Middle Eocene Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction in the Gonjo Basin, Eastern Tibetan Plateau: Evidence From Palynological and Evaporite Records

The early uplift of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) had a profound influence on the paleoenvironment and paleoclimate. However, we still have little information about the link between the paleoclimatic changes and flora ecosystem caused by the uplift. The Eocene fluvial-lacustrine sequences in the Gonjo Basin, eastern TP, provide excellent archives of the paleoecological and paleoclimatic responses to the surface uplift of the TP. In this study, we investigated a section of the middle Eocene Ranmugou Formation (47.8->44 Ma) and used the sporomorphs assemblages, sedimentology, and geochemistry of the evaporites to reconstruct the paleoclimate and paleovegetation. The palynological assemblages and coexistence analysis reveal that the middle Eocene ecosystem in the Gonjo Basin was dominated by warm and humid temperate deciduous broad-leaved forests. The Sr-87/Sr-86 ratios (0.709942-0.710062) of all of the gypsum samples are higher than those of contemporaneous seawater, while the delta S-34 values (10.3-11.0%) are much lower, indicating a lacustrine environment. Combined with published palynological and paleoelevation data for eastern Tibetan lacustrine basins, we infer that the paleoenvironment changed from warm and humid deciduous broad-leaved forests during 47.8->44 Ma, to cool and arid temperate forest during 44-40 Ma in the Gonjo Basin, and to arid and cool steppe-desert vegetation in the late Eocene Nangqian Basin. The changes in the paleoclimate and vegetation were primarily driven by the surface uplift of the Central Watershed Mountain, the high topography of which blocked the moisture from the Asian Eocene monsoon.

Automated summary

The early uplift of the Tibetan Plateau had a significant impact on the paleoenvironment and paleoclimate. This study examines the Eocene fluvial-lacustrine sequences in the Gonjo Basin and reconstructs the paleoclimate and paleovegetation based on sporomorphs assemblages, sedimentology, and geochemistry. The findings reveal a shift from warm and humid deciduous broad-leaved forests to cool and arid temperate forests, and finally to arid and cool steppe-desert vegetation.