Sedimentary documents and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating for formation of the present landform of the northern Ulan Buh Desert, northern China

Abstract

GPR reflecting sections and core profiles revealed that sand dunes of the northern Ulan Buh Desert are overlying shallow lacustrine or palustrine sediments. Optical dating results of sediments from three core profiles indicate that the area of the northern Ulan Buh Desert was still covered by the shallow lake or marsh during 8.4–6.4 ka, and eolian sand started to accumulate since around 2 ka. Such a result supports the idea that the present desert landform of the northern Ulan Buh Desert started to form since 2 ka, which was likely a response to the desertification caused by ruin of the Han Dynasty and the large-scale abandonment of farming of the Han nationality. Our research results are consistent with the previous archaeological studies, and support the idea that the Ulan Buh Desert is composed of two parts with different histories, i.e., the old southern Ulan Buh Desert and the young northern Ulan Buh Desert.