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Environmental evolution of the south margin of Qaidam Basin reconstructed from the Holocene loess deposit by n-alkane and pollen records

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Abstract

This study provides the n-alkane and pollen records of the Holocene loess at Balong (巴隆) Town, Dulan (都兰) County, Qinghai (青海) Province, and the environmental changes reconstructed from both records agreed well. Three stages of past climate change were deciphered by variations of the n-alkane and pollen proxies. Before 5 370 a BP, the climate was warm-dry but slightly humid, corresponding to the Mid-Holocene climatic optimum; 5 370–3 830 a BP, the climate changed alternatively between warm-dry slightly humid and warm-dry, indicating the transition from the Mid-Holocene climatic optimum to the Late Holocene cold period; after 3 830 a BP, the climate was mainly warm-dry. The warm cool and extremely dry climate during 3 040–2 600 a BP was recorded by both the n-alkane and pollen proxies, suggesting the environment evolved into desert or salt lake, in accordance with the cold and highly frequent natural disaster period in the Western Zhou Dynasty (ca. 2 996–2 721 a BP) in China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Shuyuan Xiang  (向树元), Guocan Wang  (王国灿) & Jianxin Yu  (喻建新)

  2. Geological Survey of China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Shuyuan Xiang  (向树元)

  3. Laboratory of Salt Lake Geology and Environment, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, 810008, China

    Fangming Zeng  (曾方明)

Authors
  1. Shuyuan Xiang  (向树元)
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  2. Fangming Zeng  (曾方明)
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  3. Guocan Wang  (王国灿)
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  4. Jianxin Yu  (喻建新)
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Shuyuan Xiang  (向树元) or Fangming Zeng  (曾方明).

Additional information

This study was supported by China Geological Survey (Nos. 1212011121261 and 1212011121224).

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Xiang, S., Zeng, F., Wang, G. et al. Environmental evolution of the south margin of Qaidam Basin reconstructed from the Holocene loess deposit by n-alkane and pollen records. J. Earth Sci. 24, 170–178 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-013-0320-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-013-0320-7

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