Younger Dryas event recorded by the mirabilite deposition in Huahai lake, Hexi Corridor, NW China

Deposits from the Huahai ancient lake in the Hexi Corridor were dated using conventional and AMS 14C. A 2500a “carbon storage effect” was defined at 9.25 m depth according to the 14C age difference between a plant macrofragment and detrital organic matter from the same layer. The chronology of this strata indicated that the mirabilite layer at the depth of 8.05 m–9.15 m had formed during the Younger Dryas (YD) event. The formation of the mirabilite layer indicated that the mean annual temperature in the Hexi Corridor dropped by 11 C° during the YD event compared with today. The lowest cold event occurred early in the YD, which is consistent with what has been revealed by other high-resolution records, such as those of Arctic ice cores and stalagmites in mid-latitude regions.