Tephrostratigraphy of the Pliocene to Middle Pleistocene Series in Honshu and Kyushu Islands,Japan

The Pliocene to Pleistocene Series in each sedimentary basin or area of Japan has been investigated and described; however, their stratigraphic correlation is difficult because of complex geological structures. Regional stratigraphy has therefore been established using many intercalated tephra beds, i.e. by correlating tephra beds between distant areas. A standardized stratigraphic model of the Pliocene to Middle Pleistocene Series in Japan is put forward in this paper on the basis of tephrostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, and biostratigraphy. This stratigraphic model is important for studies of environmental changes and explosive volcanism in this period around the Japanese island‐arc.     

Facies architecture and Late Pliocene – Pleistocene evolution of a felsic volcanic island, Milos, Greece

The volcanic island of Milos, Greece, comprises an Upper Pliocene –Pleistocene, thick (up to 700 m), compositionally and texturally diverse succession of calc-alkaline, volcanic, and sedimentary rocks that record a transition from a relatively shallow but dominantly below-wave-base submarine setting to a subaerial one. The volcanic activity began at 2.66±0.07 Ma and has been more or less continuous since then. Subaerial emergence probably occurred at 1.44±0.08 Ma, in response to a combination of volcanic constructional processes and fault-controlled volcano-tectonic uplift. The architecture of the dominantly felsic-intermediate volcanic succession reflects contrasts in eruption style, proximity to source, depositional environment and emplacement processes. The juxtaposition of submarine and subaerial facies indicates that for part of the volcanic history, below-wave base to above-wave base, and shoaling to subaerial depositional environments coexisted in most areas. The volcanic facies architecture comprises interfingering proximal (near vent), medial and distal facies associations related to five main volcano types: (1) submarine felsic cryptodome-pumice cone volcanoes; (2) submarine dacitic and andesitic lava domes; (3) submarine-to-subaerial scoria cones; (4) submarine-to-subaerial dacitic and andesitic lava domes and (5) subaerial lava-pumice cone volcanoes. The volcanic facies are interbedded with a sedimentary facies association comprising sandstone and/or fossiliferous mudstone mainly derived from erosion of pre-existing volcanic deposits. The main facies associations are interpreted to have conformable, disconformable, and interfingering contacts, and there are no mappable angular unconformities or disconformities within the volcanic succession.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

Tephrochronology of the Mont-Dore volcanic Massif (Massif Central,France): new 40Ar/39Ar constraints on the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene activity

The Mont-Dore Massif (500 km²), the youngest stratovolcano of the French Massif Central, consists of two volcanic edifices: the Guéry and the Sancy. To improve our knowledge of the oldest explosive stages of the Mont-Dore Massif, we studied ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar-dated (through single-grain laser and step-heating experiments) 11 pyroclastic units from the Guéry stratovolcano. We demonstrate that the explosive history of the Guéry can be divided into four cycles of explosive eruption activity between 3.09 and 1.46 Ma (G.I to G.IV). We have also ascertained that deposits associated with the 3.1–3.0-Ma rhyolitic activity, which includes the 5-km³ “Grande Nappe” ignimbrite, are not recorded in the central part of the Mont-Dore Massif. All the pyroclastites found in the left bank of the Dordogne River belong to a later explosive phase (2.86–2.58 Ma, G.II) and were channelled down into valleys or topographic lows where they are currently nested. This later activity also gave rise to most of the volcanic products in the Perrier Plateau (30 km east of the Mont-Dore Massif); three quarters of the volcano-sedimentary sequence (up to 100 m thick) was emplaced within less than 20 ky, associated with several flank collapses in the northeastern part of the Guéry. The age of the “Fournet flora” (2.69?±?0.01 Ma) found within an ash bed belonging to G.II suggests that temperate forests already existed in the French Massif Central before the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary. The Guéry’s third explosive eruption activity cycle (G.III) lasted between 2.36 and 1.91 Ma. It encompassed the Guéry Lake and Morangie pumice and ash deposits, as well as seven other important events recorded as centimetric ash beds some 60 to 100 km southeast of the Massif in the Velay region. We propose a general tephrochronology for the Mont-Dore stratovolcano covering the last 3.1 My. This chronology is based on 44 ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar-dated events belonging to eight explosive eruption cycles each lasting between 100 and 200 ky. The occurrence of only one pumice deposit in the 800-ky period between 1.9 and 1.1 Ma suggests that volcanic explosive activity was strongly reduced or quiescent.     

