The Late Pleistocene megafauna of the Chulym River basin,southeastern West Siberian Plain: chronology and stable isotope composition

New data were obtained for the Chulym River basin in the southeastern part of the West Siberian Plain, one of the understudied parts of Siberia in terms of age and composition of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes for Late Pleistocene megafauna. The ¹⁴C dates from the Sergeevo outcrop, the most complete section of Late Quaternary deposits in the region, are mostly greater than ~30 550 bp. Other localities yielded ¹⁴C values in the range from >44 500 to ~19 300 bp. The finite date of ~42 270 bp for the Khozarian steppe elephant (Mammuthus trogontherii chosaricus) from Asino is intriguing because previously it was not detected in the Late Pleistocene of Siberia after the last interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 5e), ~115 000–130 000 years ago. Stable isotope data show both similarities and differences compared to the pre-Last Glacial Maximum megafaunal species in other parts of Siberia.     

Paleoenvironmental changes in the northern shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk during the Holocene

The combined micropaleontological (spores and pollen, diatoms, benthic foraminifers), lithologic, and isotopic-geochemical analysis of sediments from the northern shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk recovered by hydrostatic corer from the depth of 140 mbsl elucidated environmental changes in this part of the basin and adjacent land areas during the last 12.7 thousands cal. years. Geochronological scale of the core is established using the acceleration mass-spectrometry method for radiocarbon dating of benthic Foraminifera tests. The first insignificant warming in the northern part of the sea after glaciation occurred in the mid-Boreal time (9.6 ka ago) but not at the onset of the Holocene. The strongest warming in the region took place in the mid-Atlantic epoch to reach climatic optimum in the second half of the Subboreal (6 to 2.5 ka ago). A cooling in the northern shelf and adjacent land areas is established at the beginning of the Subatlantic (2.5 ka). A comparison of results obtained for Core 89211 with dated hydrological and climatic changes in central and southern parts of the Sea of Okhotsk (Gorbarenko et al., 2003, 2004) is used for a high-resolution analysis of climatic fluctuations in the study region and other areas of the basin during deglaciation and the Holocene.     

Holocene hydrographical changes of the eastern Laptev Sea (Siberian Arctic) recorded in δO profiles of bivalve shells

Oxygen isotope profiles along the growth axis of fossil bivalve shells of Macoma calcarea were established to reconstruct hydrographical changes in the eastern Laptev Sea since 8400 cal yr B.P.. The variability of the oxygen isotopes (δ¹⁸O) in the individual records is mainly attributed to variations in the salinity of bottom waters in the Laptev Sea with a modern ratio of 0.50‰/salinity. The high-resolution δ¹⁸O profiles exhibit distinct and annual cycles from which the seasonal and annual salinity variations at the investigated site can be reconstructed. Based on the modern analogue approach oxygen isotope profiles of radiocarbon-dated bivalve shells from a sediment core located northeast of the Lena Delta provide seasonal and subdecadal insights into past hydrological conditions and their relation to the Holocene transgressional history of the Laptev Sea shelf. Under the assumption that the modern relationship between δ¹⁸O_w and salinity has been constant throughout the time, the δ¹⁸O of an 8400-cal-yr-old bivalves would suggest that bottom-water salinity was reduced and the temperature was slightly warmer, both suggesting a stronger mixture of riverine water to the bottom water. Reconstruction of the inundation history of the Laptev Sea shelf indicates local sea level ∼27 m below present at this time and a closer proximity of the site to the coastline and the Lena River mouth. Due to continuing sea level rise and a southward retreat of the river mouth, bottom-water salinity increased at 7200 cal yr B.P. along with an increase in seasonal variability. Conditions comparable to the modern hydrography were achieved by 3800 cal yr B.P.     

