A warming interval during the MIS 5a/4 transition in two high-resolution loess sections from China

An abrupt climatic change during the MIS 5a/4 transition is evident in the loess records of China (S1/L1). Proxies including geochemical elements, grain size, soil color, magnetic susceptibility and carbonate (CaCO₃) content indicate a warming interval, which lasted approximately 3 ka, during the MIS 5a/4 transition in both the Wangguan and Shagou loess sections, located in Sanmenxia (Henan Province) and Wuwei (Gansu Province), respectively. Both the winter and summer monsoon proxies demonstrate that this warming interval occurred at the same time in both sections (nearly 70.5–73.6 ka BP), with maximum warming from 71.4 to 72.0 ka BP. This study suggests a universal abrupt warming interval in the East Asia monsoon region at this time. Comparisons with marine, terrestrial and ice-core records indicate this event was very likely an abrupt global warming interval during the last glacial–interglacial transition.     

East Asian monsoon instability at the stage 5a/4 transition

The physics involved in the abrupt climate changes of the late Quaternary have eluded paleoclimatologists for many years. More paleoclimatic records characteristic of different elements of the global climate system are needed for better understanding of the cause-feedback relationships in the system. The East Asian monsoon is an important part of the global climate system and the mechanical links between the East Asian monsoon and other climatic elements around the world may hold a key to our knowledge of abrupt climate changes in East Asia and probably over a larger part of the globe. Previous studies have detected millennial-scale winter monsoon oscillations during the last glaciation and probably also during the last interglaciation in loess sequences across China. However, less attention has been paid to the abrupt summer monsoon changes and the stage 5a/ 4 transition, an important period for the evolution of the East Asian monsoon when the global climate shifted towards the last glaciation. Here we report on two loess sections from eastern China which were dated using a thermoluminescence (TL) technique. The pedogenic and other sediment parameters suggest that the summer monsoon experienced a two-step abrupt retreat at the stage 5a/4 transition. The variations in the proxies for the winter monsoon are synchronized with the summer monsoon proxies during this brief interval, implying a direct and immediate link between high latitude and low latitude mechanisms. These changes may be correlated with similar climatic oscillations observed in the North Atlantic, Europe and Antarctica, raising the possibility that the forcing factors that induced these changes are global in extent.     

Millennial-scale variations in western Sierra Nevada precipitation during the last glacial cycle MIS 4/3 transition

Dansgaard–Oeschger (D–O) cycles had far-reaching effects on Northern Hemisphere and tropical climate systems during the last glacial period, yet the climatic response to D–O cycles in western North America is controversial, especially prior to 55 ka. We document changes in precipitation along the western slope of the central Sierra Nevada during early Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages (MIS) 3 and 4 (55–67 ka) from a U-series dated speleothem record from McLean's Cave. The timing of our multi-proxy geochemical dataset is coeval with D–O interstadials (15–18) and stadials, including Heinrich Event 6. The McLean's Cave stalagmite indicates warmer and drier conditions during Greenland interstadials (GISs 15–18), signified by elevated δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C, reflectance, and trace element concentrations, and less radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr. Our record extends evidence of a strong linkage between high-latitude warming and reduced precipitation in western North America to early MIS 3 and MIS 4. This record shows that the linkage persists in diverse global climate states, and documents the nature of the climatic response in central California to Heinrich Event 6.     

佛山西樵山及邻近地区MIS5a红土中主量元素含量特征及其古气候意义

本文主要对广东佛山西樵和邻近的粤东北的临江地层剖面MIS5a网纹红土的主量元素含量进行了研究。结果表明,这两个剖面MIS5a红土的SiO 2 、Al 2 O 3 、TOFE（Fe 2 O 3 +FeO）含量、硅铝率n (SiO2) / n (Al2O3) 和化学蚀变指数 CIA 值与我国中亚热带和南亚热带红土都有明显的差异,而与热带地区——海南岛和雷州半岛红土中相应的地球化学指标比较接近。此前,在研究区碧寿洞和罗沙岩洞穴发现的MIS5a大熊猫—剑齿象动物化石群中,都含有热带动物成员——长臂猿（ Hylobates sp.）、犀（ Rhinoceros sp.）、中国犀（ Rhinoceros sinensis ）、华南巨獏（ Megatapirus cf. angustus ）和亚洲象（ Elephas sp.）。据此提出,西樵山和邻近地区MIS5a网纹红土代表了热带气候环境;MIS5a期间南岭以南广东境内的生物气候带属于边缘热带范围。     

The Pleistocene/Holocene transition and human occupation in the Central Andes of Argentina: Agua de la Cueva locality

