Expansion/shrinkage history of the Paratethys Sea during the Eocene: New insights from eolian Red Clay records in the Altyn Mountains, northern China

Uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, expansion/shrinkage Paratethys Sea, and global climate are three major forcings for central-east Asian climatic environmental variations during Cenozoic. However, knowledge history Sea is much less well known in comparison with other two forcings. Here, we present a first multiple-parameter magnetic diffuse reflectance spectroscopy study Eocene eolian Red Clay deposits (∼51–40 Ma) Xorkol Basin northeastern which near easternmost maximum boundary Sea. The detailed was reconstructed based on hematite content Clay, shows remarkable consistency previous low-resolution paleowater depth record southwestern Tarim Basin. These results demonstrate that experienced three-stage (shrinkage-expansion-shrinkage) evolution between ∼51 40 Ma, boundaries at ∼46.2 42 Ma. Superimposed this framework, four times rapid shrinkages expansion phase (shows 400-kyr cycles) ∼44–42 Ma modulated by eccentricity new great significance to evaluate respective role uplift, climate, area change over Eocene.