{"id":475751,"date":"2026-10-01T10:57:54","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T17:57:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=475751"},"modified":"2026-10-01T10:57:55","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T17:57:55","slug":"ancient-tibetan-ice-cap-holds-climate-secrets-older-than-100000-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=475751","title":{"rendered":"Ancient Tibetan Ice Cap Holds Climate Secrets Older Than 100,000 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Aerial
AI generated by Grok<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Researchers have confirmed that ancient ice in the high- altitude Guliya Ice Cap (northwestern Tibet) preserves climate records from the last ice age and beyond, making these the oldest ice cores recovered from the region.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study, led by Lonnie Thompson (professor of earth sciences and senior research scientist at Ohio State\u2019s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center) and published in Science Advances<\/strong>, compared ice cores<\/strong> drilled from the Guliya Plateau<\/strong> in 1992 and 2015. Both showed matching oxygen isotope patterns, confirming that the environmental signals are consistent and reproducible over decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To date the ice, the team used radioactive isotopes beryllium-10 and chlorine-36.<\/strong> These marked the Laschamp Geomagnetic Excursion<\/strong> (a major shift in Earth\u2019s magnetic field more than 41,000 years ago<\/strong>). Combined with oxygen- isotope records<\/strong> from nearby Tibetan cave deposits<\/strong>, the data indicate the Guliya record extends well over 128,000 years<\/strong> (and more than 100,000 years overall).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is significant because, outside the polar regions, it is the only mountaintop ice core<\/strong> that reaches so far back. For comparison, cores from Peru\u2019s Nevado Huascar\u00e1n <\/strong>go back only a bit over 30,000 years. Earlier work had suggested Guliya\u2019s record ended in the Mid- Holocene (starting ~12,000 years ago)<\/strong>, but the new evidence shows some ice is much older and that portions of the ice cap survived the last ice age.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accurate timescales like this help answer broader questions about when major glaciations began and ended and how natural ice loss processes worked. The team plans further analyses of the cores for additional climate and environmental indicators. The research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation; Ohio State co- authors include Mary Davis and Ellen Mosley- Thompson, with international collaborators from Switzerland and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources:<\/strong> Ohio State News (Tatyana Woodall) and the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center announcement (both dated around September 30- October 1, 2026).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Map
Geographic setting of the GIC. Credit: Science Advances<\/em> (2026). DOI: 10.1126\/sciadv.aeh2912<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Additional evidence supports a timescale exceeding 100,000 years for the Guliya ice cap, Tibetan Plateau<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The oxygen isotope (\u03b4\u00b9\u2078O_ice) record from a ~310 m core drilled on the Guliya ice cap (GIC) in 2015 (GP2015) is reproducible with a nearby ~309 m core from 1992. The timescale for a composite of the GIC cores was constructed using \u00b9\u2070Be and \u00b3\u2076Cl to identify the ~41 ka Laschamp geomagnetic excursion, plus a match to a \u03b4\u00b9\u2078O_atm- dated core from the Guliya Summit. Comparison of the GIC \u03b4\u00b9\u2078O_ice with an Asian Monsoon speleothem \u03b4\u00b9\u2078O record supports a timescale back to 128 ka, the oldest known so far from Tibet. The \u03b4\u00b9\u2078O_ice record shows orbital- scale variations in phase with June insolation and polar ice- core stable-isotope records through the last glacial cycle (with a phase reversal after the deglaciation that requires further study). Radiocarbon- dated ice from the glacier margin confirms glacial- stage ice in the GIC. The \u00b3\u2076Cl\/\u00b9\u2070Be ratios in GP2015 confirm that GIC ice is older than 100 ka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key background and context<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Guliya ice cap (western Kunlun Mountains, northwestern Tibetan Plateau) is a cold- based (polar- type) glacier. Cores to bedrock were recovered in 1992 (GP1992, 308.7 m) and 2015 (GP2015, 309.7 m) on the plateau (~6200 m asl), plus thinner summit cores in 2015. Earlier work suggested ages >110 ka (and possibly much older near the bed based on \u00b3\u2076Cl).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent studies of nearby cores (Chongce ice cap and a 2021 Guliya Plateau core drilled close to the earlier sites) produced much younger (Holocene or Late Holocene) ages, challenging the long timescale. This paper extends and independently supports the longer chronology for the 1992 and 2015 plateau cores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Main results and methods<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Reproducibility:<\/strong> High-resolution \u03b4\u00b9\u2078O_ice profiles from GP1992 and GP2015 match closely by depth and can be stratigraphically aligned, allowing transfer of the timescale.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Timescale construction (to 128 ka):<\/strong>\n
      \n
