Holocene vegetation and climate change recorded in alpine bog sediments from the Borreguiles de la Virgen,Sierra Nevada,southern Spain

High-resolution pollen and magnetic susceptibility (MS) analyses have been carried out on a sediment core taken from a high-elevation alpine bog area located in Sierra Nevada, southern Spain. The earliest part of the record, from 8200 to about 7000 cal yr BP, is characterized by the highest abundance of arboreal pollen and Pediastrum, indicating the warmest and wettest conditions in the area at that time. The pollen record shows a progressive aridification since 7000 cal yr BP that occurred in two steps, first shown by a decrease in Pinus, replaced by Poaceae from 7000 to 4600 cal yr BP and then by Cyperaceae, Artemisia and Amaranthaceae from 4600 to 1200 cal yr BP. Pediastrum also decreased progressively and totally disappeared at ca. 3000 yr ago. The progressive aridification is punctuated by periodically enhanced drought at ca. 6500, 5200 and 4000 cal yr BP that coincide in timing and duration with well-known dry events in the Mediterranean and other areas. Since 1200 cal yr BP, several changes are observed in the vegetation that probably indicate the high-impact of humans in the Sierra Nevada, with pasturing leading to nutrient enrichment and eutrophication of the bog, Pinus reforestation and Olea cultivation at lower elevations.     

New insights on Late Quaternary Asian palaeomonsoon variability and the timing of the Last Glacial Maximum in southwestern China

A ～6.35 m core (06SD) was retrieved from Lake Shudu, Yunnan Province, China. The sediments spanning the period ～22.6–10.5 kcal. yr BP (6.35–1.44 m) were analysed using a combination of variables including pollen, charcoal, particle size, magnetic susceptibility and loss-on-ignition. The resulting palaeorecord provides a high-resolution reconstruction of Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene climatic and environmental changes in southwestern China. Our findings indicate that from c. 22.6 to 17.7 kcal. yr BP, vegetation assemblages were primarily aligned to sparse xerophytic grassland/tundra or cold-tolerant boreal Pinus forest, indicating that climatic conditions in southwestern China were cold and dry. However, from c. 17.7 to 17.4 kcal. yr BP, the Lake Shudu record is punctuated by marked environmental changes. These include the establishment of denser vegetation cover, a marked expansion of boreal Pinus forest and enhanced hydrological activity in the catchment over centennial timescales, perhaps suggesting that stepwise variations in the Asian Monsoon were triggering fundamental environmental changes over sub-millennial timescales. Thereafter, the pollen record captures a period of environmental instability reflected in fluctuations across all of the variables, which persists until c. 17.1 kcal. yr BP. After c. 17.1 kcal. yr BP, the expansion of steppe vegetation cover and cold–cool mixed forest consisting of mesophilous vegetation such as Tsuga and Picea, thermophilous trees including Ulmus and deciduous Quercus inferred from the Lake Shudu pollen record point to the establishment of warmer, wetter and perhaps more seasonal conditions associated with a strengthening Asian Summer Monsoon during the shift from Pleistocene to Holocene climatic conditions.     

A 11,000 yr palaeotemperature reconstruction from the southern boreal zone in Finland

The ecotone between the boreo-nemoral (hemiboreal) and the southern boreal vegetation zones constitutes the northern distributional limit of a number of thermophilous tree species in northern Europe and is, to a large extent, controlled by climatic conditions. We present a quantitative annual mean temperature reconstruction from a high-resolution pollen stratigraphy in southern boreal Finland, using a pollen-climate calibration model with a cross-validated prediction error of 0.9°C. Our model reconstructs low but steadily rising annual mean temperature from 10,700 to 9000 cal yr BP. At 8000–4500 cal yr BP reconstructed annual mean temperature reaches a period of highest values (Holocene thermal maximum) with particularly high temperatures (2.0–1.5°C higher than at present) at 8000–5800 cal yr BP. From 4500 cal yr BP to the present-day, reconstructed annual mean temperature gradually decreases by ca 1.5°C. Comparison of present results with palaeotemperature records from the Greenland ice cores, notably with the NorthGRIP δ¹⁸O record, shows marked similarities, suggesting parallel large-scale Holocene temperature trends between the North Atlantic and North European regions. The verification of the occurrence, timing, and nature of the short-term temperature fluctuations during the Holocene in the southern boreal zone in Europe requires replicate, high-resolution climate reconstructions from the region.     

