The intensified monsoon increases summer rainfall and creates wet conditions in the Asian summer monsoon region during the early Holocene. Along with millennial-scale changes of the monsoon intensity, it is still unclear whether the boundary of the monsoon region changes according to monsoon variability. Investigations into the early Holocene environment in monsoon marginal zones are crucial for understanding the monsoon boundary changes. Zhuye Lake is located at the northwest edge of the Asian summer monsoon, the northern Qilian Mountains, which are less affected by modern summer monsoon water vapor. Previous studies have reached different conclusions regarding the early Holocene climatic and environmental changes based on different dating methods（^14C and OSL（optically stimulated luminescence）） and materials（shells, carbonate, pollen concentrates and bulk organic carbon）. In this study, we synthesized 102 ^14C dates and 35 OSL dates from ten Holocene sedimentary sections and ten paleo-shorelines in the lake basin. A comparison between ages from different dating methods and materials generally shows that carbon reservoir effects are relatively slight in Zhuye Lake while the disordered chronologies are mainly related to the erosion processes and reworking effects. In addition, proxy data, including lithology, pollen, total organic carbon and carbonate, were collected from different sites of Zhuye Lake. According to the new synthesis, the early Holocene environment was relatively humid, associated with high runoff and lake water levels. The result indicates that the monsoon boundary moves to the north during the period of the intensified monsoon. A typical arid-area lake was formed during the mid-Holocene when carbonate accumulation and high organic matter contents were the main features of this period. The lake retreated strongly during the late Holocene, showing a drought trend. Overall, the lake evolution is generally consistent with the Holocene Asian summer monsoon change, showing the monsoon infl
中国干旱区内陆河流域中游地区分布了大量晚第四纪河、湖相交替的沉积地层,这些沉积物被广泛用于古气候和古环境重建。然而,以往的研究较多关注沉积物的理、化、生指标,而忽略了沉积相变的古环境意义,这可能使古环境重建结果产生偏差。针对这一问题,选取干旱区典型内陆河——石羊河中游地区的JDT全新世沉积剖面,进行年代学、沉积相、岩性和粒度的研究,并与该区域已有的HSH全新世剖面的地球化学和古生物指标进行对比,在分析沉积相的基础上讨论二者的环境代用指标,重建石羊河中游地区全新世的古环境。两个剖面在年代和岩性上具有很好的一致性,指示了石羊河中游地区约8500 cal yr BP-3000 cal yr BP以来的沉积过程。两剖面从底部到上部可分为六层:河流相沉积(F层)——河湖相沉积(E层)——湖相沉积(D层)——浅湖—风成沉积(C层)——风成沉积(B层)——风成沉积(A层),代表了不同沉积相及其转换过程。综合讨论沉积物岩性、沉积相和各种古环境代用指标认为:石羊河中游地区的沉积相体现了从河流相到湖相再到风成沉积物的变化过程,指示了全新世的干旱化过程。这与以往研究中认为石羊河流域全新世气候变化具有波动性的观点存在一定差异。因此,在研究沉积相变化的基础之上讨论沉积物的物理、化学和生物指标的含义,而非简单地研究这些指标的数值,是干旱区流域性气候变化对比研究的新视角。
