Abstract
Paleo-elevation estimates based on the oxygen and hydrogen isotopes of meteoric waters are commonly unreliable in hydrologically complex settings such as the northern Tibetan Plateau (TP), an area of confluence of the East Asian monsoon and mid-latitude Westerlies. Here, we explore a novel application of carbonate clumped-isotope thermometry for estimation of paleo-elevations based on a robust correlation of altitude with modern summer lake-surface temperatures that is independent of moisture sources and recycling processes. Using shallow-lake ostracod species, we estimate a summer lake-surface temperature of ∼ 20 ℃ for the Late Miocene Qaidam Basin of the northern TP. Paleo-elevation calculations yield basin floor estimates of ∼ 3475 m (for ∼ 11 Ma, based on a conventional geochronology model) or ∼ 3375 m (for ∼ 7.0 Ma, based on a revised geochronology model), each with an uncertainty of ±∼950 m, yielding elevations that are close to or slightly higher than the present-day elevation of the study site (∼3200 m). This study highlights the potential of ostracod-based carbonate clumped-isotope thermometry to reconstruct paleo- elevations in hydrologically complex areas of the TP and other montane systems.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 73-83 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Gondwana Research |
| Volume | 107 |
| Early online date | 16 Mar 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank M. Santosh (Editor-in-Chief) and Richard Palin (Associate Editor) for handling the submission and Bob Spicer and other two anonymous reviewers for their thorough reviews that considerably improved the manuscript. We also would like to thank Jing Wu and Nami Kitchen for their assistance with carbonate clumped-isotope analyses, Guoqing Zhang for modern data collection, Chihao Chen and Yuanyuan Sun for discussions, J.E. Saylor, Miquela Ingalls, Lin Li for insightful comments for early versions of this manuscript. This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 42072141, 41702118, 42171010) and the Geological Survey of China (No. DD20221645). Y. Yang is supported by the Youth Innovation Promotion Association (2018095) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. AF acknowledges joint UK-China Project administered by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NE/P013805/1) and the Natural Science of China Project (No. 41661134049) and The Leverhulme Trust, UK (No. 88123).
Funding Information:
We thank M. Santosh (Editor-in-Chief) and Richard Palin (Associate Editor) for handling the submission and Bob Spicer and other two anonymous reviewers for their thorough reviews that considerably improved the manuscript. We also would like to thank Jing Wu and Nami Kitchen for their assistance with carbonate clumped-isotope analyses, Guoqing Zhang for modern data collection, Chihao Chen and Yuanyuan Sun for discussions, J.E. Saylor, Miquela Ingalls, Lin Li for insightful comments for early versions of this manuscript. This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 42072141, 41702118, 42171010) and the Geological Survey of China (No. DD20221645). Y. Yang is supported by the Youth Innovation Promotion Association (2018095) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. AF acknowledges joint UK-China Project administered by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NE/P013805/1) and the Natural Science of China Project (No. 41661134049) and The Leverhulme Trust, UK (No. 88123).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 International Association for Gondwana Research
Keywords
- East Asian monsoon
- Lacustrine
- Meteoric waters
- Miocene
- Paleoaltimetry
- Qaidam Basin