High-pressure and ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism at Komateri,northern Madurai Block,southern India

We report for the first time the evidence for prograde high-pressure (HP) metamorphism preceding a peak ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) event in the northernmost part of the Madurai Block in southern India. Mg–Al-rich Grt–Ged rocks from Komateri in Karur district contain poikiloblastic garnet with numerous multi-phase inclusions. Although most of the inclusion assemblages are composed of gedrite, quartz, and secondary biotite, rare staurolite + sapphirine and spinel + quartz are also present. The X_Mg (=Mg/[Fe+Mg]) of staurolite (0.45–0.49) is almost consistent with that reported previously from Namakkal district in the Palghat–Cauvery Shear Zone system (X_Mg = 0.51–0.52), north of the Madurai Block. The HP event was followed by peak UHT metamorphism at T = 880–1040 °C and P = 9.8–12.5 kbar as indicated by thermobarometric computations in the Grt–Ged rock and associated mafic granulite. Symplectic intergrowth of spinel (X_Mg = 0.50–0.59, ZnO < 1.7 wt.%) and quartz, a diagnostic indicator of UHT metamorphism, probably formed by decompression at UHT conditions. The rocks subsequently underwent retrograde metamorphism at T = 720–760 °C and P = 4.2–5.1 kbar. The P–T conditions and clockwise exhumation trajectory of the Komateri rocks, comparable to similar features recorded from the Palghat–Cauvery Shear Zone system, suggest that the Madurai Block and the Palghat–Cauvery Shear Zone system underwent similar HP and UHT metamorphic history probably related to the continent–continent collision during the final stage of amalgamation of Gondwana supercontinent.     

Holocene environmental and climatic changes at Gorgo Basso,a coastal lake in southern Sicily,Italy

We used a new sedimentary record to reconstruct the Holocene vegetation and fire history of Gorgo Basso, a coastal lake in south-western Sicily (Italy). Pollen and charcoal data suggest a fire-prone open grassland near the site until ca 10,000 cal yr BP (8050 cal BC), when Pistacia shrubland expanded and fire activity declined, probably in response to increased moisture availability. Evergreen Olea europaea woods expanded ca 8400 to decline abruptly at 8200 cal yr BP, when climatic conditions became drier at other sites in the Mediterranean region. Around 7000 cal yr BP evergreen broadleaved forests (Quercus ilex, Quercus suber and O. europaea) expanded at the cost of open communities. The expansion of evergreen broadleaved forests was associated with a decline of fire and of local Neolithic (Ficus carica–Cerealia based) agriculture that had initiated ca 500 years earlier. Vegetational, fire and land-use changes ca 7000 cal yr BP were probably caused by increased precipitation that resulted from (insolation-forced) weakening of the monsoon and Hadley circulation ca 8000–6000 cal yr BP. Low fire activity and dense coastal evergreen forests persisted until renewed human activity (probably Greek, respectively Roman colonists) disrupted the forest ca 2700 cal yr BP (750 BC) and 2100 cal yr BP (150 BC) to gain open land for agriculture. The intense use of fire for this purpose induced the expansion of open maquis, garrigue, and grassland-prairie environments (with an increasing abundance of the native palm Chamaerops humilis). Prehistoric land-use phases after the Bronze Age seem synchronous with those at other sites in southern and central Europe, possibly as a result of climatic forcing. Considering the response of vegetation to Holocene climatic variability as well as human impact we conclude that under (semi-)natural conditions evergreen broadleaved Q. ilex–O. europaea (s.l.) forests would still dominate near Gorgo Basso. However, forecasted climate change and aridification may lead to a situation similar to that before 7000 cal yr BP and thus trigger a rapid collapse of the few relict evergreen broadleaved woodlands in coastal Sicily and elsewhere in the southern Mediterranean region.     

Geological,geochemical, and geochronological characteristics of Weilasituo Sn-polymetal deposit,Inner Mongolia,China

The recently discovered Weilasituo Sn-polymetal deposit is located in the southern part of the Great Xing'an Range of Inner Mongolia, NE China, which is belonged to the eastern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Sn-polymetal mineralization is closely related to the emplacement of the Early Cretaceous fine- to medium-grained quartz porphyry. Three types of mineralization have been recognized at Weilasituo with the disseminated and stockwork Sn-polymetal mineralization mainly hosted by the quartz porphyry, the vein-type Sn-polymetal mineralization hosted by NE-trending and WE-trending fractures and faults in the upper and outer part of the porphyry, and breccia mineralization occurred within a steep cryptoexplosive breccia pipe. The ore-related alteration typically consists of Na-Ca-Sr alteration and greisen.In order to understand the petrogenetic link between the Sn-polymetal mineralization and the host quartz porphyry, this paper presents new whole-rock geochemistry for the quartz porphyry, EPMA analysis of ore and gangue minerals, and in situ U-Pb dating of cassiterite. The Laser Abrasion Multiple Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (LA-MCICP-MS) cassiterite U-Pb dating yields two well-defined isochron ages of 138 ± 6 Ma for disseminated ore and 135 ± 6 Ma for the vein-type ore, which could be regarded as the ore-forming age. The cassiterite U-Pb ages (ca. 138–135 Ma) determined in this study, together with previous data, reveals the close temporal and genetic relationship between the mineralization event and the emplacement of the quartz porphyry.The quartz porphyry is characterized by high SiO₂, Na₂O, and A/CNK values (1.09–1.21). REE tetrad effect combined with extremely high Rb/Sr, K/Ba ratios and low K/Rb, Zr/Hf, La/Nb, La/Ta and Eu/Eu* ratios indicate that the quartz porphyry is a highly fractionated peraluminous I-type granite that is hydrothermally altered. Low εNd(t) values of 4.27–0.28 and the two-stage depleted mantle Nd model ages (T_2DM = ca. 1279–908 Ma) for the quartz porphyry, are similar to granites in Precambrian microcontinents of the eastern part of the Central Asian Orogen (CAOB). This suggests that the quartz porphyry was derived from the remelting of juvenile crust and Precambrian rocks in an extensional setting. Therefore, the highly fractional crystallization and magmatic-hydrothermal interactions of the quartz porphyry have contributed to the formation of the Weilasituo Sn-polymetal deposit.     

