none 10.1144/SP549-2023-58 Geological Society of London Geological Society of London 1881 159725908 65091 2026071809304100910 10.1144 2026-07-18T16:31:04Z 2024-04-10T05:05:41Z 5 Geological Society, London, Special Publications Special Publications 0305-8719 2041-4927 03 26 2024 06 19 2025 549 1 Peter D. Clift Department of Earth Sciences London, UK University College London London, UK Department of Geology and Geophysics Baton Rouge, USA Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6660-6388 Scientific drilling provides extended records of continental environmental conditions during the Neogene in Asia and northern Australia. Spectral data allow reconstruction of the environment using abundances of hematite and goethite. Hematite formation is favoured by dry or seasonal conditions. Hemipelagic sites show the most regular records. Monsoon strengthening started in the Early Miocene and peaked at 17–20 Ma in the Bay of Bengal and at 10–15 Ma in southern China before weakening after c. 12 Ma and c. 10 Ma, respectively. The Indus Basin dried after c. 8 Ma and again after 3 Ma, while aeolian sediment sources to the Sea of Japan show increased aridity after 5 and 3 Ma. The Mekong Fan indicates increasing aridity after 6 Ma, similar to Eastern Australia. In contrast, NW Australia shows a trend towards wetter conditions after 8 Ma, with a humid period at 4–6 Ma followed by drying. There is a link between drying and vegetation in the Mekong and Pearl River basins, as well as Eastern Australia. Monsoon strengthening is linked to topographic uplift in the Himalaya, together with Tethyan gateway closure. 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