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Comparison of grain-size distributions between nearshore sections and a deep-water sediment core from Dali Lake, North China, and inferred Holocene lake-level changes

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Abstract

The grain-size distribution of the sediments of closed lake basins is sensitive to lake-level changes and thus to changes in regional climate. Deep-water areas of lakes potentially yield high resolution, continuous records of sedimentation and lake-level changes. In contrast, the marginal areas of lake basins accumulate sediment in a wave-dominated, high-energy environment and may be more sensitive to lake-level changes than deep-water environments, but they might also be more affected by sedimentary hiatuses. Here, we present grain-size data from two sections of exposed nearshore sediments of Dali Lake, North China, and compare them with previously published results from a sediment core from the lake center. We used the grain size-standard deviation method to distinguish various grains-size components of the nearshore sediments, and compared the results with those from surface sediments from various depths in order to investigate past lake-level changes. Combining the grain-size results with a radiocarbon chronology, we defined four lake-level stages during the Holocene: (1) An intermediate lake level from early Holocene to 10.0 cal ka BP. (2) A high lake level from 10.0 to 6.6 cal ka BP. (3) A decline to an intermediate lake level from 6.6 to 1.0 cal ka BP. (4) An abrupt fall to a low lake level from 1.0 cal ka BP to the present when the marginal section was covered with eolian sand. Our results indicate that the total amplitude of lake-level variation during the Holocene was greater than 45 m. This record of lake-level change is in good agreement with previous results obtained from the lake center, and it indicates that the grain-size standard deviation method may be well suited for lake-level reconstruction from nearshore sediments. Moreover, the marginal sections provide evidence of an abrupt short-lived lake-level decline more clearly than the deep-water core.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Oliver Heiri and three anonymous referees for valuable comments and suggestions that helped improve the early version of the manuscript. Special thanks are extended to Thomas J Whitmore and Oliver Heiri for their careful revision of the manuscript. This study was financially supported by the Grants from the Geological Investigation Projects of China Geological Survey (Nos. 12120113005600, 1212011120142, 121201102000150010-07).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037, China

    Jin Liu, Yong Wang, Tingdong Li & Fei Tian

  2. China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China

    Jin Liu

  3. Institute of Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Shijiazhuang, 250013, China

    Jingsong Yang

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  1. Jin Liu
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Correspondence to Yong Wang.

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Liu, J., Wang, Y., Li, T. et al. Comparison of grain-size distributions between nearshore sections and a deep-water sediment core from Dali Lake, North China, and inferred Holocene lake-level changes. J Paleolimnol 56, 123–135 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-016-9899-x

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