Palaeoglaciation of Bayan Har Shan, northeastern Tibetan Plateau: glacial geology indicates maximum extents limited to ice cap and ice field scales

• Published in: Journal of Quaternary Science
• Main Authors: Heyman, Jakob, Stroeven, Arjen P., Alexanderson, Helena, Hattestrand, Clas, Harbor, Jon, Li, Yingkui, Caffee, Marc W., Zhou, Liping, Veres, Daniel, Liu, Feng, Machiedo, Martin
• Other Authors: Heyman, J (reprint author), Stockholm Univ, Dept Phys Geog & Quaternary Geol, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden., Stockholm Univ, Dept Phys Geog & Quaternary Geol, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden., Norwegian Univ Life Sci, Dept Plant & Environm Sci, As, Norway., Purdue Univ, Dept Earth & Atmospher Sci, W Lafayette, IN 47907 USA., Univ Tennessee, Dept Geog, Knoxville, TN 37996 USA., Purdue Univ, Dept Phys, Purdue Rare Isotope Measurement Lab, W Lafayette, IN 47907 USA., Peking Univ, Dept Geog, Beijing 100871, Peoples R China., Emil Racovita Inst Speleol, Cluj Napoca, Romania., Univ Ctr Svalbard UNIS, Dept Geol, Svalbard, Norway.
• Format: Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: journal of quaternary science 2009
• Subjects: glacial deposits; Tibetan Plateau; Bayan Har; glacial extent; palaeoglaciology; LATE QUATERNARY GLACIATION; NORTHERN INDIA; LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION; LAHUL-HIMALAYA; EASTERN TIBET; MOUNTAINS; PATTERNS; SHEET; NEPAL; GEOMORPHOLOGY; Ice cap; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11897/246222; https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.1305

Key locations within an extensive area of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, centred on Bayan Har Shan, have been mapped to distinguish glacial from non-glacial deposits. Prior work suggests palaeo-glaciers ranging from valley glaciers and local ice caps in the highest mountains to a regional or even plateau-scale ice sheet. New field data show that glacial deposits are abundant in high mountain areas in association with large-scale glacial landforms. in addition, glacial deposits are present in several locations outside areas with distinct glacial erosional landforms, indicating that the most extensive palaeo-glaciers had little geomorphological impact on the landscape towards their margins. The glacial geological record does indicate extensive maximum glaciation, with local ice caps covering entire elevated mountain areas. However, absence of glacial traces in intervening lower-lying plateau areas suggests that local ice caps did not merge to form a regional ice sheet on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau around Bayan Har Shan. No evidence exists for past ice sheet glaciation. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geosciences, Multidisciplinary Paleontology SCI(E) 9 ARTICLE 7 710-727 24