Luminescence Chronology and Radiocarbon Reservoir Age Determination of Lacustrine Sediments from the Heihai Lake, NE Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Its Paleoclimate Implications

Abstract

The accurately determining the lake ¹⁴C reservoir age has a crucial significance for climatic reconstruction. In this study, the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating method is employed to date samples from highstand lacustrine sediments, palaeoshoreline, fluvial terrace, and the alluvial fan of the Heihai Lake catchment. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) ¹⁴C dating was also used to date fossil plants from highstand lacustrine sediments. Based on the calculations of linear regression with OSL against radiocarbon ages for same layers of two sections, the quantitative ¹⁴C reservoir ages were estimated to lie between 3 353 and 3 464 yr during the 1.8 to 2.4 ka, which showed temporal variation. The sources of old carbon are the dissolution of carbonate bedrocks distributed along the Kunlun Mountain. The OSL ages of the different members of the hydatogen sedimentary system at Heihai Lake catchment indicate that a stronger hydrologic condition occurred from 3.0±0.2 to 1.8±0.2 ka, with a maximum lake level of 9 m higher than present. This humid stage was widely recorded in different sediments on the QTP and Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), indicating its broad synchronicity across the Asian Summer Monsoon region. The enhanced East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) and the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) resulted in the increase of moisture availability for the Heihai Lake area during this stage.

Keywords

luminescence and radiocarbon dating / ¹⁴C reservoir age / Heihai Lake / Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) / palaeoclimate implications

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