Luminescence dating of sand–loess sequences and response of Mu Us and Otindag sand fields (north China) to climatic changes

The sand–loess transition zone in north China is sensitive to climate change, and is an ideal place to investigate past environmental changes. However, past climate change at millennial–centennial timescales in this region has not been well reconstructed because of limited numerical dating. Alternations of sandy loam soils with aeolian sand layers in the Mu Us and Otindag sand fields, which lie along the sand–loess transition zone, indicate multiple intervals of dune activity and stability. This change is probably a response to variations of the East Asian monsoon climate during the late Quaternary. The single aliquot regeneration (SAR) optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating protocol, which has been successfully applied to aeolian deposits worldwide, is applied to these two sand fields in this study. The OSL ages provide reliable constraints for reconstruction of past climate changes at suborbital timescale. Sections in both sand fields contain aeolian sand beds recording millennial‐scale episodes of dry climate and widespread dune activation, including episodes at about the same time as Heinrich Event 5 and the Younger Dryas in the North Atlantic region. These results demonstrate the potential of aeolian sediments in semi‐arid north China to record millennial‐scale climatic events, and also suggest that dry–wet climate variation at the desert margin in China may be linked to climatic change elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, through atmospheric circulation. This article was published online on 27 November 2008. An error was subsequently identified. This notice is included in the online and print versions to indicate that both have been corrected (16 December 2008). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

晚新生代亚洲干旱气候发展与全球变冷联系的风尘沉积证据

在干旱气候背景下常常有风尘物质的释放和传输,风尘沉积被认为是干旱环境变化良好的地质记录。在亚洲中部和中国北方,大面积的干旱区被沙漠戈壁覆盖,这些地区是粉尘物质的重要源地,释放的风尘物质影响局地和区域环境,并通过参与生物地球化学循环等影响更大空间尺度的气候变化。因此,亚洲中部干旱气候的形成和演化以及发展趋势一直受到重视。长期以来,关于晚新生代亚洲中部干旱气候发展的驱动机制至少有两种解释:一是青藏高原的隆升控制着亚洲中部的干旱化过程,随着高原的阶段性隆升亚洲干旱气候逐步增强;二是晚新生代全球变冷直接驱动着亚洲变干,全球变冷是主导因素。中国黄土高原及其周边地区堆积的黄土-红粘土序列是指示亚洲干旱化过程良好的地质记录,通过对新获得的风尘堆积记录的分析,发现在晚新生代中国风尘堆积的时空演化与全球变冷有较好的对应,全球变冷可以促使亚洲中部干旱气候发展并加强粉尘活动,而青藏高原隆升的幅度和时间还不清楚,进而认为是全球变冷而不是青藏高原隆升直接驱动亚洲内陆的阶段性变干。基于这些结果,我们认为以前关于青藏高原隆升影响全球气候的结论可能高估了青藏高原在地球环境演化中的作用,关于高原隆升直接驱动亚洲干旱化的结论还需要检验。     

Characteristics and genesis of maghemite in Chinese loess and paleosols: Mechanism for magnetic susceptibility enhancement in paleosols

Morphological characteristics and microstructures of magnetic minerals extracted from Chinese loess and paleosols were investigated using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Our results indicate that maghemite in loess–paleosol sequences was transformed from magnetite through oxidation of magnetite. Maghemite transformed from eolian magnetite during chemical weathering has low-angle grain boundaries among maghemite nano-crystals. Some nano-crystalline maghemites with nanoporous texture resulted from microbe-induced precipitation of magnetite or transformation of poorly crystalline ferric Fe (oxy)hydroxides in presence of Fe-reducing bacteria. Aggregates of euhedral maghemite nano-crystals were transformed from magnetite magnetosomes. Both microbe-induced nanoporous magnetite and microbe-produced magnetite magnetosomes are directly related to microbial activities and pedogenesis of the paleosols. It is proposed that the formation of nano-crystalline maghemite with superparamagnetic property in paleosol results in the enhancement of magnetic susceptibility, although the total amount (weight percent) of magnetic minerals in both paleosol and loess units is similar. Our results also show that nano-crystalline and nanoporous magnetite grains prefer to transform into maghemite in semi-arid soil environments instead of hematite, although hematite is a thermodynamically stable phase. This result also indicates that a decrease in crystal size will increase stability of maghemite. It is also inferred that surface energy of maghemite is lower than that of hematite.     

