Palaeoenvironmental changes in Eocene Tibetan lake systems traced by geochemistry, sedimentology and palynofacies

• Late Eocene continental climate in Central Asia remains poorly understood. Tibetan lake deposits preserve records of palaeoenvironmental changes. Saline lakes east-central Tibet existed a cool and semi-arid desert-steppe. aridification caused shift Asia. palaeoclimate was primarily influenced by regional to global drivers. Ancient detailed Cenozoic environmental changes, providing information on past climate, vegetation, precipitation chemistry. This study focuses changes recorded limnic environments across what is today the modern Plateau. We describe section dated as late (~38–37 Ma) integrate these findings within context similarly-aged plateau. These sedimentary archives change indicate period cooling lead-up greenhouse-icehouse transition, which understood show, based geochemical, sedimentological, palynofacies analyses, that large saline arid steppe environment Nangqian Basin, Tibet. The experienced cyclic drying intervals with shifts playa / mudflat system. Evidence increased aridity upper part section, including thinning gypsum beds, decrease palynomorph abundance, concurrent increase wood debris amorphous organic matter. consistent Asia, lake, an impoverished desert-steppe vegetation. Grain size data geochemistry stable provenance material, suggesting tectonic activity did not dominate sedimentation during deposition successions. Rather, region were most probably controlled oscillations retreat proto-Paratethys Sea Eocene: knowledge relevant for ecological interpretations through Cenozoic, Quaternary present.