Biostratigraphic and aminostratigraphic constraints on the age of the Middle Pleistocene glacial succession in north Norfolk,UK

Considerable debate surrounds the age of the Middle Pleistocene glacial succession in East Anglia following some recent stratigraphical reinterpretations. Resolution of the stratigraphy here is important since it not only concerns the glacial history of the region but also has a bearing on our understanding of the earliest human occupation of north‐western Europe. The orthodox consensus that all the tills were emplaced during the Anglian (Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12) has recently been challenged by a view assigning each major till to a different glacial stage, before, during and after MIS 12. Between Trimingham and Sidestrand on the north Norfolk coast, datable organic sediments occur immediately below and above the glacial succession. The oldest glacial deposit (Happisburgh Till) directly overlies the ‘Sidestrand Unio‐bed’, here defined as the Sidestrand Hall Member of the Cromer Forest‐bed Formation. Dating of these sediments therefore has a bearing on the maximum age of the glacial sequence. This paper reviews the palaeobotany and describes the faunal assemblages recovered from the Sidestrand Unio‐bed, which accumulated in a fluvial environment in a fully temperate climate with regional deciduous woodland. There are indications from the ostracods for weakly brackish conditions. Significant differences are apparent between the Sidestrand assemblages and those from West Runton, the type site of the Cromerian Stage. These differences do not result from contrasting facies or taphonomy but reflect warmer palaeotemperatures at Sidestrand and a much younger age. This conclusion is suggested by the higher proportion of thermophiles at Sidestrand and the occurrence of a water vole with unrooted molars (Arvicola) rather than its ancestor Mimomys savini with rooted molars. Amino acid racemisation data also indicate that Sidestrand is significantly younger than West Runton. These data further highlight the stratigraphical complexity of the ‘Cromerian Complex’ and support the conventional view that the Happisburgh Till was emplaced during the Anglian rather than the recently advanced view that it dates from MIS 16. Moreover, new evidence from the Trimingham lake bed (Sidestrand Cliff Formation) above the youngest glacial outwash sediments (Briton's Lane Formation) indicates that they also accumulated during a Middle Pleistocene interglacial – probably MIS 11. All of this evidence is consistent with a short chronology placing the glacial deposits within MIS 12, rather than invoking multiple episodes of glaciation envisaged in the ‘new glacial stratigraphy’ during MIS 16, 12, 10 and 6. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

南海西部浮游有孔虫记录的MIS 3期表层海洋环境变化

对南海西部越南岸外上升流区17954-2站浮游有孔虫属种组合变化、浮游有孔虫氧同位素、AMS14C测年的分析以及浮游有孔虫表层海水温度、温跃层转换函数的研究结果表明:在MIS3期,南海西部表层海水温度大体呈现暖-冷-暖的变化趋势;温跃层深度由浅到深阶段性变化;短时间尺度上温度与温跃层发生幅度较大的快速变化。暖事件（IS）对应于浮游有孔虫暖水种、混合层属种含量的增加,冷水种、温跃层属种含量的减少以及冬夏SST的升高;冷事件则与之相反。表层海水生产力亦大致呈现3个阶段（61～51ka,51～42ka和42～32ka）的变化,在千年尺度的快速气候事件中,暖事件对应浮游有孔虫生产力属种含量降低,冷事件对应升高。此外,在MIS3内部分暖事件（IS6和IS11～13）表现出表层海水温度降低,温跃层深度变浅和表层海水生产力升高的状况,表明该区此时上升流的存在,其形成原因推测是由于东亚夏季风加强的结果。     

