Dust supply from river floodplains: the case of the lower Huang He (Yellow River) recorded in a loess–palaeosol sequence from the Mangshan Plateau

The Mangshan Plateau is located on the south bank of the Huang He (Yellow River) just west of the city of Zhengzhou, well outside the Loess Plateau in central China. Mixing models of the grain‐size data indicate that the loess deposits are mixtures of three loess components. Comparison of the mixing model with existing models established for a series of loess–palaeosol sequences from the Loess Plateau indicates that the Mangshan loess has been supplied from a proximal dust source, the Huang He floodplain, during major dust outbreaks. The high accumulation rates, the composition of the loess components, and especially the high proportions of a sandy loess component support this. Owing to the exceptionally high accumulation rates, the Mangshan grain size, magnetic susceptibility and carbonate records provide a high‐resolution archive of environmental and climate change. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

A 20‐ka climate record from Central Himalayan loess deposits

The southwest monsoon that dominated Central Himalaya has preserved loessic silt deposits preserved in patches that are proximal to periglacial areas. The occurrence of such silts suggests contemporary prevalence of cold and dry northwesterly winds. Field stratigraphy, geochemistry, mineral magnetism, infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and radiocarbon dating has enabled reconstruction of an event chronology during the past 20 ka. Three events of loess accretion could be identified. The first two events of loess deposition occurred betweem 20 and 9 ka and were separated by a phase of moderate weathering. Pedogenesis at the end of this event gave rise to a well‐developed soil that was bracketed around 9 to > 4 ka. This was followed by the third phase of loess accretion that occurred around 4 to > 1 ka. Episodes of loess deposition and soil formation are interpreted in terms of changes in the strength of the Indian southwest monsoon. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The paleogeographic implications of loess mounds: Laizhou Bay plain

The loess mounds are a newly discovered type of landforms on the Laizhou Bay plain south of the Bohai Sea. Research shows that they were formed in the late period of the late Pleistocene when the Bohai Sea was exposed in the period of late Wümu glacial age and changed into plain. As the exposed area is not protected by vegetation, the sediments at the sea bottom are blown and transported southward by strong north winds, and deposit on the coastal plains. As thick loess is accumulated, the loess mound landforms are formed in the direction of down wind.     

我国特殊岩土研究

本文分析，总结了我国特殊岩土理论与应用研究方面的新进展，内容涉及湿陷性黄土，软土膨胀岩土，红土，软岩和特殊土的结构性，指出需要进一步研究的问题，最后对特殊土的研究方法做了阐述。     

Causes of Land Subsidence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The occurrence of land subsidence in the Kingdom Saudi Arabia is either natural or man-made. Natural land subsidence occurs due to the development of subterranean voids by a solution of host rocks in carbonate and evaporite terrains, over many areas of Saudi Arabia. Man-induced land subsidence is either due to the removal of groundwater in the agricultural areas or to wetting of unstable soils. Therefore, earth fissures and a lowering of the ground surface in unconsolidated sediments took place in alluvial plains and volcanic vent terrains. Unstable soils include Sabkha soils and loess sediments. These types of soils occur in coastal plains, desert areas and volcanic terrains. When this soil is wetted either during agricultural activities, waste disposal or even during a rain storm, subsidence takes place due to either the removal of salts from the Sabkha soil or the rearrangement of soil particles in loess sediments.     

粘粒含量对甘肃黄土抗液化性能的影响

甘肃黄土是介于砂土与粘土之间的一种过渡性土壤,它具有砂土的某些特性,又具有粘土的某些特性,存在一定的粘塑性。通过对含粘粒黄土所做的实验研究,包括：粘粒含量不同的原状土样所做室内的动三轴试验、激光粒度分析试验、化学分析和电镜扫描,试验结果分析对比后,得出了含粘粒黄土抗液化性能的特性。并得出以下结论：（1）粘粒颗粒级配不同,也引起黄土动力稳定性的变化;（2）液化强度与粘粒含量并非呈单调增加关系,无论固结压力如何,粘粒含量Pc=15％左右时抗液化性能最低;（3）粘粒含量为一定值时,液化孔压比偏大,偏离这一值时,液化孔压比偏小。     

第四纪加积型红土与黄土的风成相似性探讨

粒度分析表明,第四纪加积型红土的粒度组成特征与黄土相似,其粒度组成以50 μm以下的粉沙和粘土组分为主,并且10～50 μm的风尘基本组分含量与黄土类似,该类型红土粒度组成存在明显的由北向南粘粒含量增加的空间变化规律;粒度组成的频率曲线研究表明,第四纪加积型红土主要呈现双峰和多峰的特征,表明其搬运营力的多元性,与西风区黄土类似;该类红土的稀土元素丰度以及Sr、Nd同位素组成也与北方风尘沉积相似.因此提出该类红土可称之为加积型红土,它与北方风成沉积存在风成相似性.     

原状非饱和黄土的三轴试验研究

利用特制的非饱和土三轴仪器,对不同含水量条件下原状非饱和黄土的强度和土-水特征曲线进行了试验研究。试验结果表明：非饱和黄土的抗剪强度随着含水量的不同而不同,含水量越大,非饱和黄土的基质吸力就越小,抗剪强度亦越小。含水量趋于饱和时,非饱和黄土的抗剪强度值逐渐接近于饱和黄土的强度值。原状非饱和黄土的抗剪强度均高于饱和黄土的抗剪强度。非饱和黄土的内摩擦角受含水量的影响不大。凝聚力受含水量的影响很大,含水率越大,基质吸力越小,总凝聚力越小。根据实验结果,提出了非饱和土的抗剪强度模型,该模型易于确定,与实测基本吻合,误差较小,满足非饱和黄土的强度计算要求。     

山东地区黄土研究综述

山东地区黄土开始堆积时期普遍较晚,目前已见的剖面中,以青州傅家庄剖面堆积厚度最大(30 m以上),起始堆积时间最早,出露的最老层位为L9,TL测年时间约为0.8 Ma B.P.。山东地区黄土成因类型多样,物质来源广泛,其岩性特征与其他地区的黄土有明显的差别;在本地区内部,黄土的差异也比较明显,大体可分为两大成因分布区:渤海湾滨海与岛屿区和鲁中山前区。前者黄土粒度较粗,且普遍含有海相微体化石,其物质来源主要为末次冰期时期出露的渤海陆架物质,西北气流携带而来的内陆远源物质占次要地位。而后者黄土类型成因多样,东部的潍坊、青州黄土分布区,受到末次冰期时强劲冬季风的影响,物质来源主要为北部出露的渤海湾,向西至淄博、济南地区则已逐渐过渡为西北内陆风尘物质成分占据主导。