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.     

晚新生代黄土高原风尘序列的粒度和沉积速率与中国北方大气环流演变

文章以风尘沉积的粗粒和细粒组分与季风和西风环流的联系为基础,利用黄土高原中部的洛川剖面、西峰剖面和灵台剖面的粒度和沉积速率记录,讨论了晚新生代中国北方季风环流和西风环流的演变历史,总结了这一时期大气环流演变的基本规律和大气环流演变的动力机制.研究表明,自8～7Ma风尘沉积发育至5Ma左右,西风环流和季风环流都有减弱的趋势;自5Ma以来,西风环流和季风环流的强度都在逐步加强;与此同步,季风环流对风尘沉积的贡献增加,而西风环流对风尘的贡献逐渐减小,这一逐渐发展的大气环流趋势与北半球高纬冰盖的逐步发展有关;大气环流的这种趋势变化在8～7Ma,3.4Ma和1.2～0.9Ma这几个时期存在着突变,可能反映了青藏高原的阶段性隆升对中国北方季风环流演化的决定性作用以及对西风环流结构和强度的重要影响.中国北方大气环流在轨道尺度变化的基本特征是,低空季风环流在冰期加强,在间冰期减弱.西风环流和季风环流在冰期和间冰期的强度和格局可能主要与全球冰量的基本状况和青藏高原原面的性质有关.黄土高原的风尘记录在万年尺度和千年尺度的气候事件上都表现出相当明显的区域差异,可能主要与局部地形的大气环流效应有关.     

我国太平洋深海沉积研究综述

总结了我国对太平洋深海沉积物组成、分布、形成及深海沉积中宇宙尘、海洋沉积通量、铁锰结核的研究成果,指出了在全球变化研究中太平洋深海沉积的研究课题。     

地震灾害风险评估及减灾策略研究——以贵州罗甸县为例

为探究贵州省地震灾害风险薄弱环节，减轻地震灾害风险，以贵州省罗甸县为示范，采用地震危险性概率分析方法对各乡镇进行危险性分析，开展地震灾害承灾体现场抽样调查，通过层次分析法和问卷调查的方式，首次构建乡镇级别的地震灾害风险和减灾能力指标体系，评估各乡镇地震灾害综合指数和程度，计算各乡镇地震灾害风险指数，确定红水河镇为高风险区、罗悃镇为中风险区、木引等7个乡镇为低风险区，并从建筑物设防、地震地质灾害及水库地震等角度剖析罗甸县地震灾害特点，从农村危房改造、移民搬迁、地质灾害防护及交通等方面提出减小地震灾害风险的建议。     

Paleoclimatic significance of grain size of loess-palaeosol deposit in Chinese Loess Plateau

Particle size analysis for samples from three last glacial cycle loess-palaeosol profiles along a northwestsoutheast transection on the Chinese Loess Plateau has been carried out. The paleoclimatic significance of grain size indices has been obtained by analyzing the fraction content variations and their comparisons with global ice volume and solar radiation variations. The results show that (i) paleoclimatic significance of the grain size indices of loess-palaeosol deposit is different with grain size fraction content and sampling points in Chinese Loess Plateau; (ii) the sub-coarse grain fraction is a good proxy index of East Asia winter monsoon strength and therefore can be used to detect the global climate changes; (iii) the content of sub-fine and fine grain fractions is influenced by both the input of sub-coarse grain fraction and pedogenesis; (iv) the sub-coarse fraction exhibits a negative relationship with the sub-fine and fine fractlon. Project supported by the 9.5 major project of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the open grant of the State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.