TRACE ELEMENT DISTRIBUTION AND IMPLICATIONS IN SEDIMENTS ACROSS THE ALLERØD–YOUNGER DRYAS BOUNDARY IN THE NETHERLANDS AND BELGIUM

In the Northern Hemisphere, the Younger Dryas cooling occurred between 12.8 and 11.7 ka bp . This cooling is thought to have been the result of an abrupt change in atmospheric and oceanic circulations. One of the hypotheses explaining such a change suggests that just before the onset of the Younger Dryas cooling, multiple airbursts/impacts occurred over the Northern Hemisphere. We studied the late Pleistocene sediments from the Netherlands and Belgium to check whether a sudden short event might have taken place just before the onset of the Younger Dryas cooling. The geochemical features revealed suggest that such events might have occurred. The presence of products of biomass burning is suggested on the basis of trace element features of sediments from the lower Younger Dryas boundary. The presence of a volcanic component and a component resulting from extensive biomass burning in the sediments of c. 12.9 ka bp are indicated on the basis of trace element features. The volcanic component may be related to the Laacher See volcano eruption, whereas the cause of the extensive biomass burning remains unclear.     

OSL chronology of Quaternary terraced deposits outcropping between Mt. Etna volcano and the Catania Plain (Sicily,southern Italy)

In this paper we tested the applicability of the Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) technique through Single-Aliquot Regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol, on single grain quartz extracted from alluvial–coastal sediments. Five samples were collected from deposits belonging to a flight of seven orders of coastal–alluvial terraces outcropping in the area between Mt. Etna volcano and the Catania Plain (Sicily, southern Italy), at the front of the Sicilian fold and thrust system. After various performance tests, we obtained OSL ages ranging between 240 ± 12 and 80 ± 4 ka, consistent with the normal evolutionary model of a terraced sequence, moving from the highest to the lowest elevation. Obtained data allowed us to determine a mean uplift rate of 1.2 mm/year during the last 240 ka, mostly related to regional uplift processes coupled with sea-level changes. Moreover, terraces belonging to the two highest orders are folded, forming a large anticline. According to our results, the frontal thrust of the Sicilian chain was active between 236 and 197 ka ago, even though seismological and geodetic data suggest current activity to the back.     

合肥市滨湖新区早-中更新世岩相古地理特征及意义

对合肥市滨湖新区大量第四纪钻孔作了岩性组合特征描述、粒度分析,对代表性钻孔ZK9A01进行了沉积体系域划分并绘制出滚子河组体系域图,据此探讨了该沉积区早—中更新世以来的沉积环境,并编制湖泊扩展期、凝缩期和萎缩期岩相古地理图。研究表明:滨湖新区早—中更新世为湖相沉积,经历了湖泊扩展—最大湖泛-湖泊萎缩的演化过程,湖泊中心位于滨湖新区东南方向,滨湖新区以东及西南地区为调查早—中更新世含水岩组有利区域。     

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.     

广西崇左三合巨猿大洞早更新世小哺乳动物群

最近在广西崇左三合大洞发现了步氏巨猿和似人似猿共生的新层位,与之伴生的有52种小哺乳动物,占三合大洞巨猿动物群总数的62%,其中苏门答腊兔（Nesolagus）是东南亚地区首次发现的化石。小哺乳动物群以南方早更新世常见的偏皮氏毛耳飞鼠（Belomys parapearsoni）、中间猪尾鼠（Typhlomys intermedius）、拟低冠竹鼠（Rhizomys brachyrhizomyoides）、硕豪猪（Hystrix magna）、先社鼠（Niviventer preconfucianus）、拟爱氏巨鼠（Leopoldamysedwardioidesi）等为代表,根据小哺乳动物群性质和与其他动物群对比以及磁性地层年代测定,表明其时代应是早更新世中期（约距今120160万年前）。该动物群由树鼩、扁颅蝠、小彩蝠、飞松鼠、笔尾树鼠、猪尾鼠等几乎是旧大陆热带-亚热带森林型动物组成,缺少北方类型,基本上属于热带森林动物群,这表明了当时的自然景观为温暖湿润的热带雨林环境。三合大洞小哺乳动物群是广西地区的首次发现,对华南早更新世巨猿动物群详细划分,探讨步氏巨猿演化和早期人类环境背景等目前科学界关注的问题具有重要的意义。     