In the Central Andes of Argentina, evidences of early human occupations come from the Precordillera, a low mountain system which was under periglacial conditions prior to 14,000 ¹⁴C yr BP, when the Cordillera Principal and Cordillera Frontal were glaciated. The corridors for human migration across the Andes may have opened before 13,000 ¹⁴C yr BP. The Pleistocene/Holocene transition gave rise to a substantial variability of environments and consequently of natural resources for early people, who found in the Precordillera new ecosystems with suitable conditions for living. The first human groups arrived ca. 11,000 ¹⁴C yr BP at Agua de la Cueva rockshelter, located at 2900 m above sea level in the western flank of the Precordillera. The occurrence of raw material outcrops close to the site and the archaeofaunistic record indicate a local and likely seasonal exploitation of mountain resources. These early people lived in a shrub steppe environment under cooler and probably wetter conditions in which camelids were the most important food resource. Since 9000 ¹⁴C yr BP, warmer and drier conditions were dominant. Except for a lower intensity of human occupations, the site function of Agua de la Cueva seems to have remained the same.     

Characterization of loess in central Spain: a microstructural study

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the materials developed in the middle Tajo River valley, Central Spain. These sediments are loess, the characterization of which has not been reported in the international bibliography. The sediments are related to the next geological context and their characterization is indispensable to locate the said material in the adequate environment. A few different methods have been employed in this study, such as the pipette method (for determining the grain size) and separation of the light and heavy minerals of the sand fraction by using bromoform. The mineralogical composition was determined by XRD and textural study was accomplished by SEM/EDX. The loessic materials are silt-clay or sandy-silt that are quite unstable. The mineralogical composition shows quartz, feldspar, calcite and clay minerals. Some samples show gypsum; this mineral and calcite present dissolution and stability problems. The heavy minerals starting from the sand fraction are tourmaline, zircon, garnet, staurolite, sillimanite and biotite associations. The studies carried out with SEM show that the quartz grain surfaces present etch pits typical of the wind-blown origin.     

MIS 5a/5b时期亚洲夏季风变化的高分辨率石笋记录

由于深海氧同位素阶段5时期 (Marine Isotope Stage 5, MIS 5)高分辨率的亚洲夏季风记录较少,限制了对该时期亚洲夏季风变化的认识。本文利用重庆金佛山羊口洞石笋的δ18O记录,重建了MIS 5a/5b时期平均分辨率为38年的亚洲夏季风演变历史。发现该时段亚洲夏季风在千年—百年尺度上与北大西洋地区气候变化存在紧密联系。得益于误差小于0.4%的230Th测年结果,本文标定了中国间冰阶(Chinese Interstadial, CIS)21的开始时间为84.6±0.3 ka BP,CIS 22的起止时间分别为91.2±0.3 ka BP和88.9±0.3 ka BP。此外,羊口洞石笋记录的CIS 21和CIS 22的变化模式与格陵兰记录不同,而与南极冰芯记录呈反相对应,可能表示在此阶段亚洲夏季风受到了南半球气候变化的影响。      

The Holocene history of highland pine forests in a submediterranean mountain: the case of Gredos mountain range (Iberian Central range,Spain)

The significance of Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigra forests in Gredos mountain range in the Iberian botanical literature has been traditionally a matter of controversy. Considered for many botanists to be anthropogenic forests, a high amount of syntaxonomic approaches, cartographies of potential vegetation and dynamic models have been created based on this guesswork.Nevertheless, this work contributes new data that contradicts this previous hypothesis. For the first time, these data prove the existence of a bioclimatic belt where pine trees dominated during the last 6500 years, clarifying its altitudinal range, surface extension, and its stability. The study is based on the analysis of fossil macrorests and megarests, dated using radiocarbon. The results obtained cohere with the suggestions of other authors that assume the native character of P. nigra and P. sylvestris in this area, based on data of diverse origin (palynological, historical, toponymical, dendrochronological or geobotanical).The paper then continues to discuss the geobotanical interpretation of the results and the regional lines of management, as well as the potential causes that could have induced the marked decline of pine forests in the last millennia.     

Preliminary data on a new Albian flora from the Valle del Río Martín, Teruel, Spain

A newly discovered plant fossil assemblage in the Albian Escucha Formation, located at Valle del Río Martín (Teruel, Spain), shows similarities with the classic early Cretaceous flora of the Potomac Group in the USA. This is the first time that a flora of this age and composition has been found in Spain. It comprises representatives of ferns, Ginkgoales, Bennettitales, Caytoniales, conifers and angiosperms and suggests a possible mixing of the European and Potomac provinces in the early Cretaceous within the Iberian Peninsula, in a subtropical, semi-arid climate.     

