Luminescence dating of Suozi landslide in the Upper Yellow River of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China

Landslides are natural hazards whose occurring time-scale is critical for management. There are a number of giant landslides in the upper Yellow River valley due to the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, and corresponding rapid incision of the river. Suozi landslide is the largest landslide found in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. In this study, luminescence samples were collected from the shear outlet of the landslide and lens from alluvial sections formed after the landslide movement. The dating results showed that the Suozi landslide occurred at ∼71 ± 6 ka, similar to the age of the Dehenglong fault nearby. The agreement between a topographic analysis and the numerical age of landslides implies that the formation of Suozi landslide is strongly correlated with the tectonic activity.