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A collaborative research team involving Texas A&M University geologist Dr. Franco Marcantonio has examined the source of lead contamination in a Tibetan glacier, concluding that human activities have introduced the pollutant metal into some of the most remote regions of the world.

The team's findings, detailed in the paper titled "Source of lead in a Tibetan glacier since the Stone Age," were recently published in Communications Earth & Environment.

The Tibetan Plateau, a vast highland region in Asia, is often described as the "Roof of the World" because it's the highest and largest plateau on Earth, located mostly in southwestern China near the Himalayas and roughly four times the size of Texas.

In their analysis of the Guliya Ice Cap within this region, Marcantonio and his colleagues—led by Dr. Roxana Sierra-Hernandez from The Ohio State University—discovered that significant lead pollution reached this area starting in 1974, with the highest levels of contamination occurring between 2000 and 2007.

By analyzing lead isotope ratios within Texas A&M's Williams Radiogenic Isotope Facility, Marcantino said they were able to trace the main source of this pollution to emissions from Chinese gasoline, which contained lead until its phasedown after 2007.

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