Quaternary lacustrine deposits in a high-energy semi-arid mountain environment,Karakoram Mountains,northern Pakistan

Impressive Quaternary lacustrine deposits are present as terrace remnants throughout the Karakoram Mountains, northern Pakistan. They are mainly the result of damming of drainage systems during glacial advances or by catastrophic mass movement deposits. The longevity of most lakes is relatively short, in the order of years to tens of years, but sedimentation rates are extremely high as a consequence of the high sediment loads within the rivers. This results in deposits that frequently exceed 10 m in thickness. The sediments comprise dominantly planar bedded, massive and, less commonly, planar laminated, silts, comprising detrital quartz, feldspar, mica, calcite, chlorite and illite. A facies model for lacustrine sedimentation in a high-energy semi-arid high mountain region is presented, using case studies from a glacially dammed palaeolake (Glacial Lake Gilgit) and a debris-flow dammed palaeolake (Lake Serat). The rapid deposition and absence of organic material restricts the usefulness of these lacustrine sediments as proxies for palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, but they are helpful in reconstructing the former extent of glaciers and illustrating the importance of high-magnitude–low-frequency events, such as landsliding, as formative processes contributing to the evolution of the Karakoram landscape.     

Quaternary palaeohydrological evolution of a playa lake: Salada Mediana, central Ebro Basin, Spain

Sedimentary features, mineralogy, bulk geochemical composition, stable isotope analyses and pollen data from sediment cores were used to reconstruct the Late Quaternary depositional evolution of the Salada Mediana playa lake (central Ebro Basin, northeastern Spain). The 150-cm-long sediment core sequence is composed of gypsum- and dolomite-rich muds (Lower and Middle sections) and black, laminated, calcite-bearing sediments (Upper section). The Salada Mediana formed as a karstic depression in the Miocene gypsum substratum during the Late Pleistocene. The Lower section was deposited in a sulphate–carbonate saline lake that ended with a period of desiccation and basin floor deflation. Subsequent deposition (Middle section) took place in a playa-lake system. Two cycles of lower water table and expanded saline mud flats occurred. The Holocene sequence is missing, probably as a result of aeolian erosion. Sedimentation resumed only a few centuries ago, and saline pan environments dominated until modern times. The Salada Mediana facies succession was mainly governed by fluctuations in the hydrological balance, brine composition, and salinity; however, aeolian processes (detrital input and deflation) and recycling of previously precipitated salts also played a significant role.     

Evidence from coleopteran assemblages for a short but intense cold interlude during the latter part of the MIS11 Interglacial from Quinton, West Midlands, UK

A sequence of fossiliferous organic sediments spanning the whole of an interglacial has been investigated from Quinton, near Birmingham, United Kingdom This interglacial can be correlated on palynological grounds with the Hoxnian Interglacial of England; equivalent to the Holsteinian Interglacial of central Europe and to Marine Isotope Stage 11. A pollen diagram and coleopteran spectrum were obtained from the same series of samples. By using the mutual climatic range method on the coleopteran assemblages, it has been possible to quantify the thermal climatic conditions at this time. They show clear evidence for a sudden and intense climatic oscillation during the late temperate stage of the interglacial—named the Quinton Cold Interlude. At this time mean temperatures of the warmest month (July) declined suddenly by at least 5 °C and mean temperatures of the coldest months (January and February) by more than 10 °C. Subsequently cool-temperate conditions returned. The pollen diagram through this interval shows little or no response to this climatic event. It is too early yet to generalise about the regional significance of the Quinton Cold Interlude but a similar climatic oscillation also occurs towards the closing stage of the MIS11 Interglacial at Hoxne, Norfolk, UK, suggesting that the cold interlude was at least regional in extent. A short climatic oscillation of similar intensity has also been interpreted from coleopteran evidence towards the end of the MIS13 Interglacial at Waverley Wood Farm Pit, Warwickshire, UK, indicating that such events may characterise the later stages of other interglacials. These severe climatic oscillations towards the end of interglacials may have relevance to our understanding of the closing phase of the present interglacial.     