柴达木盆地东部36～18kaB.P.期间的孢粉记录及其气候环境

对柴达木盆地察尔汗古贝壳堤剖面的沉积物进行孢粉分析,结果显示这个地区植被与气候在晚更新世中晚期经历以下几个阶段的变化:36.2～31.2kaB.P.(未校正14C年代,下同)期间,以禾本科、藜科、蒿属、莎草科为主,发育草原-草甸植被,气候温和湿润,盘星藻出现较多,反映淡水湖泊,水深在10m左右;31.2～27.6kaB.P.期间,松属、云杉属、桦属等为主的木本植物的含量增加,周围山地森林发育,表明气候温暖,降水量增多。但由于蒸发量大,有效湿度下降,荒漠成分柽柳属等增加,盘星藻在30kaB.P.以后消失,反映湖泊盐度增大;27.6～23.3kaB.P.期间,植被中荒漠成分显著增加,周围山地森林萎缩,气候趋向相对寒冷干旱,湖面积缩小;23.3～18.0kaB.P.,孢粉浓度很低,蒺藜科、藜科等荒漠成分明显增加,植被稀疏,已趋向荒漠化草原,反映气候寒冷干旱。从整个剖面来看,主要的陆生植物孢粉类型为禾本科、柽柳属、蒺藜科、麻黄属、松属、云杉属、柏科、胡桃属和桦属等,藜科和蒿属含量很少,这与柴达木盆地东部地区的表土分析结果完全不同,也与其他草原以及荒漠草原的表土花粉结果相异。这说明晚更新世中晚期柴达木盆地东部地区的植被和现在无法进行比较,气候环境与现在显著不同。     

青藏高原甜水海盆地MIS 3阶段湖泊沉积与环境变化

青藏高原西北部甜水海盆地地处内陆干旱区和喀喇昆仑山的东侧雨影区,气候环境极端干旱。但多次考察结果揭示晚更新世时期存在着大湖和高湖面的地质证据。为了探讨该地区过去气候与环境的演变历史,在甜水海盆地(海拔4840m)进行钻探采得沉积岩芯56.32m(TS95),通过对沉积岩芯其中一段的粒度、生物、同位素及地球化学多指标综合分析,探讨了MIS3时期甜水海地区气候环境演化过程。沉积岩芯显示沉积物岩性变化频繁,记录着湖面多次波动、沉积环境多变的演化过程,分别在59～56kaB.P.,49～47kaB.P.,45～41kaB.P.,35.5～34.0kaB.P.和28～25kaB.P.期间存在高湖面和湖水稀释。在其多环境指标的记录中,Heinrich事件和D-O旋回均有反映,揭示了全球变化信号在研究区的响应。同时,不同高湖面阶段内部环境波动也较明显,差别较大,其产生原因也各有不同,归结为3种情况:1)由于气候变暖导致冰雪融水补给增加而产生的高湖面;2)由于冷湿气候导致的高湖面;和3)由于暖湿气候导致的高湖面。本研究揭示出了MIS3时期气候频繁波动的特征和气候的不稳定性。     

北京西山末次间冰期植被演化与环境变迁研究

末次冰期-间冰期气候旋回研究是过去的全球变化(PAGES)研究的三大重点之一,通过孢粉分析和热释光断代建立了北京西山末次间冰期植被的演化序列,研究了该地区古植被与古环境的演化规律.研究表明:北京末次间冰期植被演化经过了6个阶段,从古到今依次对应深海沉积MIS5e,5d,5c,5b,5a及末次间冰期向末次冰期的过渡期.末次间冰期森林分布于北京西山,暖期发育以鹅耳枥属、榆属、栎属、松属、桦属为主的落叶阔叶林或针阔叶混交林,冷期则主要发育以松科、桦科、蔷薇科、毛茛科、蒿属、菊科为主的森林草甸草原或森林草原,末次间冰期气候由早期的暖湿经过波动变化向温干、凉干演化.5e是末次间冰期的大暖期,其暖湿程度好于5c,5c又好于5a,而5d的气候环境优于5b.在MIS5e阶段北京西山植被的演潜过程可分为5个阶段,揭示气候存在千年时间尺度的不稳定性,5e1为水热组合最佳时期.由末次间冰期向末次冰期过渡的降温时期,存在一次明显的气候回返事件,热释光年龄为78.5～72.5 kaBP.对比研究表明北京西山末次间冰期气候环境与深海沉积、极地冰心记录具有很好的可比性,变化幅度小于极地地区,与黄土高原及青藏高原环境演化具有更大的相似性.     

