Paleoclimatic implications of glacial and postglacial refugia for Pinus pumila in western Beringia

Palynological results from Julietta Lake currently provide the most direct evidence to support the existence of a glacial refugium for Pinus pumila in mountains of southwestern Beringia. Both percentages and accumulation rates indicate the evergreen shrub survived until at least ∼ 19,000 ¹⁴C yr BP in the Upper Kolyma region. Percentage data suggest numbers dwindled into the late glaciation, whereas pollen accumulation rates point towards a more rapid demise shortly after ∼ 19,000 ¹⁴C yr BP. Pinus pumila did not re-establish in any great numbers until ∼ 8100 ¹⁴C yr BP, despite the local presence ∼ 9800 ¹⁴C yr BP of Larixdahurica, which shares similar summer temperature requirements. The postglacial thermal maximum (in Beringia ∼ 11,000-9000 ¹⁴C yr BP) provided Pinus pumila shrubs with equally harsh albeit different conditions for survival than those present during the LGM. Regional records indicate that in this time of maximum warmth Pinus pumila likely sheltered in a second, lower-elevation refugium. Paleoclimatic models and modern ecology suggest that shifts in the nature of seasonal transitions and not only seasonal extremes have played important roles in the history of Pinus pumila over the last ∼ 21,000 ¹⁴C yr BP.     

罗布泊全新世沉积特征及其环境意义

罗布泊西湖属开阔湖盆,上世纪30年代其面积达1900km2,但湖心剖面粒度分析的结果表明,其粒度组成与一般开阔湖盆有着显著的不同:沉积物常具黄色与灰色互层结构,层理清晰,黄色层的粒度组成中常含较多粗颗粒砂,灰与黄色层的混合样是以粉砂黏土为主,同时含有一定量的中、细砂,甚至粗砂。根据与风成砂和尘暴沉积的粒度组成对比,可知这种沉积特征与现代尘暴沉积有很大的相似性,因而表明风尘是罗布泊沉积的重要物源,并可据此来恢复10000a以来本区尘暴作用的强弱变化。     

中国西北地区第四纪盐湖沉积中钙质超微化石的发现及其古环境意义

报导了中国西北地区的甘肃、青海、新疆等地陆相第四纪盐湖沉积中发现的钙质超微化石,它们主要是：Ｇｅｐｈｙｒｏｃａｐｓａｏｃｅａｎｉｃａ,Ｃｏｃｏｌｉｔｈｕｓｐｅｌａｇｉｃｕｓ,Ｃａｌｃｉｄｉｓｃｕｓｌｅｐｔｏｐｏｒｕｓ,Ｃ．ｍａｃｉｎｔｙｒｅｉ,Ｒｅｔｉｃｕｌｏｆｅｎｅｓｔｒａｍｉｎｕｔｕｌａ等。上述钙质超微化石群具有以下特征：（１）化石丰度中等,属、种分异度低,化石保存差;（２）赋存化石的层位均为富含石膏盐层的微咸水咸水的沉积物,或为盐湖沉积;（３）产出化石地点远距该地质时期时的古海岸线。它们与古海域既无通道相连,亦非残留海。中国西北地区盐湖沉积中钙质超微化石的发现说明了中国东部地区第三纪沙河街组某些层位中的钙质超微化石不能作为“海相生物”的标志,否定了这些化石层位与“海侵”或“海泛”的关联。     

Late Pleistocene tectonic-geomorphological development within a passive margin — The Cariatá trough, northeastern Brazil

Studies on the geomorphological evolution of the South American passive margin have been based on the pediplanation model, which predicts that its morphology is a response to regional uniform uplift and concomitant development of erosion surfaces. We combined remote sensing, geological mapping, lithostratigraphic and facies analyses, and luminescence dating in the Cariatá trough, northeastern Brazil, in order to determine how brittle tectonics and climate influenced colluviation and the shaping of local landforms in the Quaternary. Our work indicates that Cariatá is an asymmetrical trough  40 km long,  25 km wide, 250–550 m deep, and delimited by ENE–WSW-trending faults to the north and south. We recognized an ENE–WSW-oriented compression related to a strike-slip faulting regime, which corresponds to the present-day stress field in the region. This faulting event led to the deposition of colluvial fans, shed from adjacent uplifted crustal blocks, in a tectonically controlled depression. The colluvial succession is  45 m thick and presents two facies assemblages that filled the southern and, in particular, the northern borders of the trough: non-cohesive debrisflow and mudflow deposits. Optically stimulated luminescence dates of the sedimentary infill yielded ages at 224–128 ka and 45–28 ka, dominated by debrisflow and mudflow deposits, respectively. These ages may be over-estimated due to poor bleaching of colluvium, but they and our field data suggest that the margins of the trough were tectonically uplifted and eroded twice in the Late Pleistocene. The spasmodic colluvial accretion reflects the occurrence of high-magnitude, low-recurrence episodes probably associated with climate shifts in a semi-arid hillslope system. It follows that the present-day low-lying piedmont in which the Cariatá trough occurs is a juxtaposition of surfaces of various ages. This trough may have counterparts across the region. These conclusions do not corroborate the application of the cyclical pediplanation hypothesis in the area.     

