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.     

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.     

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。     

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.     

Isotopic characteristics of river sediments on the Tibetan Plateau

We systematically collected 40 modern clastic sediment samples from rivers in different tectonic units of the Tibetan Plateau and measured their Sr–Nd isotopic compositions. The isotopic characteristics provide insight into the controversial paleo-tectonic affinity of terranes of the Tibetan Plateau and the provenance of Songpan–Ganzi flysch complex. The Qilian Terrane and Himalaya Terrane have more negative ε_Nd(0) values (from ? 14.3 to ? 11.8 and from ? 20.64 to ? 13.26, respectively) and high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values (from 0.719674 to 0.738818 and from 0.721020 to 0.824959, respectively), reflecting old and mature continental crust origin of these two terranes. The southern Lhasa Terrane is more radiogenic in ε_Nd(0) values (from ? 8.82 to ? 3.8) and low in ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values (from 0.711504 to 0.719489), implying the combined impact of the Neo-Tethys mantle and Himalaya old continental crust. Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of the Qilian Terrane are similar to those in the Yangtze Craton, indicating that the Qilian Terrane was probably separated from the Yangtze Craton. Sr–Nd isotopic characteristics of the Songpan–Ganzi Terrane are similar to the Yangtze Craton and are remarkably different to those in the North China Craton, eastern Kunlun–Qaidam and the central Qiangtang metamorphic belt, implying that the widely distributed flysch complex of the Songpan–Ganzi Terrane was sourced from the Yangtze Craton.     

Distribution and Forming Model of Fluvial Terrace in the Huangshui Catchment and its Tectonic Indication

<正>The Huang Shui River,a main tributary of the Yellow River,crosses a series of tectonically subsided and uplifted areas that show different patterns of terrace formation.The distribution of fluvial terrace of the Huang Shui River is studied through topographic and sedimentologic terrace mapping.Three terraces in the Haiyan Basin,four terraces in the Huangyuan Basin,19 terraces in the Xi'ning Basin(the four high terraces may belong to another river),nine terraces in the Ping'an Basin, five terraces in the Ledu Basin and 12 terraces in the Minhe Basin are recognized.Sedimentology research shows that the geomorphologic and sedimentological pattern of the Huang Shui River,which is located at the margin of Tibet,are different from that of the rivers at other regions.The formation process of the terrace is more complicated at the Huang Shui catchment:both accumulation terrace and erosion terrace were formed in each basin and accumulation terraces were developed in some basins when erosion terraces were formed in other basins,indicating fluvial aggradation may occur in some basins simultaneously with river incision in other basins.A conceptual model of the formation process of these two kinds of fluvial terraces at Huang Shui catchment is brought forward in this paper.First,the equilibrium state of the river is broken because of climatic change and/or tectonic movement,and the river incises in all basins in the whole catchment until reaching a new equilibrium state.Then,the downstream basin subsides quickly and the equilibrium state is broken again,and the river incises at upstream basins while the river accumulates at the subsidence basin quickly until approaching a new equilibrium state again.Finally,the river incises in the whole catchment because of climatic change and/or tectonic movement and the accumulation terrace is formed at the subsidence basin while the erosion terrace is formed at other basins.The existence of the accumulation terrace implied the tectonic subsidence in the sub-basins in Huang Shui catchment.These tectonic subsidence movements gradually developed from the downstream Minhe Basin to the upstream Huangyuan Basin.Dating the terrace sequence has potential to uncover the relationship between the subsidence in the catchment and the regional tectonic at the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.     

Relationship between surface pollen assemblages and vegetation in Luonan Basin,Eastern Qinling Mountains,Central China

The catchment of South Luohe River in Central China is an important region for investigating modern pollen-environment relationship, because it is located in the transitional zone between south and north China, an environment which is sensitive to climate changes. In this study, 40 surface samples under ten vegetation types were collected to reveal the relationship between pollen assemblages and vegetation. The results show that the surface pollen assemblages reflect the vegetation quite well. In forest topsoils, the average of arboreal pollen content is greater than 40%, and the Selaginella sinensis spore is high. As to sparse forest grassland and shrub community, the average arboreal pollen is 13.2% and 16.6% respectively, and the shrub pollen is relatively higher than that of grassland samples. The grassland and farmland are characterized by low percentage of tree and shrub pollen (<10% and <1%), and high percentage of herbs (>80%). Pinus, Quercus and some other arboreal pollen can indicate the regional vegetation because of their dispersal ability. Quercus pollen is under-representative and so is Pinus. Artemisia pollen is significantly over-represented, has poor correlation with the plant coverage, and may reflect human disturbance. Gramineae can indicate plant quite well, but with low representation. High content of Chenopodiaceae probably suggests human impact. Predominant Selaginella sinensis can be used as an indicator of forest environment. Cluster analysis and principal components analysis of pollen assemblages can distinguish forest and non-forest vegetation well. The former method is better at separating pine and mixed forests, while the latter is more stable and could better differentiate farmland and other non-forest area. The first axis of PCA mainly reflects the humidity.