State-of-the-art overview of the Loess Palaeolithic of Poland

In Poland, loess mainly occurs in the southern part of the country, in the Polish Uplands, and on the northern foreland of the Sudetes and the Carpathians. Most of these sediments come from the time of the last glaciation–the Vistulian (Weichselian) glaciation. Thin covers of loess from the penultimate glaciation have been preserved in Upper Silesia. Only a few sites from the Middle Palaeolithic remain in the loess. In the eastern part of Poland loess creates profiles several metres high. Discoveries in this zone represent the cultural sequence from the transition from the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic. We know more traces of various cultures from the Upper Palaeolithic exist. The study attempts to synchronise profiles from selected archaeological open-air sites, outlines of the history of research on loess sites, and attempts to explain terminological and conceptual issues. The issue of loess in the cave site profiles will not be discussed in the article.     

Environmental conditions leading to the formation of Holocene soil layers in the Northern Taklimakan Desert,Tarim Basin,Northwest China

Radiocarbon‐dated palaeontological remains and bedding features suggests that climatic changes in the northern Taklimakan Desert since the beginning of the Holocene can be divided into four stages: (i) 12 000–10 000 BP, a cool–to temperate–dry climate resulting in apparent alluvial–fluvial and weak aeolian activities; (ii) 10 000–8000 BP, a dry cold climate, resulting in large‐scale sand dune activity under regional desert expansion; (iii) 8000–3000 BP dry, warm climate, with a decreased area of shifting sand and the fixation of many sand dunes; (iv) 3000 BP to present, rising aeolian activity resulting in sandstorms, under the combined influence of climatic warming and excessive exploitation of land and water resources. Holocene deposits from profiles in the Northern Taklimakan Desert consist mainly of fine‐grained aeolian sand and silty clay. The fine aeolian sand was formed from re‐sorting of aeolian sand during the cold period of the Holocene, while the silty clay was formed by flood deposition in the Holocene warm period. The desert and desert steppe arboreal species and high CaCO₃ content of the warm period strata suggest that the Holocene climate in the area, although generally dry, varied between warm/dry and cold/dry, and, especially in recent times, has become increasingly dry. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

渤海海域石臼坨地区古近系沙河街组湖相生屑白云岩成因*

渤海海域石臼坨地区石臼坨凸起东倾末端南北两侧的陡坡带在古近系沙河街组发育多套生屑白云岩,其中南侧生屑白云岩主要发育在沙河街组二段,北侧生屑白云岩集中在沙河街组一段。为了明确该区生屑白云岩的成因,通过古生物、岩石薄片和地球化学等资料对该区生屑白云岩的岩石学、地球化学特征进行较为系统的研究。按照岩石组分特征,研究区生屑白云岩可划分为亮晶生屑白云岩和泥晶生屑白云岩2种类型。生屑的主要组分腹足类及介形类典型属种分析显示,南北两侧生屑白云岩均形成于浅水湖泊环境。地球化学Pr/Ph(姥鲛烷/植烷)参数反映,南侧生屑白云岩形成于氧化环境,北侧以还原性环境为主。碳氧同位素数据反映南侧生屑白云岩形成于低温高盐的封闭湖泊环境,以准同生期的回流渗透成因为主。北侧生屑白云岩的碳氧同位素相对分散,显示为受不同流体介质作用的结果,可以划分出3种成因类型: 准同生期的回流渗透成因、埋藏期的铁白云石化交代成因和晚期局部受热液作用影响,因此,北侧生屑白云岩是多期次多成因综合作用的结果。该研究成果对开展这类中深层优质储集层预测具有重要意义。     

黄骅盆地下第三系生物群及环境分析

本文试图根据孢粉组合中各类别成分的分析,推断盆地从始新世至渐新世的古植被、古气候有三个不同发展阶段。依据化石生物群中不同类别的特征和含量分析、以及孢粉与藻类的比值,推测早第三纪盆地属大陆滨海区陆相湖泊。     

Elemental geochemistry of the early Jurassic black shales in the Qiangtang Basin,eastern Tethys: constraints for palaeoenvironment conditions

The early Jurassic black shales are the most important source rocks in the Qiangtang Basin, Tibet. These black shales may provide a useful example for understanding the sedimentary conditions during the early Jurassic in the eastern Tethys. Thirty‐two black‐shale samples were collected from the Qiangtang Basin to reconstruct the depositional environments during the early Jurassic in the eastern Tethys. The palaeoclimate index Σ(Fe + Mn + Cr + Ni + V + Co)/Σ(Ca + Mg + Sr + Ba + K + Na) varies between 0.58 and 1.14, together with low Sr/Ba (0.20–0.60) and Sr/Cu (1.68–7.88) ratios, indicating a warm humid to semi‐humid climatic condition during black‐shale deposition. The early Jurassic black shales exhibit slight Ce anomalies (0.89–0.94) and Mn enrichment (EF = 1.2), suggesting a slightly oxic depositional environment. The conditions of the sedimentary water system during black‐shale deposition were apparently brackish as evidenced by middle B/Ga (3.96–5.73) and Th/U (3.96–6.51) ratios. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Systematic biotic responses to palaeoenvironmental change in the Late Pleistocene southern South China Sea: a preliminary study

