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Geochronology and mineral composition of the pleistocene sediments in Xitaijinair Salt Lake region, Qaidam Basin: Preliminary results

  • Paleontology and Sedimentology
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Abstract

Xitaijinair (XT) Salt Lake, located in the western Qaidam Basin, is significant for reconstructing the evolution of inland drying climate. However, the chronological and mineralogical records from this lake are rare. This study investigated the chronology (accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C ages and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages) and mineral compositions of sediment in the 240-cm-deep XT Section of the Xitaijinair Salt Lake region. The conclusions are drawn as follows: (1) Nine AMS 14C ages, ranging between 33 and 40 cal ka BP, are obviously younger than the two OSL ages (57.9 and 69.1 ka). The 14C ages probably reflect contamination with modern carbon. (2) Both 14C and OSL ages indicate that the surface of Xitaijinair Salt Lake region has suffered erosion. (3) The sediments of XT Section are composed of silicates (quartz, muscovite, clinochlore and albite), carbonates (calcite, dolomite, and ankertie), halite and gypsum.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41402314), the KLSLRC (No. KLSLRC-KF-13-DX-11), the Youth Guidance Foundation of ISL-CAS (No. Y460261051), the China Geological Survey (No. 12120113033029). We sincerely thank Drs. Qishun Fan, Xiushen Ye, Xiangjun Liu and Bo Yang for help in the laboratory work. Thanks are also extended to Binkai Li and Guowei Zhang for their help in field work. The comments by two anonymous reviewers and editors are highly appreciated. Sincerely thanks are extended to Professor Philip A. Meyers for polishing the English of this manuscript. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12583-016-0712-6.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Comprehensive and Highly Efficient Utilization of Salt Lake Resources, Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, 810008, China

    Fangming Zeng

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

    Fangming Zeng

  3. School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Shuyuan Xiang

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  1. Fangming Zeng
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Correspondence to Fangming Zeng.

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Zeng, F., Xiang, S. Geochronology and mineral composition of the pleistocene sediments in Xitaijinair Salt Lake region, Qaidam Basin: Preliminary results. J. Earth Sci. 28, 622–627 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-016-0712-6

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