A quantitative assessment of snow shielding effects on surface exposure dating from a western North American 10Be data compilation

To better assess the spatiotemporal variations of the snow shielding effect on surface exposure dating, we compiled a dataset of 1341 ¹⁰Be ages from alpine moraines and glacially eroded valleys across western North America, and conducted a sensitivity test with both modern and time-integrated snow data covering the same region. Our analyses reveal significant differences in snow shielding both across our geographic domain and through time. In our time-integrated experiments we find snow-based exposure age corrections as low as 3.5% in the Great Basin region and high as 28.4% in the Pacific Northwest for samples dating to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) when no wind-sweeping is assumed. As demonstrated with our time-varying snow conditions with a global climate model and a positive degree day model, modern snow conditions across western North America cannot account for the varying snow patterns under large scale climate shifts since the LGM. The snow-based exposure age corrections from the modern data differ from those calculated by our time-varying model by up to 17% across our model domain. In addition, we find that the ¹⁰Be ages calculated under two end-member scenarios regarding wind-sweeping effects, specifically whether boulders were shielded only when the total snow accumulation exceeded boulder heights or were always shielded when the snow was present, can differ by ∼7.6% on average for LGM aged samples. Our analyses provide a model-based estimates of the spatiotemporal variability and complexity of snow shielding effects on surface exposure dates across western North America and highlight the need to consider snow depth variations both spatially and temporally when conducting surface exposure dating in terrains where snowfall accumulation is significant.     

Re-evaluation of the Middle Pleistocene stratigraphy of Herefordshire,England

Lithostratigraphical analysis of remnants of high-level, poorly sorted gravel remnants in northeast Herefordshire has allowed the revision and expansion of the existing regional Middle Pleistocene stratigraphical sequence to incorporate two new formations. The oldest Pleistocene sediments in the region, the Humber Formation, represents part of a major, northerly derived, cold-stage fluvial system, which incorporated the ancestors of the rivers Lugg and Wye and tributaries of the Severn. The Risbury Formation consists of glacigenic sediments, which were deposited by a large ice-lobe emanating from a Welsh ice-cap. The Risbury Formation is correlated with glacigenic deposits in the Cradley Brook Valley on the west side of the Malvern Hills, which were formerly ascribed to a pre-Hoxnian, Severn Valley ice-sheet. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

晚第四纪MIS6以来柴达木盆地成盐作用对冰期气候的响应

气候是控制柴达木盆地盐类沉积的主要因素之一,但是其作用机制尚待明确。作者以柴达木盆地察汗斯拉图盐湖的3个含盐剖面为研究对象,采用多接收电感耦合等离子质谱(MC-ICP-MS)铀系测年测定其沉积时代,并通过X射线粉晶衍射(XRD)分析测定其盐类矿物种类。铀系测年显示D18剖面石盐和芒硝层的沉积时代为13.1±2.0 ka BP～15.9±2.5 ka BP,其中芒硝沉积年代属于末次冰期MIS2晚期;MXK2剖面芒硝层的沉积时代分别为131.7±39.5 ka BP和158.3±10.8 ka BP,D12剖面芒硝层的沉积时代分别为166.6±20.2 ka BP和198.0±20.6 ka BP,可以对应于倒数第二次冰期MIS6。XRD分析确定了3个剖面的盐类矿物主要为芒硝、石盐和石膏。综合多个盐湖晚第四纪成盐数据,本文认为倒数第二次冰期MIS6和末次冰期MIS2是柴达木盆地晚第四纪重要的成盐期,冰期的冷干气候有利于石盐和芒硝等盐类沉积。柴达木盆地"冰期成盐"的根本原因,是由于冰期环境下盆地周边山体冰川规模的扩张以及干冷的冰期气候,共同造成了盐湖补给水量的减少。此外,晚第四纪MIS6和MIS2的冰期降温也是导致盆地中冷相盐类沉积的直接原因。     

Late quaternary glacial stades in the Cordillera Central,Colombia, based on glacial geomorphology,tephra–soil stratigraphy,palynology, and radiocarbon dating