Osumilite and a spinel + quartz association in garnet–sillimanite gneiss from Rundvågshetta,Lützow-Holm Complex,East Antarctica

This is the first report of osumilite occurring as fine isolated inclusions within garnet porphyroblasts, as observed in garnet–sillimanite gneiss from Rundvågshetta, Lützow-Holm Complex, East Antarctica. The osumilite is characterized by high Si content (10.60 and 10.95 atoms based on 30 oxygens per formula unit), low Al content (2.99 and 3.82), a high content of M site-occupying cations (2.51 and 3.03), and high X_Mg values (about 0.81). We also report a spinel + quartz association found as inclusions within garnet porphyroblasts. Spinel grains, which are in direct contact with quartz and are spatially associated with sillimanite, show extremely high Zn contents (X_Zn^Spl = 0.33 ? 0.46) and high X_Mg values (0.45–0.54). The garnet is rimmed by sillimanite, K-feldspar, plagioclase, and quartz. Biotite and cordierite are found only as inclusions within garnet porphyroblasts, where biotite coexists with spinel–quartz or with rutile. Porphyroblastic garnet contains rutile needles and has low X_Mg values (about 0.36). The sillimanite contains a high Fe content (about 1.2 wt.% Fe₂O₃).The occurrence of osumilite and spinel + quartz indicates a clockwise pressure–temperature path of ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism, involving the following events: (1) the Rundvågshetta granulites suffered prograde metamorphism within the kyanite and sapphirine + quartz fields; (2) subsequent retrograde metamorphism, involving near-isothermal decompression, occurred in the orthopyroxene + sillimanite + quartz field; (3) the granulites passed through the garnet + cordierite + sillimanite + quartz field during decreasing temperature; (4) the granulites entered the osumilite stability field at around 8 kbar and 950 °C; and (5) the granulites retain a final record of retrograde metamorphism within the biotite + sillimanite + K-feldspar and quartz field at 6.1 kbar and about 830 °C.     

A chironomid-based reconstruction of late glacial summer temperatures in the southern Carpathians (Romania)

Late glacial and early Holocene summer temperatures were reconstructed based on fossil chironomid assemblages at Lake Brazi (Retezat Mountains) with a joint Norwegian–Swiss transfer function, providing an important addition to the late glacial quantitative climate reconstructions from Europe. The pattern of the late glacial temperature changes in Lake Brazi show both similarities and some differences from the NGRIP δ¹⁸O record and other European chironomid-based reconstructions. Our reconstruction indicates that at Lake Brazi (1740 m a.s.l.) summer air temperature increased by ~ 2.8°C at the Oldest Dryas/Bølling transition (GS-2/GI-1) and reached 8.1–8.7°C during the late glacial interstade. The onset of the Younger Dryas (GS-1) was characterized by a weak (< 1°C) decrease in chironomid-inferred temperatures. Similarly, at the GS-1/Holocene transition no major changes in summer temperature were recorded. In the early Holocene, summer temperature increased in two steps and reached ~ 12.0–13.3°C during the Preboreal. Two short-term cold events were detected during the early Holocene between 11,480–11,390 and 10,350–10,190 cal yr BP. The first cooling coincides with the Preboreal oscillation and shows a weak (0.7°C) temperature decrease, while the second is characterized by 1°C cooling. Both cold events coincide with cooling events in the Greenland ice core records and other European temperature reconstructions.     