40Ar/39Ar constraints on some French landmark Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene large mammalian paleofaunas: Paleoenvironmental and paleoecological implications

To improve the French Plio-Pleistocene biostratigraphy scheme based on mammal biozone boundaries or “Mammal Neogene/Quaternary Zones” (MNQ) we collected volcanic material that could be dated using the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method in five exceptional mammalian paleofauna sites located in the Massif Central (France). We present ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages that we obtained for Perrier-Les Etouaires, Roca-Neyra, Chilhac, Senèze and le Creux de Peyrolles. We show that the overall stratigraphic position of these sites based on faunal assemblages is valid from the relative point of view. However, we greatly improve both the accuracy and precision of the age of these mammalian paleofaunas. We obtained ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages varying between 2.78 ± 0.01 Ma (1σ external) for Les Etouaires (Lower MNQ 16b) and 1.47 ± 0.01 Ma for the Creux de Peyrolles site (MNQ 19). Based on these new dates we estimate the duration of several biozones including MNQ 16b, 17a and 17b. We suggest that the first Late Villafranchian biozone (MNQ 18) starts as early as the Reunion subchron or just after. The first occurrence of Equus stenonis in Roca-Neyra (i.e. 2.60 ± 0.02 Ma) is close to or synchronous with the Gauss–Matuyama transition (i.e. 2.59 Ma) and the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary. The chronological framework we build shows the very rapid increase of the large grazers community in French faunal assemblages at the beginning of MNQ 17 (i.e. 2.6 to 2.4 Ma). This rapid faunal turnover is probably associated with a general decrease of woodland habitat in the Massif Central contemporaneous with the onset of the Northern Hemisphere glaciations. The faunal assemblages in France, Spain, and Italy covering the period between 2.1 and 2.0 Ma suggest that favorable conditions for early hominin settlement (mainly savannah prairies, grassland with open forest patches) existed in southwestern Europe at least 200 ka before the first traces of Homo in Eurasia. This period also shows the arrival of taxa originating in Asia and Africa, suggesting dispersal events within southwestern Europe well before the Olduvai subchron and with no indication (as yet) of Homo as a “fellow traveler”.     

The occurrence and origin of prominent massive,pumice-rich ignimbrite lobes within the Late Pleistocene Abrigo Ignimbrite,Tenerife, Canary Islands

The 0.196 Ma, lithic-rich Abrigo Ignimbrite on Tenerife, Canary Islands contains localised massive, coarse pumice-rich ignimbrite lobes (MPRILs). They typically form low ridges up to 2 m high with axes parallel to the flow direction, and, in cross-section, they range from symmetrical to asymmetrical and highly skewed lobate bedforms generally with flat bases. The major components are rounded pebble- to cobble-sized phonolitic pumice clasts within an ignimbritic matrix of ash, fine lithics and minor crystals, which varies from lithic-rich to lithic-poor. Commonly, there is a vertical increase in pumice concentration from matrix-supported texture at the base to clast-supported at the top, accompanied by an increase in pumice clast size. MPRILs often thin and grade laterally perpendicular to current flow into planar pumice concentration zones. They occur at one or more stratigraphic levels as either solitary lobes associated with flat topography or as multiple onlapping lobes or within a laterally complex stratified pumice-rich ignimbrite facies (LCSPIs) near palaeotopographic highs.MPRILs are original depositional features, not erosional in origin and are derived from a larger pyroclastic flow. It is likely that pumice was segregated to the upper and outer regions of the parent flow causing a significant rheological contrast with the lower lithic-rich zone. The more pumice-rich parts are interpreted to have detached from the parent flow as it decelerated onto gentler slopes or interacted with topographic highs and raced ahead as mobile derivative pyroclastic flows. The flow-parallel ridge shape of MPRILs may be a result of fingering within these flows or concentration of pumice within the intermediary clefts. Deposition occurred “en masse” at the termination of the flow front. The resultant lobate deposits were then overridden and mantled by normal ignimbrite facies from either a later flow pulse or the following main part of the parent flow.     

