A multi‐method approach to dating the burial and skeleton of Kiacatoo Man,New South Wales,Australia

Kiacatoo Man, a large, rugged Aboriginal adult buried in the Lachlan riverine plains of southeastern Australia, was discovered in 2011. Laser‐ablation uranium series analysis on bone yielded a minimum age for the burial of 27.4 ± 0.4 ka (2σ). Single‐grain, optically stimulated luminescence ages on quartz sediment in which the grave had been dug gave a weighted mean age of 26.4 ± 1.5 ka (1σ). Luminescence samples from the grave infill and from sediment beneath the grave exhibit overdispersed dose distributions consistent with bioturbation or other disturbance, which has obscured the burial signal. The overlap between the minimum (U‐series) and maximum (luminescence) ages places the burial between 27.0 and 29.4 ka (2σ). Luminescence ages obtained from the channel belt of between 28 ± 2 and 25 ± 3 ka indicate that fluvial sedimentation was occurring before the Last Glacial Maximum, which is consistent with the broader geomorphic setting. Together, these results are internally and regionally consistent, and indicate that Kiacatoo Man was one of the more ancient individuals so far identified in Australia. His remains are important to our understanding of patterns of biological variation and other processes that have shaped people in the Murray‐Darling Basin through time. Copyright © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stratigraphy and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of a Quaternary sequence along the Dong Nai River, southern Vietnam

The pre-Holocene Cenozoic sequence outcrops in the terrestrial part of the eastern margin of the Mekong Basin. However, the stratigraphy of the sequence is still unclear. Its detailed stratigraphy and chronology were therefore studied along the Dong Nai River, southern Vietnam, and the lithofacies and the relations among the formations were investigated from the outcrops. The ages of the deposits were determined by using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating.The Ba Mieu Formation was deposited about 176±52 ka during marine isotope stage (MIS) 7–6. The Thu Duc Formation was deposited about 97±27 ka during MIS 5. Both the Ba Mieu and Thu Duc formations are composed of fluvial and tidally influenced coastal deposits. The newly proposed Nhon Trach Formation was originally an eolian (blanket) deposit, but it has been partly reworked by fluvial processes. The Nhon Trach Formation was deposited about 10.9±4.7 ka, in the last part of the Pleistocene to the beginning of the Holocene. The OSL ages for the Ba Mieu, Thu Duc, and Nhon Trach formations are younger than the ages previously assigned to these formations.     

The formation and evolution of the barrier islands of Inhaca and Bazaruto, Mozambique

The barrier islands of Inhaca and Bazaruto are related to the extensive coastal dune system of the Mozambican coastal plain, south-east Africa. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of key stratigraphic units indicates that accretion of sediment within these systems is episodic. Both islands appear to have been initiated as spits extending from structural offsets in the coastline. Superposition of significant quantities of sediment upon these spits during subsequent sea-level highstands formed the core of the islands, which were anchored and protected by beachrock and aeolianite formation. At least two distinct dune-building phases occurred during Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 5, tentatively attributed to marine transgressions during sub-stages 5e and 5c. Although some localized reactivation of dune surfaces occurred prior to the Holocene, large quantities of sediment were not deposited on either island during the low sea-levels associated with MIS 2. Significant dune-building and sediment reworking occurred immediately prior to and during the Holocene, though it is not clear whether these processes were continuous or episodic. Significant erosion of the eastern shoreline of Bazaruto suggests that it is far less stable than Inhaca and may suffer further large-scale erosion. A model is presented for the formation of barrier islands along the Mozambican coastal plain.     

浙江杭州地区孝丰-三门湾断裂晚第四纪活动性研究

北西走向的孝丰—三门湾断裂是浙北地区一条重要的断裂。该断裂第四纪以来表现为左旋走滑,并水平断错了北东走向的萧山—球川断裂和东西走向的昌化—普陀断裂。这三条断裂交汇于杭州地区并造成了钱塘江的拐弯。在孝丰—三门湾断裂与北东走向断裂的交汇处曾有多次地震发生。通过在孝丰—三门湾断裂（杭州段）上布设的4 个探槽,发现该断裂附近存在一系列近于东西走向及北东走向的晚更新世活动断裂。这些断层活动可能是由孝丰—三门湾主干断裂的活动引起的,并调节着孝丰—三门湾主干断裂的活动,减弱断裂附近应力,降低区域地震危害性。采用了光释光（OSL）测年方法来限定断层活动时代,并采用孢粉测年对OSL 年龄进行验证。依据OSL 年龄,探槽所揭露的断层活动均发生距今1.65 万年之前,存在两次断层活动,分别发生于1.65~1.97 万年和4.2~5.12 万年。孝丰—三门湾断裂在晚更新世有所活动的认识对于杭州地区乃至整个浙北地区未来的地震危险性评价具有重要的意义。     

