No description available.

The elucidation of the geologic processes that led to the creation of the Tibetan Plateau, a large area of thick crust and high elevation, is a fundamental question in geology. This study provides new data and insight on the geologic history of central Tibet in the Jurassic and Cretaceous, prior to the Indo-Asian collision, as well as the Gondwanan history of the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes of the plateau. This investigation is centered on the Bangong suture zone near the town of Amdo and I present new geochronology, thermochronology, thermobarometry and structural data of the Amdo basement, an exposure of high-grade gneisses and intrusive granitoids. Using a range of thermochronometers, I show there were two periods of cooling, one in the Middle-Late Jurassic after high-grade metamorphism and a second in the Early Cretaceous. I attribute Middle-Late Jurassic metamorphism, magmatism, and initial cooling of the Amdo basement to arc related tectonism that resulted in tectonic or sedimentary burial of the magmatic arc. I propose that a second period of cooling, nonmarine, clastic sedimment deposition and thrust faulting in the Early Cretaceous is related to the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision. The thermochronology reveals limited denudation between the Cretaceous and the present, indicating the existence of thickened crust when India collided with Asia in the early Tertiary. U-Pb geochronology of the orthogneisses and detrital zircon geochronology of metasedimentary rocks suggests that the Lhasa and Qiangtang terrane were located farther west along Gondwanan's northern margin than most reconstructions depict.

This study concerns the palaeoglaciation of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, with emphasis on the Bayan Har Shan (Shan = Mountain) in the headwaters of Huang He (Yellow River). To reconstruct past glacier development multiple techniques, including remote sensing, field investigations, cosmogenic exposure dating, and numerical modelling have been employed. Analysis of the large-scale geomorphology indicates that glacial erosion has been dominant in the elevated mountain areas on the low-relief plateau, whereas fluvial erosion outpaces glacial erosion along the plateau margin. Landform and sediment records yield evidence for multiple local glaciations, restricted to the highest mountain areas, and a maximum glaciation beyond the mountain front. Absence of data supporting the former presence of proposed ice sheets, plateau-wide or regional, tentatively indicates that no ice sheet glaciation occurred on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Cosmogenic exposure dating of boulders, surface pebbles, and sediment sections in central Bayan Har Shan indicates that its record of past glaciations predates the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Based on a world-wide analysis, yielding that wide age disparity within apparent exposure age datasets is most likely caused by post-glacial shielding processes, the Bayan Har Shan exposure ages constrain four periods of glaciation with minimum ages of 40-65 ka, 60-100 ka, 95-165 ka, and undetermined oldest stage. Similar to Bayan Har Shan, the plateau-wide distribution of boulders with pre-LGM exposure ages close to present-day glaciers shows that its LGM glaciers were generally not much larger than today. The results of a high resolution glacier model applied to nine regions across the plateau indicates that temperature depressions of 2-4 K are enough to expand glaciers beyond their global LGM extent, implying that during periods of Northern Hemisphere glaciation the Tibetan Plateau was not much colder than today or became exceedingly dry. / At the time of doctoral defence the following publications were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 4: Manuscript. Paper 5: Manuscript.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Geology, 2007. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 192-199).

Geological Society of China Cenozoic climatic and environmental changes in the arid Asian interior, and their possible relations with global climatic changes and the Tibetan Plateau uplift, have been intensively investigated and debated over past decades. Here we present 40-Myr (million years)-long n-alkane records from a continuous Cenozoic sediment sequence in the Dahonggou Section, Qaidam Basin, northern Tibetan Plateau, to infer environmental changes in the northern basin. A set of n-alkane indexes, including ACL, CPI and Paq, vary substantially and consistently throughout the records, which are interpreted to reflect relative contributions from terrestrial vascular plants vs. aquatic macrophytes, and thus indicate depositional environments. ACL values vary between 21 and 30; CPI values range from 1.0 to 8.0; and Paq values change from <0.1 to 0.8 over the past 40-Myr. We have roughly identified two periods, at 25.8–21.0 Ma (million years ago) and 13.0–17.5 Ma, with higher ACL and CPI and lower Paq values indicating predominant lacustrine environments. Lower ACL and CPI values, together with higher Paq values, occurred at >25.8 Ma, 17.5–21.0 Ma, and <13.0 Ma, corresponding to alluvial fan/river deltaic deposits and shallow lacustrine settings, consistent with the observed features in sedimentological facies. The inferred Cenozoic environmental changes in the northern Qaidam Basin appear to correspond to global climatic changes.

No description available.

