The past in dust: current trends and future directions in Pleistocene geoarcheology of European loess

Loess is a main archive of Pleistocene landscapes and environments and therefore has an important connection to the preservation and interpretation of Paleolithic sites. In Europe, anthropogenic sites have been found in loess because of past local occupation. At one extreme, sites are well preserved with minimal disturbance often accompanied by embedded proxies to estimate ecological parameters. On the other hand, loess deposits have undergone post-depositional alterations such as weathering, pedogenesis or bioturbation due to changing environmental conditions or other disturbances that obscure anthropogenic sites. We outline the current state of research and connections between Paleolithic archeology and loess research while introducing a series of subsequent regional case studies as part of a special issue. We also make recommendations for future work to incorporate a wider variety of methods to create more robust inferences on hominin and environmental evolution and their connections.     

山西长治盆地中更新世气候转型期环境变化特征

中更新世气候转型(MPT)是第四纪环境变化的一个重要时期,该时期气候模式、气候周期等均发生了明显变化,然而不同区域对中更新世气候转型的响应特征存在明显差异.本研究选取了长治盆地XZK4钻孔中更新世转型前后(1.8～0.1 Ma)共207个样品,通过古地磁定年,运用粒度端元分析和孢粉分析,阐述了长治盆地中更新世转型期的环境变化与湖泊演化特征.结果显示,1.8 Ma以来,孢粉组合中乔木花粉含量多高于60％,但个别时段草本植物花粉占优,显示区域植被多数阶段为森林,但存在明显冷期,并且1.1 Ma和0.55 Ma是研究区环境转变的重要转折点.中更新世转型期前(～1.1 Ma):沉积物粒度总体较细,黏土含量多高于25％,EM1组分(湖相沉积)多高于60％,EM3(河流相组分)在个别时段出现,总体显示该阶段沉积物组成以湖相沉积为主,个别阶段受到河流影响大;中更新世转型时期(1.1～0.55 Ma):沉积物粒度较上一阶段更细,黏土含量(平均为30％)、EM1占比和孢粉浓度均达到研究段最高,沉积物颜色以棕灰色为主,EM3组分占比降至最低,其中1.1～0.95 Ma喜冷的云杉属花粉出现,显示该时期研究区气候总体偏冷湿,湖泊面积较1.1 Ma之前扩大;中更新世转型后(～0.55 Ma):沉积物粒度明显变粗,达到钻孔最高值,沉积物颜色变黄,EM2(风成组分)和EM3占主导,草本植物含量增加,尤其是喜干的蒿属花粉增加明显,表明气候较之前变干,沉积物类型以风力沉积为主,湖泊消亡.综合对比显示,构造运动是影响长治古湖消长的主要驱动力,气候变干加剧了湖泊消亡.     

关于《中国扬子区兰多维列统特列奇阶及其与英国的对比》一书若干问题的商榷

《中国扬子区兰多维列统特列奇阶及其与英国的对比》一书（陈旭,戎嘉余,1996）有以下结论：①将回星哨组、茅山组、西坑组等的层位归属于特列奇阶上部;②将回星哨组、茅山组及其相当地层与英国特列奇阶对比;③将扬子区特列奇阶的顶界置于回星哨组、茅山组及其相当地层之顶;④将回星哨组、茅山组、西坑组等地层资料编制的古地理图称为特列奇期晚期古地理图;⑤将回星哨组、茅山组、西坑组等地层与上覆中泥盆统—中二叠统之间的不整合面代表的上升运动,称为“特列奇期的扬子上升”。笔者等依据多年对扬子地台志留纪地层剖面的实地考察和近数十年来扬子区坟头组中—上部、茅山组、回星哨组、小溪峪组、西坑组等地层中文洛克世、拉德洛世、普里多利世早期古生物化石的发现,认为：①回星哨组、小溪峪组、茅山组、西坑组等的层位是文洛克统—普里多利统;② 回星哨组、小溪峪组等大致与英国的文洛克统—普里多利统对比;③回星哨组、小溪峪组、茅山组的顶界是文洛克统—普里多利统剥蚀后残留的层位随地而异的顶界;④根据回星哨组、西坑组、茅山组等地层资料编制的古地理图应是文洛克世—普里多利世古地理图;⑤“扬子地台整个上升”（黄汲清,1945）的时代是志留纪末期,没有“特列奇期的扬子上升”。特提出商榷。上述这些地层时代的解决,对扬子区志留系4统层序的建立具有重要意义,而且也为中国扬子区与英国命名剖面志留系的对比以及中国南方早古生代加里东运动最后一幕时代的再次确定提供了地层学和古生物方面的依据。     