龙门山古冰川作用

汶川地震中央区域龙门山主山九顶山海拔4 984 m,山脊北坡有三处成排分布不少规模较小的冰斗-冰川谷地形,恢复当时雪线高度在4 100 m高度。根据其形态保存程度、古今雪线高度差等情况判断,应当是2阶段冰川作用遗存。据气温和降水资料,现在九顶山雪线高度在5 000 m,刚好超出九顶山顶部。故而九顶山3 800 m以上目前处于冰缘环境,石冰川、石环、融冻泥流等冰缘现象比较突出。九顶山不存在更老的冰川作用及其地貌遗存,是青藏高原以东5 000 m上下的高山只是在末次冰期时抬升跨越冰期雪线而发育冰川这一新观点的又一证据,也是青藏高原第四纪晚期剧烈抬升的又一证据。     

Fish Remains from Homestead Cave and Lake Levels of the Past 13,000 Years in the Bonneville Basin

A late Quaternary ichthyofauna from Homestead Cave, Utah, provides a new source of information on lake history in the Bonneville basin. The fish, represented by 11 freshwater species, were accumulated between 11,200 and 1000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. by scavenging owls. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of Lake Bonneville varied with its elevation; ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values of fish from the lowest stratum of the cave suggest they grew in a lake near the terminal Pleistocene Gilbert shoreline. In the lowest deposits, a decrease in fish size and an increase in species tolerant of higher salinities or temperatures suggest multiple die-offs associated with declining lake levels. An initial, catastrophic, post-Provo die-off occurred at 11,300–11,200 ¹⁴C yr B.P. and was followed by at least one rebound or recolonization of fish populations, but fish were gone from Lake Bonneville sometime before 10,400 ¹⁴C yr B.P. This evidence is inconsistent with previous inferences of a near desiccation of Lake Bonneville between 13,000 and 12,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. Peaks in Gila atraria frequencies in the upper strata suggest the Great Salt Lake had highstands at 3400 and 1000 ¹⁴C yr B.P.     

Magnetic minerals in Mid-Pleistocene sediments on the Caiwei Guyot,Northwest Pacific and their response to the Mid-Brunhes climate event

Seamounts are ubiquitous topographic units in global oceans, and their influences on local oceanic circulation have attracted great attention in physical oceanography; however, previous efforts were less made in paleoclimatology and paleoceanography. The Caiwei Guyot in the Magellan Seamounts of the western Pacific is a typical seamount, and in this study, we investigate a well-dated sediment core by magnetic properties to reveal the relationship between deep-sea sedimentary processes and global climate changes. The principal results are as follows: (1) the dominant magnetic minerals in the sediments are low-coercivity magnetite in pseudo-single domain range, probably including a biogenic contribution; (2) the variabilities of magnetic parameters can be clustered into two sections at ～500 ka, and the differences between the two units are evident in amplitudes and means; (3) changes in the grainsize-dependent magnetic parameters can be well correlated to records of global ice volume and atmospheric CO2 in the middle Pleistocene. Based on these results, a close linkage was proposed between deep-sea sedimentary processes in the Caiwei Guyot and global climate changes. This linkage likely involves different roles of biogenic magnetite in the sediments between interglacial and glacial intervals, responding to changes in marine productivity and deep-sea circulation and displaying a major change in the Mid-Brunhes climate event. Therefore, we proposed that the sedimentary archives at the bottom of the Caiwei Guyot record some key signals of global climate changes, providing a unique window to observe interactions between various environmental systems on glacial-interglacial timescales.     

“豫灵人”发现区第四系与古人类相关问题分析

本文通过对“豫灵人”发现区地壳发展历史和第四系成因类型的分析,提出了“豫灵人”发现区古人化石所在地的中更新统上部地层是本区继续寻找发现古人化石和旧石器的重要地区与地层之一。     

云南东北部拱王山末次冰期

1 Introduction The Gongwang mountains constitute one of the few high m ountains of irrefutable late Pleistocene glaciation in eastern China. This area is one of the m ost extensively studied Quaternary geologicallocationsin eastern China and the interpret…