Oxygen and carbon isotopes from the planktonic foraminifer Globigerinoides sacculifer, trace element contents, calcium carbonate, biogenic silica, grain size, and abundances of diatoms, radiolarians and foraminifera in a deep‐sea core from the southwestern South China Sea were analysed to investigate the response of various marine ecological communities to environmental changes over the last 200 ka. The synthesised results show that the quality of the palaeoecological environment for biological growth is primarily affected by nutrient supply and terrigenous disturbance. Ba and P are important nutrient elements for the growth of diatoms, radiolarians and planktonic foraminifera. Together with dissolved silica and calcium carbonate in sea water, these elements may control microbiotic development. However, variations in Fe content appear to affect diatom and radiolarian abundance. Optimal biotic growth occurs when nutrients are abundant and when there is minimal terrigenous disturbance. Biotic growth decreases when sea water is highly oligotrophic and terrigenous input is high. Maximum biological growth occurred in the mid Holocene, but deteriorated soon afterwards owing to increased terrigenous input, causing a decrease of biological abundance and productivity in the late Holocene. The results also indicate how the Toba volcanic eruption ca. 74 ka ago contributed to changing the ecological environment in the southern South China Sea. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

山西沁水盆地西缘寒武系碳酸盐岩的元素地球化学特征及其古环境意义*

山西省沁水盆地寒武系碳酸盐岩出露规模可观,但对其沉积学、地球化学和古地理学方面的研究成果却很少。笔者在野外调查的基础上,对沁水盆地西缘寒武系进行了岩石学和元素地球化学研究。结果表明,研究区寒武系碳酸盐岩主要包括张夏组和崮山组灰岩及三山子组下部白云岩,属浅海台地相沉积,可分出局限台地、开阔台地、台地边缘礁滩3种沉积相类型。自生元素(CaO、MgO)与陆源元素(SiO₂、Al₂O₃和Fe₂O₃)变化范围较大,垂向上有2次升降旋回,反映沉积环境比较动荡;K₂O含量较高,Na₂O和Sr含量较低;ΣREE+Y总量较高,变化范围较广,轻稀土富集,重稀土亏损,Ce和Eu呈弱负异常,标准化曲线呈略微左倾—平坦型,符合正常海相沉积的特点;δ¹³C值在-1.96‰~0.41‰之间,为低负值到低正值,总体先升高后降低,δ¹⁸O在-9.96‰~-5.33‰之间,总体自下而上呈阶梯状上升。相关地球化学参数指示研究区主要为海相咸水沉积,古海水温度属温暖的亚热带气候环境下的海水温度,总体上由暖到热再转冷,古气候经历了由相对潮湿—相对干热—相对潮湿的转变过程,古水深发生浅—深—浅的变化,古海平面出现了1次大规模的升降。古环境各要素间耦合关系较好,并对沉积相类型具有一定的制约关系。上述成果对沁水盆地及邻区寒武纪岩相古地理研究和油气勘探,乃至对华北克拉通寒武纪古环境、古生物和古生态演化史的重建等具有重要的理论和实际意义。     

Palaeoenvironmental change in Java island and its surrounding areas

Palaeoenvironment in Java island and its surrounding areas since the last interglacial stage was reconstructed initially using previous studies by various researchers. The karst area in Gunung Sewu on Java island was also examined by the authors in order to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment through the process of karstification. Summarizing the evidence related to palaeoclimate in the various areas made it clear that the palaeoclimatic condition was cooler and drier at the Last Glacial Maximum 18 000 yr BP, than today. Formation of dry valleys in Gunung Sewu was conditioned by lowering of sea-level, and establishment of a cool and extremely dry climate. Subsequent to the initial reconstruction, the results of the estimated palaeoclimate at 18 000 yr BP were plotted at the respective points where the samples were obtained, and maps for northern winter and northern summer were constructed showing the estimated streamlines of monsoon circulations, polar frontal zones and intertropical convergence zones, in order to better explain the distribution of the palaeoclimate conditions of the area. ©1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

鄂尔多斯盆地早侏罗世岩相古地理

采用单因素分析综合作图法,结合大地构造和单剖面相分析,从定量化角度对鄂尔多斯盆地早休罗世富县组岩相古地理进行了研究,认为三叠纪末印支运动使鄂尔多斯盆地抬升,遭受剥蚀,形成起伏不平地势。侏罗纪早期,在相对低凹地区接受沉积,形成了以剥蚀一残积相为主体,冲积、湖沼相为辅的古地理景观,在这一背景上,大面积发育了中休罗世沉积。