Using data from glacial geomorphology, tephra–soil stratigraphy and mineralogy, palynology, and radiocarbon dating, a sequence of glacial and bioclimatic stades and interstades has been identified for the last ca. 50000 yr in the Ruiz-Tolima massif, Cordillera Central, Colombia. Six Pleistocene cold stades separated by warmer interstades occurred: before 48000, between 48000 and 33000, between 28000 and 21000, from ≥16000 to ca. 14000, ca. 13000–12400, and ca. 11000–10000 yr BP. Although these radiocarbon ages are minimum-limiting ages obtained from tephra layers on top of tills, the tills are not significantly older because most are bracketed by dated tephra sets in measured stratigraphic sections. Two minor moraine stages likely reflect glacier standstill during cold intervals ca. 7400 yr BP and slightly earlier. Finally, glaciers readvanced between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. In contrast to the ice-clad volcanoes of the massif, ca. 34 km² in area above an altitude of ca. 4800 m, the ice cover expanded to 1200 km² during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and was still 800 km² during Late-glacial time (LGT). Glacier reconstructions based on the moraines suggest depression of the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) by ca. 1100 m during the LGM and 500–600 m during LGT relative to the modern ELA, which lies at ca. 5100 m in the Cordillera Central. Glaciers in this region apparently reached their greatest extent when the climate was cold and wet, e.g. during stades corresponding to Oxygen Isotope Stage 3; glaciers were still expanding during the LGM ca. 28000–21000 yr BP, but they shrank considerably after 21000 yr BP because of greatly reduced precipitation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How charophytes (Streptophyta,Charales) survive in severe conditions of the permafrost area in Far North-East Asia

Eight species of charophytes have been found in the vast area of the ubiquitous permafrost in Far North-East Asia (i.e. the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the Magadan Region, and the Chukotka Autonomous Area, Russia): Chara contraria, C. globularis, C. strigosa, C. virgata, Nitella flexilis, N. opaca, N. wahlbergiana and Tolypella canadensis.Charophytes are found in a variety of water bodies and watercourses in areas with various thicknesses of permafrost, within the boreal and subarctic climate zones. Charophyte habitats are mostly associated with the distribution of carbonate rocks. The number of species and their records decrease towards north and east mainly due to shortening of the vegetation period. The highest density of records of charophytes and their most northern records are in river valleys, where the topography and heating effect of the river mitigate the influence of climate and permafrost. This association can be used to model and predict charophyte distribution in periglacial areas during glaciation.Widespread eurytopic species with a flexible life cycle, Chara contraria and C. globularis, are found in valley water bodies due to their ability to withstand environmental variation associated with marked changes in water temperature and flood disturbance. Rare perennial species such as C. strigosa and Tolypella canadensis are represented in deep lakes with less variation in environmental conditions.This paper discusses the distribution, habitat and life history strategies of charophytes that exist in the severe conditions of the permafrost area in Far North-East Asia based on previously published and new data.     

Subsistence strategies of prehistoric hunter-gatherers on the Tibetan Plateau during the Last Deglaciation

The study of prehistoric hunter-gatherer subsistence strategies on the Tibetan Plateau is important for understanding the mechanisms and processes of human adaption to high altitude environments.But to date,only a few Paleolithic sites have been found on the Tibetan Plateau with clear stratigraphy and reliable dating.These sites are mainly distributed in the Qinghai Lake Basin on the northeastern part of the plateau,and the sporadic fauna and flora remains excavated provide limited information about the subsistence strategies of hunter-gatherers.In 2014,relatively abundant animal remains were unearthed in the Lower Cultural Layer (LCL,15400-13100 cal yr BP) of the"151 site"located in the Qinghai Lake Basin,providing important information about human subsistence strategies on the Tibetan Plateau during the Last Deglaciation.Zooarchaeological analysis of these faunal remains indicates that hunter-gatherers at the"151 site"mainly targeted large ungulates of Bos and wild horse/ass,and only brought back the most nutritious parts of animal carcasses including upper and intermediate limb bones,heads,and trunks (ribs and vertebrae).People then processed and consumed the carcasses around single hearths.Our comprehensive analyses of contemporaneous sites in the Qinghai Lake Basin show that a subsistence strategy involving opportunistic hunting of ungulates,high mobility,and short occupation of campsites was used by terminal Pleistocene huntergatherers to adapt to the high-altitude environment on the Tibetan Plateau.This subsistence strategy may have been a first step of gradual hunter-gatherer adaptation to the extreme conditions on the Tibetan Plateau after the Last Glacial Maximum,and laid the foundation for the widespread distribution of hunter-gatherers on the plateau during the Holocene.     

冰后期以来长江水下三角洲层序地层特征及沉积环境演化*

长江水下三角洲层序地层学研究有助于全面了解长江三角洲地层特征和沉积环境演化模式。通过对长江水下三角洲下切河谷区YD0901和YD0903孔岩心的详细沉积物粒度、特征元素比值(Cl/Ti和Zr/Rb)、沉积相对比分析,恢复了冰后期以来长江水下三角洲层序地层格架。研究区冰后期以来自下而上依次出现河流相、潮汐河流相、河口湾相、浅海相和三角洲相的沉积相序。末次冰期海平面下降,古长江形成下切河谷,古河间地发育硬黏土层,构成五级Ⅰ型层序界面。之后海平面回升,分别于15 cal ka BP和8.0 cal ka BP形成最大海退和最大海侵界面,水下三角洲区域最大海侵发生时间略滞后于平原区,约为7.5 cal ka BP。据此3个层序界面将冰后期地层划分为低位体系域、海侵体系域和高位体系域。钻孔岩心记录揭示了14.8 cal ka BP海侵到达研究区;14.8~13 cal ka BP期间,受MWP-1A冰融水事件影响海平面快速上升,海岸线向陆推进速率可达71.9,km/ka;海退期间各钻孔沉积速率较低,直至2 cal ka BP开始,沉积速率明显增加。     

