『Abstract
Climate is one of the principal controls setting rates of continental
erosion. Here we present the results of a provenance analysis
of Holocene sediments from the Indus delta in order to assess
climatic controls on erosion over millennial time scale. Bulk
sediment Nd isotope analysis reveals a number of changes during
the late Pleistocene and early Holocene (at 14-20, 11-12 and 8-9
ka) away from erosion of the Karakoram and toward more sediment
flux from the Himalaya. Radiometric Ar-Ar dating of muscovite
and U-Pb dating of zircon sand grains indicate that the Lesser
Himalaya eroded relatively more strongly than the Greater Himalaya
as global climate warmed and the summer monsoon intensified after
14 ka. Monsoon rains appear to be the primary force controlling
erosion across the western Himalaya, at least over millennial
time scales. This variation is preserved with no apparent lag
in sediments from the delta, but not in the deep Arabian Sea,
due to sediment buffering on the continental shelf.
Keywords: erosion; Himalayas; monsoon; rivers; provenance』
Introduction
Stratigraphy and sampling
Results
Discussion
Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References cited