Middle-Late Pleistocene Paleo-Climate and Paleo-Altimetry of the Centre of Tibetan Plateau Indicated by the Sporopollen Record of Well QZ-4

Abstract

The core sample from well QZ-4 is an important climate archive for the central Tibetan Plateau in the middle-late Pleistocene. In this work, a detailed pollen analysis of it is carried out to provide a preliminary insight into the paleo-climate and paleo-altimetry change in the central Tibetan Plateau. It can be concluded that the pollen assemblage can be obviously divided into two pollen zones, Pollen zone I (251.1 - 314 m in depth, 120.0 - 345.8 ka BP.) and Pollen zone II (200 - 251.1 m in depth, 105.4 - 120 ka BP.). The paleo-climate during pollen zone I deposition period was comparatively colder and wetter than it during the pollen zone II deposition period. After Gonghe Movement, the center of Tibetan Plateau was uplifted about 300 m (from 3500 - 3700 m to 3800 - 4000 m in elevation). The wind was changed from horizontal or downward direction to upward direction, in the study area. In the central of Tibetan Plateau, the climate change seems to be mainly driven by global climate change, and that tectonic uplift may have been a subordinate influence at the middle-late Pleistocene.