The Tibetan Plateau is covered in wind-blown sand: Implications for detrital provenance studies

Abstract We sampled modern sand from small (0.4–16.0 km2) catchments within the western Yarlung suture zone of southern Tibet. Many (29%–45%) of the zircon ages are Eocene to Miocene, younger than the Paleozoic to Paleogene bedrock but consistent with zircon ages in local modern river sands. Eolian dunes and sand sheets in part of the study area, and a widespread <21 ka loessic soil mantle, suggest that sediment was transported upslope out of the riverbeds by eolian processes since the Last Glacial Maximum. Loessic soil is ubiquitous on the Tibetan Plateau, and its preservation and dominance in small catchments suggests that loess deposition outpaces erosion of the underlying bedrock. Small (<50 km2) catchments may better identify when wind plays a significant role in sediment transport. Our case study highlights the efficacy of uphill sediment transport by wind and the detrital significance of loess in southern Tibet.