Gold-hosting high Ba-Sr granitoids in the Xincheng gold deposit,Jiaodong Peninsula,East China: Petrogenesis and tectonic setting

The Xincheng deposit is the only large gold deposit with a proven reserve of >200 t gold hosted by the Early Cretaceous granitoids in northwest Jiaodong Peninsula, East China. The granitoids hosting this ore deposit comprise an inner medium- to fine-grained quartz monzonite and an outer medium- to coarse-grained monzogranite with distinctive K-feldspar megacrysts. LA–ICP–MS zircon dating yields U–Pb ages of 128 ± 1 to 132 ± 1 Ma and 127 ± 2 to 129 ± 1 Ma, for the quartz monzonite and the monzogranite, respectively. The Early Cretaceous ages obtained in our study are comparable with the 126–130 Ma age range reported for the Guojialing granitic suite. The monzogranites, typical high Ba–Sr granites, possess high SiO₂ (70.89–73.35%), K₂O (3.85–4.32%), total alkalis (K₂O + Na₂O = 8.08–8.68%), Sr (634–888 ppm), Ba (1395–2111 ppm) and LREE (59.43–145.88), with low HREE and HFSE contents and insignificant Eu anomalies. The rocks display markedly high Sr/Y (114–297) and (La/Yb)_N (20–79) ratios. They have low MgO (0.23–0.62%), Cr (0.4–8.33 ppm) and Ni (0.47–2.92 ppm) contents. The typical high Ba–Sr signatures of the outer acidic monzogranites are also shared by the inner intermediate-acidic quartz monzonites, with a relatively higher abundance of these elements. The plagioclases in the quartz monzonites and monzogranites are oligoclase–andesine with An contents of 11.7–44.5%, and oligoclase with An contents of 12.9–29.3%, respectively, which both show the reverse zoning texture. The quartz monzonites have zircon ε_Hf(t) values of −21.3 to −13.9 (average −18.7), which are less negative and show larger variations than those of the monzogranites (ε_Hf(t) = −24.7 to −18.1, average −19.5). Detailed elemental, mineralogical and isotopic data suggest that the high Ba–Sr quartz monzonites and monzogranites were most likely generated by partial melting of the basement rocks of the Jiaobei terrane accompanied by crustal assimilation, with minor addition of the intermediate magma derived from the partial melting of juvenile mafic lower crust formed by the earlier underplating of mantle magma, and the quartz monzonites may represent the path of intermediate magma inputting into felsic magma. In combination with previous investigations, we suggest subduction of the paleo-Pacific slab beneath the North China Craton (NCC) and associated asthenosphere upwelling were most likely the mechanism associated with the generation of the high Ba–Sr granites.     

High-resolution isotope records of early Holocene rapid climate change from two coeval stalagmites of Katerloch Cave,Austria

Two coeval stalagmites from Katerloch Cave show pronounced intervals of low δ¹⁸O values around 8.2, 9.1, and 10.0 kyr (all ages are reported before the year 2000 AD) and represent an inorganic U–Th dated climate archive from the southeast of the European Alps, a region where only very few well-dated climate records exist. The O isotope curves, providing near-annual resolution, allow a direct comparison to the Greenland ice core records, as temperature was the primary factor controlling the O isotopic composition of Katerloch speleothems.The 8.2 kyr climate anomaly lasted about one century, from 8196 to 8100 yr, with a maximum amplitude of 1.1‰ at 8175 yr. The event is characterized by a rapid onset and a more gradual demise and U–Th data as well as annual lamina counting support a rapid climate change towards cooler conditions within 10–20 yr. There is no strong evidence that the 8.2 kyr anomaly was superimposed on a pronounced longer-term cooling episode, nor do the new data support two separate cooling events within the 8.2 kyr event as reported by other studies. Our record also shows a distinct climate anomaly around 9.1 kyr, which lasted 70–110 yr and showed a maximum amplitude of 1.0‰, i.e. it had a similar duration and amplitude as the (central) 8.2 kyr event. Compared to the 8.2 kyr event, the 9.1 kyr anomaly shows a more symmetrical structure, but onset and demise still occurred within a few decades only. The different progression of the 8.2 (asymmetrical) and 9.1 kyr anomaly (symmetrical) suggests a fundamental difference in the trigger and/or the response of the climate system. Moreover, both stalagmites show evidence of a climate anomaly around 10.0 kyr, which was of comparable magnitude to the two subsequent events.Using a well constrained modern calibration between air temperature and δ¹⁸O of precipitation for the study area and cave monitoring data (confirming speleothem deposition in Katerloch reflecting cave air temperature), a maximum cooling by ca 3 °C can be inferred at 8.2 and 9.1 kyr, which is similar to other estimates, e.g., from Lake Ammersee north of the Alps. The O isotopic composition of meteoric precipitation, however, is a complex tracer of the hydrological cycle and these temperature estimates do not take into account additional effects such as changes in the source area or synoptic shifts. Apart from that, the relative thickness of the seasonally controlled lamina types in the Katerloch stalagmites remains rather constant across the intervals comprising the isotopic anomalies, i.e. the stalagmite petrography argues against major shifts in seasonality during the early Holocene climate excursions.     

