TY - JOUR A1 - Rohrmann, Alexander A1 - Strecker, Manfred A1 - Bookhagen, Bodo A1 - Mulch, Andreas A1 - Sachse, Dirk A1 - Pingel, Heiko A1 - Alonso, Ricardo N. A1 - Schildgen, Taylor F. A1 - Montero, Carolina T1 - Can stable isotopes ride out the storms? The role of convection for water isotopes in models, records, and paleoaltimetry studies in the central Andes JF - Earth & planetary science letters KW - stable isotopes KW - Andes KW - precipitation KW - convection KW - paleoaltimetry KW - TRMM satellite data Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.09.021 SN - 0012-821X SN - 1385-013X VL - 407 SP - 187 EP - 195 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Barbolini, Natasha A1 - Woutersen, Amber A1 - Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume A1 - Silvestro, Daniele A1 - Tardif-Becquet, Delphine A1 - Coster, Pauline M. C. A1 - Meijer, Niels A1 - Chang, Cun A1 - Zhang, Hou-Xi A1 - Licht, Alexis A1 - Rydin, Catarina A1 - Koutsodendris, Andreas A1 - Han, Fang A1 - Rohrmann, Alexander A1 - Liu, Xiang-Jun A1 - Zhang, Y. A1 - Donnadieu, Yannick A1 - Fluteau, Frederic A1 - Ladant, Jean-Baptiste A1 - Le Hir, Guillaume A1 - Hoorn, M. Carina T1 - Cenozoic evolution of the steppe-desert biome in Central Asia JF - Science Advances N2 - The origins and development of the arid and highly seasonal steppe-desert biome in Central Asia, the largest of its kind in the world, remain largely unconstrained by existing records. It is unclear how Cenozoic climatic, geological, and biological forces, acting at diverse spatial and temporal scales, shaped Central Asian ecosystems through time. Our synthesis shows that the Central Asian steppe-desert has existed since at least Eocene times but experienced no less than two regime shifts, one at the Eocene-Oligocene Transition and one in the mid-Miocene. These shifts separated three successive "stable states," each characterized by unique floral and faunal structures. Past responses to disturbance in the Asian steppe-desert imply that modern ecosystems are unlikely to recover their present structures and diversity if forced into a new regime. This is of concern for Asian steppes today, which are being modified for human use and lost to desertification at unprecedented rates. Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abb8227 SN - 2375-2548 VL - 6 IS - 41 PB - American Association for the Advancement of Science CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nieto-Moreno, Vanesa A1 - Rohrmann, Alexander A1 - van der Meer, Marcel T. J. A1 - Damste, Jaap S. Sinninghe A1 - Sachse, Dirk A1 - Tofelde, Stefanie A1 - Niedermeyer, Eva M. A1 - Strecker, Manfred A1 - Mulch, Andreas T1 - Elevation-dependent changes in n-alkane delta D and soil GDGTs across the South Central Andes JF - Earth & planetary science letters N2 - Surface uplift of large plateaus may significantly influence regional climate and more specifically precipitation patterns and temperature, sometimes complicating paleoaltimetry interpretations. Thus, understanding the topographic evolution of tectonically active mountain belts benefits from continued development of reliable proxies to reduce uncertainties in paleoaltimetry reconstructions. Lipid biomarker-based proxies provide a novel approach to stable isotope paleoaltimetry and complement authigenic or pedogenic mineral proxy materials, in particular outside semi-arid climate zones where soil carbonates are not abundant but (soil) organic matter has a high preservation potential. Here we present delta D values of soil-derived n-alkanes and mean annual air temperature (MAT) estimates based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (brGDGT) distributions to assess their potential for paleoelevation reconstructions in the southern central Andes. We analyzed soil samples across two environmental and hydrological gradients that include a hillslope (26-28 degrees S) and a valley (22-24 degrees S) transect on the windward flanks of Central Andean Eastern Cordillera in NW Argentina. Our results show that present-day n-alkane delta D values and brGDGT-based MAT estimates are both linearly related with elevation and in good agreement with present-day climate conditions. Soil n-alkanes show a delta D lapse rate (A(delta D)) of -1.64 parts per thousand/100 m (R-2 = 0.91, p < 0.01) at the hillslope transect, within the range of delta D lapse rates from precipitation and surface waters in other tropical regions in the Andes like the Eastern Cordillera in Colombia and Bolivia and the Equatorial and Peruvian