Chironomid-based reconstructions of summer air temperature from lake deposits in Lyndon Stream,New Zealand spanning the MIS 3/2 transition

We present chironomid-based temperature reconstructions from lake sediments deposited between ca 26,600 cal yr BP and 24,500 cal yr BP from Lyndon Stream, South Island, New Zealand. Summer (February mean) temperatures averaged 1 °C cooler, with a maximum inferred cooling of 3.7 °C. These estimates corroborate macrofossil and beetle-based temperature inferences from the same site and suggest climate amelioration (an interstadial) at this time. Other records from the New Zealand region also show a large degree of variability during the late Otiran glacial sequence (34,000–18,000 cal yr BP) including a phase of warming at the MIS 2/3 transition and a maximum cooling that did not occur until the global LGM (ca 20,000 cal yr BP).The very moderate cooling identified here at the MIS 2/3 transition confirms and enhances the long-standing discrepancy in New Zealand records between pollen and other proxies. Low abundances (<20%) of canopy tree pollen in records from late MIS 3 to the end of MIS 2 cannot be explained by the minor (<5 °C) cooling inferred from this and other studies unless other environmental parameters are considered. Further work is required to address this critical issue.     

Coherent changes in wood charcoals,site occupation and lithic technology across the MIS 4/3 transition at Klein Kliphuis rock shelter,South Africa

We explore the correspondence between changing palaeoenvironments, patterns of site use, and lithic technology at the rock shelter site Klein Kliphuis (South Africa) across the interval 65–55 000 years before present. This period coincides with the termination of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4, and the disappearance of an iconic late Pleistocene archaeological unit known as the Howiesons Poort. Wood charcoals indicate sufficient soil moisture around Klein Kliphuis throughout the Howiesons Poort to support diverse tree species at a time when site occupation was relatively intense. At least some fuelwood-gathering in this period may have been undertaken to support heat treatment of silcrete, which was the dominant lithology in tool production. A coherent set of changes occurs across the MIS 4/3 transition: occupational intensity declines, tracked by declining diversity of fuelwood species, an increase in the proportion of charcoals from shrubs and small flowering plants, lower prevalence of silcrete, and less heat treatment. While declining soil moisture is implied, there appears to be a significant change in behaviour relating to site usage, whereby foraging for dense fuelwoods was replaced by the construction of ‘fast fires’ that may reflect briefer visits and increased forager mobility in early MIS 3.     

Late quaternary sea level changes of Gabes coastal plain and shelf: Identification of the MIS 5c and MIS 5a onshore highstands,southern Mediterranean

The continental shelf of the Gulf of Gabes is outlined, during the MIS 5c and MIS 5a onshore highstands, by the genesis of forced regressive beach ridges situated respectively at –19 m b.s.l/100 ka and –8 m b.s.l/80 ka. This area, considered as a stable domain since at least the last 130 ka (Bouaziz et al.2003), is a particular zone for the reconstruction of the late quaternary sea-level changes in the region. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data and field observations are highlighted to deduce interaction between hydrodynamic factors and antecedent topography. Variations in geomorphology were attributed to geological inheritance. Petrography and sedimentary facies of the submerged coastal ridges reveal that the palaeocoastal morphology was more agitated than today and the fluvial discharges are consistent. Actual morphologic trend deduced from different environment coasts (sandy coasts, sea cliffs and tidal flat) is marked by accumulation of marine sands and progradation.     

Climate-driven changes in lake conditions during late MIS 3 and MIS 2: a high-resolution geochemical record from Les Echets, France

A new set of geochemical data obtained from a long sediment sequence from the Les Echets basin provides a new record of palaeoenvironmental change for western Europe. The sequence covers the late part of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and MIS 2 ( c . 46.1–15.0 cal. kyr BP) and extends over 30 m of sediment, allowing for high sampling resolution. Distinct cyclic fluctuations in aquatic productivity proxies suggest a tempo of environmental change at Les Echets that resembles the one established for Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles and Heinrich events. Increases in organic carbon are paralleled by high hydrogenous contents and enriched δ¹³C_org and C_org/N_tot ratios, implying a mixture of aquatic and land-derived constituents. The stable isotope values are directly linked to primary aquatic productivity and the input of terrestrial organic matter, enriched during warm, productive, periods, and drastically depleted during cold periods, particularly Heinrich events. Phases of relatively high productivity correlate with Dansgaard-Oeschger interstadials 8–2, while Heinrich events 3 and 2 are also clearly delineated by distinct lithological horizons with very low organic contents, high dry densities and enhanced organic matter oxidation. A large hiatus occurring about the time of Heinrich event 4 suggests that the cold and dry climate reconstructed for this event in the North Atlantic region also greatly affected Les Echets and its catchment.     

