chronological framework of these sediments. We propose that the Gorge of the middle Yellow River could have developed since the Neogene, controlled by the tectono‐geomorphologic evolution of the North China Craton in a dominantly extensional environment. No evidence supports a northward‐flowing river during the Early Pleistocene or even earlier in the Jinshaan Gorge. We attribute the provenance variations of the Cenozoic sediments to detrital mixing of diverse geological units, local and distant, and especially highlight the systematic provenance shift between the Neogene and Quaternary sediments caused by bedrock downcutting and recycling aeolian sediments. The increased 1.5−0.33 Ga component of the lower Yellow River during the Early Pleistocene was likely caused by enhanced loess accumulation and should not be individually used as a proxy for the Yellow River formation. We emphasize the significance of a comprehensive study of river evolution. Plain Language Summary: Three‐quarters of the Yellow River channel is located on the North China Craton, but the formation and evolution of the Yellow River have been usually attributed to the upper reaches due to the growth of the Tibetan Plateau. Geological units, such as aeolian deposits have a significant impact on the fluvial sediments of the Yellow River, and only systematic work can help unraveling their provenance and potential recycling. We have found that the tectonic evolution of the North China Craton between the rigid Ordos Block and the Lvliang Shan controlled the initial entrenchment of the Jinshaan Gorge in the middle Yellow River since the late or maybe the early Miocene. We have also revealed the complex spatial provenance changes of the fluvial sediments along the Yellow River and the systematic provenance shift between the Neogene and Quaternary sediments. At the same time, we emphasize the significance of an integrated study combining tectono‐geomorphic features, sedimentology and quantitative analysis, such as provenance, for the reconstruction of the river geological evolution. Key Points: The middle Yellow River has developed under the extensional tectonic evolution of the North China Craton since the CenozoicSystematic provenance shift between the Neogene and Quaternary sediments was caused by bedrock downcutting and aeolian depositionDetrital signal from the Tibetan Plateau cannot be transported to and detected in the lower Yellow River [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]