Interactions between climate and vegetation during the Lateglacial period as recorded by lake and mire sediment archives in Northern Italy and Southern Switzerland

We reconstruct the vegetational history of the southern side of the Alps at 18,000–10,000 cal yr BP using previous and new AMS-dated stratigraphic records of pollen, stomata, and macrofossils. To address potential effects of climatic change on vegetation, we compare our results with independent paleoclimatic series (e.g. isotope and chironomid records from the Alps and the Alpine forelands). The period before 16,000 cal yr BP is documented only at the lowland sites. The previous studies used for comparison with our new Palughetto record, however, shows that Alpine deglaciation must have started before 18,000–17,500 cal yr BP south of the Alps and that deglaciated sites were colonized by open woods and shrublands (Juniperus, tree Betula, Larix, Pinus cembra) at ca 17,500 cal yr BP. The vegetational history of a new site (Palughetto, 1040 m a.s.l.) is consistent with that of previous investigations in the study region. Our results show three conspicuous vegetational shifts delimited by statistically significant pollen zones, at ca 14,800–14,400, 13,300–12,800 and 11,600–11,200 cal yr BP. At sites situated above 1000 m a.s.l. (e.g. Palughetto, Pian di Gembro) forests expanded in alpine environments at ca 14,500 cal yr BP (onset of Bølling period, GI-1 in the Greenland ice record). At the same time, rather closed treeline communities of the lowlands were replaced by dense stands of Pinus sylvestris and Betula. These early forests and shrublands consisted of Larix, P. cembra, Juniperus, P. sylvestris, Pinus mugo, and Betula, and had become established at ca 16,000 cal yr BP, probably in response to a temperature increase. If combined with other records from the Southern Alps, our data suggest that treeline ascended by ca 800–1000 m in a few centuries at most, probably as a consequence of climatic warming at the beginning of the Bølling period. At 13,100–12,800 cal yr BP the onset of a long-lasting decline of P. sylvestris was accompanied by the expansion of Quercus and other thermophilous tree taxa below ca 600 m a.s.l. This vegetational change was probably induced by a shift to warmer climatic conditions before the onset of the Younger Dryas, as indicated by independent paleoclimatic records. Only a few centuries later, at ca 12,700–12,500 cal yr BP, an expansion of herbaceous taxa occurred in the lowlands as well as at higher altitudes, documenting an opening of forested habitats. This change coincided with the beginning of the Younger Dryas cooling (GS-1), which according to the paleoclimatic series (e.g. oxygen isotope series), started at 12,700–12,600 cal yr BP and lasted for about 1000 years. Environments south of the Alps responded markedly to climatic warming at the onset of the Holocene (11,600–11,500 cal yr BP). Thermophilous trees that had declined during the Younger Dryas re-expanded very rapidly in the lowlands and reached the high altitude sites below ca 1500 m a.s.l. within a few centuries at most. Our study implies that the synchronous vegetational changes observed over wide areas were probably a consequence of abrupt climatic shifts at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and during the Lateglacial. We emphasize that important vegetational changes such as the expansion of forests occurred millennia before the onset of similar processes in northwestern and central Europe.     

Depositional processes and the inferred history of ice-margin retreat associated with the deglaciation of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet: The sedimentary record from Flathead Lake,northwest Montana,USA

A series of piston cores from Flathead Lake, Montana, USA and a new radiocarbon date from the sedimentary record provide the basis for describing sedimentary processes related to deglaciation of the Flathead Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet and for interpreting the retreat history of the lobe. The oldest part of Flathead Lake sediment core records is Late Pleistocene in age and consists of cm-scale rhythmites of silt and clay, interpreted here as annual varves. Each varve contains a light-colored coarser-grained portion, inferred to represent deposition during peak annual runoff, and a darker-colored finer-grained portion interpreted to represent sediment accumulation during seasonal low-flow conditions. The coarser-grained portions, especially in the stratigraphically older sections of each core, contain sedimentary structures that reflect traction transport. Based on these sedimentary structures, their facies characteristics, and their spatial distribution within the lake, we interpret the thicker, light-colored portion of each varve to be deposited by hyperpycnal flows caused by seasonal melt events rather than more classic turbidity currents.Immediately overlying Late Pleistocene rhythmites in all Flathead Lake cores is a unique, significantly coarser-grained dm-scale silt bed with a median grain size up to 50 µm. This silt bed has a sharp, locally erosional base and fines upward but does not contain any other sedimentary structures. In contrast to the rhythmites, we interpret this silt bed to represent a single, short-lived catastrophic sedimentation event generated by a large glacial outburst flood. Overlying this distinct bed are several other cm-scale beds of mainly silt that exhibit a basal upward-coarsening followed by an upward-fining median grain size profile. We interpret these beds and their grain size trends as reflecting the rising and falling hydrograph limbs of outburst floods derived from more distal sources located in the upstream parts of the upper Flathead watershed.The sediment record from Flathead Lake, together with results from geologic and geomorphologic 1:24,000 scale mapping around the lake margins, provide a series of constraints regarding the paleogeographic evolution of the area during deglaciation. Overall upward-thinning and upward-fining of the varved portion of the sediment core records reflects northward retreat of the southern Flathead Lobe ice margin starting at latest 14,475 ± 150 cal yr BP, the depositional age of the oldest varve in any of our cores. The depositional age of silt beds overlying the varved records is constrained as between 14,150 ± 150 cal yr BP and 13,180 ± 120 cal yr BP. Within the available chronostratigraphic constraints, the outburst floods interpreted to have delivered this silt to the Flathead Lake basin also downcut a bedrock nick point below the Flathead Lake outlet, oriented a series of large boulders downstream, and deposited a series of large flood bars on the lower Flathead River floodplain.     