    • \u00b9\u2070Be and \u00b3\u2076Cl peaks at ~187 m mark the Laschamp excursion (~41 ka).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Matching of the upper part to the \u03b4\u00b9\u2078O_atm- and \u00b9\u2074C- dated Guliya Summit composite.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Further extension by matching the \u03b4\u00b9\u2078O_ice record (pre- 41 ka) to the continuous, \u00b2\u00b3\u2070Th-dated Southeast Asian Monsoon speleothem \u03b4\u00b9\u2078O composite from SE China caves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Supporting evidence of pre- Holocene ice:<\/strong> Two \u00b9\u2074C- WIOC samples from ice ~50 cm above bedrock at the southeastern margin of the GIC yielded mean calibrated ages of ~24.1 ka and ~24.8 ka (last glacial stage).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Cosmogenic isotopes:<\/strong> Combined \u00b3\u2076Cl (from both cores) and \u00b9\u2070Be (GP2015) data, placed on the new timescale, show the Laschamp peak and a possible Mono Lake excursion (~33 ka). Nuclear-weapons- testing \u00b3\u2076Cl is confined to the near- surface. The \u00b3\u2076Cl\/\u00b9\u2070Be ratio decreases with depth in a manner consistent with radioactive decay and ages >100 ka (effective half-life ~384 kyr under standard assumptions). Establishing a precise timescale beyond 128 ka remains challenging due to possible post- depositional mobility or production- rate issues near the bed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Climatic implications (discussion highlights)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The composite GP1992\/2015 \u03b4\u00b9\u2078O_ice and deuterium-excess records track orbital (insolation) and millennial- scale features seen in polar ice cores and (with the expected antiphase relationship) Asian monsoon speleothems through much of the last glacial cycle. A phase shift relative to the speleothem records occurs around the deglaciation (~18- 19 ka), possibly linked to changing atmospheric circulation (westerlies vs. Asian monsoon) and moisture sources as Northern Hemisphere ice sheets retreated. Cooler conditions around the Laschamp excursion are consistent with modeled climate responses to geomagnetic field weakening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The paper addresses prior challenges to the long timescale and concludes that the Guliya plateau cores preserve a continuous climate archive spanning the last glacial cycle and beyond 100 ka, unique among non- polar, high- elevation ice cores. Future work is suggested to refine ages deeper than 128 ka and to investigate the post- deglaciation isotopic phase change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Researchers have confirmed that ancient ice in the high- altitude Guliya Ice Cap (northwestern Tibet) preserves climate records from the last ice age and beyond, making these the oldest ice cores recovered from the region.<\/p>\n

      The Guliya ice cap (western Kunlun Mountains, northwestern Tibetan Plateau) is a cold- based (polar- type) glacier. Cores to bedrock were recovered in 1992 (GP1992, 308.7 m) and 2015 (GP2015, 309.7 m) on the plateau (~6200 m asl), plus thinner summit cores in 2015. Earlier work suggested ages >110 ka (and possibly much older near the bed based on \u00b3\u2076Cl).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":475752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"Discover the secrets of the Guliya Ice Cap, revealing climate records over 128,000 years old\u2014critical insights into our planet's history.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Ancient Guliya Ice Cap Reveals Climate Secrets Over 128,000 Years","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691845906,691845910,691845908,691845907,691845903,691824528,691845904,691845909,691834775,691845114,691845905],"class_list":["post-475751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-1992-and-2015","tag-changing-atmospheric-circulation","tag-cosmogenic-isotopes","tag-evidence-of-pre-holocene-ice","tag-guliya-ice-cap-gic","tag-ice-cores","tag-laschamp-geomagnetic-excursion","tag-last-glacial-cycle","tag-radioactive-isotopes","tag-tibet","tag-timescale-back-to-128-ka","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1ZLp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":432789,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=432789","url_meta":{"origin":475751,"position":0},"title":"Ocean Temperatures, Not CO\u2082, Drove Key Ancient Climate Shifts, Ice Cores Show","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/20\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Researchers analyzed ancient, disrupted Antarctic ice cores from the Allan Hills blue ice area to reconstruct Earth's climate drivers over the past ~3 million years, extending records farther back than traditional continuous cores.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0-ices-cores.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0-ices-cores.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0-ices-cores.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0-ices-cores.jpg?fit=784%2C1168&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":445734,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=445734","url_meta":{"origin":475751,"position":1},"title":"Ice Cores Pin Precise Date to Ancient Oregon Eruption: Ash from 686 CE Newberry Blast Reached Greenland, Illuminating 7th-Century Volcanism","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/21\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Researchers analyzed Greenland ice cores and identified ash particles (cryptotephra) from the Newberry Pumice eruption of Newberry Volcano in Oregon, USA. 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