Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Highlight—The Ups and Downs of Lakes


The character of deposition in lacustrine sedimentary systems is closely linked to climatic and hydrologic change, and as such, their stratigraphic record can provide important information on paleoclimate changes.  In this study, Wang et al. examine Pliocene-Quaternary lithofacies and stratigraphy of a ~kilometer long core from the western Qaidam Basin of China. Integrating magnetostratigraphy with lithofacies facilitate semi-quantitative interpretation of lake level fluctuations. Collectively, these data provide sedimentologic evidence for long-term change from a semi-deep fresh lake system to a playa system, associated with stepwise Pliocene-Pleistocene drying of the Asian inland forced by changes of global ice volume.

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