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Arid Land Geography ›› 2026, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (9): 1765-1776.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2025.745

• Earth Surface Process • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Climatic and environmental evolution recorded by aeolian sediments of nebkha in the Qaidam Basin

SUN Yan(), NAN Weige(), HU Guangyin, YANG Linhai, HU Jingjing, HAO Xuemeng   

  1. School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, Shaanxi, China
  • Received:2025-11-24 Revised:2026-01-09 Online:2026-09-25 Published:2026-09-07
  • Contact: NAN Weige E-mail:suny0723@snnu.edu.cn;nanweige@snnu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Nebkhas are unique aeolian depositional landforms that contain a wealth of information about environmental evolution. They serve as valuable archives for paleoclimate studies in arid and semiarid regions. Taking a six-meter-high nebkha on the southern margin of the Qaidam Basin as the study subject, this research collected five optically stimulated luminescence samples and 61 sediment samples from its profile. By analyzing multiple parameters, including grain size, geochemical elements, chemical weathering indices, and nutrients, the study investigated the evolution of the aeolian sedimentary environment during the Late Holocene on a centennial timescale. The results showed that nebkha sedimentation in the study area primarily involved short-distance saltation and suspension. This process is influenced by changes in climate (dryness and wetness), variations in wind strength, and vegetation succession, resulting in a complex history alternately dominated by deposition and erosion. Since 3.91 ka, aeolian activity and climatic conditions in the study area have exhibited four distinct phases: (1) before 3.91 ka: a cold and dry climate with relatively weak aeolian activity. (2) 3.91—2.85 ka: relatively warm and humid conditions with enhanced aeolian activity. (3) 2.85—1.76 ka: frequent dry-humid fluctuations, with aeolian activity transitioning from weak to strong. (4) since 1.76 ka: a general trend toward a dry and cold climate. The depositional processes within nebkhas thus reflect the phased characteristics of Late Holocene climatic and environmental evolution in the Qaidam region, thus offering new sedimentary evidence for understanding regional aeolian environmental changes.

Key words: nebkha, aeolian sediments, climatic evolution, Qaidam Basin