MIS 5c向MIS 5b转换期亚洲夏季风的演变特征——万象洞石笋记录

根据亚洲季风边缘区武都万象洞一根长360mm石笋(WX0541A)的6个 230Th年代和828个 δ18O数据, 建立了104107~91858a B.P. 期间高分辨率和高精度亚洲夏季风变迁的时间序列。通过与中国东部季风腹地湖北三宝洞和现代西风控制区新疆科桑洞的石笋 δ18O记录对比发现, 三者的变化模式在研究时段内具有相似性。其中, 3个洞穴石笋同位素在MIS 5c中期相当于Greenland D/O 23暖阶段的偏负阶段, 从南到北显示出逐渐偏负的趋势, 是季风降水大陆效应的真实反映; 而在96495~92562a B.P. 之间的同位素偏重阶段, 万象洞和科桑洞石笋同位素组成相近并偏正于三宝洞石笋的 δ18O值, 偏离了亚洲夏季风的内陆入侵规律, 可能与MIS 5b太阳辐射降低时期万象洞和科桑洞地区可变的季节性降水或加入的西风降水有关。     

MIS4早期千年尺度事件特征的湖北石笋记录

高精度定年的石笋记录有助于校正冰芯时标和理解千年尺度事件的驱动机制。基于湖北永兴洞YX288石笋5个高精度²³⁰Th年龄和264组氧同位素数据,重建了MIS4早期东亚季风水文循环演化过程。结合同一洞穴YX46记录,发现两条记录在重叠时段的波动特征高度一致,清晰地记录了持续时间较长的DO19.1事件和持续极短的DO19.2事件。石笋记录显示DO19.2和DO19.1事件的开始时间分别为约72.06 ka和69.40 ka,结束时间依次为约69.85 ka和69.03 ka,在误差范围内与格陵兰NGRIP冰芯AICC2012时标一致。这两个事件的持续时间依次约为2200 a和360 a。在DO19.2事件期间,石笋记录的东亚季风较为稳定,显著不同于格陵兰冰芯记录的温度持续下降的特征。这一季风稳定状态与南北两极间温度差的稳定波动特征较为一致,这也得到反映热带辐合带位置变化的Cariaco盆地反照率记录的支持,表明南北半球的温度变化对亚洲季风的综合影响。

     

Ternesite, Ca5(SiO4)2SO4, a new mineral from the Ettringer Bellerberg/Eifel, Germany

Summary The new mineral ternesite, Ca₅(SiO₄)₂SO₄, has been found at the Ettringer Bellerberg near Mayen, Eifel, Germany. The crystal structure, already known from the synthetic analogue, was refined from single crystal X-ray data: orthorhombic, space group Puma with a= 6.863(1)Å, b=15.387(2) Å, c=10.181(1) Å Z=4, R=0.058, R_w=0.046 for 820 unique reflections with F₀> 3(F₀) and 96 variable parameters. The strongest peaks in the powder pattern are (d-value (Å),I, hkl): 2.830, 100, (033)/2.853, 63, (230)/2.565, 55, (060)/3.198, 42, (132)/1.892, 39, (035) + (125). The mineral is optically biaxial negative with refractive indices n_x = 1.630(1) (parallel [100]), ny = 1.637(2) (parallel [001]), and n_z = 1.640(1) (parallel [010]). The optical angle 2V_x was measured as 63.5(5)°.

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Ternesit, Ca₅(SiO₄)₂SO₄, ein neues Mineral vom Ettringer Bellerberg, Eifel, Deutschland

Zusammenfassung Das neue Mineral Ternesit, Ca₅(SiO₄)₂SO₄, wurde am Ettringer Bellerberg bei Mayen, Eifel, Deutschland gefunden. Die schon vom synthetischen Analogen her bekannte Kristallstruktur wurde aus Einkristalldaten von natürlichem Material verfeinert: Das Mineral ist orthorhombisch, Raumgruppe Pnma mit a= 6.863(1)Å, b=15.387(2) Å, c=10.181(1) Å, Z=4, R=0.058, R_w=0.046 für 820 unabhängige Reflexe mit F₀> 3(F₀) und 96 variablen Parametern. Die stärksten Maxima im Pulverbeugungsdiagramm sind (d-Wert (Å),I, hkl): 2.830, 100, (033)/2.853, 63, (230)/2.565, 55, (060)/ 3.198, 42, (132)/1.892, 39, (035) + (125). Das Mineral ist optisch zweiachsig negativ mit Brechungsindizes n_x = 1.630(1) (parallel [100]), n_y = 1.637 (2) (parallel [001]), und n_z = 1.640(1) (parallel [010]). Der optische Achsenwinkel 2V_x wurde zu 63.5(5)° gemessen.

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