陇中盆地及周边地区主夷平面演化与高原隆升

陇中盆地及周边地区是青藏高原向北东方向扩展的最前缘部位,其地貌演化过程的研究对于深入理解高原的隆升与扩展过程具有重要意义。鉴于夷平面在探讨高原隆升年代、幅度和过程方面的可靠性,首先总结陇中盆地及周边地区夷平面相关研究的前期成果,并结合最新年代数据,确定了不同区域主夷平面的发育和解体年代;再利用古河道拟合等方法定量评估了相关夷平面的隆升量;最后探讨了主夷平面的性质及其隆升过程。研究发现,陇中盆地及周边的地区的高海拔低起伏地貌面是被抬高的先存夷平面;不同区域主夷平面的发育与解体时间整体同步,它们自晚渐新世开始发育,并于晚中新世8~6 Ma左右解体;模拟结果表明,美武高原主夷平面自晚中新世以来相对陇中盆地隆升了约1 400~1 600 m,并且早更新世以来的隆升速率明显大于晚中新世-早更新世时期。     

Geoarchaeological evidence on a Late Bronze Age earthquake,Ohrid Basin (North Macedonia)

Geoarchaeological investigations on the northeastern shore of Lake Ohrid revealed 3.5 m thick deepwater lacustrine sediments overlying terrestrial vegetation macrofossils, worked wood and abundant potsherds dated to the Late Bronze Age (LBA). Distinct contact of deepwater sediment with the sub-aerial weathered limestone bedrock point to a sudden increase in lake level. According to radiocarbon data, catastrophic flooding occurred shortly after 1214 yr bc. Because the area is located in a highly active seismic zone, we propose that this event was caused by tectonically induced, metre-scale coseismic subsidence related to faults bordering the Ohrid alluvial plain. Moreover, this event coincides well with a dramatic switch in the habitation and settlement strategy in the region. More important, however, is the finding that the age of the proposed massive tectonic event and change in habitation lies within the interval of the proposed ‘earthquake storm’ in the eastern Mediterranean dated to 1225–1175 bc. As the Ohrid-Korça zone belongs to the same tectonic province, a relationship between the abovementioned earthquakes and the proposed event can be expected. This research therefore might provide the first direct evidence of a large-scale earthquake event linkable to the LBA collapse of Europe's first urban civilisation in the Aegean.     

晚中生代沂沭断裂带左旋韧性剪切与岩浆迁移规律

沂沭断裂带内部的岩浆侵入与断裂活动关系密切,开展沂沭断裂带内部岩浆年代学研究,对于沂沭断裂带构造背景研究具有积极的参考意义。选取沂沭断裂带内部的莒县浮来山正长岩体、边部的莒南官坊石英正长岩体及侵入该岩体的闪长玢岩脉,开展岩石学及年代学研究。首次发现晚中生代沂沭断裂带左旋韧性剪切,获得浮来山岩体的LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb年龄为(125.1±1.7) Ma,官坊岩体年龄为(125.6±2.0) Ma, 发生韧性变形的闪长玢岩脉年龄为(122.8±2.1) Ma。获得的125 Ma岩浆活动年龄与沂沭断裂带东侧的五莲变质核杂岩快速剥露(122~128 Ma)、诸城断陷盆地快速沉降的时间相吻合,该时期沂沭断裂带处于岩石圈减薄与破坏强烈的时期;闪长玢岩脉的122.8 Ma结晶年龄,与五莲变质核杂岩后构造岩体(石场、坊子岩体等)结晶年龄一致,该时期沂沭断裂带处于弱伸展状态,同时也说明胶东半岛岩石圈减薄具有时间上的一致性。晚中生代时期,沂沭断裂带两侧岩浆活动具有逆时针迁移的规律,这一规律可能与伊佐奈岐板块向欧亚板块俯冲的方向、角度、速度的变换有关。     

河北平原廊固凹陷ACX03孔晚上新世以来地层与沉积*

基于河北平原廊固凹陷东北部ACX03孔(深300.0 m)浅部¹⁴C年龄和磁性地层,建立钻孔第四纪地层格架,依据ACX03孔岩心沉积物、测井曲线和微体古生物特征划分沉积层段并分析沉积环境。研究结果表明: ACX03孔B/M(布容/松山)、M/G(松山/高斯)极性界线分别位于83.8 m、220.2 m,孔底年龄约3.2 Ma,划分13个沉积层段。上新统(220.2~300.0 m)为河道、河漫滩夹湖泊沉积,下更新统(85.2~220.2 m)为河道、湖泊、河漫滩沉积,中更新统(61.5~85.2 m)为分支河道夹河漫滩及河间洼地—湖沼沉积,上更新统(23.2~61.5 m)为河漫滩、分支河道沉积,全新统(0~23.2 m)为泛滥平原、河曲—牛轭湖沉积。对比ACX03孔与邻近钻孔第四纪地层认为,河北平原廊坊—固安一带早更新世差异性沉降最强,之后一直到全新世越来越弱。     

