Applications of interannual-resolution stable isotope records of speleothem: Climatic changes in Beijing and Tianjin, China during the past 500 years—the δ 18O record

δ¹⁸O of a stalagmite collected from Shihua Cave, 50 km southwest of Beijing is analyzed. The uppermost 2 cm was sampled at about 3-year intervals by a computer-controlled microsampling device. A total of 133 samples were analyzed, covering the last 480 years. A comparison of the δ¹⁸O record with the instrumentally recorded precipitation in Beijing and Tianjin back to 1840 AD shows that high precipitation correlates with negative δ¹⁸O peaks. The long-term δ¹⁸O trend records temperature changes. Between 1620 and 1900 AD, the temperature was cooler than the average value for the 480-year record, corresponding to the Little Ice Age. Temperatures warmer than the average prevailed during 1520–1620 and 1900—present. Superimposed on the long-term trend are about 14 δ¹⁸O cycles of 30–40-year periodicity, with wet periods centered around 1985, 1955, 1910, 1880, 1840, 1800, 1760, 1730, 1690, 1660, 1630, 1600, 1560 and 1530 AD. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 9615875).     

Speleothems as high-resolution paleoenvironment archives: Records from northeastern China

The isotopic compositions of oxygen and carbon and trace concentrations of magnesium and strontium in speleothems formed in limestone caves respond to climate changes outside the caves. Measurements of these properties on a stalagmite from Shihua Cave near Beijing, China, allowed reconstruction of the regional changes in precipitation, temperature and nature of vegetation. Over the last ∼ 500 years, there were fourteen precipitation cycles with a periodicity of 30–40 years, which may well reflect fluctuations in the strength of the East Asian summer monsoons reaching northeastern China. Relative to the mean temperature of this time interval, the period 1620–1900 AD was cold and periods 1520–1620 and 1900–1994 were warm. Over the last ∼ 3000-years, about eight wet/cool-dry/warm climatic cycles of 300–400 years duration occurred, the latest wet/cool half cycle corresponding to the Little Ice Age. The δ¹³C record registers the anthropogenic activities of fossil fuel CO₂ combustion in recent decades and regional deforestation between 13 and 16 centuries when Beijing was bustling with palatial constructions and being developed into the world’s most populated city.     

Pliocene aridity and Neogene landscape evolution recorded by a fluvial sediment system (Campaspe Formation) in northeast Queensland

Campaspe Formation, a surficial, fluviatile, sand-dominated unit, is extensively developed in the Charters Towers region of north Queensland where it covers an area of 11 000 km², overlying Paleozoic basement and erosional remnants of Paleogene Southern Cross Formation. In the northern part of its distribution, it is interlayered with, and overlain by, flows of Nulla Basalt. It is dated as mid-Pliocene, based on the 3.48 Ma age of the Myrrilumbing Flow interlayered with its upper part, an antiquity consistent with thin ferricrete locally developed at its surface. The formation defines the Campaspe Surface at an elevation of 200–440 m in the present landscape, falling gently from upland to the west towards the current channel of the Burdekin River. This surface is a relict alluvial plain little incised by easterly flowing tributaries of the Burdekin River and has survived, essentially intact, from the early Pliocene. Geometry of the formation is established from some 2000 mineral exploration drill holes and seismic profiling. It has an average thickness of some 60 m, reaching a maximum of over 200 m. It blankets a pre-existing, low relief landscape in which a basement ridge divides it into two sub-basins that mirror the present drainage. The formation consists of poorly sorted sandstone with minor conglomerate and siltstone, and contains paleosol horizons with associated calcrete. Matrix supported sandstone in the succession, indicates deposition in part from hyperconcentrated flows. Sandstones generally show poorly defined planar layering as typical of ephemeral overbank and terminal splay sediment bodies but beds with cross-lamination, indicating fluvial channel bed forms, are also present. They are characterised by pore-filling silt and mud, largely emplaced by post-depositional infiltration, such that the unit produces essentially no groundwater. Facies attributes are consistent with fluvial deposition in ephemeral, dry climate, distributary system, with inefficient cross-drainage discharge that induced aggradation, resulting in a substantial sediment body perched in the landscape. Framework grain compositions show the formation to be mineralogically mature, representing erosional debris derived from intense weathering in an earlier climatic regime recorded, at least in part, by duricrust developed in the fluviatile–lacustrine Southern Cross Formation of Paleogene age. Such duricrust intervals are now upstanding in the landscape, representing erosional remnants from inverted relief developed in a mid-Cenozoic, pluvial, landscape cycle. Paleoclimatic signature of the Campaspe Formation extends the record of Pliocene aridity, widely recognised elsewhere in Australia, to northeast Queensland. In large part the landscape of the Charters Towers district is relict from the early Pliocene and is in the process of readjusting to more pluvial climatic regimes. By implication, Pliocene aridity has, on a small scale, exerted a strong influence on the present physiography of Australian landscapes.     

