Human activity induced asynchronous dune mobilization in the deserts of NE China during the late Holocene

•Dunes in the deserts of NE China were mobilized asynchronously, at ∼2.5, 1.5 and 0.5 ka.•Human activity induced the asynchronous dune mobilization in these deserts during the late Holocene.•Cultivation was a more important cause of late Holocene dune mobilization than grazing.