中国晚泥盆世至早三叠世楔叶类植物多样性研究*

化石类群的分类单元多样性和形态多样性变化是生物宏演化的2个基本方面,而以往的研究对于后者的关注较少。晚古生代的楔叶类植物易于识别,化石记录丰富,但针对这一类群多样性演化的研究还较为缺乏。基于华北板块、华南板块晚泥盆世至早三叠世楔叶类植物属、种以及叶片形态编码数据库,对楔叶类植物宏演化历程进行详细研究。中国(华北板块和华南板块)楔叶类植物的属、种丰富度在晚古生代呈现出不稳定的持续增长,表现为晚泥盆世的初始兴盛、早石炭世杜内期至早二叠世萨克马尔期的缓慢上升、早二叠世萨克马尔期至晚二叠世吴家坪期的快速上升;晚二叠世长兴期,总体的属种多样性骤减;每百万年属种多样性在二叠纪—三叠纪之交亦有明显降低。华南板块楔叶类植物的属种多样性总体上小于华北板块,达到峰值的时间为卡匹敦期—吴家坪期,而华北楔叶类植物的属级多样性在空谷期—沃德期达到峰值。中国楔叶类植物叶片的形态多样性的剧烈变化与属种丰富度并不同步,表现为法门期至韦宪期较小,在宾夕法尼亚亚纪达到峰值,随后稍微下降并在二叠纪的大部分时段保持平稳。在晚古生代的叶片形态演化过程中,楔叶类植物的叶面积由小变大、叶片由深裂至不裂、叶尖形状由分裂变为圆形或钝圆、叶轮中的叶从大小相等到大小不等并出现叶镶嵌,这可能与当时植物群落中林下层光照强度的变化有关。     

中亚造山带南缘中—新元古代地壳的揭示——来自北山—阿拉善北部钻遇碱性花岗岩的年代学和Hf同位素示踪研究

前寒武纪微陆块是北山—阿拉善北部增生造山带的重要组分,旱山、雅干和珠斯楞—杭乌拉地区的前寒武纪基底是否存在学界尚存争议.居延海介于北山造山带北部和阿拉善地块北缘的构造衔接部位,受限于巴丹吉林沙漠覆盖,岩石露头极少,我们通过钻井工程,钻遇一套晚石炭世碱性花岗岩,锆石U-Pb年龄和Hf同位素特征揭示,该花岗质岩浆锆石结晶年龄为(312±1)Ma(MSDW=0.46,n=18)和(315±2)Ma(MSWD=0.93,n=15),具有正的εHf(t)值,介于+0.8～+4.4之间,平均值为+2.2,对应二阶段模式年龄TDM2为1048～1267 Ma,平均值为1183 Ma,具有古老地壳的源区属性.通过与旱山构造带、雀儿山构造带、雅干构造带和珠斯楞—杭乌拉构造带的晚石炭世花岗质岩浆对比分析,结合旱山构造带、雅干构造带和珠斯楞—杭乌拉构造带0.9 Ga花岗质岩石的出露以及区域上的重磁资料解译,我们认为旱山、雅干和珠斯楞—杭乌拉构造带存在中—新元古代地壳,且可开展进一步的衔接关系研究.     

Sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of the mixed clastic-carbonate deposits in the Late Paleozoic icehouse period: A case study from the northern Qaidam Basin

The widely-developed, mixed clastic-carbonate succession in the northern Qaidam Basin records the paleo-environment changes under the glacial activity during the Late Paleozoic icehouse period in the context of regional tectonic stability, however, the depositional environment and sequence stratigraphy characteristics of the mixed deposits is rarely reported and still not clear. Combined the latest drilling wells data, we analyzed the sedimentary and stratigraphic characterization of the mixed strata via detailed field outcrops and core observations and thin section microscopic observations and recognized three depositional systems, including progradational coastal system, incised valley system, and carbonate-dominated marine shelf system, and identified four third-order sequences, SQ1, SQ2, SQ3 and SQ4, consisting of LST, TST, and HST. The depositional environment is overall belonged to marine-continental transition context and shifted from marine to continental environment frequently, showing an evolutionary pattern from marine towards terrestrial-marine transition and then back into the marine environment again in the long-term, which was controlled by the regional tectonic subsidence and the high-frequency and large-amplitude sea-level changes due to the Late Paleozoic glacial activity. The result is of significance in understanding the evolution of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the sedimentation-climate response.©2021 China Geology Editorial Office.