Luminescence chronology of aeolian deposits from the Qinghai Lake area in the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its palaeoenvironmental implications

► 32 samples of aeolian sand, loess, palaeosol, and shoreline deposits were OSL dated. ► The oldest loess is >165 ka, and then the mantle aeolian deposits started at ∼14 ka. ► Palaeosol formation periods were ∼16.9, ∼12.2-11, ∼10-9, ∼5.2-4, and ∼3.9-0.7 ka. ► A hiatus of ∼40-50 ka long exists between the loess and underlying gravels. ► The Holocene highest lake level was at most 11.8 m higher than the present.