Evidence of late early Miocene aridification intensification in the Xining Basin caused by the northeastern Tibetan Plateau uplift

Few early Miocene terrestrial climate records exist from the Asian interior and as a result the evolution of Central Asian aridification and the driving forces behind it remain unclear. Here we report sedimentary, mineralogy and geochemical proxies from an early Miocene sedimentary sequence (ca. 22.1 to 16.5 Ma) from Xining Basin on the northeastern side of the Tibetan Plateau. Multiple proxies indicate a change of sedimentary facies of a distal alluvial fan from subfluvial to subatmospheric under a dominantly arid climate coupled with a clear two-stage climate change. During ~ 22.1-19.7 Ma (Unit I), the enrichment of I/S (irregular mixed-layers of illite and smectite) content, high values of a*/L* (redness/lightness), and stronger degree of chemical weathering suggest relatively warm and humid climate conditions during a generally arid climate. During 19.7-16.5 Ma (Unit II), the increase of chlorite and dolomite content, the upward decrease of a*/L*, and weaker degree of chemical weathering than Unit I suggest gradually increasing aridity since ca. 19.7 Ma. Comprehensive comparisons among records from central western China demonstrate that the aridification since ca. 19.7 Ma is widespread in northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau. The climate changes in inner Asia are different to that of global-scale changes, which indicates that global climate changes and the retreat of the Para-Tethys Sea possibly had little influences on this region. The episodic, but persistent tectonic uplift of the north and northeastern Tibetan Plateau during the early Miocene likely played a key role in the aridification of the Xining Basin.