淮河源区中更新世黄土堆积的元素地球化学特征及其古气候意义

利用地球化学元素分析方法,对淮河源区中更新世黄土、古土壤剖面含有的化学元素及多种化学元素指标进行了分析。研究表明:区内中更新世以来的气候变化,主要以湿热气候为主,淋溶及氧化作用较强;表现在气温上HT-1~HT-3的气温较低,HT-4~HT-7的气温高,HT-8的气温又相对较低,其变化趋势表现为中更新世经历了从早期寒冷转湿热转温干,中期凉干转暖湿到晚期温湿转暖湿。     

Geochronology and geochemistry of Yanchangbeishan biotite Adamellite of Lenghu area in Qinghai and their geological significanceEI北大核心CSCD

The Yanchangbeishan biotite adamellite in the Lenghu area of Qinghai is located in the west segment of the north margin of Qaidam. The rocks have high SiO2 (73.92%-75.98%) and K2O contents (3.71%-4.78%), but low MgO and CaO contents. The alumina saturation index (A/CNK) varies from 1.03 to 1.11, indicating the biotite adamellite is peraluminous. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns of the rocks are right dipping and display weak Eu anomalies. The rock contains the Al-rich mineral like garnet and possesses normative corundum contents of 1%. It has low Th and Y contents which are negatively correlated with Rb, suggesting the source rock was sedimentary rock. Thus, the biotite adamellite belongs to S-type granite. The granite was produced by partial melting of the crust material due to the underplating of mantle-derived magma. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating shows that the formation age of the rock is 254±4 Ma. Based on the regional geological background and the geochemical characteristics of the rocks, we consider that the formation of the Yanchangbeishan biotite adamellite was related to subduction, which is illustrated by the characteristics similar to those of the island-arc igneous rocks. Therefore, the results reveal that the north margin of Qaidam was in active continental margin tectonic environment during Late Permian epoch. ©, 2015, Science Press. All right reserved.     

陕北奥陶纪盐盆的区域成矿地质条件分析

本文以鄂尔多斯盆地陕北奥陶纪岩盐为主要研究对象,在深入分析以往岩盐的成因机制和充分利用前人的研究资料基础上,从区域古气候、古地理、古构造和岩相古地理方面综合分析认为,奥陶纪时期,陕北盐盆能够发育巨厚岩盐,并且岩盐沉积时的卤水达到钾石盐至光卤石的阶段,是由有利于成盐的干旱古气候条件,有利于蒸发岩发育的半封闭的区域构造、地质条件,以及区域上有利于氯化物盐类迁移富集的预备盆地发育的区域岩相古地理条件共同作用的结果。     

长江口新桥水道动力地貌变化过程研究

以泰国湾 T155号柱状沉积物为研究对象,利用地球化学和矿物学手段探讨了全新世以来泰国湾古气候演化历史。(La/Sm)UCC-(Gd/Yb)UCC指示了全新世以来泰国湾西南部物质来源较为稳定,主要来自于马来半岛,季风控制下的沿岸流是其主要驱动力。通过对高岭石/(绿泥石+伊利石)(ωk/(ωc+ωl))、化学蚀变指数(CIA)和钾铝质量分数比值(ωK/ωAl)的变化规律进行综合研究,将全新世以来泰国湾古气候演化过程划分为两个阶段:①早中全新世(12000~6500calaBP):ωk/(ωc+ωl)值和CIA 值较高,ωK/ωAl值则较低,指示了该段时期强盛的东亚季风;发生于11200~10500calaBP和8500~7500calaBP的冷事件指示了泰国湾对新仙女木事件和8.2ka冷事件的响应;②中全新世(6500calaBP)以来:ωk/(ωc+ωl)值和 CIA 值明显下降,ωK/ωAl值则逐渐上升,指示了该段时间东亚季风呈逐渐减弱的趋势;在3200~1800calaBP时地球化学和黏土矿物指标呈现一个明显低值,对应于热带海域“斜氏普林虫低值事件”,揭示了全球气候变化在泰国湾海域良好的区域性响应特征。     

