Branched aliphatic alkanes of shell bar section in Qarhan Lake, Qaidam Basin and their paleoclimate significance

Blomarkers of paleolake deposits from Qarhan Salt Lake in Qaidam Basin, northwest China were systematically analyzed and the A--C series compounds of branched aliphaUc alkanes with quaternary substituted carbon atom （BAQCs） were identified. The homologous distinguished three series, A-C, were identified as 5,5-diethylalkanes, 6,6-diethylalkanes and 5-butyl, 5-ethylalkanes series, and their relative abundance was A 〉 B 〉 C. Series A and C were characterized by odd carbon numbers, whereas series B was characterized by even carbon numbers. The high values of series A corresponded with the high values of series B and C. Therefore, it can be concluded that series A, B and C possess a similar biological origin. The abundance of series A was relatively low in the lower part of the section compared with that in the upper part, implying that these series originated from bacteria and/or algae more prevalent in fresh-mesohaline water, and such kinds of bacteria and/or algae are most likely to be thermophilous species. The A25/nC25 ratio differences in the section show that such branched aliphatic alkanes can be treated as one kind of environmental change proxy for paleolake evolution and may provide important information for the climate reconstruction of the Late Pleistocene.     

Climatic and environmental implications from n-alkanes in glacially eroded lake sediments in Tibetan Plateau: An example from Ximen Co

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to identify a series of n-alkanes in the sediments of a typical glacially eroded lake in the eastern Tibetan Plateau.By comparing the distribution patterns of n-alkanes in lake sediments,surface soils and cow manure,it was shown that n-C 27-n-C 33 alkanes in the soil ecosystem of Ximen Co are derived from vascular plant species and that the distribution pattern of n-C 27-n-C 33 alkanes remains unchanged during the feeding and digestion processes of herbivores.The relative percentage of C 27,C 29 and C 31 n-alkanes decreased from the bottom to the top of the sediment core showing a trend of degradation of higher plants in the Ximen Co lake region during the formation of the 44 cm core.210 Pb dating,combined with pre-existing AMS 14 C dating results showed that the depositional core reflects climatic and environmental variations since about 900 years before present.The n-alkane indexes (ACL 27-33,P aq,P wax) are comparable with regional temperature variation,especially recording the Little Ice Age event (LIA).This study highlights that n-alkanes are valid proxies for paleo-climate and paleo-environment reconstruction,despite the same distribution patterns in n-alkane molecular fossils derived from a typical glacially eroded lake.     

10Be in quartz gravel from the Gobi Desert and evolutionary history of alluvial sedimentation in the Ejina Basin,Inner Mongolia,China

Reconstructing the evolutionary history of the Gobi deserts developed from alluvial sediments in arid regions has great significance in unraveling changes in both tectonic activity and climate. However, such work is limited by a lack of suitable dating material preserved in the Gobi Desert, but cosmogenic ¹⁰Be has great potential to date the Gobi deserts. In the present study, ¹⁰Be in quartz gravel from the Gobi deserts of the Ejina Basin in Inner Mongolia of China has been measured to assess exposure ages. Results show that the Gobi Desert in the northern margin of the basin developed 420 ka ago, whereas the Gobi Desert that developed from alluvial plains in the Heihe River drainage basin came about during the last 190 ka. The latter developed gradually northward and eastward to modern terminal lakes of the river. These temporal and spatial variations in the Gobi deserts are a consequence of alluvial processes influenced by Tibetan Plateau uplift and tectonic activities within the Ejina Basin. Possible episodes of Gobi Desert development within the last 420 ka indicate that the advance/retreat of alpine glaciers during glacial/interglacial cycles might have been the dominant factor to influencing the alluvial intensity and water volume in the basin. Intense floods and large water volumes would mainly occur during the short deglacial periods.