Timing of Late Quaternary palaeolake evolution in Tengger Desert of northern China and its possible forcing mechanisms

Palaeolake evolution history has been used to reconstruct the Late Quaternary environmental and climatic conditions in East Asian monsoon area. In this study, based on the OSL chronology (33 samples) and the stratigraphy of shorelines or lacustrine sequences, we reconstructed the Late Quaternary evolution history of the Zhuyeze palaeolake surrounded by the Tengger Desert at the northern edge of East Asian summer monsoon. The luminescence dating results with geomorphologic analysis indicate that: (1) contrary to previous interpretations on MIS 3 mega-lake derived from 14C chronology, highstands of ca. 30 m above modern playa are OSL dated to around 90–80 ka (MIS 5a), and no evidence of MIS 3 highstands has been found, which questions the previous climate pattern of ‘uniquely warm and wet Late MIS 3’ in northwestern China. The high insolation at MIS 5a triggered the strengthened summer monsoon which brought more rainfall to the study area, causing the highstand in Zhuyeze; (2) a substantial lake with a water level of ca. 20 m above the modern playa was present during 8.0–5.0 ka (Mid-Holocene), indicating that the wettest stage of the Holocene occurred in the Mid-Holocene. This reconstructed moisture pattern based on lake levels in East Asian monsoon marginal area is out of phase with that in monsoon core area, and we propose that this is possibly related to low sea level during the Early Holocene leading to the study area out of East Asian monsoon influence; (3) the shrinking process of Zhuyeze Lake since 5.0 ka indicate the drying trend during the Late Holocene, responding directly to the changes of the East Asian monsoon triggered by summer insolation at low latitude areas.

► The history of lake highstand during Late Quaternary was reconstructed using OSL.
► The highest lake level was in MIS 5a, not in MIS 3a as previously reported using 14C.
► Holocene lake level history indicated the moisture Mid-Holocene.
► The drying trend since 5 ka responded to the changes of the East Asian monsoon.