Andes. BrGDGT-derived soil temperatures are similar to monitored winter temperatures in the region and show a lapse rate of Delta T = -0.51 degrees C/100 m (R-2 = 0.91, p < 0.01), comparable with lapse rates from in situ soil temperature measurements, satellite derived land-surface temperatures at this transect, and weather stations from the Eastern Cordillera at similar latitude. As a result of an increasing leeward sampling position along the valley transect lapse rates are biased towards lower values and display higher scatter (Delta(delta D) = -0.9 parts per thousand/100 m, R-2 = 0.76, p < 0.01 and Delta T = -0.19 degrees C/100 m, R-2 = 0.48, p < 0.05). Despite this higher complexity, they are in line with lapse rates from stream-water samples and in situ soil temperature measurements along the same transect. Our results demonstrate that both soil n-alkane delta D values and MAT reconstructions based on brGDGTs distributions from the hillslope transect (Delta(delta D) = -1.64 parts per thousand/100 m, R-2 = 0.91, p < 0.01 and Delta T = -0.51 degrees C/100 m, R-2 = 0.91, p < 0.01) track the direct effects of orography on precipitation and temperature and hence the combined effects of local and regional hydrology as well as elevation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - South Central Andes KW - leaf-wax n-alkane delta D KW - branched GDGTs KW - MAT(mr) paleothermometer KW - paleoaltimetry proxies KW - attitudinal transects Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.07.049 SN - 0012-821X SN - 1385-013X VL - 453 SP - 234 EP - 242 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rohrmann, Alexander A1 - Sachse, Dirk A1 - Mulch, Andreas A1 - Pingel, Heiko A1 - Tofelde, Stefanie A1 - Alonso, Ricardo N. A1 - Strecker, Manfred T1 - Miocene orographic uplift forces rapid hydrological change in the southern central Andes JF - Scientific reports N2 - Rainfall in the central Andes associated with the South American Monsoon and the South American Low-Level Jet results from orographic effects on atmospheric circulation exerted by the Andean Plateau and the Eastern Cordillera. However, despite its importance for South American climate, no reliable records exist that allow decoding the evolution of thresholds and interactions between Andean topography and atmospheric circulation, especially regarding the onset of humid conditions in the inherently dry southern central Andes. Here, we employ multi-proxy isotope data of lipid biomarkers, pedogenic carbonates and volcanic glass from the Eastern Cordillera of NW Argentina and present the first long-term evapotranspiration record. We find that regional eco-hydrology and vegetation changes are associated with initiation of moisture transport via the South American Low-Level Jet at 7.6 Ma, and subsequent lateral growth of the orogen at 6.5 Ma. Our results highlight that topographically induced changes in atmospheric circulation patterns, not global climate change, were responsible for late Miocene environmental change in this part of the southern hemisphere. This suggests that mountain building over time fundamentally controlled habitat evolution along the central Andes. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/srep35678 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 6 SP - 4283 EP - 4306 PB - Nature Publ. Group CY - London ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pingel, Heiko A1 - Alonso, Ricardo N. A1 - Mulch, Andreas A1 - Rohrmann, Alexander A1 - Sudo, Masafumi A1 - Strecker, Manfred T1 - Pliocene orographic barrier uplift in the southern Central Andes JF - Geology N2 - Sedimentary basin fills along the windward flanks of orogenic plateaus are valuable archives of paleoenvironmental change with the potential to resolve the history of surface uplift and orographic barrier formation. The intermontane basins of the southern Central Andes contain thick successions of sedimentary material that are commonly interbedded with datable volcanic ashes. We relate variations in the hydrogen isotopic composition of hydrated volcanic glass (delta D-g) of Neogene to Quaternary fills in the semiarid intermontane Humahuaca Basin (Eastern Cordillera, northwest Argentina) to spatiotemporal changes in topography and associated orographic effects. delta D values from volcanic glass in the basin strata (-117 parts per thousand to -98 parts per thousand) show two main trends that accompany observed tectonosedimentary events in the study area. Between 6.0 and 3.5 Ma, delta D-g values decrease by similar to 17 parts per thousand; this is associated with surface uplift in the catchment area. After 3.5 Ma, delta D-g values show abrupt deuterium enrichment, which we associate with (1) the attainment of threshold elevations for blocking moisture transport in the basin-bounding ranges to the east, and (2) the onset of semiarid conditions in the basin. Such orographic barriers throughout the eastern flanks of the Central Andes have impeded moisture transport into the orogen interior; this has likely helped maintain aridity and internal drainage conditions on the adjacent Andean Plateau. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1130/G35538.1 SN - 0091-7613 SN - 1943-2682 VL - 42 IS - 8 SP - 691 EP - 694 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Boulder ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pingel, Heiko A1 - Mulch, Andreas A1 - Alonso, Ricardo N. A1 - Cottle, John A1 - Hynek, Scott A. A1 - Poletti, Jacob A1 - Rohrmann, Alexander A1 - Schmitt, Axel K. A1 - Stockli, Daniel F. A1 - Strecker, Manfred T1 - Surface uplift and convective rainfall along the southern Central Andes (Angastaco Basin, NW Argentina) JF - Earth & planetary science letters N2 - Stable-isotopic and sedimentary records from the orogenic Puna Plateau of NW Argentina and adjacent intermontane basins to the east furnish a unique late Cenozoic record of range uplift and ensuing paleoenvironmental change in the south-central Andes. Today, focused precipitation in this region occurs along the eastern, windward flanks of the Eastern Cordillera and Sierras Pampeanas ranges, while the orogen interior constitutes high-elevation regions with increasingly arid conditions in a westward direction. As in many mountain belts, such hydrologic and topographic gradients are commonly mirrored by a systematic relationship between the oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope ratios of meteoric water and elevation. The glass fraction of isotopically datable volcanic ash intercalated in sedimentary sequences constitutes an environmental proxy that retains a signal of the hydrogen-isotopic composition of ancient precipitation. This isotopic composition thus helps to elucidate the combined climatic and tectonic processes associated with topographic growth, which ultimately controls the spatial patterns of precipitation in mountain belts. However, between 25.5 and 27 degrees S present-day river-based hydrogen isotope lapse rates are very low, possibly due to deep-convective seasonal storms that dominate runoff. If not accounted for, the effects of such conditions on moisture availability in the past may lead to misinterpretations of proxy-records of rainfall. Here, we present hydrogen-isotope data of volcanic glass (delta Dg), extracted from 34 volcanic ash layers in different sedimentary basins of the Eastern Cordillera and the Sierras Pampeanas. Combined with previously published delta Dg records and our refined U-Pb and (U-Th)/He zircon geochronology on 17 tuff samples, we demonstrate hydrogen-isotope variations associated with paleoenvironmental change in the Angastaco Basin, which evolved from a contiguous foreland to a fault-bounded intermontane basin during the late Mio-Pliocene. We unravel the environmental impact of Mio-Pliocene topographic growth and associated orographic effects on long-term hydrogen-isotope records of rainfall in the south-central Andes, and potentially identify temporal variations in regional isotopic lapse rates that may also apply to other regions with similar topographic boundary conditions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - hydrogen stable isotopes KW - volcanic glass KW - paleoaltimetry KW - NW-Argentine Andes KW - orographic barrier uplift KW - convective rainfall Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2016.02.009 SN - 0012-821X SN - 1385-013X VL - 440 SP - 33 EP - 42 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - THES A1 - Rohrmann, Alexander T1 - The role of wind and water in shaping earth's plateaus T1 - Die Rolle von Wind und Wasser bei der Bildung von Hochplateaus der Erde N2 - The overarching goal of this dissertation is to provide a better understanding of the role of wind and water in shaping Earth’s Cenozoic orogenic plateaus - prominent high-elevation, low relief sectors in the interior of Cenozoic mountain belts. In particular, the feedbacks between surface uplift, the build-up of topography and ensuing changes in precipitation, erosion, and vegetation patterns are addressed in light of past and future climate