<p>The glacial history of the Tibetan Plateau has long been a contentious topic with widely different reconstructions. For Tanggula Shan, an extensive mountain range on the central Tibetan Plateau, multiple glacial reconstruc- tions and studies on the glacial chronology have been presented. However, the glacial geomorphological record has been sparse resulting in insufficient data to fully infer the area’s palaeoglaciology. Focussing on four landform categories, glacial valleys, marginal moraines, hummocky terrain, and glacial lineations; a glacial geomorphological map was produced, using Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite imagery, SRTM digital elevation model, and Google Earth. This map, together with GIS analyses and available cosmogenic exposure and electron spin reso- nance ages from the study area, was used to investigate the extent of former glaciations. Cosmogenic exposure and electron spin resonance ages range from 18.4 ± 1.6 to 203.4 ± 33.2 ka (recalculated using the CRONUS calculator). The extent of the glacial footprint is restricted to the high mountain areas, and is similar in extent to earlier glacial reconstructions. This glacial footprint can tentatively be explained by a monsoonal influence in the southeast, with the influence diminishing to the northwest. Alternatively, the precipitation gradient might have resulted in cold-based ice in the west and warm-based ice in the east. These variations in ice regime could have left fewer traces of glaciation in the west, than in the east. There is no evidence supporting an ice sheet covering the entire Tibetan Plateau. Rather, the available data support a smaller ice field in the high mountain areas, with a maximum extent well before the Last Glacial Maximum.</p>

The Tibetan Plateau is the largest elevated landmass in the world and profoundly influences atmospheric circulation patterns such as the Asian monsoon system. Therefore this area has been increasingly in focus of palaeoenvironmental studies. This thesis evaluates the applicability of organic biomarkers for palaeolimnological purposes on the Tibetan Plateau with a focus on aquatic macrophyte-derived biomarkers. Submerged aquatic macrophytes have to be considered to significantly influence the sediment organic matter due to their high abundance in many Tibetan lakes. They can show highly 13C-enriched biomass because of their carbon metabolism and it is therefore crucial for the interpretation of δ13C values in sediment cores to understand to which extent aquatic macrophytes contribute to the isotopic signal of the sediments in Tibetan lakes and in which way variations can be explained in a palaeolimnological context. Additionally, the high abundance of macrophytes makes them interesting as potential recorders of lake water δD. Hydrogen isotope analysis of biomarkers is a rapidly evolving field to reconstruct past hydrological conditions and therefore of special relevance on the Tibetan Plateau due to the direct linkage between variations of monsoon intensity and changes in regional precipitation / evaporation balances. A set of surface sediment and aquatic macrophyte samples from the central and eastern Tibetan Plateau was analysed for composition as well as carbon and hydrogen isotopes of n-alkanes. It was shown how variable δ13C values of bulk organic matter and leaf lipids can be in submerged macrophytes even of a single species and how strongly these parameters are affected by them in corresponding sediments. The estimated contribution of the macrophytes by means of a binary isotopic model was calculated to be up to 60% (mean: 40%) to total organic carbon and up to 100% (mean: 66%) to mid-chain n-alkanes. Hydrogen isotopes of n-alkanes turned out to record δD of meteoric water of the summer precipitation. The apparent enrichment factor between water and n-alkanes was in range of previously reported ones (≈-130‰) at the most humid sites, but smaller (average: -86‰) at sites with a negative moisture budget. This indicates an influence of evaporation and evapotranspiration on δD of source water for aquatic and terrestrial plants. The offset between δD of mid- and long-chain n-alkanes was close to zero in most of the samples, suggesting that lake water as well as soil and leaf water are affected to a similar extent by those effects. To apply biomarkers in a palaeolimnological context, the aliphatic biomarker fraction of a sediment core from Lake Koucha (34.0° N; 97.2° E; eastern Tibetan Plateau) was analysed for concentrations, δ13C and δD values of compounds. Before ca. 8 cal ka BP, the lake was dominated by aquatic macrophyte-derived mid-chain n-alkanes, while after 6 cal ka BP high concentrations of a C20 highly branched isoprenoid compound indicate a predominance of phytoplankton. Those two principally different states of the lake were linked by a transition period with high abundances of microbial biomarkers. δ13C values were relatively constant for long-chain n-alkanes, while mid-chain n-alkanes showed variations between -23.5 to -12.6‰. Highest values were observed for the assumed period of maximum macrophyte growth during the late glacial and for the phytoplankton maximum during the middle and late Holocene. Therefore, the enriched values were interpreted to be caused by carbon limitation which in turn was induced by high macrophyte and primary productivity, respectively. Hydrogen isotope signatures of mid-chain n-alkanes have been shown to be able to track a previously deduced episode of reduced moisture availability between ca. 10 and 7 cal ka BP, indicated by a 20‰ shift towards higher δD values. Indications for cooler episodes at 6.0, 3.1 and 1.8 cal ka BP were gained from drops of biomarker concentrations, especially microbial-derived hopanoids, and from coincidental shifts towards lower δ13C values. Those episodes correspond well with cool events reported from other locations on the Tibetan Plateau as well as in the Northern Hemisphere. To conclude, the study of recent sediments and plants improved the understanding of factors affecting the composition and isotopic signatures of aliphatic biomarkers in sediments. Concentrations and isotopic signatures of the biomarkers in Lake Koucha could be interpreted in a palaeolimnological context and contribute to the knowledge about the history of the lake. Aquatic macrophyte-derived mid-chain n-alkanes were especially useful, due to their high abundance in many Tibetan Lakes and their ability to record major changes of lake productivity and palaeo-hydrological conditions. Therefore, they have the potential to contribute to a fuller understanding of past climate variability in this key region for atmospheric circulation systems. / Das tibetische Hochplateau ist die größte gehobene Landmasse der Erde und beeinflusst maßgeblich atmosphärische Zirkulationsmuster wie den Asiatischen Monsun. Um die Auswirkungen zukünftiger Schwankungen der Monsundynamik auf das regionale Klima besser einschätzen zu können, ist es wichtig, ein fundiertes Verständnis vergangener Klimaänderungen zu entwickeln. Daher ist das Tibetplateau in den letzten Jahren mehr und mehr in den Fokus paläoklimatischer Studien gerückt. Die große Anzahl an Seen in der Region bietet ein unerschöpfliches Klimaarchiv und viele Studien haben sich bereits mit Seesedimenten zur Klimarekonstruktion befasst. Dabei wurde in erster Linie auf biologische, sedimentologische und geochemische Parameter zurückgegriffen, wohingegen organische Biomarker bisher recht selten benutzt wurden. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht die Anwendbarkeit dieser potentiellen Klimaindikatoren auf dem Tibetplateau. Hierbei wurde ein Schwerpunkt auf die Analyse kutikularer Blattwachse von Wasserpflanzen gelegt, da diese wegen ihres starken Auftretens in tibetischen Seen einen erheblichen Beitrag zur organischen Substanz im Sediment leisten. Um den Einfluss von Wasserpflanzen auf das Sediment über einen weiten klimatischen Gradienten zu untersuchen, wurden Oberflächensedimente und Wasserpflanzen vom zentralen und östlichen Tibetplateau auf ihre Biomarkerzusammensetzung sowie auf ihre Kohlen- und Wasserstoffisotopensignatur untersucht. Dadurch wurde das Verständnis über beeinflussende Faktoren auf diese Parameter in Sedimenten vertieft. In einem Sedimentbohrkern des Koucha-Sees (östliches Tibetplateau) konnten diese Parameter dann im Hinblick auf Änderungen der Produktivität im See sowie der hydrologischen und klimatischen Bedingungen der letzten 15000 Jahre interpretiert werden. Es zeigte sich, dass der See bis 8000 Jahre vor Heute stark mit Wasserpflanzen bewachsen war, während die letzten 6000 Jahre Algen dominierten. Mit Hilfe von Wasserstoffisotopen wurden eine Zunahme des Monsuns und steigende Niederschläge zwischen 15000 und 10000 Jahren vor Heute sowie eine relativ trockene Periode zwischen 10000 und 7000 Jahren vor Heute rekonstruiert. Durch Kombination von Biomarkerkonzentrationen sowie deren Kohlenstoffisotopensignal wurden außerdem kurzzeitige Kälteperioden um ca. 6000, 3100 und 1800 Jahren vor Heute nachgewiesen, die vorher bereits in anderen Klimaarchiven in Tibet sowie auf der nördlichen Hemisphäre belegt wurden. Mit Hilfe von organischen Biomarkern konnte so ein detailliertes Bild über die Entwicklung des Koucha-Sees seit dem letzten Glazial gewonnen werden. Organische Biomarker haben sich somit als geeignet erwiesen, einen Beitrag zur Klimarekonstruktion auf dem Tibetplateau zu leisten.

