Abstract
It is generally considered that four-times ice age happened during the Quaternary epoch on the Tibetan Plateau. However, the research on the chronology of the four-times ice age is far from enough. The Shaluli Mountain on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau is an ideal place for plaeo-glacier study, because there are abundant Quaternary glacial remains there. This paper discusses the ages of the Quaternary glaciations, based on the exposure dating of roche moutonnée, moraines and glacial erosion surfaces using in situ cosmogenic isotopes 10Be. It is found that the exposure age of the roche moutonnée at Tuershan is 15 ka, corresponding to Stage 2 of the deep-sea oxygen isotope, suggesting that the roche moutonnée at Tuershan is formed in the last glacial maximum. The exposure age of glacial erosion surface at Laolinkou is 130–160 ka, corresponding to Stage 6 of the deep-sea oxygen isotope. The oldest end moraine at Kuzhaori may form at 421–766 kaBP, corresponding to Stages 12–18 of the deep-sea oxygen isotope. In accordance with the climate characteristic of stages 12, 14, 16 and 18 reflected by the deep-sea oxygen isotope, polar ice cores and loess sequence, the oldest end moraine at Kuzhaori may form at stage 12 or stage 16, the latter is more possible.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Broccoli A J, Manabe S. The effects of orography on mid-latitude Northern Hemisphere dry climate. J Climate, 1992, 5: 1181–1201
Wang J, Wang Y J, Liu Z C, et al. Cenozoic environmental evolution of the Qaidam Basin and its implications for the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and the drying of central Asia. Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol, 1999, 152: 37–47
Prell W L, Kutzbach J E. Sensitivity of the Indian Monsoon to forcing parameters and implications for its evolution. Nature, 1992, 36: 647–652
Kutzbach J E, Prell W L, Ruddiman W F. Sensitivity of Eurasian climate to surface uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. J Geol, 1993, 101: 177–190
Kuhle M. Reconstruction of the 2.4 million km2 Late Pleistocene ice sheet on the Tibetan Plateau and its impact on the global climate. Quat Int, 1998, 45/46: 71–108
Ruddiman W F, Kutzbach J E. Forcing of late Cenozoic Northern Hemisphere climate by plateau uplift in Southern Asia and the American West. J Geophs Res, 1989, 94(D15): 18409–18427
Li B Y, Li J J. Quaternary Glaciation Map of the Tibetan Plateau (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press, 1991
Zheng B X, Rutter N. On the problem of Quaternary glaciations, and the extent and patterns of Pleistocene ice cover in the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau. Quat Int, 1998, 45/46: 109–122
Zhou S Z, Li J J. A new study on Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in Ice Ages. Earth Sci Front (in Chinees), 2001, 8(1): 67–75
Shi Y F. A suggestion to improve the chronology of Quaternary glaciations in China. J Glacio Geocry (in Chinese), 2002, 24(6): 687–691
Zhou S Z, Li J J, Li S J. Restudy of the Quaternary glaciation on Tibetan Plateau. In: Research Center of Quaternary Glaciation and Environment in China, ed. Glaciation and Environment in West China (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press, 1996. 67–74
Li J J, Feng Z D, Zhou S Z. Glaciers in Hengduan Mountain (in Chinese). Beijing: Science Press, 1996. 172
Wang J, Xu X B. Technique for surface dating—cosmogenic isotopes dating. Adv Earth Sci (in Chinese), 2000, 15(2): 237–240
Briner J, Swanson T W. Using inherited cosmogenic 36Cl to constrain glacoal erosion rate of the cordilleran ice sheet. Geology, 1998, 26(1): 3–6
Brook E J, Nesje A, Lehman S J, et al. Cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages along a vertical transect in western Norway: Implications for the height of the Fennoscandian ice sheet. Geology, 1996, 24(3): 207–210
Steig E J, Wolfe A P, Miller G H. Wisconsinan refugia and the glacial history of eastern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada: coupled evidence from cosmogenic isotopes and lake sediments. Geology, 1998, 26(9): 835–838
Schafer J M, Ivy-Ochs S, Weiler R, et al. Cosmogenic noble gas studies in the oldest landscape on earth: surface exposure ages of the Dry Valleys, Antarctic. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 1999, 167: 215–226
Bruno L A, Baur H, Graf T, et al. Dating of Sirius Group tillites in the Antarctic Dry Valleys with cosmogenic 3He and 21Ne. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 1997, 147: 37–54
Nishiizumi K, Kohl C P, Arnold J R, et al. Cosmic ray produced 10Be and 26Al in Antarctic rocks: exposure and erosion history. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 1991, 104: 440–454
Bierman P R, Marsella K A, Patterson C, et al. Mid-Pleistocene cosmogenic minimum-age limits for pre-Wisconsinan glacial surfaces in southwestern Minnesota and southern Baffin Island: a multiple nuclide approach. Geomorphology, 1999, 27: 25–39
Wang J F, Yiou G R, Xu X B. Reconstructing the history of drift boulder’s movement by using in situ cosmogenic isotopes. Acta Geol Sin (in Chinese), 2003, 77(3): 407–413
Gosse J C, Phillips F M. Terrestrial in situ cosmogenic nuclides: theory and application. Quat Sci Rev, 2001, 20: 1475–1560
Owen A L, Finkel C R, Caffee W M. A note on the extent of glaciation throughout the Himalaya during the Global Last Glacial Maximum. Quat Sci Rev, 2002, 21: 147–157
Xu X B, Wang J, Chen S T. Samples selection in terrestrial cosmogenic isotopes dating and extraction of 10Be and 26Al. J Nanjing Normal University (Natural Science) (in Chinese), 2003, 26(1): 111–115
Yiou F, Raisbeck G M, Bourles D, et al. Measurement of 10Be and 26Al with a Tandetron accelerator mass spectrometer facility. Radiocarbon, 1986, 2A: 198–203
Lal D. Cosmic ray labeling of erosion surface: in situ nuclide production rates and erosion models. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 1991, 104: 424–439
Brown E T, Edmond J M, Raisbeck G M, et al. Examination of surface exposure ages of Antarctic moraines using in situ produced 10Be and 26Al. Geochim Cosmochim Acta, 1991, 55: 2269–2283
Dunai T J. Scaling factors for production rates of in situ produced cosmogenic nuclides: A critical reevaluation. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 1991, 176: 157–169
Stone J O. Air pressure and cosmogenic isotope production, J Geophys Ref, 2000, 105,B10: 23753–23759
Dunne J, Elmore D, Muzikar P. Scaling factors for the rates of production of cosmogenic nuclides for geometric shielding and attenuation at depth on sloped surfaces. Geomorphology, 1999, 27: 3–11
Zhou S Z, Xu L B, Cui J X, et al. Geomorphologic evolution and environmental changes in the Shaluli Mountain region during the Quaternary. Chin Sci Bull, 2005, 50(1): 52–57
Hallet B, Putkonen J. Surface dating of dynamic landforms: Young boulders on aging moraines. Science, 1994, 265: 937–940
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, J., Raisbeck, G., Xu, X. et al. In situ cosmogenic 10Be dating of the Quaternary glaciations in the southern Shaluli Mountain on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau. SCI CHINA SER D 49, 1291–1298 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-006-2026-5
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-006-2026-5