Age and causes of the Yellow River dissecting the Zoige Basin in the eastern Tibetan Plateau, China

Through extensive field investigation in the Zoige Basin of the eastern Tibetan Plateau, a typical sedimentary profile was found on the front scarp of the second terrace of Maqu reach of the Yellow River at the outlet of the Zoige Basin. This profile contains the stratigraphic sequence of paleolake facies and paleo-riverbed floodplain facies. Field observation and the analysis of particle size characteristics and optically stimulated luminescence dating showed the following results: (1) The profile includes a pale blue-grey paleolake deposit, which formed in a deep-water anoxic environment. This deposit was overlain by a mottled pebble layer with pale yellow-orange lenticular sand, which represents typical paleo-riverbed floodplain deposits, indicating a strong hydrodynamic process. The typical unconformity contact relationship between the two deposits shows that the profile recorded the sedimentary information of the transformation of the Zoige paleolake environment into the Yellow River paleo-river environment, which provides powerful sedimentary evidence for the Yellow River dissecting the Zoige paleolake. (2) The optically stimulated luminescence dating results showed the Zoige paleolake was dissected by the Yellow River at 37 ka BP, resulting in the discharge of lake water. At 35 ka BP, the lake water gradually became shallow and disappeared, and the Yellow River subsequently connected the water system of the Zoige Basin. (3) The East Kunlun fault induced strong tectonic movement in the late Pleistocene, and the Tibetan Plateau had a warm and humid climate at 37 ka BP. Under these conditions, the headward erosion of the Yellow River was aggravated in the faulted wide valley grassland between the Anyemaqen mountains and Xiqing mountains, and the Zoige paleolake was dissected by the Yellow River from west to east in the Maqu bottleneck reach. The results of this study have important scientific significance for in-depth understanding of the evolution of river-lake water systems and the formation of the Yellow River source water system in the eastern Tibetan Plateau.