n-Alkane evidence for the onset of wetter conditions in the Sierra Nevada,California (USA) at the mid-late Holocene transition, ~ 3.0 ka

n-Alkane biomarker distributions in sediments from Swamp Lake (SL), in the central Sierra Nevada of California (USA), provide evidence for an increase in mean lake level ~ 3000 yr ago, in conjunction with widespread climatic change inferred from marine and continental records in the eastern North Pacific region. Length distributions of n-alkane chains in modern plants growing at SL were determined and compared to sedimentary distributions in a core spanning the last 13 ka. As a group, submerged and floating aquatic plants contained high proportions of short chain lengths (< nC₂₅) compared to emergent, riparian and upland terrestrial species, for which chain lengths > nC₂₇ were dominant. Changes in the sedimentary n-alkane distribution over time were driven by variable inputs from plant sources in response to changing lake level, sedimentation and plant community composition. A shift toward shorter chain lengths (nC_21, nC₂₃) occurred between 3.1 and 2.9 ka and is best explained by an increase in the abundance of aquatic plants and the availability of shallow-water habitat in response to rising lake level. The late Holocene expansion of SL following a dry mid-Holocene is consistent with previous evidence for increased effective moisture and the onset of wetter conditions in the Sierra Nevada between 4.0 and 3.0 ka.     

Late Quaternary highstands at Lake Chilwa,Malawi: Frequency,timing and possible forcing mechanisms in the last 44 ka

The extensive shoreline deposits of Lake Chilwa, southern Malawi, a shallow water body today covering 600 km² of a basin of 7500 km², are investigated for their record of late Quaternary highstands. OSL dating, applied to 36 samples from five sediment cores from the northern and western marginal sand ridges, reveal a highstand record spanning 44 ka. Using two different grouping methods, highstand phases are identified at 43.7–33.3 ka, 26.2–21.0 ka and 17.9–12.0 ka (total error method) or 38.4–35.5 ka, 24.3–22.3 ka, 16.2–15.1 ka and 13.5–12.7 ka (Finite Mixture Model age components) with two further discrete events recorded at 11.01 ± 0.76 ka and 8.52 ± 0.56 ka. Highstands are comparable to the timing of wet phases from other basins in East and southern Africa, demonstrating wet conditions in the region before the LGM, which was dry, and a wet Lateglacial, which commenced earlier in the southern compared to northern hemisphere in East Africa. We find no evidence that wet phases are insolation driven, but analysis of the dataset and GCM modelling experiments suggest that Heinrich events may be associated with enhanced monsoon activity in East Africa in both timing and as a possible causal mechanism.     

Petrogenesis of Dongguashan skarn-porphyry Cu-Au deposit related intrusion in the Tongling district,eastern China: Geochronological,mineralogical, geochemical and Hf isotopic evidence

The Dongguashan skarn-porphyry Cu-Au deposit, located in the Tongling district of the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Valley metallogenic belt (MLYB), consists of skarn ore bodies in the upper part and porphyry ore bodies in the lower part, both of which are hosted in quartz diorite and quartz monzodiorite. Zircon U-Pb age and geochemical studies show that the quartz diorite of the Dongguashan intrusion formed at 140.3 ± 2.0 Ma (MSWD = 0.19) and belongs to the high potassium calc-alkaline series. It is enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE), depleted in high field-strength elements (HFSE) and heavy rare earth elements (HREE), and has a slightly negative Eu anomaly. ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf values of the rims of zircons show a variable range (0.282087–0.282391), corresponding with calculated ε_Hf(t) values of − 10.72 to − 21.46. Plagioclases in the quartz diorite have unbalanced structure characterized by bright andesine and labradorite (An = 37.0–65.5) cores with higher contents of Fe and Sr and are corroded by dark oligoclase (An = 13.8–27.6) rim. Major elements, trace elements, Hf isotope, and the composition of plagioclases indicate that the parental magma of the Dongguashan intrusion was produced by the mixing of underplating mafic magma and felsic magma formed by remelting of Paleoproterozoic and Neoarchean crustal rocks, Neoproterozoic crust may also provide some material to the felsic magma. Mafic magma played a key role and made the parental magma rich in water, sulfur, metals (Cu, Au) and gave it a high oxygen fugacity. During its magmatic evolution, the parental magma underwent fractional crystallization of hornblende, apatite, sphene and other mafic minerals. Some quartz diorite and quartz monzodiorite samples that show adakitic signatures, may result from injection of mafic magma. Some inherited zircons of the quartz diorite in the Dongguashan intrusion gave ages of 2.40–2.50 Ga, 1.95–2.05 Ga and 0.74–0.81 Ga, coming from ultramafic, mafic and andesitic igneous rocks, and this indicates that there may have been three periods (2.4, 2.0, and 0.8 Ga) of magmatic activity in the Tongling district.     