Mineralogy of Holocene Sediments from the Southwestern Black Sea Shelf (Turkey) in Relation to Provenance, Sea-level and Current Regimes

Grain size and mineral composition of core sediments were used to investigate influences of various terrestrial and marine conditions, which have prevailed on the southwestern Black Sea shelf during the Holocene. Siliciclastic mud with small amounts of sand and gravel from nearby coastal hinterland is the principal sediment type, whereas sediments deposited near the shelf edge and the Istanbul Strait and off the Duru Lake （a paleo-river mouth） constitued large quantities of sand and gravel of both biogenic and terrigenic origin. Variable amounts of aragonite, 1 nmmicas, quartz, feldspars, calcite and dolomite constitute the dominant non-clay minerals in bulk sediments. The clay mineral assemblage in the 〈 2 μm fraction is made up of smectite, illite, kaolinite and chlorite. Aragonite and calcite are mainly derived from benthic accumulations, whereas feldspars （mainly plagioclase） and smectite reflect magmaticvolcanic provenance and the distribution of 1 nm-micas and chlorite correlate with nearby metamorphic sources onland. Nevertheless, grain size and mineral distribution generally indicate a combination of effects of wind and wave climate, longshore and offshore cyclonic currents, changing sea-level stands and nearby source rock and morphological conditions. It is also suggested that at least part of clay minerals could be derived from the northwesterly Danube River input.     

Climatic change recorded by stable isotopes and trace elements in a British Holocene tufa

Combined stable isotope (δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C) and trace element (Mg, Sr) geochemistry from bulk tufa calcite and ostracod shell calcite from an early Holocene British tufa reveal clear records of Holocene palaeoclimatic change. Variation in δ¹⁸O is caused principally by change in the isotopic composition of Holocene rainfall (recharge), itself caused mainly by change in air temperature. The δ¹³C variability through much of the deposit reflects increasing influence of soil‐zone CO₂, owing to progressive woodland soil development. Bulk tufa Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca are controlled by their concentrations in the spring water. Importantly, Mg/Ca ratios are not related to δ¹⁸O values and thus show no temperature dependence. First‐order sympathetic relationships between δ¹³C values and Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca are controlled by aquifer processes (residence times, CO₂ degassing and calcite dissolution/reprecipitation) and probably record intensity of palaeorainfall (recharge) effects. Stable isotope records from ostracod shells show evidence of vital effects relative to bulk tufa data. The ostracod isotopic records are markedly ‘spiky’ because the ostracods record ‘snapshots’ of relatively short duration (years), whereas the bulk tufa samples record averages of longer time periods, probably decades. The δ¹⁸O record appears to show early Holocene warming, a thermal maximum at ca. 8900 cal. yr BP and the global 8200 yr BP cold event. Combined δ¹³C, Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca data suggest that early Holocene warming was accompanied by decreasing rainfall intensity. The Mg/Ca data suggest that the 8200 yr BP cold event was also dry. Warmer and wetter conditions were re‐established after the 8200 yr BP cold event until the top of the preserved tufa sequence at ca. 7100 cal. yr BP. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Black Sea chemocline oscillations during the Holocene: molecular and isotopic studies of marginal sediments

We measured δ¹³C values of free and sulfur-bound lipids and framboidal pyrite-size distributions in three sediment cores from the southern margins of the Black Sea. The margin cores show a marked difference in the occurrence of biomarkers from green sulfur bacteria compared with the deep-basin cores, as a result of deepening of the chemocline resulting from enhanced mixing and/or decreased light-penetration as a consequence of high turbidity and productivity in shelf waters. Quantitation of biomarkers suggests that photic-zone anoxia along the shelf margin was generally absent during the deposition of unit I, although occurred during the deposition of Unit IIb at two sites.     

