A tropical paleosol at high elevation in the Yulong Mountains and its implication on the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau

A paleosol dated for about 500-700 kaBP and developed on a glacial deposit at similar to 3000 m a.s.l. in the Yulong Mountains is studied using soil c hemical, morphological and mineralogical methods. The analytical results in dicate that this soil was formed under tropical and humid conditions and ca n be classified as red soil, which cannot be formed in the present alpine e nvironment at the studied site. This implies that the southeast margin of t he Tibetan Plateau has experienced intense uplift since the formation of th e paleosol. According to the necessary conditions for the formation of the modern red soil in China, we estimate that the uplift height of the Plateau since 500-700 kaBP would have exceeded 800 m.