change. Regionally, the study focuses on the two world’s largest plateaus, the Altiplano-Puna Plateau of the Andes and Tibetan Plateau, both characterized by average elevations of >4 km. Both plateaus feature high, deeply incised flanks with pronounced gradients in rainfall, vegetation, hydrology, and surface processes. These characteristics are rooted in the role of plateaus to act as efficient orographic barriers to rainfall and to force changes in atmospheric flow. The thesis examines the complex topics of tectonic and climatic forcing of the surface-process regime on three different spatial and temporal scales: (1) bedrock wind-erosion rates are quantified in the arid Qaidam Basin of NW Tibet over millennial timescales using cosmogenic radionuclide dating; (2) present-day stable isotope composition in rainfall is examined across the south-central Andes in three transects between 22° S and 28° S; these data are modeled and assessed with remotely sensed rainfall data of the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer; (3) finally, a 2.5-km-long Mio-Pliocene sedimentary record of the intermontane Angastaco Basin (25°45’ S, 66°00’ W) is presented in the context of hydrogen and carbon compositions of molecular lipid biomarker, and oxygen and carbon isotopes obtained from pedogenic carbonates; these records are compared to other environmental proxies, including hydrated volcanic glass shards from volcanic ashes intercalated in the sedimentary strata. There are few quantitative estimates of eolian bedrock-removal rates from arid, low relief landscapes. Wind-erosion rates from the western Qaidam Basin based on cosmogenic 10Be measurements document erosion rates between 0.05 to 0.4 mm/yr. This finding indicates that in arid environments with strong winds, hyperaridity, exposure of friable strata, and ongoing rock deformation and uplift, wind erosion can outpace fluvial erosion. Large eroded sediment volumes within the Qaidam Basin and coeval dust deposition on the Chinese Loess plateau, exemplify the importance of dust production within arid plateau environments for marine and terrestrial depositional processes, but also health issues and fertilization of soils. In the south-central Andes, the analysis of 234 stream-water samples for oxygen and hydrogen reveals that areas experiencing deep convective storms do not show the commonly observed patterns of isotopic fractionation and the expected co-varying relationships between oxygen and hydrogen with increasing elevation. These convective storms are formed over semi-arid intermontane basins in the transition between the broken foreland of the Sierras Pampeanas, the Eastern Cordillera, and the Puna Plateau in the interior of the orogen. Here, convective rainfall dominates the precipitation budget and no systematic stable isotope-elevation relationship exists. Regions to the north, in the transition between the broken foreland and the Subandean foreland fold-and-thrust belt, the impact of convection is subdued, with lower degrees of storminess and a stronger expected isotope-elevation relationship. This finding of present-day fractionation trends of meteoric water is of great importance for paleoenvironmental studies in attempts to use stable isotope relationships in the reconstruction of paleoelevations. The third part of the thesis focuses on the paleohydrological characteristics of the Mio-Pliocene (10-2 Ma) Angastaco Basin sedimentary record, which reveals far-reaching environmental changes during Andean uplift and orographic barrier formation. A precipitation- evapotranspiration record identifies the onset of a precipitation regime related to the South American Low Level Jet at this latitude after 9 Ma. Humid foreland conditions existed until 7 Ma, followed by orographic barrier uplift to the east of the present-day Angastaco Basin. This was superseded by rapid (~0.5 Myr) aridification in an intermontane basin, highlighting the effects of eastward-directed deformation. A transition in vegetation cover from a humid C3 forest ecosystem to semi-arid C4-dominated vegetation was coeval with continued basin uplift to modern elevations. N2 - Das übergreifende Ziel dieser Dissertation ist es, ein besseres Verständnis des Einflusses von Wind und Wasser auf die Entstehung orogener Plateaus im Känozoikum zu erlangen. Orogene Plateaus sind hochgelegene, durch geringes Relief und oft endorheische Entwässerung charakterisierte trockene Hochgebirgsregionen. In dieser Arbeit wird vor allem die Rückkopplung zwischen tektonischer Hebung, dem Aufbau