Diatom-inferred salinity changes from the Yushe paleolake indicate an aridification during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition in north China

The increase of salinity reflects changes in the precipitation -evaporation balance. The change from carbonate to sulfatic water inferred from the diatom assemblages could indicate a significant aridification around ca. 2.6 Ma BP on the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau. This is the most easterly record of aridification across the Eastern Asian interior and may be related with the global cooling and the development of the Northern Hemisphere glaciation.