Holocene aeolian activities in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, China

•Aeolian activities occurred at ∼9.96, 7.9–6.9, 6.4 and 3.8∼ ka BP.•The aeolian activity around 6.4 ka BP interrupted the Holocene Optimum period.•The EAWM controlled the aeolian activities in the early and mid Holocene.

Aeolian deposits from three sites in the Mu Us Desert were used to reconstruct the history of aeolian activities during the Holocene. The results of the lithologies, chronologies and proxy indicators showed that aeolian activities occurred at ∼9.96 cal ka BP, 7.9–6.9 ka BP, 6.4 ka BP and 3.8 cal ka BP∼. The cold event that occurred around 6.4 ka BP interrupted the Holocene Optimum period, which is largely consistent with the findings from sediments in adjacent regions and the monsoon areas of China. Combined with punished OSL and 14C ages of aeolian deposits samples in this region, the environmental changes in the Mu Us Desert were divided into four stages. Active sand dunes dominated before 11 ka BP. Aeolian activities occurred regionally from 11 to 8.5 ka BP and typical sandy paleosol widely developed with episodic aeolian activities between 8.5 and 4 ka BP. Dunes have reactivated and active sand dunes have gradually increased since 4 ka BP. Comparisons with the other paleoclimatic records indicated that the evolution of the Mu Us Desert was closely related to the East Asian monsoon. Paleosol development depended more on the precipitation brought by the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). The stronger East Asian winter monsoon (EAMW) and higher isolation resulted in the aeolian activities in the early Holocene, while during the mid-Holocene the fluctuating EAWM played a more important role in inducing episodic aeolian activities. The environmental deterioration during the late Holocene can be related to weakened EASM or to increased anthropogenic influence.