Constraining Holocene sea‐surface conditions in the south‐western Black Sea using dinoflagellate cysts

This paper presents two dinoflagellate cyst records from the south‐western shelf of the Black Sea. A new site, MAR05‐13, from the Sakarya shelf is described and placed into context with site MAR02‐45, ～250 km distant on the Thracian shelf. The records provide a centennial resolution of surface water conditions in the Holocene. Analysis of the data suggests that the surface salinity of the south‐western shelf increased in a gradual and progressive manner. In the period ～11 000–9000 cal a BP the assemblages suggest surface‐water salinities between 7–13 psu. The initial arrival of euryhaline species, ～8100 cal a BP, is linked to the reconnection of the Black Sea and Marmara Sea. The suggested surface water changes related to the reconnection took approximately 1000 years. Following this initial change in assemblages, a further increase in the number of euryhaline species is noted between 5000 and 4000 cal a BP. This is linked to the establishment of more saline surface‐water conditions, close to present‐day values. The record for MAR05‐13 highlights the complexity of the changes in cyst assemblages during the mid‐Holocene. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stratigraphic development during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene offshore of the Yellow River delta, Bohai Sea

A 61-m-long sediment core (HB-1) and 690 km of high-resolution seismic profiles from offshore of the Yellow River delta, Bohai Sea, were analyzed to document the stratigraphy and sea-level changes during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C dating and analyses of benthic foraminifera, ostracods, the mineral composition, and sedimentary characteristics were performed for core HB-1, and seven depositional units (DU 1–DU 7 in descending order) were identified. The seismic reflection data were interpreted in light of the sedimentological data of the core and correlated with other well-studied cores obtained previously in the Bohai Sea area. Seven seismic units (SU 1 to SU 7 in descending order) were distinguished and interpreted as follows: SU 7 corresponds to marine facies in Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 5; SU 6, to terrestrial facies in MIS 4; SU 5 and SU 4, to alternating terrestrial and marine facies (DU 7–DU 5) in MIS 3; SU 3, to terrestrial facies (DU 4) in MIS 2; SU 2, to Holocene marine facies (DU 3 and DU 2); and SU 1, to modern Yellow River delta sediments deposited since 1855 (DU 1).The sedimentary facies from DU 7 to DU 5 reflect sea-level fluctuations during MIS 3, and the boundary between DU 5 and DU 6, which coincides with that between SU 4 and SU 5, is a distinctive, laterally continuous, undulating erosion surface, with up to 20 m of relief. This surface reflects subaerial exposure between transgressions during MIS 3. Estimated sea levels during MIS 3 ranged from −35 ± 5 to −60 ± 5 m or lower, with short-term fluctuations of 20 m. Sedimentary environments in the Bohai Sea area were governed mainly by eustatic sea-level changes and the Bohai Strait topography, which controls the entry of sea water into the Bohai Sea area.The mineral composition of the sediment core suggests that the Yellow River did not discharge into the Bohai Sea, or at least did not influence the study area significantly, during parts of MIS 3 and MIS 2 to the early Holocene (11–8.5 cal kyr BP).     

东海外陆架晚更新世沉积物中的有用重矿物及其资源潜力

对东海外陆架中部表层沉积物34个样品,南部两个岩心75个样品的沉积物特征和重矿物特征进行了分析,计算了其中有用重矿物砂的品位。东海外陆架晚更新世残留沉积中有用的重矿物砂来源于中国大陆,其含量与细砂含量、重矿物总量、沉积物的粒度和分选性呈正相关关系。重矿物砂赋存在海退层位中,形成于滨岸带,并经过后期海侵过程的改造和进一步富集,主要分布在水深100～200 m范围内。外陆架中部有用重矿物砂高品位异常区面积达1.2×10.4 km锆石和石榴石品位达到Ⅰ级异常。南部岩心中异常品位的有用重矿物砂的厚度1.5～2 m,锆石品位达到工业边界品位,研究区钛铁矿普遍出现Ⅱ级和Ⅱ级以上的异常品位。东海外陆架区浅海砂矿成矿条件较好,具有较大的资源潜力,值得进一步调查研究。     