Rock magnetic records of the sediments of the eastern Arabian Sea: Evidence for late Quaternary climatic change

Rock-magnetic measurements along with grain size, acid-insoluble residue (AIR), organic carbon (OC), CaCO₃ and δ¹⁸O of the planktonic foraminifers of the sediments were determined for 15 gravity cores recovered from the western continental margin of India. Magnetic susceptibility (MS) values in the surficial sediments reflect the land-derived input and, in general, are the highest in terrigenous sediment-dominated sections of the cores off Saurashtra–Ratnagiri, followed by the sediments off Indus–Gulf of Kachchh and then Mangalore–Cape Comorin.

The down-core variations in mineral magnetic parameters reveal that the glacial sediments off the Indus are characterized by low MS values/S-ratios associated with high AIR-content, low OC/CaCO₃ contents and relatively high δ¹⁸O values, while those off SW India are characterized by low MS values/high S-ratio% associated with low AIR content, and relatively high OC, CaCO₃ and δ¹⁸O values. Conversely, the Early Holocene sediments of all cores are characterized by high MS values/S-ratio% associated with high AIR content, low OC, CaCO₃ contents and gradually decreased δ¹⁸O values. These results imply that during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the cores off northwestern India received abundant continental supply leading to the predominance of eolian/fluvial sedimentation. In the SW region the influence of hinterland flux is less evident during this period, but convective mixing associated with the NE monsoon resulted in increased productivity. During the early Holocene intense SW monsoon conditions resulted in high precipitation on land, which in turn contributed increased AIR content/MS values in the continental margin sediments. A shallow water core off Kochi further suggests that the intense SW monsoon conditions prevailed until about 5 ka. The late Holocene organic-rich sediments of the SW margin of India were, however, subjected to early diagenesis at different intervals in the cores. Therefore, caution is needed when interpreting regional climatic change from down-core changes in sediment magnetic properties.     

北京后沙峪凹陷的第四纪地层划分与构造演化

通过对北京平原北部昌平、顺义、朝阳等区域的多个深孔资料、尤其后沙峪地区G3钻孔资料的深入分析,并开展磁性地层学及孢粉测试成果研究,建立了钻孔的磁性地层序列,结合南口—孙河断裂、顺义断裂以及黄庄—高丽营断裂的活动性研究成果,确定了后沙峪凹陷的第四纪地层格架,分析了凹陷的构造演化过程。结果表明,后沙峪凹陷上G3孔下更新统底界为511.7 m,中更新统底界为175.5 m,上更新统底界为31.6 m。在燕山期晚期,黄庄—高丽营断裂形成,控制了北京凹陷的西部边界,在北东向顺义断裂和北西向南口—孙河断裂共同作用下形成后沙峪凹陷。进入第四纪后,G3钻孔地层在早、中、晚更新世的沉积速率分别为0.198 mm/a、0.255 mm/a和0.243 mm/a;各条断裂活动速率的差异性客观反映出各块体之间的升降特点。由于后沙峪凹陷处于黄庄—高丽营断裂的上盘,同时也是顺义断裂的下盘,因此,断裂间的相互运动在第四纪沉积作用下形成了后沙峪凹陷。     

第四纪地质定年与地质年表

时、空、质(物质)、能(动力)是研究地质过程、环境演变的基本要素,其中时间是关键．任何一个自然事件、任何一个地质过程,都与时间相关联,时间的重要性需要通过年龄的精确测量来体现。本文综述了第四纪定年的基本方法和特点以及近年来年代地层学所获得的进展,提出了中国第四纪的划分简表。     

南四湖周边地区第四纪地层划分的初步研究

依据南四湖周边地区数十眼钻孔的数据资料,以岩性地层分析对比研究为基础,通过利用“C、热释光等年代测定和孢粉分析技术方法,对该地区第四纪地层的划分提出了初步认识。经研究认为,该区中南部的南四湖、北五湖的湖相沉积大约形成于全新世中晚期之后。根据区内松散岩层的沉积物岩性和岩层的组合特征可以划分出5个岩组段。     

浙江天台地区赖家组的划分与分布

柴达木盆地是中国目前保存较为完整的、连续的、巨厚的河－湖相沉积记录的盆地，通过对ZK701＋801，水6孔，涩中6和涩深1井等典型剖面孢子花粉组合特征和分布规律的研究，详细地论述了第四纪孢粉组合带及其所代表的植被，气候演变进程，自1．87MaB.P.以来共识出了59个孢粉组合带，划分出29个完整的冷暖气候旋回，并且同中国西北第四纪黄土－古土壤系列的37个气候旋回以及深海钻孔氧同位素气候旋回进行了较好的对比。