Late Pleistocene to Holocene eruptive activity of Pico de Orizaba,Eastern Mexico

The Late Pleistocene to Holocene eruptive history of Pico de Orizaba can be divided into 11 eurptive episodes. Each eruptive episode lasted several hundred years, the longest recorded being about 1000 years (the Xilomich episode). Intervals of dormancy range from millenia during the late Pleistocene to about 500 years, the shortest interval recorded in the Holocene. This difference could reflect either changes in the volcano's activity or that the older stratigraphic record is less complete than the younger. Eruptive mechanisms during the late Pleistocene were characterized by dome extrusions, lava flows and ash-and-scoria-flow generating eruptive columns. However, in Holocene time plinian activity became increasingly important. The increase in dacitic plinian eruptions over time is related to increased volumes of dacitic magma beneath Pico de Orizaba. We suggest that the magma reservoir under Pico de Orizaba is stratified. The last eruptive episode, which lasted from about 690 years bp until ad 1687, was initiated by a dacitic plinian eruption and was followed by effusive lava-forming eruptions. For the last 5,000 years the activity of the volcano has been gradually evolving towards such a trend, underlining the increasing importance of dacitic magma and stratification of the magma reservoir. Independent observations of Pico de Orizaba's glacier early this century indicate that some increase in volcanic activity occurred between 1906 and 1947, and that it was probably fumarolic.     

Late Pleistocene flank collapse of Zempoala volcano (Central Mexico) and the role of fault reactivation

Zempoala is an extinct Pleistocene (∼ 0.7–0.8 Ma) stratovolcano that together with La Corona volcano (∼ 0.9 Ma) forms the southern end of the Sierra de las Cruces volcanic range, Central Mexico. The volcano consists of andesitic and dacitic lava flows and domes, as well as pyroclastic and epiclastic sequences, and has had a complex history with several flank collapses. One of these collapses occurred during the late Pleistocene on the S–SE flank of the volcano and produced the Zempoala debris avalanche deposit. This collapse could have been triggered by the reactivation of two normal fault systems (E–W and NE–SW), although magmatic activity cannot be absolutely excluded. The debris avalanche traveled 60 km to the south, covers an area of 600 km² and has a total volume of 6 km³, with a calculated Heim coefficient (H/L) of 0.03. Based on the textural characteristics of the deposit we recognized three zones: proximal, axial, and lateral distal zone. The proximal zone consists of debris avalanche blocks that develop a hummocky topography; the axial zone corresponds with the main debris avalanche deposit made of large clasts set in a sandy matrix, which transformed to a debris flow in the lateral distal portion. The deposit is heterolithologic in composition, with dacitic and andesitic fragments from the old edifice that decrease in volume as bulking of exotic clasts from the substratum increase. Several cities (Cuernavaca, Jojutla de Juárez, Alpuyeca) with associated industrial, agricultural, and tourism activities have been built on the deposit, which pose in evidence the possible impact in case of a new event with such characteristics, since the area is still tectonically active.     

A Late Cretaceous mammalian dentary from the Ashizawa Formation (Futaba Group), Fukushima,northeastern Japan

A mammalian dentary discovered in the Coniacian Ashizawa Formation (Fukushima, northeastern Japan) is described. The specimen is a fragment of the horizontal ramus of a left edentulous dentary with five alveoli, the distal four of which are plugged with broken roots. Based on the morphologies of the dentary and the roots, it is considered to be of a therian mammal. This constitutes the first discovery of a Mesozoic mammal in northeastern Japan and highlights the potential for future mammal discoveries in the Cretaceous System in northeastern Japan, which will be significant for disclosure of the mammalian faunal evolution in East Asia during the Late Cretaceous.     

Fossil worm tubes from the presumed cold-seep carbonates of the Miocene Hayama Group, Central Miura Peninsula, Japan

Abstract Fossil worm tubes were collected from the Hayama Group, Miura Peninsula, Japan, together with abundant fossils of Calyptogena-Acharax clams. The fossil worm tubes were well preserved and coated with milky white amorphous silica. Most of the tubes were 1-3 mm in diameter, and up to 10 cm in length. Worm tubes were found in siltstone and limestone, and formed network-like assemblages. Elemental mapping on the tube cross-sections revealed the localization of sulfur, zinc and iron at the worm tubes, which suggests that sulfur-related metabolism and deposition occurred in association with the worm tubes. High resolution analysis revealed the localization of zinc-sulfur (sphalerite, ZnS) on the tubes, while iron-sulfur (pyrite, FeS₂) was localized at the center of the tubes. The spatially separate sphaleritization and pyritization imply that epiphytic and endosymbiotic microorganisms perform different sulfur metabolisms, such as sulfate-reduction and sulfide-oxidation.     