名古屋大学年代測定総合研究センターシンポジウム報告

Plateau pika (Ochotonidae: Ochotona curzoniae) is widespread in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). It is endemic to QTP and restricted to high altitude area, ranging from 3,000 to 5,200 m above sea level. In this study, I examined the genetic structure of O. curzoniae along the Qinghai-Tibetan Railway (QTR) using mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences, and investigated whether QTR had become a barrier of gene flow to populations of O. curzoniae on its two sides. In total, I found 26 haplotypes of cyt b sequences from 29 individuals, of which the mean length was 1,190 bp including 68 informative sites, and the mean genetic distance was 1.7%. Two major clades were revealed in phylogenetic trees as well as TCS haplotype network. In general, the relative positions of haplotypes in the clades were corresponded to their geographic distribution. Most haplotypes of clade I were from east side, while all the haplotypes of clade II were from west side of QTR. Significant population differentiation was revealed between populations from the opposite sides of QTR, but not the same side. Due to the far smaller geographical distances between sampling sites between opposite sides than those of the same side, the differentiation pattern was not consistent with the theory of isolation by distance. Therefore, QTR might have resulted as a barrier to gene flow between populations of O. curzoniae living on opposite sides of QTR. The degree of genetic differentiation between populations of O. curzoniae on opposite sides of QTR will probably further increase in the future.