Holocene environmental change at Lake Shudu, Yunnan Province, southwestern China

Abstract

A Holocene palaeorecord from Lake Shudu, Yunnan Province, southwestern China is dominated by (1) a pronounced basin-wide sedimentary hiatus after ca. 7.2 kcal yr BP, spanning some 4,000 years and (2) significant changes in sediment source/supply and an increase in heavy metal influx coupled with a shift to more eutrophic lake conditions from ca. 0.9 kcal yr BP, lasting *300 years. The hiatus is most likely a due to a significant and abrupt reduction in sedimentation rates, the driver of which is unclear; although it appears likely to have been climatically driven. The environmental changes captured in the Lake Shudu palaeorecord provide unambiguous evidence of late Holocene anthropogenic activity, most likely linked to mining activity.

Catchment instability and Asian summer monsoon variability during the early Holocene in southwestern China

“…There is also the possibility that the absence of sediments is the result of a hiatus in the core, as has been observed in a short core (05SD1) obtained from Lake Shudu (discussed in detail in Jones et al . ). The hiatus in 05SD1 is dated to c. 7.2 cal.…”

Holocene vegetation history, precipitation changes and Indian Summer Monsoon evolution documented from sediments of Xingyun Lake, south‐west China

“…The hiatus may be basin-wide and a possible explanation may be the leakage of water through fissures in the lake bed. This is a common feature of lakes in the karst areas of Yunnan Plateau, and one example is that of Shudu Lake (Jones et al, 2012). Karst areas normally have a quite well-developed underground river system connected by caves.…”

Linkages between climate, fire and vegetation in southwest China during the last 18.5ka based on a sedimentary record of black carbon and its isotopic composition

“…Slash-and-burn was widely used in the region and elsewhere in order rapidly to increase the area under cultivation. Charcoal and coal were used to develop mining and smelting as indicated by the increased concentration of heavy metals in the sediments of Lakes Erhai, Xingyun and Shudu (Dearing et al, 2008;Hillman et al, 2014;Jones et al, 2012;Shen et al, 2005). Therefore the intensified human activity in the area during the late Holocene would have resulted in significantly increased biomass burning.…”