Late Pleistocene pollen assemblages from the Thimi Formation, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Abstract   The Thimi Formation, constituting the upper part of the sedimentary sequence of the Kathmandu Valley, is characterized by alternation of fine- to medium-grained sand, silt, silty clay and clay deposited by a distal fluvial system in the Late Pleistocene. Palynostratigraphy based on 40 samples revealed the dominance of gymnosperm taxa over angiosperms and herbaceous members. As the different species Pinus and Quercus grow at different altitudes in Nepal today, an attempt was made to identify these taxa up to species level for climate interpretations. Gymnosperms, such as Pinus wallichiana , Pinus roxburghii, Abies spectabilis , Tsuga dumosa and Picea smithiana , were dominant over the woody angiosperms, such as Quercus lanata, Quercus lamellosa , Quercus leucotrichophora , Quercus semecarpifolia, Betula, Juglans, Myrica, Castanopsis and Symplocos . The pollen diagram of the Thimi Formation shows only minor fluctuations in assemblage. The pollen assemblages indicate the prevalence of a cool and temperate climate during the late Pleistocene. This is confirmed by the high percentages of Poaceae and other herbaceous plants, with very few woody angiosperms.     

Bottom-current deposits in the Miocene–Pliocene Misaki Formation, Izu forearc area, Japan

Sedimentary structures in the middle–late Miocene to early Pliocene Misaki Formation, Miura Group, Miura Peninsula, Central Japan, were studied, and paleocurrent data were interpreted as the result of deep-sea bottom-current flow. These current data were further compared with present-day bottom currents in the northwestern Pacific region. The Misaki Formation is thought to be a forearc deposit within the Izu oceanic arc, and is composed of thick volcaniclastic beds interbedded with siliceous biogenic clayey sediments. Sedimentary structures showing paleocurrent directions are involved in the upper part of the volcaniclastic beds, in the pumiceous beds just above the volcaniclastic beds, and in the pelagic sediments. Based on paleomagnetic data suggesting considerable rotation of the beds, all the current directions were reconstructed to their original orientation. The paleocurrents are summarized into the following three groups. The first group in the volcaniclastic beds indicates southeast-directed paleocurrent directions. The second group in the upper parts of volcaniclastic beds and in some pumiceous beds exhibits a southwest- and northeast-directed paleoflow. The third group usually observed in the pumiceous beds with parallel lamination displays a northwest- or southeast-directed paleocurrent. The origin of each group's paleoflow direction is attributed to turbidity current, internal tidal current, and contour current influences, respectively. Present-day observations of the deep-sea northwest Pacific suggest that most of the bottom-current indicators in the Misaki Formation are related to North Pacific Deep Water, possibly Antarctic Bottom Water as well as a combination of tidal and local effects. It is concluded that the beds of the Misaki Formation were deposited in the proto-Sagami basin ca 9 Ma and were formed under weak bottom currents in a wide and flat basin during colder climatic conditions, whereas the beds dated at ca 6 Ma were deposited under strong bottom-current flow, and were then accreted to the Honshu arc.     