Early Holocene terrestrial climatic variability along a North Atlantic Island transect: palaeoceanographic implications

A synthesis of the early Holocene climatic development in the North Atlantic region is presented, based on three previously published lake records from southern Greenland (Lake N14), Iceland (Lake Torfadalsvatn) and the Faroe Islands (Lake Lykkjuvøtn). The interval 11 500–8500 cal BP has been divided into five phases with respect to the inferred strength of the North Atlantic Current (NAC) and Irminger Currents (IC). Phase 1 (11 500–10 750 cal BP) was characterised by the first establishment of the NAC and IC in the vicinity of the studied sites, interrupted by the Preboreal Oscillation around 11 200 cal BP. Phase 2 (10 750–10 100 cal BP) was marked by a further warming step in southern Greenland rather concordant with a change into colder and more variable winters on the Faroe Islands. It is proposed that this could partly be related to a series of melt water outbursts disturbing the thermohaline circulation in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, resulting in a warming trend in the western region. During Phase 3 (10 100–9400 cal BP) the strength of the IC reaching northwestern Iceland intensified. A more stable regime in surface circulation was established at the onset of Phase 4 (9400–8900 cal BP) in southern Greenland and was followed by a change towards further warm conditions on Iceland at the onset of Phase 5 (8900–8500 cal BP).     

Mineralogical and microfabric characteristics of magnetite in the Wuyang Precambrian BIFs,southern North China Craton: Implications for genesis and depositional processes of the associated BIFs

Precambrian Banded Iron Formations (BIFs) are widely distributed in the North China Craton (NCC). Among them, the Wuyang BIFs located in the southern margin of NCC occur in the Late Archaean Tieshanmiao Formation and can be subdivided in two different sub-types: (i) quartz–magnetite BIFs (QMB), consisting of magnetite, fine-microcrystalline quartz and minor calcite and (ii) pyroxene–magnetite BIFs (PMB), composed of pyroxene, fine-microcrystalline quartz and subordinate feldspars. Both sub-types display apparent discrepancies in terms of petrography and mineral composition.As shown in Electron BackScattered Diffraction (EBSD) images and micrographs, magnetite grains from the QMB range in size from tens up to hundreds of μm, whereas magnetite crystals from the PMB can be up to a few tens of μm across. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) structural data indicate that magnetite from both BIF sub-types is equiaxed (cubic) and was generated by sedimentary metamorphic processes. The cell parameters of magnetite in the QMB are a = b = c = 8.396 Å and Z = 8, which deviate slightly from these of magnetite in the PMB: a = b = c = 8.394 Å and Z = 8. The analytical results of Raman spectroscopy analysis revealed micro-structural signatures of both magnetite (Raman shifts near 552 cm⁻¹ and 673 cm⁻¹) and hematite (Raman shifts near 227 cm⁻¹, 295 cm⁻¹ and 413 cm⁻¹). In magnetite from both QMB and PMB, the crystallinity degree is similar for magnetite micro-structures but varies significantly for hematite micro-structures. Oxygen fugacity (fO₂) conditions fluctuated during the recrystallization of magnetite in the QMB, whereas no evident variation of fO₂ occurred during the formation of magnetite in the PMB. Analytical results of laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) show that the Si, Al and Mg abundances are higher in magnetite from the QMB, whereas the Ti and Mn contents are more elevated in magnetite from the PMB. Magnetite composition also denotes that both BIF sub-types are sedimentary-metamorphic origin, whereas the deposition of PMB was also affected by volcanic activities. Overall data indicate that the differences in the depositional environment of each BIF sub-type are due to the involvement of volcanic eruption processes in the genesis of the PMB. Thus, this paper indicated that the QMB was deposited by chemical deposition at the long-term interval of volcanic eruptions, and the PMB were the product of chemical deposition affected by the volcanic eruption.     