von Relief und den daraus resultierenden Veränderungen des Niederschlags, der Erosion und variierenden Vegetationsmustern im Zusammenhang mit vergangenen und zukünftigen Klimaveränderungen untersucht. Der regionale Fokus dieser Arbeit liegt auf den zwei größten Plateaus der Erde, das Altiplano-Puna-Plateau in den Anden und das Tibet Plateau. Beide besitzen eine durchschnittliche Höhe von > 4 km. Als effiziente orographische Barrieren und „Heizflächen“ beeinflussen Plateaus großräumig die atmosphärische Zirkulation und bewirken somit ausgeprägte Gradienten in Niederschlag, Vegetation, Hydrologie und Oberflächenprozessen. Vor diesem Hintergrund untersucht diese Arbeit das komplexe Zusammenspiel zwischen Tektonik und Klima und damit verbundene Auswirkungen auf Erdoberflächenprozesse auf drei verschiedenen zeitlichen und räumlichen Skalen: (1) die Quantifizierung von Wind-Erosionsraten im Festgestein des ariden Qaidam-Beckens von Nordwest-Tibet mittels kosmogener Nukliddatierungen über Zeiräume von mehreren 103 Jahren; (2) die heutige Isotopenzusammensetzung von Niederschläge wird entlang von drei Transekten über die Südzentralanden zwischen 22° und 28° S ermittelt; diese Daten werden modelliert und der Niederschlag mit satellitenbasierten Fernerkundungsdaten der Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission und des Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ausgewertet; (3) eine 2,5 km mächtige mio-pliozäne Sedimentabfolge des intermontanen Angastaco-Beckens (25°45’ S, 66°00’ W) wird auf die Wasserstoff- und Kohlenstoffzusammensetzungen von molekularen Blattwachsen und hinsichtlich der Sauerstoff- und Kohlenstoffisotopie von Bodenkarbonaten untersucht; diese Datensätze werden mit anderen Umweltindikatoren verglichen, u.a. mit hydratisierten Gläsern vulkanischer Aschen, die in der Sedimentabfolge aufgeschlossen sind. Es gibt nur wenige quantitative Abschätzungen von Winderosionsraten im Festgestein arider Gebiete mit geringem Relief. Kosmogene 10Be-Messungen im westlichen Qaidam-Becken dokumentieren Erosionsraten zwischen 0,05 bis 0,4 mm/a. Diese Resultate zeigen, dass in ariden Gebieten mit hohen Windgeschwindigkeiten, leicht erodierbaren Gesteinen und andauernder Deformation und Hebung, Wind-Erosionsprozesse die Denudationsraten der fluvialen Erosion bei weitem übersteigen kann. Das große Volumen erodierter Gesteine im Qaidam-Becken und die gleichzeitige Lössablagerung im chinesischen Löss-Plateau veranschaulichen die wichtige Rolle der äolischen Sedimentproduktion in ariden Plateaugebieten und unterstreichen deren Bedeutung für marine und terrestrische Ablagerungsprozesse sowie Nährstoffeinträge in Böden und respiratorische Gesundheitsprobleme. Die Analyse der Sauerstoff- und Wasserstoffisotopie von 234 Flusswasserproben aus den Südzentralanden belegt, dass Gebiete mit starken konvektiven meteorologischen Ereignissen nicht die erwarteten Isotopenmuster zwischen der Abnahme der Isotopie und der Höhe aufweisen. Diese konvektiven Ereignisse werden über semiariden intermontanen Becken in der Übergangszone zwischen dem zerbrochenen Vorland der Sierras Pampeanas, der Ostkordillere und dem Puna-Plateau im Inneren des Orogens gebildet. Konvektiver Niederschlag dominiert hier den Niederschlagshaushalt und eliminiert jegliche systematische Beziehung zwischen der Isotopie und der Höhe. In den nördlichen Regionen, - in der Übergangszone zwischen dem zerbrochenen Vorland und dem subandinen Falten- und Überschiebungsgürtel, verringert sich der Einfluss konvektiver Niederschläge und hydrometeorologische Extremereignisse gegenüber den orographischen bedingten Niederschlagsmechanismen. Dieser Unterschied wirkt sich in einer besseren Beziehung zwischen Isotopenverhältnissen und Höhe aus. Eine bessere Kenntnis der meteorologischen Einflüsse auf die Wasserisotopie sind der Schlüssel für zukünftige Paläoumweltstudien und zukünftige Bestrebungen, mit Hilfe der Trends in der Isotopie meteorischer Wässer das vertikale Wachstum von Gebirgen zu quantifizieren. Der dritte Teil der Arbeit behandelt die Isotopenverhältnisse in Blattwachsen und daraus abgeleitete paläohydrologische Eigenschaften des Anagastaco-Beckens im Mio-Pliozän (10-2 Ma), welche weitreichende Umweltveränderungen während der Hebung der Anden und der Bildung von orografischen Barrieren im Vorland aufzeigen. Als Proxies für Niederschlag und Evapotranspiration dokumentieren Isotopenverhältnisse in Blattwachsen, Bodenkarbonaten und vulkanischen Gläsern den Beginn eines Niederschlagsystems in diesem Teil der Anden, welches