Late Oligocene–Miocene mid-latitude aridification and wind patterns in the Asian interior

Abstract

Research Article| June 01, 2010 Late Oligocene–Miocene mid-latitude aridification and wind patterns in the Asian interior Jimin Sun; Jimin Sun * 1Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 9825, Beijing 100029, China *E-mail: [e-mail]. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jie Ye; Jie Ye 2Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Wenyu Wu; Wenyu Wu 2Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Xijun Ni; Xijun Ni 2Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Shundong Bi; Shundong Bi 3Department of Biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania 15705, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Zhenqing Zhang; Zhenqing Zhang 1Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 9825, Beijing 100029, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Weiming Liu; Weiming Liu 1Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 9825, Beijing 100029, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jin Meng Jin Meng 2Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China4American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York 10024, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2010) 38 (6): 515–518. https://doi.org/10.1130/G30776.1 Article history received: 12 Oct 2009 rev-recd: 19 Dec 2009 accepted: 11 Jan 2010 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Jimin Sun, Jie Ye, Wenyu Wu, Xijun Ni, Shundong Bi, Zhenqing Zhang, Weiming Liu, Jin Meng; Late Oligocene–Miocene mid-latitude aridification and wind patterns in the Asian interior. Geology 2010;; 38 (6): 515–518. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G30776.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The Asian interior has the largest mid-latitude arid zone in the Northern Hemisphere, and so has become increasingly attractive for studying the initiation and the past extent of aridification in this zone. Given the enormousness of the Asian interior, it remains unclear how old and extensive the eolian deposits might have been, and what wind regimes have been responsible for the formation of the mid-latitude arid zone. Here we report new eolian records of widespread Tertiary eolian deposits in a region far from the Chinese Loess Plateau, the giant Junggar inland basin of northwestern China. Our results demonstrate that the earliest eolian deposition initiated ca. 24 Ma. We interpret that the Tertiary eolian dust in the Junggar Basin was transported by westerly winds, possibly from areas in Kazakhstan; the dust differs from the airborne dust transported by winter monsoon winds from the deserts of Mongolia and northern China that accumulated on the Loess Plateau. These results further reveal that the climate pattern, similar to that of the present, has prevailed at least since the latest Oligocene in Central Asia. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.