Late Pleistocene talus flatiron formation below the Coal Cliffs cuesta,Utah, USA

Cuesta escarpment retreat is a principal mode of exhumation in regions of layered sedimentary rock. On the Colorado Plateau, this process acts as a mechanism for maintaining high‐relief topography and facilitating drainage divide migration. Quantitative estimates of cuesta evolution are difficult to evaluate over glacial‐interglacial timescales, and thus rates of geomorphic change along individual escarpments have mostly been constrained over millions of years. Several studies have addressed this problem by dating colluvium‐mantled talus flatirons. However, this technique has not been applied systematically on the Colorado Plateau. This study quantifies geomorphic change along a single Colorado Plateau cuesta using ³⁶Cl surface exposure dating. We present 33 ages from a single generation of talus flatirons below the Coal Cliffs of central Utah. Landscape evolution is further constrained using 14 ages from in‐situ bedrock, 3 ages from boulders on gully interfluves, and two ages from terrace alluvium. Results suggest a colluvial apron was deposited below the cuesta beginning as early as Marine Isotope Stage 3, and the latest depositional phase occurred near the Last Glacial Maximum. A switch from apron deposition to incision initiated flatiron formation sometime between 19.7 ± 2.5 and 11.8 ± 1.6 ka, broadly coincident with the transition from glacial to interglacial conditions. Our results have several important implications. Climatic changes during the end of the last glacial period appear to have shifted the balance between deposition and erosion below the Coal Cliffs, emptying the sediment reservoir at their base and increasing their height via bedrock incision. The climatic forcing could be imparted by several mechanisms, including local controls on debris generation / mobilization and base level changes exerted by transverse streams. Similar processes may have occurred during previous glacial‐interglacial transitions, implying that the escarpment retreat processes may be partially modulated by orbitally‐controlled variations in Earth's climate over larger timescales. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Paleoearthquake Studies along the Nalinlaka Fault of the Late Pleistocene in Lhasa,Tibet

As the most import fault of the Late Pleistocene in the Lhasa area,the Nalinlaka fault is a left-lateral thrust fault,striking NWW,dipping SSW with a high dip angle,and extending over 33km.According to studies on the latest strata on the Nalinlaka fault zone,this fault zone has been obviously active since the Late Pleistocene and the movement left behind some geomorphologic phenomena on the earth's surface,especially at the sites of the gully west of Cijiaolin and around Xiecun village.For example,some rivers,ridges and terraces are displaced,forming beheaded gullies and fault escarps.The horizontal displacements since the Late Pleistocene at the above two places are 54m ～ 87m,20m ～ 67m,respectively.Based on studies on the 4 trenches along the fault using the progressive constraining method,we conclude that there might have been 5 paleoearthquake events along the Nalinlaka fault since 70ka B.P.,the ages of each paleoearthquake are 68.53,54.40, 41.23,21.96,9.86ka B.P.,and the average recurrence interval is 14.67ka.Because of the limits of trenches and earthquake events exposed by each trench,no single trench completely revealed all 5 events.There may therefore be some errors in determining the upper and lower limits of some events in this article.     

Petrographic study of the Miocene Mizunami Group,Central Japan: Detection of unrecognized volcanic activity in the Setouchi Province

A petrographic study of sandstones from the Miocene Mizunami Group in Central Japan has been performed on core samples from a single borehole, in order to evaluate the provenance of the sedimentary rock. Evaluation of the provenance is based on bulk mineral, heavy mineral and plagioclase contents and on whole rock chemical compositions. The sandstones studied are divisible into three types; the first type is characterized by the occurrence of biotite and plagioclase ranging from albite to oligoclase, the second type is characterized by the dominance of amphibole and labradorite with pyroxene (clinopyroxene > orthopyroxene), and the third type is characterized by the dominance of pyroxene (orthopyroxene > clinopyroxene) and andesine with lesser labradorite, bytownite and anorthite. The first type is interpreted to be derived from the basement granite, whereas the others were derived mostly from volcanic ash, judging from their mineral compositions. The volcanic activity that supplied the volcanic ash to the Mizunami Basin occurred in two phases, distinguishable by variations in their mineralogical and geochemical compositions, an indication of change in character of the volcanic activity. This petrographic study of the sandstones in the Mizunami Group suggests that unrecognized volcanic activity occurred around the Mizunami Basin, even though potential provenance of the volcanic ash has not yet been identified.     

Evaluating a SAR TT-OSL protocol for dating fine-grained quartz within Late Pleistocene loess deposits in the Missouri and Mississippi river valleys,United States