Glaciokarst landforms and processes of the southern Dinaric Alps

Glaciokarst is a landscape which combines karst features and hydrology as well as inherited glacial features. It is a result of glaciation upon a karst geomorphological system. The relationship between glaciers and karst is rather poorly known and inadequately recognized. This research focuses on three distinct karst areas along the Adriatic coast in the southern Dinaric Alps that were affected by the Quaternary glaciations. An insight into specific glaciokarst processes and surface features was provided through the study of the areas of the Lov?en, Orjen and Vele? Mountains. A glaciokarst geomorphology is in general well preserved due to the prevailing vertically oriented chemical denudation following de‐glaciation and almost the entire absence of other surface processes. Typical glacial erosional features are combined by a variety of depressions which are the result of a karstic drainage of sub‐glacial waters. The majority of glacial deposits occur as extensive lateral‐terminal moraine complexes, which are often dissected by smaller breach‐lobe moraines on the external side of the ridge. Those moraine complexes are likely to be a product of several glacial events, which is supported by complex depositional structures. According to the type of glacial depositional features, the glaciers in the study areas were likely to have characteristics of moraine‐dammed glaciers. Due to vertical drainage ice‐marginal fluvial processes were unable to evacuate sediment. Fluvial transport between glacial and pro‐glacial systems in karst areas is inefficient. Nevertheless, some sediment from the glacier margin is washed away by the pro‐glacial streams, filling the karst depressions and forming piedmont‐type poljes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

末次冰盛期时吉兰泰盐湖的湖泊状态与古气候特征

通过现代季风边缘区的吉兰泰盐湖钻孔JLT11-A孔沉积岩芯的矿物分析,结合地层盘星藻的含量探讨末次冰盛期(LGM)时湖泊的状态和古气候特征。结果显示:在LGM时吉兰泰湖泊沉积矿物主要是石英、长石为主的碎屑岩沉积,含量在85%左右,显示出陆源碎屑矿物的高输入状态,可能指示区域寒冷干旱的环境;其次是以方解石为主的碳酸盐的沉积,含量约为10%;氯化物为主的石盐类矿物一般不足5%,但持续存在,指示湖泊仍然有较高的盐度,因此地层中的淡水藻类盘星藻可能是由河流输入。由于陆源碎屑矿物输入强烈,矿物组合可能难以直接指示吉兰泰盐湖湖水状态。区域的干冷的气候与大多数的古气候记录一致,而与新疆西部的冷湿的环境不同。对比邻近区域的古气候研究结果发现,本区域在LGM时段夏季降水相对于冰消期偏多,而相对于MIS3阶段晚期偏少,整体夏季风减弱。吉兰泰盐湖末次冰盛期到末次冰消期以来矿物组合的变化表明,湖泊环境可能受到夏季太阳辐射、全球与区域温度变化以及夏季风强弱变化的影响。     

中国第四纪冰期数值年表初步划分

20世纪70年代以前,我国第四纪冰川冰期主要是根据第四纪冰川遗迹的侵蚀-沉积地貌特征和沉积物的物理化学风化程度的差异划分的相对年代;80～90年代开始有放射性碳和地衣法的测年;90年代以后,采用热释光和电子自旋共振技术测年,获得了我国第四纪冰川的一些数值年代,划分了5次冰期,其时代初步定为:小冰期Ⅲ(1871±20A.D.),小冰期Ⅱ(1777±20A.D.),小冰期Ⅰ(1528±20A.D.);新冰期Ⅲ(1550±70aB.P.,1580±60aB.P.),新冰期Ⅱ(2.8～2.5kaB.P.),新冰期Ⅰ(3.1kaB.P.);末次冰期Ⅳ(YD)(11.5～10.4kaB.P.),末次冰期Ⅲ(24～16kaB.P.),末次冰期Ⅱ(56～40kaB.P.),末次冰期Ⅰ(73～72kaB.P.);倒数第二冰期(相当于MIS6～10),Ⅲ阶段(154～136kaB.P.),Ⅱ阶段(277～266kaB.P.),Ⅰ阶段(333～316kaB.P.);倒数第三冰期(相当于MIS12～16),Ⅱ阶段(520～460kaB.P.),Ⅰ阶段(710～593kaB.P.)。未来的研究趋势是采用宇宙成因核素暴露年代方法和光释光技术在更大的空间尺度上对冰川地貌精细定年,分析第四纪冰川发育的空间差异和异时性机制。