In situ cosmogenic 10Be dating of the Quaternary glaciations in the southern Shaluli Mountain on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

It is generally considered that four-times ice age happened during the Quaternary epoch on the Tibetan Plateau. However, the research on the chronology of the four-times ice age is far from enough. The Shaluli Mountain on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau is an ideal place for plaeo-glacier study, because there are abundant Quaternary glacial remains there. This paper discusses the ages of the Quaternary glaciations, based on the exposure dating of roche moutonnée, moraines and glacial erosion surfaces using in situ cosmogenic isotopes ¹⁰Be. It is found that the exposure age of the roche moutonnée at Tuershan is 15 ka, corresponding to Stage 2 of the deep-sea oxygen isotope, suggesting that the roche moutonnée at Tuershan is formed in the last glacial maximum. The exposure age of glacial erosion surface at Laolinkou is 130–160 ka, corresponding to Stage 6 of the deep-sea oxygen isotope. The oldest end moraine at Kuzhaori may form at 421–766 kaBP, corresponding to Stages 12–18 of the deep-sea oxygen isotope. In accordance with the climate characteristic of stages 12, 14, 16 and 18 reflected by the deep-sea oxygen isotope, polar ice cores and loess sequence, the oldest end moraine at Kuzhaori may form at stage 12 or stage 16, the latter is more possible.