Climate and Environmental Change

Late Pleistocene glaciation of the Hulifang Massif of Gongwang mountains in Yunnan Province

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  • 1. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China;
    2. Department of Geography, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China;
    3. Research Institute of Tibet, CSA, Beijing 100871, China

Received date: 2005-04-18

  Revised date: 2005-08-31

  Online published: 2005-12-25

Supported by

National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.40071015

Abstract

Late Pleistocene glaciation was restricted to only a few high mountains in eastern China. The Gongwang mountains constitute one of the typical places once glaciated. Geomorphic mapping of the area and the TL dating provides evidence for at least four distinct glaciations. YJT-I glacial advance occurred about 100 ka BP and two TL absolute ages (101,100 ±7780 a BP; 104,000±8300 a BP) indicate this advance happened during the Penultimale Glaciation. The early stage glacial advance (YJT-II advance) during the last glaciation occurred about 40,920±3400 a BP. The last glacial maximum advance (YJT-III advance) about 18-25 ka BP, which sustained by two TL ages (18,230 ±1420 a BP; 25,420 ±2110 a BP). The Penultimale and the early stage glaciations were more extensive and the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the late-glacial period (YJT-IV advance, 10 ka BP) were progressively less extensive. Correlated with the other mountains in eastern China, these glacial advances in the Gongwang mountains just like the advances in the western part such as Diancang mountains, Yulong mountains of Yunnan Province and the glacier series are more complete than the adjacent mid-latitude regions such as Taibai mountain and Taiwan mountains and are roughly representative of climate changes during the last glacial cycle in Yunnan Province.

Cite this article

ZHANG Wei, CUI Zhijiu, FENG Jinliang, YI Chaolu, YANG Jianqiang . Late Pleistocene glaciation of the Hulifang Massif of Gongwang mountains in Yunnan Province[J]. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2005 , 15(4) : 448 -458 . DOI: 10.1360/gs050408

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