durch feuchtebringende Winde des South American Low Level Jet ab 9 Ma etabliert war. Humide Bedingungen existierten bis 7 Ma im Vorland, gefolgt von einer Bildung einer orografischen Barriere im Osten des heutigen Angastaco-Beckens. Als Folge dieser Hebung folgte eine rasche Aridifikation (innerhalb ~0,5 Ma) des nun intermontanen Angastaco-Beckens. Ein Wechsel von einem feuchten C3-Wald-Ökosystem zu semiariden Umweltbedingungen mit einer C4-dominierten Vegetationsdecke vollzog sich gleichzeitig mit der fortlaufenden Hebung des Beckens auf heutige Höhen. KW - plateau KW - isotopes KW - erosion KW - water KW - leaf wax KW - Plateau KW - stabile Isotope KW - Wasser KW - Erosion KW - Blattwachse Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-77938 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rohrmann, Alexander A1 - Kapp, Paul A1 - Carrapa, Barbara A1 - Reiners, Peter W. A1 - Guynn, Jerome A1 - Ding, Lin A1 - Heizler, Matthew T1 - Thermochronologic evidence for plateau formation in central Tibet by 45 Ma JF - Geology N2 - The timing of Tibetan plateau development remains elusive, despite its importance for evaluating models of continental lithosphere deformation and associated changes in surface elevation and climate. We present new thermochronologic data [biotite and K-feldspar Ar-40/Ar-39, apatite fission track, and apatite (U-Th)/He] from the central Tibetan plateau (Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes). The data indicate that over large regions, rocks underwent rapid to moderate cooling and exhumation during Cretaceous to Eocene time. This was coeval with >50% upper crustal shortening, suggesting substantial crustal thickening and surface elevation gain. Thermal modeling of combined thermochronometers requires exhumation of most samples to depths of <3 km between 85 and 45 Ma, followed by a decrease in erosional exhumation rate to low values of <0.05 mm/yr. The thermochronological results, when interpreted in the context of the deformation and paleoaltimetric history, are best explained by a scenario of plateau growth that began locally in central Tibet during the Late Cretaceous and expanded to encompass most of central Tibet by 45 Ma. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1130/G32530.1 SN - 0091-7613 VL - 40 IS - 2 SP - 187 EP - 190 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Boulder ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rohrmann, Alexander A1 - Heermance, Richard A1 - Kapp, Paul A1 - Cai, Fulong T1 - Wind as the primary driver of erosion in the Qaidam Basin, China JF - Earth & planetary science letters N2 - Deserts are a major source of loess and may undergo substantial wind-erosion as evidenced by yardang fields, deflation pans, and wind-scoured bedrock landscapes. However, there are few quantitative estimates of bedrock removal by wind abrasion and deflation. Here, we report wind-erosion rates in the western Qaidam Basin in central China based on measurements of cosmogenic Be-10 in exhumed Miocene sedimentary bedrock. Sedimentary bedrock erosion rates range from 0.05 to 0.4 mm/yr, although the majority of measurements cluster at 0.125 +/- 0.05 mm/yr. These results, combined with previous work, indicate that strong winds, hyper-aridity, exposure of friable Neogene strata, and ongoing rock deformation and uplift in the western Qaidam Basin have created an environment where wind, instead of water, is the dominant agent of erosion and sediment transport. Its geographic location (upwind) combined with volumetric estimates suggest that the Qaidam Basin is a major source (up to 50%) of dust to the Chinese Loess Plateau to the east. The cosmogenically derived wind erosion rates are within the range of erosion rates determined from glacial and fluvial dominated landscapes worldwide, exemplifying the effectiveness of wind to erode and transport significant quantities of bedrock. KW - wind KW - cosmogenic nuclide-dating KW - earth surface processes KW - Chinese Loess Plateau KW - climate KW - Asia Y1 - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.03.011 SN - 0012-821X VL - 374 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - GEN A1 - Rohrmann, Alexander A1 - Heermance, Richard A1 - Kapp, Paul A1 - Cai, Fulong T1 - Wind as the primary driver of erosion in the Qaidam Basin, China (vol 374, pg 1, 2013) T2 - Earth & planetary science letters Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.10.011 SN - 0012-821X SN - 1385-013X VL - 432 SP - 501 EP - 501 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -