Paleolithic climate change in west China
Print Edition
A new study has found the drought-ridden Qaidam Basin in northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau had a wet, temperate climate 30 million years ago.
Uncovered by a team of Chinese and British geologists, the new findings were recently published in the scientific journal, 鈥淓arth and Planetary Science Letters.鈥
Researchers reconstructed the basin鈥檚 paleoclimate and paleoelevation by analyzing plant fossils found there.
The research team concluded its average temperature at the time was around 11.6 degrees Celsius, and annual precipitation may have exceeded 1,000 millimeters with subdued seasonality where summers were drier than winters.
鈥淭he basin was covered by temperate deciduous forests 30 million years ago,鈥 said Shi Gongle, associate researcher with the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 鈥淭he proto-Paratethys sea that once spanned Eurasia brought abundant water vapor to boost the growth of plants.鈥
Qaidam Basin is one of China鈥檚 three major inland basins. Its current climate features drought and strong winds, and temperatures vary greatly between day and night.
The region is important for scientists to understand the history and underlying mechanisms of Central Asian aridification.
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