The sedimentary sequence and landscape of the Hobq desert was observed through twelve profiles along five N-S sections extending through the entire desert.Aeolian sands were found to overlie the alluvial,diluvial,and lacustrine sediments in this desert.Optically stimulated luminescence(OSL)dating results were obtained from post-IR OSL signals of quartz fractions of sand samples at the bottom of sand dunes and hills by using the Double-SAR protocol.The OSL ages reveal that the latest sand accumulation began around 19 ka in the northwestern part and 9 ka in the eastern part of the Hobq Desert.Around 7 ka,the sand accumulation was strengthened and extended southward and northward 2 ka to develop the present desert landscape.Our study suggests that the aeolian sand accumulation around 19,9 and 7 ka resulted from the weakening of the Asian summer monsoon over this region.However,the rapid development of the present Hobq desert landscape since 2 ka was likely triggered by human activities in this desert.
FAN YuXinCHEN XiaoLongFAN TianLaiJIN MingLIU JianBaoCHEN FaHu
GPR reflecting sections and core profiles revealed that sand dunes of the northern Ulan Buh Desert are overlying shallow lacustrine or palustrine sediments. Optical dating results of sediments from three core profiles indicate that the area of the northern Ulan Buh Desert was still covered by the shallow lake or marsh during 8.4-6.4 ka, and eolian sand started to accumulate since around 2 ka. Such a result supports the idea that the present desert landform of the northern Ulan Buh Desert started to form since 2 ka, which was likely a response to the desertification caused by ruin of the Han Dynasty and the large-scale abandonment of farming of the Han nationality. Our research results are consistent with the previous archaeological studies, and support the idea that the Ulan Buh Desert is composed of two parts with different histories, i.e., the old southern Ulan Buh Desert and the young northern Ulan Buh Desert.
