The Phytolith and Pollen Record since 10 ka BP from the Lhasa Region, Tibet

Abstract

Abstract:This paper presents a description of the river terrace at Tangjia Village in Lhasa, Tibet. Selected types of phytolith and pollen were used as proxies to study the paleoclimate in the study area. Ancient climate and vegetation changes since 10 ka BP were examined. The results demonstrated that between 10.2 and 8.9 ka BP, the dominating phytolith was the cold type and the dominating vegetation type was grassland‐forest. This indicated that the climate changed from cool‐humid to cool‐dry and later turned back into a cool‐humid climate. Between 8.9 and 8.1 ka BP, the main types of phytoliths were tooth, dumbbell, and polyhedral. This suggests that the vegetation consisted of forest‐grassland and the period's climate had become warmer. Between 8.1 and 6.7 ka BP, the warm index of phytolith assembelage gradually increased, whereas the spore and pollen assembelage revealed that the vegetation was forest with hardwood. This suggested that the paleoclimate was warmest in this period. The herbaceous vegetation increased gradually, indicating that the climate had become colder since 7.5 ka BP. Between 6.7 and 4.6 ka BP, cold type phytolith such as tooth and cap were found. Simultaneously, the pollen assembelage indicated that the vegetation shifted from grassland to forest and then turned back into grassland. This implies that the climate fluctuated from cold‐dry to cool‐humid. Between 4.6 and 1.9 ka BP, the dominate type of phytolith was cold type and its warm index was in the range 0.04–0.28, suggesting a herbaceous vegetation cover and indicating that the climate was cold. The phytolith warm index from 1.9 ka BP revealed that the climate was continuously decreasing, and most of the pollen assembelage consisted of Chenopodiaceae and Artemisia. This conclusion is in agreement with the phytolith result that indicates that the climate was becoming colder and colder.