Using 10Be exposure dating to constrain glacial advances during the late glacial and Holocene on Mount Xuebaoding, eastern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

AbstractMoraines preserved around Mount Xuebaoding (5588 m above sea level) on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, represent past glacial activity in this area. The chronology of these moraines was established using 10Be exposure dating. The dating results revealed multiple glacial events prior to the late glacial (>14.1±2.2 ka), the late glacial (15.6±1.6 to 11.2±3.0 ka), the early-middle Holocene (9.1±0.9 to 6.7±0.7 ka), and the Neoglacial periods (2.5±0.5 to 1.5±0.1 ka). These glacial stages are consistent with the recalculated ages from surrounding areas throughout the Indian and East Asian monsoon-influenced region on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Comparing with other paleoclimate indexes, we suggest that the late glacial event was mainly driven by low temperature, the early–middle Holocene event by high precipitation, and the late Holocene/Neoglacial event by low temperature.