Here we present paleo-environmental datasets derived from early Eocene sedimentary strata in the Xining Basin, China. The sedimentary rocks were formed in a terrestrial alluvial mudflat environment and the datasets include: 1) Pollen counts, 2) Bulk rock organic carbon content and δ13C values, 3) Plant wax compound specific (C27-C33) δ13C values, 4) Bulk mineralogy X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) data and 5) Carbonate (pedogenic and vadose-grown) δ13C and δ18O values as well as clumped isotopes (∆47 values). The latter also includes temperature reconstructions derived from the ∆47 values and soil water δ18O reconstructions derived from these temperatures and the carbonate δ18O values. Individual clumped isotope measurements of sample and standard replicates are shown in: 6) Clumped isotope replicate analyses.Samples were collected during four field campaigns in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 and analyzed as part of the MAGIC project (ERC 649081) and the VeWA consortium by the LOEWE programme of the Hessen Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Arts, Germany. Samples were collected from the following outcrop sections: Bingling Shan (36.45°N, 101.98°E, 2360 m elevation), Caijia (36.62°N, 101.98°E, 2480 m elevation), Dazhai (36.44°N, 102.02°E, 2440 m elevation), East Xining (36.58°N, 101.90°E, 2285 m elevation ), Ledu (36.43°N, 102.38°E, ) and Xiejia (36.52°N, 101.87°E, 2450 m elevation).

Further funding:VeWA, Web: https://www.vewa-project.de/de/