Late Pleistocene and Holocene palaeoflood events recorded by slackwater deposits in the upper Hanjiang River valley, China

•Four episodes of palaeoflood events were identified in the upper Hanjiang River.•Flood peak discharges were estimated to 42,200–63,400 m3/s using hydraulic model.•These events occurred at 12,600–12,400, 4200–4000, 3200–2800 and 1900–1700 a BP.•These events represent a response of river system to monsoonal climatic variation.

SummarySlackwater palaeoflood deposits (SWDs) were identified in a bedrock gorge in the upper reaches of the Hanjiang River of central China. The Hanjiang River is the longest tributary of the Yangtze River, one of the most flood-prone rivers in China, and the main source of water for the South-to-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP). Three main loess-soil profiles with late Pleistocene and Holocene palaeoflood SWD bedsets were found. Palaeoflood SWDs identified interbedded in the loess–soil sequence of late Pleistocene and Holocene age within the cliff riverbanks were studied by field observations and laboratory analysis, including particle−size distribution and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating. At least eight extreme flood events documented by palaeoflood SWDs occurred in the Wufeng reaches of the upper Hanjiang River. The discharge estimation associated with palaeoflood SWDs, indicates that the minimum flood peak discharges of these flood episodes range from 42,220 to 63,400 m3/s. The SWDs were OSL dated to between 12,600–12,400, 4200–4000, 3200–2800 and 1900–1700 a BP and these dates were corroborated with pottery remains retrieved from the profiles and dated by archaeological methods. These periods of increased flood magnitude coincide with contemporaneous global climatic events dated to 12,500, 4200, 3100 and 1900 a BP worldwide. These findings are of great significance in understanding the interactions between hydrological systems and climatic change in monsoonal zones.