40～30ka B.P.中国暖湿气候和海侵的特征与成因探讨

40～30kaB.P.相当于末次冰期(75～10kaB.P.)中的大间冰阶或海洋氧同位素第3阶段的晚期(MIS3a),已有测年记录的冰芯、湖泊沉积、孢粉与古生物、黄土与沙漠地区古土壤、石灰岩洞穴中石笋、古河道沉积、滨海地区海相沉积等7种记录指示我国各区域的湿润程度即降水量高于现代,青藏高原和西北地区尤为显著.西部和华南地区的温度明显高于现代,但较多的孢粉研究者认为东北、华北和长江流域的温度略低于现代.降水量的增加对内陆水系的合并和外流的黄河和长江流域等产生重大影响.渤海西侧、长江三角洲南北与珠江三角洲南部出现重大海侵,当时海平面高度仅低于现代海平面8～10m.当时暖湿气候与海侵的主要动力是岁差周期导致的中、低纬度太阳高辐射所提供的热力促使冰盖消融萎缩,海洋扩涨,青藏高原热低压增强,吸引季风降水,中、低纬度区海洋加热蒸发,增强夏季风与西风环流的水汽含量导致我国全境暖湿.高分辨率的西昆仑山古里雅冰芯记录和南京汤山洞穴石笋记录表明气候有许多百年级高频振荡波动,不是稳定暖湿,要作更深入研究才能说明其表现和影响.     

The Blake Event recorded near the Eemian type locality – A diachronic onset of the Eemian in Europe

Multidisciplinary analysis including paleomagnetic, sedimentologic, sea-level change, luminescence dating and palynologic research was performed on a 25 m long orientated core taken at Rutten, close to Eemian key localities in the Netherlands. The main goal of our research was to test a possible delayed onset of temperate conditions in this region compared to Southern Europe, occurring within the Last Interglacial. The sediments revealed the presence of the paleomagnetic Blake Event in ca. 10 m of lower-deltaic floodbasin sediments that contain a pollen record covering the Eemian. The position of the Blake Event in relation to the pollen stratigraphy concurs with the earlier studied Neumark Nord 2 site. Paleomagnetic correlation to core MD95-2042 off SW Iberia indicates ca. 5 kyr diachroneity between the pollen-based onset of temperate interglacial conditions between northern and southern Europe. The onset of the Eemian in north-western and central Europe (ca. 121.0 ka) post-dates the Marine Isotope Stage 6/5e transition by ca. 10 kyr. In addition, the Rutten data provide evidence for a relatively long duration of the Blake Event of at least 8 kyr. The late onset of the temperate conditions that define the base of the Eemian, imply that NW Europe with the Eemian type area is not the most suited region to define the beginning of the Last Interglacial and Late Pleistocene for global chronostratigraphic use.     

A late Early Pleistocene pollen record from Fontana Ranuccio (central Italy)

A pollen record from a sediment core drilled underneath the Acheulian site of Fontana Ranuccio provides new data on the vegetation characters in central Italy during the late Early Pleistocene, in a forest phase possibly corresponding to a substage of Marine Isotope Stage 21. A number of tree taxa nowadays extinct in Europe (Cathaya, Tsuga, Taxodium type, Carya and Pterocarya) are present at Fontana Ranuccio in a temperate phase characterised by dense forest conditions, dominated by Alnus and Pterocarya. The comparison of the Fontana Ranuccio record with other dated sites distributed along the Italian peninsula indicates that the floristic and vegetational characters of the Mid Pleistocene revolution present a rather distinct succession of biostratigraphic events. Compared to other Early Pleistocene pollen records from southern Europe, the Italian Peninsula shows greater floristic similarities with the Eastern Mediterranean regions than with the Iberian Peninsula. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vegetation history of the penultimate glacial period (Marine isotope stage 6) at Ioannina,north‐west Greece

The vegetational history of the penultimate glacial period, Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 (c. 185–135 ka), has remained relatively unexplored. Here we present a new record from the Ioannina basin, north‐west Greece, which constitutes the highest‐resolution terrestrial pollen record for this interval produced to date. It shows that the vegetation history of MIS 6 in this region can be divided into two parts: an early period (185–155 ka) with pronounced oscillations in tree population extent, and a later period (155–135 ka) with much smaller tree populations and subdued oscillations. This pattern is analogous to the MIS 3/MIS 2 division during the last glacial in the same sequence, although the early part of MIS 6 had larger Pinus populations and fewer temperate trees relative to the equivalent interval in MIS 3. This implies cooler and wetter conditions, which is somewhat counterintuitive given the high summer insolation during MIS 6e, but is in line with other palaeoclimatic evidence from the Mediterranean. Comparison with North Atlantic records suggests that despite the absence of pronounced iceberg discharges during MIS 6, North Atlantic millennial‐scale variability had a significant downstream impact on tree populations in north‐west Greece. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.