Late Holocene sea-level changes and isostasy in western Denmark

Cores and exposed cliff sections in salt marshes around Ho Bugt, a tidal embayment in the northernmost part of the Danish Wadden Sea, were subjected to ¹⁴C dating and litho- and biostratigraphical analyses to reconstruct paleoenvironmental changes and to establish a late Holocene relative sea-level history. Four stages in the late Holocene development of Ho Bugt can be identified: (1) groundwater-table rise and growth of basal peat (from at least 2300 BC to AD 0); (2) salt-marsh formation (0 to AD 250); (3) a freshening phase (AD 250 to AD 1600?), culminating in the drying out of the marshes and producing a distinct black horizon followed by an aeolian phase with sand deposition; and (4) renewed salt-marsh deposition (AD 1600? to present). From 16 calibrated AMS radiocarbon ages on fossil plant fragments and 4 calibrated conventional radiocarbon ages on peat, we reconstructed a local relative sea-level history that shows a steady sea-level rise of 4 m since 4000 cal yr BP. Contrary to suggestions made in the literature, the relative sea-level record of Ho Bugt does not contain a late Holocene highstand. Relative sea-level changes at Ho Bugt are controlled by glacio-isostatic subsidence and can be duplicated by a glacial isostatic adjustment model in which no water is added to the world's oceans after ca. 5000 cal yr BP.     

Stratigraphic and structural characteristics of the Romanian Black Sea shelf

The Western Black Sea basin opened during Cretaceous times by back-arc rifting in association with a north dipping subduction at the rear of the Cretaceous–Early Tertiary Pontide volcanic arc. The sedimentary wedge developed on the shelf of the Romanian Black Sea sector reflects a complex interplay between large scale rifting, uplift of the orogenic flanks, large-scale post-rift subsidence and sea level changes. We examine the detailed structural configuration of this sector for a regional correlation with the adjacent offshore in Ukraine and Bulgaria. The evolution of the western Black Sea basin started in the Albian–Cenomanian times, when two extensional phases with significantly different directions (N–S and subsequently E–W) lead to the formation of a complex interplay between isolated blocks organised in horsts and grabens generally deepening eastwards. Superposition of normal faults footwall blocks from the two extensional episodes generated a deeply subsided area with enhanced accommodation space, i.e., the Histria Depression, and, consequently, recorded a larger thickness of Paleogene sediments in the post-rift stage. (Re)activation of faults and associated folding reflects repeated inversion during the Late Cretaceous–Oligocene times, associated with subsequent periods of non-deposition and/or erosion during moments of basin fill exposure. These periods of inversion recorded in the Black Sea are controlled by coeval orogenic deformations taking place in the Balkans, Pontides and the Crimean thrust belt. Sea level fluctuations during the Neogene and late Alpine tectonics in the neighbouring orogens caused massive sedimentation followed by sediment starvation and/or significant erosion. Large thicknesses of sediments accumulated during the Pontian, presumably associated with an extensional episode deepening the distal parts of the basin and with differential compaction structures. The interpretation of a high-quality seismic dataset combined with published data allowed the correlation of major structural units and lineaments defined onshore towards the Carpathians with the ones deeply buried below the western Black Sea basin sediments. Unit correlations are furthermore used to derive an integrated tectonic image of the western Black Sea area.     

Sedimentation Geochemistry and Environmental Changes during the Late Pleistocene of Paleolake Qarhan in the Qaidam Basin

On the basis of the analyses of TOC, CaCO3, δ13Corg, δ18O, and δ13C of the shell bar section in the Qaidam basin, and compared with grain size data, the environmental change history of the high water level of paleolake Qarhan was reconstructed and it could be divided into five stages. From 39.7 to 35.8 kaBP was the development period of high paleolake level. From 35.8 to 33.6 kaBP and 33.6 to 27.2 kaBP, TOC and CaCO3 contents and δ18O values were high, whereas, δ13Corg values and median size content were low, reflecting a warm-humid climate and high lake level. During 27.2-22.3 kaBP and 22.3-17.5 kaBP, both temperature and the lake level were lower than those in the previous stages, but the climate was still warmer and more humid than that of today. The lake level decreased between 32.4 and 32.2 kaBP, 30.4 and 29.8 kaBP, and 28.4 and 27.2 kaBP. Generally, the climate was warm and humid in Qaidam basin and the high lake level sustained between 39.7 and 17.5 kaBP. The lake retreated abruptly at 17.5 kaBP, with a very strong increase in evaporation, which resulted in salt formation and the extinction of Corbicula.     

