Impact of topography and land-sea distribution on East Asian paleoenvironmental patterns

Much geological research has illustrated the transition of paleoenvironmental patterns during the Cenozoic from a planetary-wind-dominant type to a monsoon-dominant type, indicating the initiation of the East Asian monsoon and inland-type aridity. However, there is a dispute about the causes and mechanisms of the transition, especially about the impact of the Himalayan/Tibetan Plateau uplift and the Paratethys Sea retreat. Thirty numerical sensitivity experiments under different land-sea distributions and Himalayan/Tibetan Plateau topography conditions are performed here to simulate the evolution of climate belts with emphasis on changes in the rain band, and these are compared with the changes in the paleoenvironmental patterns during the Cenozoic recovered by geological records. The consistency between simulations and the geological evidence indicates that both the Tibetan Plateau uplift and the Paratethys Sea retreat play important roles in the formation of the monsoon-dominant environmental pattern. Furthermore, the simulations show the monsoon-dominant environmental pattern comes into being when the Himalayan/Tibetan Plateau reaches 1000–2000 m high and the Paratethys Sea retreats to the Turan Plate.     

青藏高原新生代形成演化的整合模型——来自火成岩的约束

深部过程是青藏高原演化的主导因素,其他地质过程都可以看作是对深部过程的响应。因此,一个构造旋回(阶段)的地球动力学事件链可以概括为深部地质过程—幔源岩浆活动—壳源岩浆活动—陆壳增厚—地表隆升—表层剥蚀与沉积,其中幔源岩浆活动的研究成为追索青藏高原演化历史的关键环节。据此,青藏高原演化的关键性时间坐标为80、45、27、17、9和4Ma。青藏高原新生代火成岩具有三种展布形式:与雅鲁藏布缝合带平行的岩浆带、沿深大断裂展布的岩浆带和藏北离散性岩浆分布区,它们分别受控于大陆碰撞、大规模走滑和岩石圈拆沉构造体制,且都受控于印度—亚洲软流圈汇聚过程。据此,文中提出了一个描述青藏高原演化的整合模型:南北向地幔对流汇聚控制了岩石圈块体的相对运动,并最终导致印度—亚洲大陆的碰撞和沿碰撞带的大规模岩浆活动;碰撞之初(白垩纪末期),大陆岩石圈块体的刚性属性有利于应力的远程传递和块体旋转,沿块体边界分布的大型走滑断裂控制了岩浆活动的发生;随着挤压过程的持续进行,岩石圈块体的受热和变形,高原岩石圈的重力不稳定性增加,最终导致拆沉作用和软流圈物质的大规模上涌以及藏北高原的离散性岩浆活动。在高原演化中,岩石圈拆沉作用具有重要意义,许多地质事件的发生都与此有关。同时,软流圈的汇聚还导致软流圈物质的向东挤出,并因此造成青藏高原岩石圈的向东挤出和晚新生代的伸展构造。     