晚中更新世以来武威盆地沉积特征——基于WV3 钻孔的释光年代学研究

青藏高原东北缘河西走廊形成了一系列新生代盆地,是研究盆地沉积演化的重要区域。武威盆地位于河西走廊东部,盆地内沉积了较厚的新生代冲洪积地层。为了厘清武威盆地晚中更新世以来的沉积演化历史,笔者等在武威盆地石羊河中上游处钻取了长207 m的WV3 钻孔岩心,获得了上部17 m岩心的 19 个钾长石两步法 pIR200IR290 年龄和 2 个多步法 MET-pIRIR 年龄,结合粒度资料,重建了武威盆地石羊河流域中下游晚中更新世以来的光释光年代学框架和沉积历史。结果表明：两步法 pIR200IR290 和多步法MET-pIRIR年龄在误差范围内一致。220~128 ka时期,沉积速率最小,为 0.35 mm/ka,水动力条件较强,以侵蚀为主;128~108 ka (MIS 5d、MIS 5e) 时期沉积速率为 1.94 mm/ka,沉积物粒径由粗变细,表明此时水动力条件由强变弱;末次冰盛期到全新世早期 (19~9 ka) 沉积速率为2.78 mm/ka,沉积物粒径较细,表明此时水动力条件较弱,沉积速率最大,沉积为主。该地区新构造运动比较活跃,在末次间冰期至末次冰盛期期间存在逆冲活动。该研究对于揭示晚中更新世以来祁连山东北部石羊河流域沉积演化特征具有重要意义。     

光释光测年中石英样品提纯方法的改进

为了解决光释光前处理中遇到的传统方法无法获得满足纯度石英的问题,通过大量对比实验,结合玻璃工艺中石英分离研究成果,最后获得了新的石英提纯流程,与传统方法相比,新方法通过化学分离避免了密度变化对石英长石分离的影响,从而解决了斜长石和岩屑在传统的重液分离中无法剔除的问题,新方法能够获得满足纯度要求和量要求的石英,同时,新方法比传统方法实验室工作效率更高。     

OBSERVATIONS ON THE QUATERNARY GEOLOGY OF THE LADAKH RANGE, NORTHWEST INDIAN HIMALAYA

OBSERVATIONS ON THE QUATERNARY GEOLOGY OF THE LADAKH RANGE, NORTHWEST INDIAN HIMALAYA     

新疆昆仑山北坡风成沉积物TT-OSL测年可行性初探

对来自新疆昆仑山北坡于田克里雅河-皮山县一带的4个风成样品的细颗粒石英进行了热转移光释光法（TT-OSL）测试,以探讨该方法应用于该区域风成沉积测年的可行性。测试结果表明,这4个样品的TT-OSL信号均十分微弱,信噪比偏低,致使感量校正后的天然和再生剂量TT-OSL信号强度点散乱,难以拟合出高质量和高可靠性的生长曲线,因而也很难计算出一个可靠的D_e值。经研究后初步认为,TT-OSL法无法对新疆昆仑山北坡风成堆积物进行可靠的测年。      

河北坝上高原小滦河流域古土壤碳库地质成因和稳定性评价

土壤碳库是陆地生态系统中最大的碳库，以往研究主要针对现代土壤碳库，而古土壤的碳库特征研究相对薄弱。本文以河北坝上高原小滦河流域古土壤为研究对象，通过光释光（OSL）年代学、元素地球化学、团聚体分析方法，研究了风成沙地稀疏草地单元和河湖残积灌草混合单元内古土壤碳库特征。结果表明：古土壤形成时代为5. 7~3. 3 ka的全新世温暖期，气候温暖湿润，雨水充足，发育以松和蒿属为主要建群种的针叶林－草原植被。碳库以有机碳（SOC）为主，平均有机碳密度为3. 85 kg/m2，有机碳库储量为153. 1×107 kg。河湖相沉积物微团聚体的含量较高，对古土壤层碳库的物理保护作用较强，碳库稳定性较高；风积相沉积物微团聚体含量相对较低，加速有机碳的分解，碳库稳定性较差。提出不同沉积单元的土地利用保护方式，减少土壤有机碳的分解流失，支撑当地碳达峰、碳中和工作推进。     

汉江上游安康东段古洪水事件光释光测年研究

通过对汉江上游河谷广泛的野外考察,结合粒度和磁化率分析,证明汉江上游安康东段阶地剖面夹有两层典型的古洪水滞流沉积层,其记录了两期古洪水事件。选择该河段LSC两个剖面进行系统采样,对其进行了年代学和沉积学研究。应用单片再生法（SAR）光释光测年技术,获得其光释光年龄值,结合地层对比,确定这两期古洪水事件分别发生在距今13050~12270 a（对应BL+AL事件向着YD气候恶化事件转折阶段）和发生在距今1000~900 a左右,相当于我国历史上的北宋时代后期（A.D. 1000~1100）。通过与国内外多种高分辨率气候变化记录的对比分析,揭示了古洪水事件的发生与气候恶化转折时期,季风气候格局突变、气候波动不稳定、降水变率增大有密切关系,这对汉江上游水资源综合开发利用以及防洪减灾有着重要的意义。