In recent decades, the rapidly changing climate environment in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) poses significant challenges to human survival and future sustainable development. The suitability and stability of the climate in the TP undoubtedly affected the living conditions and welfare of prehistoric humans. However, few studies have attempted to link climate stability and the survival of ancient humans, especially considering their lesser adaptability in responding to rapid environmental changes. The Xiada Co is a neolith period archaeological site in the western TP.  In this study, we reconstructed the hydrological changes of the basin over the past 15000 years using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) elemental analysis on the Xiada Co cores. The XRF results revealed three main paleoenvironmental units during the entire study interval. During ~10000-7500 cal yr BP, the basin experienced a humid climate, with lake water flowing out. Using the calculation method of Square Chord Distance (SCD), a quantitative dissimilarity comparison was made regarding the climate variations on 15 millennial scales in the western TP. The results showed that the climate during the archaeological site period was relatively stable, which provided a stable and suitable living environment for the hunter-gatherers at the site. This study illustrates how the paleoenvironment influenced the survival of hunter-gatherers in the extremely harsh western Plateau.
 

Paleoenvironment,Paleohydrology,XRF,Xiada Co,prehistoric human,Holocene,Tibetan Plateau