青藏高原多期次隆升的环境效应

青藏高原隆升对中国西部环境变迁起着决定性影响。通过对柴达木、吐鲁番—哈密、塔里木盆地的演化及其与青藏高原隆升的耦合研究,以柴达木盆地为时空坐标,认为高原隆升可分为三大阶段:(1)古近纪期间青藏高原隆升仅限于冈底斯山一带。当时,受行星纬向气候带控制,中国西北地区为干旱亚热带草原和热带雨林环境,大面积准平原化、泛盆地化,在构造上处于伸展-夷平的拉张环境,与现今亚洲大陆东部相似;(2)青藏高原整体的初次隆升发生在中新世早—中期(23~11·7Ma)。因青藏高原和大兴安岭的阻隔,古近纪的纬向气候带逐渐转变为中亚季候风,古黄土(22Ma)、三趾马动物群的发育,说明高原北缘当时为干旱的荒漠草原环境。同时,这次隆升引起中—晚中新世中国西部广袤地域古地形-构造面貌的变化;(3)形成现今高原面貌的末次快速隆升发生在0·9~0·8Ma。早更新世晚期,印度洋快速扩张,印度板块向中亚大陆脉冲式(A型)陆内俯冲,使得高原快速挤压隆升。这次隆升不仅使高原本身的环境骤变,出现第四纪以来最大的冰川,形成世界上最大的高寒草原,而且引起了全球气候的变化,促使北极圈冰盖的形成。同时,高原隆升使高原内部和周边出现强烈的挤压构造变形,如柴达木、河西走廊、塔里木、吐鲁番—哈密、准噶尔等诸盆地内几万米厚度中—新生界的构造变形与昆仑山、祁连山、天山、阿尔泰山的挤出式双向推覆隆升,形成了中国西北的盆-山地貌。现今,随着青藏高原的持续隆升,高寒草原开始退化,造成中国西北地区大面积的荒漠化,成为制约我国西部生态环境的重要因素。     

阿尔金断裂带对青藏高原北部生长、隆升的制约

大量的同位素年代学证据表明(古)阿尔金断裂带可能形成于三叠纪,后又经历了侏罗纪、白垩纪的强烈左旋走滑活动,自印度板块与欧亚大陆碰撞后阿尔金断裂再次活动。主要的走滑活动发生在:(1)245~220Ma;(2)180~140Ma;(3)120~100Ma;(4)90~80Ma;(5)60~45Ma;(6)渐新世至中新世;(7)上新世至更新世以及(8)全新世。沿阿尔金断裂带,伴随左旋走滑活动形成一系列的逆冲断裂和正断裂,反映走滑过程中伴随隆升作用的存在,并且形成自北向南包括祁连山、大雪山、党河南山、柴北缘山、祁漫塔格山和昆仑山,表明阿尔金断裂带制约着青藏高原北部的生长和隆升。阿尔金断裂带东、西两端的白垩纪和新生代火山活动是断裂走滑活动的响应。     

青藏高原东北缘共和盆地第四纪磁性地层学研究

共和盆地第四纪剖面磁性地层学研究表明,该剖面包含了四个正极性段,三个负极性段,剖面底部地层年龄约为2.11Ma B.P.。结合剖面的沉积特征和已有的孢粉组合特征分析,可以确定该剖面记录了共和盆地2.11Ma B.P.以来的气候变化,且气候发生转型的主要时期依次为1.92 Ma B.P、1.75Ma B.P.、1.40Ma B.P.、1.02 Ma B.P.和0.87Ma B.P.。其主要原因可能是青藏高原强烈隆升远程效应的结果。共和盆地气候变化时间序列的建立为研究青藏高原隆升及环境效应提供有力证据。      

Typical Geochemical Elements in Loess Deposit in the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau and Its Paleoclimatic Implication

Widespread and thick loess deposit in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau records paleoclimatic changes over the Quaternary period. In this study, we investigate a loess section located in a high terrace of the Huangshui River in the Xining Basin, and collect samples at 20-cm intervals by digging a well of 16-m depth （including paleosol S1 and SO and several loess interlayers over the last glacial-interglacial cycle and the Holocene）. Concentration of some active elements （Sr and Ca） and inert elements （Rb, Zr, Ti） in these loess samples are measured. The results show that ratios of those elements （oxide）, such as Rb/Sr, Ti/Sr, and Zr/CaO ratios, would indicate sensitively paleoclimatic changes, especially the history of precipitation over the last glacial-interglacial and the Holocene. Moreover, the curves of Rb/Sr, Ti/Sr, and Zr/CaO ratios had almost the same variable trends from the bottom to the top and also closely correlated with values of magnetic susceptibility and the global marine δ^18O record. But compared with the curves of magnetic susceptibility, the changes of ratios of these elements （oxide） are clearer and easy to understand. Therefore, the ratios of these typical chemical elements in the loess deposit may be used as an excellent index to investigate the history of paleoclimate, particularly precipitation changes in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.     