The Mississippi and Missouri river valleys in the midcontinental United States contain extensive loess-paleosol sequences that are used to constrain the timing of expansion and retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Previous studies have been unsuccessful in producing finite ages for sediments older than ∼150 ka due to saturation of luminescence emissions. The thermally transferred optically stimulated luminescence (TT-OSL) dating technique is tested on the fine-grained (4–11 μm) quartz fraction of these loess deposits because the TT-OSL signal has been shown to grow with high (kGy) radiation doses. The TT-OSL signal continued to increase with radiation dose above 900 Gy. The optical and thermal stabilities of this TT-OSL signal are evaluated. Equivalent dose values are highly sensitive to preheat temperatures. Recycling ratios, zero-dose response values, and dose recovery tests all yield acceptable values for samples with burial doses >∼200 Gy. The apparent TT-OSL ages for the Roxana Silt (∼52–63 ka), Teneriffe Silt (∼66 ka), and Loveland Silt (∼133–192 ka) agree at 1σ level with previously published TL and IRSL ages derived from the same samples. For the oldest unit, the Crowley's Ridge Silt, TT-OSL ages (∼167–200 ka) are younger than IRSL or TL ages by ∼20%. This is interpreted as underestimation related to TT-OSL signal contamination, which can be avoided by isolating the fast component of the TT-OSL. Preliminary fast component TT-OSL ages for the Crowley's Ridge Silt (∼197–241 ka) favor deposition during marine oxygen-isotope stage (MIS) 7 or 8, contrary to a previous inference of a MIS 12 deposition.     

High-resolution upper Pliocene to Pleistocene calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy in Ocean Drilling Program Hole 1146A in the South China Sea

We established a high-resolution calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy for the late Pliocene–Pleistocene by analyzing a 242 m-thick, continuous sedimentary succession from Ocean Drilling Program Site 1146, Hole A, in the South China Sea (SCS). A total of 14 calcareous nannofossil datums were detected in the SCS succession. They are, in descending order: first occurrence (FO) of Emiliania huxleyi, last occurrence (LO) of Pseudoemiliania lacunosa, LO of Reticulofenestra asanoi, FO of Gephyrocapsa parallela, FO of R. asanoi, LO of large Gephyrocapsa spp., FO of large G. spp., FO of Gephyrocapsa oceanica, FO of Gephyrocapsa caribbeanica, LO of Calcidiscus macintyrei, LO of Discoaster brouweri, LO of Discoaster pentaradiatus, LO of Discoaster surculus, and LO of Discoaster tamalis. The FO of E. huxleyi was not precisely detected due to poor preservation and dissolution of nannofossils in the underlying strata. We refined the previous calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy in the SCS by identifying Gephyrocapsa species and four evolutionary extinction events of the genus Discoaster. The proposed calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy correlates with those reported in other terrestrial and marine areas/sites and global benthic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O records. The age–depth curves based on nannofossil biostratigraphy indicate a significant increase in the sedimentation rates at the LO of R. asanoi (0.91–0.85 Ma). The timing of this increase corresponds to reef expansion in the Ryukyu Islands linked to a stepwise increase in Kuroshio Current intensity. This timing is broadly coeval with a sea surface temperature increase of ∼2 °C in the northwestern Pacific due to expansion of the Western Pacific Warm Pool towards the north and south subtropical regions. This can be explained by increased weathering and erosion of terrestrial areas in glacial periods and increased rainfall causing higher sediment transport in interglacial periods, which were both linked to Middle Pleistocene Transition-related climatic changes.     

Paleoenvironments of the evolving Pliocene to early Pleistocene foreland basin in northwestern Taiwan: An example from the Dahan River section

The overriding of the Luzon volcanic arc atop the underlying Chinese rifted‐continental margin has caused the formation of the Taiwan mountain belts and a peripheral foreland basin west of the orogen since the late Miocene. In this study, lithofacies analysis and calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphic investigations of the Dahan River section in northwestern (NW) Taiwan were performed. Our results offer insights into the temporal evolution of the sedimentary environments and the competing effects of the sedimentation and basin tectonics of the NW Taiwan foreland basin from the Pliocene to early Pleistocene. Nannofossil biostratigraphic studies showed that the upper Kueichulin Formation and the overlying Chinshui Shale can be assigned to the NN15 biozone of the Pliocene age, and the Cholan Formation pertains to NN16–NN18 of the early Pleistocene. The NN15–NN16 boundary coincides roughly with the boundary of the Chinshui Shale and Cholan Formation. We recognized three major sedimentary environments in the studied foreland succession comprising the upper Kueichulin Formation, Chinshui Shale, Cholan Formation and Yangmei Formation, in ascending order. During the deposition of the upper Kueichulin Formation in the early Pliocene, the dominant environment was a wave‐ and tide‐influenced open marine setting. During the late Pliocene, the environment deepened to an outer‐offshore setting when the sediments of Chinshui Shale were accumulated. In the Pleistocene, the environment then shallowed to wave‐dominated estuaries during the deposition of the lower Cholan Formation, and the basin was rapidly filled, generating a meandering and sandy braided river environment during the deposition of the upper Cholan to the Yangmei Formation. In summary, the evolution of sedimentary environments in the studied succession shows a deepening then a shallowing and coarsening upward trend during the period from the Pliocene to the Pleistocene, spanning the age from approximately 4 to 1 Ma.     