渤海湾牡蛎礁平原中部兴坨剖面全新世地质环境变迁

渤海湾牡蛎礁平原中部兴坨剖面的有孔虫组合划分为5种沉积环境7个带(亚环境)，从下向上依次为晚更新世陆相(Ⅶ带)、早全新世海陆过渡相(Ⅵ带：沿海低地与潮间带)、中晚全新世海相(Ⅴ带：潮下带-浅海，Ⅳ带：低潮线附近)、晚全新世海陆过渡相(Ⅲ带：开放潮间带，Ⅱ带：渴湖)和河流泛滥相(Ⅰ带：古土壤及洪积层)。^14C确定了全新世底泥炭始于9486 cal BP，Ⅳ带始于约4696 cal BP。Ⅱ带所处的渴湖环境，从约4000 cal BP直至隋唐温暖期之前，历时约2700年。隋唐暖期古土壤发育向南东减弱至逐渐消失，说明在比兴坨更靠近渤海湾的地方，潟湖持续的时间更长。广泛存在的潟湖，是牡蛎礁平原晚全新世的重要地貌景观。     

Late Devensian and Holocene relative sea‐level changes on the Isle of Skye,Scotland, UK

Detailed litho‐ and biostratigraphical analyses from three coastal sites in contrasting coastal settings on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, UK, reveal evidence for several changes in relative sea level during the Late Devensian and Holocene. At the start of the record, relative sea level in the area was high at ca. 12 500 ¹⁴C (ca. 14 800 cal.) yr BP but then fell, reaching a low point during the Younger Dryas, at ca. 11 000–10 000 ¹⁴C (ca. 13 000–11 600 cal.) yr BP, when a rock platform, correlated with the Main Rock Platform, was formed. In the early–middle Holocene, relative sea level was rising by ca. 8000 ¹⁴C (ca. 8800 cal.) yr BP and in northeast Skye a lagoonal surface, correlated with the Main Postglacial Shoreline, was formed at ca. 6600 ¹⁴C (ca. 7500 cal.) yr BP. By the late Holocene, relative sea level was again falling, but a rise, registered at at least two sites, began probably before ca. 4000 ¹⁴C (ca. 4500 cal.) yr BP, and a second lagoonal surface in northeast Skye, correlated with the Blairdrummond Shoreline, was formed, although by ca. 3000 ¹⁴C (ca. 3200 cal.) yr BP relative sea level in the area had resumed its downward trend. The pattern of relative sea‐level changes disclosed is compared with evidence elsewhere in Scotland. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

南黄海西北部晚更新世以来的沉积环境演化

利用在南黄海西北部陆架获得的3500 km高分辨率浅地层剖面资料,结合3口地质钻孔的岩芯资料,建立了研究区晚更新世以来的沉积地层格架,厘定了地层地质年代。研究表明,过孔的浅地层剖面与钻孔岩芯的沉积地层有很好的对应关系。浅地层剖面可划分出5个主要不整合面(T5～T1)和6个主要地震单元(SU6-SU1),相应的钻孔岩芯可划分出6个主要的沉积单元(DU6-DU1),反映了大约128 ka以来的地层结构和沉积环境演化。钻孔沉积物岩性相特征、测年数据和地层反射特征表明研究区氧同位素5期(MIS5)发育了滨浅海相和三角洲相沉积,MIS 4发育了河流湖泊相沉积,MIS 3发育了三角洲相沉积,MIS 2发育了河流和河口相沉积,MIS 1发育了近岸水下楔形沉积。晚更新世以来,南黄海构造相对稳定,影响沉积环境演化的主要因素是海平面变化和沉积物物源。本文的研究对于深入了解南黄海西北部陆海相互作用过程、地质环境演化以及揭示全球变化的区域响应具有重要的科学意义。     

