Redefinition and division of Quaternary lacustrine strata and establishment of the Paikü Co Group in the Paikü Co basin, Tibet, China

The Quaternary early Pleistocene-Holocene lacustrine strata in the Paikü Co basin, Tibet, were studied and divided intensively, the early Pleistocene-Holocene lithostratigraphic units were redefined and the biostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic sequences were determined through field geological survey and stratigraphic sections of lacustrine strata in lacustrine terraces T1-T16 around the Paikü Co basin. The Paikü Co Group—a Quaternary early Pleistocene-Holocene lacustrine stratigraphic unit—was established for the first time. This group consists of the lower Pleistocene Layang Formation, middle Pleistocene Mangjiadong Formation, upper Pleistocene Bangrong Formation and Holocene Luomarenbu Formation. This research provides new data for the study of lake evolution, climatic variations and paleogeographic changes, as well as the stratigraphic division and correlation of the Quaternary on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.