The Rossello composite: a Mediterranean and global reference section for the Early to early Late Pliocene

A high-resolution magnetostratigraphy (planktonic foraminiferal) biostratigraphy and cyclostratigraphy is presented for the Pliocene Trubi marls in the Punta di Maiata section on Sicily. The integrated stratigraphy of the Rossello composite section of Hilgen ([1], Newslett. Stratigr., 17, 1987) is thereby completed. This composite section provides an unprecedented high-quality reference section for the Early to early Late Pliocene, containing a continuous sequence ranging from below the Thvera Subchron into the Matuyama Chron (4.86-2.45 Ma).The Punta di Maiata section extends from the Sidufjall Subchron of the Gilbert into the Gauss Chron (4.50-3.30 Ma). Linear interpolation between paleomagnetic datum planes in this section yields first-order age estimates of 3.72 (±0.01) and 3.59 (±0.01) Ma for the last common occurrence (LCO) and the actual last occurrence (LO) of Globorotalia margaritae.In addition, this age of 3.59 Ma provides an accurate age for the Zanclean-Piacenzian (Z/P) boundary, provided the LO of G. margaritae is maintained as a criterion to define this boundary in the Mediterranean. Irrespective, however, of the criterion used, the Punta di Maiata and Punta Piccola subsections of the Rossello composite are at present the most suitable sections to be designated as stratotypes for the Z/P boundary. The global significance of the Rossello composite is further strongly enhanced by the establishment of an astronomically calibrated geomagnetic polarity time scale based on the correlation of the Trubi sedimentary cycles with the astronomical record.     

西沙群岛西科1井晚中新世-上新世生物礁沉积的磁性地层学初步结果

本文对西沙群岛西科1井钻孔岩心晚中新世-上新世生物礁沉积进行了详细的岩石磁学、磁性扫描与磁性地层学研究.结果显示,西科1井生物礁相沉积中的载磁矿物主要是磁铁矿.我们推测,这些磁铁矿的微小颗粒主要来自海水中含有的陆源物质,在生物生长过程中通过珊瑚体或其它寄生生物对海水的过滤与吸附作用保存在生物礁沉积中.进一步的磁性地层学研究及其与地磁极性年表的对比发现,在上新统莺歌海组、上中新统黄流组内部可获得多个年龄控制点,并对莺歌海组和黄流组的底界位置给出了初步制约.其中,莺歌海组记录了C2An.3n和C3n.4n,黄流组记录了C3An.2n至C5n.2n.虽然这一对比方案存在一定不确定性,但是在现阶段生物地层年代及其它年代学资料相对匮乏的情况下,我们认为本项研究的磁性地层学结果能为西沙群岛晚中新世以来的生物礁沉积提供更多可靠的年龄控制点,并为今后的区域地层对比提供磁性地层年代学依据.     

Late Cenozoic sedimentary process and its response to the slip history of the central Altyn Tagh fault,NW China

The ENE-striking Altyn Tagh fault (ATF), extending along the northern edge of the Ti-betan Plateau, is one of the major important strike-slip faults, and has been known as one of the key areas to debate the eastward extrusion and crustral shortening models of the Tibetan Plateau during and after India-Asia collision. This paper mainly presents new evidence of Late Cenozoic sedimentary process to reconstruct the slip history of the ATF during the Late Cenozoic. Field measurements and laboratory analyses of the sedimentary characteristics in the Late Cenozoic basins in the central Altyn Tagh fault suggest that Late Cenozoic sedimentary sequence should be divided into three units according to facies changes. The paleo-topography reconstruction shows that the sedimentarion in these basins was tightly related with the fault, indicating that the ATF has experienced at least three stages of strike slipping in the Late Cenozoic. New geological data from the Late Cenozoic sedimentary basins and the formation of the present Suo’erkuli basin provide evidence for the displacement of the fault. The result shows that the 80–100 km left-lateral strike-slip displacement of the fault has been accumulated in the Late Cenozoic.