渤海东部晚更新世以来的沉积物地球化学特征

为探讨渤海东部晚更新世以来的元素地球化学特征及控制因素,对渤海东部DLC70-1孔157个沉积物样品进行了化学成分、粒度及测年分析。结果表明,晚更新世以来研究区沉积物的物质来源与沉积环境较为稳定;根据DLC70-1孔沉积物地球化学特征,钻孔岩芯可划分为6层,反映了末次间冰期（暖期）晚期以来渤海东部沉积物物源的变化以及海面波动。Al₂O₃、MgO、TFe₂O₃、MnO、TiO₂、Cu、Zn、Pb、Cr和Rb等元素与细粒沉积物呈正相关,SiO₂、Na₂O与粗粒沉积物呈正相关,K₂O、Sr和Ba分布与沉积物粒度无明显正或负的相关性;R-型因子分析得出三种主要组合类型,以Mg、Sr和Ba为代表,分别对应陆源细粒物质输入与黄河物质、海河物质和滦河物质的影响。运用Ba/Al₂O₃与Sr/Al₂O₃、MgO/Al₂O₃与K₂O/Al₂O₃离散图分析了DLC70-1孔的物质来源,结果表明沉积物主要来源于黄河,该孔中上部32.30~49.00 m和9.30~23.20 m沉积物受到了滦河和海河物质的影响。     

Late Pleistocene to Holocene record of changing uplift rates in southern Calabria and northeastern Sicily (southern Italy, Central Mediterranean Sea)

A combination of published and new radiometric dates on uplifted Holocene fossil beaches from northeastern Sicily and southern Calabria (southern Italy) is compared with the altitude of the inner margin of the Last Interglacial (LIg) (Late Pleistocene, 124 ka) and older marine terraces in order to gain a regional-scale outline of uplift rates and their temporal changes in a region which is one of the fastest uplifting sectors of the Central Mediterranean Sea. Late Holocene radiocarbon dates from Ioppolo (southern Calabria) and Ganzirri (northeast Sicily), two newly discovered sites are here presented for the first time. The Holocene uplift rates are highest at St. Alessio and Taormina in eastern Sicily (2.4 mm/y) and at Scilla in southwestern Calabria (2.1 mm/y), two sites located across the Messina Straits and which separate the island of Sicily from mainland Italy. Uplift rates decrease towards the south and north from this centre of uplift. Late Holocene uplift rates show an apparent increase of between 64 and 124% when compared with the longer-term uplift rates calculated from the LIg highstand terraces. Furthermore, we discovered that the locations of fastest Late Pleistocene and Late Holocene uplift rates spatially coincide. To what extent the Holocene increase in uplift rates results from incomplete elastic strain release along the major extensional faults which frame the seismotectonic of the area, or indicate a true change in regional tectonic processes, is not resolved. Nonetheless, the heterogeneity of uplift, with a well-defined centre that crosses the Messina Straits, and its persistence at different time-scales indicates a tight connection between wider regional processes and fault-related displacement in controlling crustal instability in this area.     

Late Pleistocene and Holocene environmental changes in the coastal zone of northwestern Portugal

This paper examines the Quaternary changes in the coastal zone of northwestern Portugal through the relationship between sediments and landforms. By interpolating the available data from geomorphology, lithostratigraphy, sedimentology and geochronology, it was possible to reconstruct existing palaeoenvironments, the oldest of which date back to the last interglacial. The main landforms are a high and a low platform bounded by scarps. River sands and silty sediments formed in a lacustrine environment (Antas Formation, MIS 5) are associated with the high platform. Two deposits are associated with the low platform: the Cepães Formation (MIS 3) consisting of a lower set of river sand beds and an upper gravel beach bed, and the Aguçadoura Formation (MIS 1) consisting of Holocene lagoonal beds. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.