全吉地块金泉山—化石沟一带古生代 花岗质岩体地球化学及其构造意义

柴达木盆地北缘之全吉地块花岗质岩体大量发育,具多期次多阶段特征。通过对全吉地块金泉山—化石沟一带古生代花岗质岩体岩石学、岩石化学特征及单颗粒锆石U-Pb同位素定年,发现该区花岗岩有4次侵入,侵入时代分别为早奥陶世(471~476Ma)、中奥陶世(459±5Ma)、早志留世(423±4Ma)和中泥盆世(366±2Ma)。岩石地球化学研究显示,该4期花岗岩均具典型的钙碱性特征,轻稀土富集、重稀土轻度亏损、Eu轻微负异常—正异常,大离子亲石元素K2O、Rb、Ba、Th等相对强烈富集,高场强元素Nb、Ta、Hf、Zr及Yb明显亏损,除第4期岩体即具I型,又具S花岗岩特征外,其它各期次均属I型花岗岩,总体显示岩体具壳源特征,为板块碰撞前消减地区花岗岩,研究推测,金泉山—化石沟一带古生代花岗质岩体第1、2组年龄为全吉地块与柴达木陆块碰撞的时代,第3组年龄反映了深俯冲地下的板块由于拆沉而折返的时代,第4组年龄为碰撞隆起后造山带伸展、滑塌的时代。     

青藏高原东北缘武山盆地中中新世炭屑记录及其古气候意义

火是生态系统中的重要因子,是反映古气候和环境变化的重要标志。因此,重建火活动历史可以帮助我们理解过去的气候变化和火活动的机制,但是目前在全球范围内十分缺少对中新世时期高分辨率的火活动记录的研究。炭屑已被证明是重建火活动历史的有效替代性指标,基于青藏高原东北缘武山盆地中中新世时期高分辨率的炭屑记录,重建了研究区天然火活动历史,结合现有资料,探讨了火-植被-气候之间的关系以及研究区火活动对全球变化的响应。结果表明：（1） 15.30~13.60 Ma时期,炭屑总浓度变化范围为59~4324粒·g^-1,平均浓度为835粒·g^-1。炭屑形状以次圆形为主,且几乎所有的炭屑粒径都小于50 μm,反映出研究区天然火活动是以乔木植物燃烧的森林火活动为主,主要是区域性火活动。根据炭屑总浓度的变化趋势,将研究区天然火活动历史分为2个主要阶段。阶段Ⅰ（15.30~14.00 Ma）：炭屑总浓度逐步增加,平均浓度为866粒·g^-1。其中,阶段Ⅰ又可以细分为3个次要阶段,Ⅰa（15.30~14.38 Ma）：炭屑总浓度最低,平均浓度为693粒·g^-1;Ⅰb（14.38~14.20 Ma）：炭屑总浓度快速减少,平均浓度为1140粒·g^-1;Ⅰc（14.20~14.00 Ma）：炭屑总浓度急剧增加,平均浓度为988粒·g^-1。阶段Ⅱ（14.00~13.60 Ma）：炭屑总浓度急剧减少,平均浓度为777粒·g^-1。（2） 孢粉数据重建的研究区的植被和气候变化结果表明,15.30~14.38 Ma时期为开阔的森林植被,湿度较低;14.38~14.00 Ma时期乔木增加,湿度增加;14.00~13.60 Ma时期乔木属种显著减少,湿度降低。（3） 经过对比分析,炭屑总浓度变化趋势与乔木类花粉百分比趋势相近,次圆形炭屑浓度趋势与阔叶类植物花粉的百分比趋势显著正相关,认为武山盆地中中新世的天然火活动与森林植被的盖度（尤其是阔叶林的盖度）有较强联系,在气候温暖湿润的时期,炭屑浓度高。此外,通过对比炭屑总浓度趋势和深海底栖有孔虫氧同位素的变化,可以推测,全球温度变化可能通过影响研究区植被变化来对天然火活动产生重要影响。     

粘土矿物的提取、鉴定及其古气候意义——以柴达木盆地怀头他拉剖面为例

沉积物中粘土矿物类型主要有自生粘土矿物和碎屑粘土矿物。其中,自生粘土矿物含量较少,是在沉积环境中形成,可能是沉积再循环或成岩作用的产物,可作为沉积环境某方面的指示标志;而碎屑粘土矿物是母岩风化的产物,受沉积环境影响较小,能够有效示踪物源区化学风化过程,进而反映古气候变化。近年来利用碎屑粘土矿物特征来重建物源区古气候的方法得到了广泛的应用。然而,由于粘土矿物主要存在于<2 μm硅酸盐粘粒中,粘土矿物的提取、鉴定比较困难,且自生粘土矿物易受沉积环境等的影响。因此,在利用粘土矿物重建古气候变化时,需慎重选择粘土矿物的提取方法,并考虑物源和沉积环境变化以及成岩作用等对粘土矿物解释的影响。本文以柴达木盆地东北缘怀头他拉剖面硅酸盐粘土矿物的提取、鉴定及其古环境指示意义为例,介绍粘土矿物的提取及应用,为后期粘土矿物研究提供参考。