Timing and extent of late Quaternary glaciation in the western Himalaya constrained by 10Be moraine dating in Garhwal, India

摘要: Glacial chronologies from the Himalayan region indicate various degrees of asynchronous glacial behavior. Part this has been related to different sensitivities glaciers situated in contrasting climatic compartments orogen, but so far field data support for hypothesis is lacking. Here, we present a new 10 Be-derived chronology upper Tons valley western Garhwal, India, and initial results Pin Thangi valleys eastern Himachal Pradesh. These areas cover steep gradient orographic precipitation allow testing sensitivities. Our provide record five episodes at w16 ka, w11–12 w8–9 w5 <1 ka. In valley, our episode w19 no are available younger deposits valley. At their largest mapped extent (w16 ka), two main joined descended down w2500 m asl, which represents drop w1400 compared present-day extent. During Holocene produced distinct landforms that allowed us reconstruct changes Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) over w20 km north-south distance presently associated with rainfall. We observe ELA-changes have consistently w2 times higher glacier located wetter climate, pointing climate sensitivities, amount they receive. regional scale, reasonable agreement other published Himalaya suggest advances during largely synchronous region. Comparison palaeoclimatic proxy suggests long-term extents controlled by glacial-interglacial temperature oscillations waxing waning large northern-hemisphere ice sheets, while timing millennial-scale advance-and-retreat cycles more directly monsoon strength.