OSL dating of past lake levels for a large dammed lake in southern Tibet and determination of possible controls on lake evolution |
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| Authors: | Yiwei Chen Jonathan C Aitchison Yongqiang Zong Sheng‐Hua Li |
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| Affiliation: | 1. State Key Laboratory of Isotope Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China;2. Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China;3. School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Fluvio‐lacustrine terraces along Phung Chu (river) on the central southern Tibetan Plateau indicate that a large palaeo‐dammed‐lake formerly existed in this area. Based on landscape survey, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and sedimentary analyses, this research shows that the Phung Chu was blocked and a dammed‐lake over 2500 km2 in size formed before 30 ka ago. OSL dating analysis suggests the fluvio‐lacustrine sediments were well bleached and yield accurate age estimates for two lake drainage events. The first drainage event took place after 30 ka, resulted in river incision and formed a high terrace at 50 m height from the present river level. The second drainage happened after 3.7 ka, resulted in further river incision and formed the second terrace at 25 m height from the present river level. According to the distribution of the fluvio‐lacustrine sediments, active normal faults (particularly the Kharta Fault) in this region and the high gradient slopes after Phung Chu enters the Yö Ri gorge, seismically‐induced landsliding is regarded as highly likely to have been the cause of river blockage and associated formation of a dammed‐lake, although glacial damming is also a possible cause. The volume of drainages from this dammed‐lake may have led to catastrophic flooding and analogous modern lakes represent significant geo‐hazard risks to down‐river human settlements. As dammed‐lakes are special phases in fluvial evolution, often involving river blockage, breakthrough and drastic catchment change, these processes can reveal how tectonic or climatic events modify landforms. However, such tectonic‐derived landform changes can also impact palaeo‐climate of the region. Thus this study has added new evidence regarding the evolutionary history of a dammed lake including its formation, duration, extent and final drainage, which is crucial for understanding its general landscape process mechanisms and for better assessing geo‐hazard risks. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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| Keywords: | fluvio‐lacustrine sediment dammed lake OSL dating geo‐hazard Tibet |
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