Influence of crude oil on the genesis of the Lanjiagou porphyry molybdenum deposit,western Liaoning Province,China

The Lanjiagou porphyry molybdenum deposit in western Liaoning Province, China, is hosted in fine-grained Jurassic granites. LA-ICP-MS zircon U–Pb analyses indicate that the crystallization of the ore-hosting granites took place 185.0 ± 1.8 Ma (MSWD = 1.4). Molybdenum mineralization in the deposit can be divided into three stages: the stockwork quartz vein stage, the planar quartz vein stage, and the fissure-filling quartz vein stage. Re–Os isotopic ages for the molybdenite from the stockwork quartz vein-type ores yielded an isochron age of 188.8 ± 9.9 Ma (MSWD = 3.0), while six samples from the planar quartz vein-type ores yielded a similar isochron age of 185.6 ± 1.2 Ma (MSWD = 0.5). Re–Os isotopic ages for the molybdenite identical, within error, to zircon U–Pb isotopic ages indicate that the molybdenum mineralization is related to the host intrusions. Apart from primary inorganic fluid inclusions (IFIs), a large number of primary organic fluid inclusions (OFIs) are found in the latter two stages of vein quartz, and minors found in the first stage. The components and characteristics of OFIs in the three stages of vein quartz differ from each other, which is also true for the IFIs. OFIs in stockwork vein quartz are characterized by halite-bearing inclusions, and organic liquids in the inclusions are brown and do not fluoresce under ultraviolet (UV) light. Homogenization temperatures (T_h) for the primary IFIs coeval with OFIs of this stage ranges from 300 °C to > 450 °C, while the salinity varies from 10 to 53 wt.% NaCl equiv.. In planar vein quartz, OFIs are predominately two-phased (liquid and gas), and salt daughter minerals (halite) are absent. Organic liquids are light brown to colorless and show blue fluorescence under UV light; The T_h range for the IFIs of this stage is 250–360 °C, and the salinity range is 3–17 wt.% NaCl equiv. Finally, OFIs in fissure-filling vein quartz are marked by liquid–gas inclusions. Organic liquids are generally colorless and show yellow fluorescence under UV light. The T_h range for the primary IFIs is 180–240 °C and the salinity range is 4–11 wt.% NaCl equiv. Organic geochemical analyses indicate that organic matter in the Lanjiagou deposit was derived from mature crude oil. We suggest that large volumes of crude-oil-bearing non-magmatic fluids were flushed into the Lanjiagou porphyry hydrothermal system during all phases of ore formation and likely played important roles in mineralization.     

Relict sand wedges in southern Patagonia and their stratigraphic and paleo-environmental significance

Relict sand wedges are ubiquitous in southern Patagonia. At six sites we conducted detailed investigations of stratigraphy, soils, and wedge frequency and characteristics. Some sections contain four or more buried horizons with casts. The cryogenic features are dominantly relict sand wedges with an average depth, maximum apparent width, minimum apparent width, and H/W of 78, 39, 3.8, and 2.9 cm, respectively. The host materials are fine-textured (silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam) till and the infillings are aeolian sand. The soils are primarily Calciargidic Argixerolls that bear a legacy of climate change. Whereas the sand wedges formed during very cold (?4 to ?8 °C or colder) and dry (ca. ≤100 mm precipitation/yr) glacial periods, petrocalcic horizons from calcium carbonate contributed by dustfall formed during warmer (7 °C or warmer) and moister (≥250 mm/yr) interglacial periods. The paleo-argillic (Bt) horizons reflect unusually moist interglacial events where the mean annual precipitation may have been 400 mm/yr. Permafrost was nearly continuous in southern Patagonia during the Illinoian glacial stage (ca. 200 ka), the early to mid-Pleistocene (ca. 800–500 ka), and on two occasions during the early Pleistocene (ca. 1.0–1.1 Ma).     

Marine radiocarbon reservoir corrections (∆R) for Chesapeake Bay and the Middle Atlantic Coast of North America

Radiocarbon dates from known age, pre-bomb eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) shells provide local marine reservoir corrections (?R) for Chesapeake Bay and the Middle Atlantic coastal area of eastern North America. These data suggest subregional variability in ?R, ranging from 148 ± 46 ¹⁴C yr on the Potomac River to ? 109 ± 38 ¹⁴C yr at Swan Point, Maryland. The ?R weighted mean for the Chesapeake's Western Shore (129 ± 22 ¹⁴C yr) is substantially higher than the Eastern Shore (? 88 ± 23 ¹⁴C yr), with outer Atlantic Coast samples falling between these values (106 ± 46 and 2 ± 46 ¹⁴C yr). These differences may result from a combination of factors, including ¹⁴C-depleted freshwater that enters the bay from some if its drainages, ¹⁴C-depleted seawater that enters the bay at its mouth, and/or biological carbon recycling. We advocate using different subregional ?R corrections when calibrating ¹⁴C dates on aquatic specimens from the Chesapeake Bay and coastal Middle Atlantic region of North America.