Study on the tufa Thickness and Formation Age of Dyke at Sparkling Lake, Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, Sichuan Province

A comprehensive study of Sparkling Lake’s Dyke in Jiuzhaigou Valley, Sichuan Province, reveals that the tufa thickness ranges from 8 meters to 22.78 meters, underlain by glacial till, with a formation age spanning 4.3 thousand to 27 thousand years ago. Carbon-14 dating indicates a deposition rate of 2.25 mm to 9.35 mm per year, challenging the assumption of simple bottom-up overlaying in tufa deposition. The research, conducted post-earthquake, combines large-scale geological surveys, drone imagery (dronestagram), and minor-caliber backpack drilling to analyze the dyke’s structure and evolution, providing critical data for ecological restoration efforts at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cao, J., Song, W., Du, J., Liu, M., Yuan, M., & Zhuo, M. (2020). Study on the tufa Thickness and Formation Age of Dyke at Sparkling Lake, Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, Sichuan Province. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 571(1), 12059. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/571/1/012059