块、带、源观点与青藏高原北块边界大震

介绍了块、带、源观点的产生和不断完善的过程,以及最新的相关研究成果。根据块、带、源观点,将青藏高原巨块划分为南块和北块,并讨论了北块边界上大震的活动性。     

Early Cretaceous deformation in the southern Tashkorgan region: Implications for the tectonic evolution of the northeastern Pamir

The Pamir Plateau comprises a series of crustal fragments that successively accreted to the Eurasian margin preceded the India-Asia collision, is an ideal place to study the Mesozoic tectonics. The authors investigate the southern Tashkorgan area, northeastern Pamir Plateau, where Mesozoic metamorphic and igneous rocks are exposed. New structural and biotite ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar age data are presented. Two stages of intense deformation in the metamorphic rocks are identified, which are unconformably covered by the Early Cretaceous sediment. Two high-grade metamorphic rocks yielding 128.4 ± 0.8 Ma and 144.5 ± 0.9 Ma ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar ages indicate that the samples experienced an Early Cretaceous cooling event. Combined with previous studies, it is proposed that the Early Cretaceous tectonic records in the southern Tashkorgan region are associated with Andean-style orogenesis. They are the results of the flat/low-angle subduction of the Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere.©2021 China Geology Editorial Office.     

LANDFORM MORPHOLOGIC RELATIONS BETWEEN INTER-GULLIED AND GULLIED LAND AREAS--A CASE STUDY OF THE WANGJIAGOU WATERSHED IN THE WEST OF SHANXI PROVINCE

Previous studies on erosional relations between inter-gullied and gullied lands have mainly concentrated on exploration of water and sediment relations, with few quantitative studies of evolution relations between inter-gullied land and gullied landform erosion in small catchments. This paper, using information from a 1:5000 digital orthophotomap (DOM), digital elevation model(DEM), and topographic map of the same period and of the same scale, quantitatively analyzes the impact and interactions of inter-gullied and gullied land geomorphologic characteristics on the dissected extent of a catchment using orthogonal polynomial regression analysis. Results indicate that gullies play a leading role in the catchment morphologic evolution and extent of cracked ground surface. When inter-gullied land areas are the same, a 0. 1 km2 gullied land area has the maximum effect on the erosive evolution intensity of the catchment cracked degree. The smaller the catchment area is, the greater the extent of cracked ground surface and gully intensity would be. The geomorphologic evolution mechanism of gullied catchments can be explained as a function of geomorphologic indicators of inter-gullied and gullied land characteristics.     

甘南高原乡村社会固有脆弱性及其影响因素

开展社会固有脆弱性研究不仅有助于了解区域社会系统的可持续发展状态,更有助于寻求提高社会系统适应能力的恰当策略。通过构建乡村社会固有脆弱性分析框架和评价指标体系,并以甘南高原为研究区,在分析乡村社会固有脆弱性特征的基础上识别了其关键影响因子。结果表明：① 甘南高原乡村社会固有脆弱性呈“梭型”分异,其中,高、中、低脆弱性乡镇分别占18.95%、47.37%、33.68%。② 社会固有脆弱性存在明显的区域差异性,从农区-半农半牧区-牧区、高山峡谷区-山地丘陵区-山原区,社会固有脆弱性趋于增加;同时,随着少数民族聚居度降低、经济发展水平升高,社会固有脆弱性趋于降低。③ 社会固有脆弱性在空间上呈“北高南低”的不均衡分布,敏感性呈“中间高四周低”的集聚分布,适应能力呈相对均衡的“碎片化”分布。④ 气温、生育结构、民族结构、住房安全性、社会弱势群体比重、经济条件、信息可得性和参保比例是影响社会固有脆弱性的关键因子。最后,提出相应的对策建议。