Quaternary glacier development and the relationship between the climate change and tectonic uplift in the Helan Mountain

Isolated NE-SW stretching the Helan Mountain massif, separating the temperate grassland of the Ordos plateau from the Tenggeli Desert, is a key position of studying the glacier development in west China as well as the coupling conditions of climate change with tectonic uplift. The glacial landforms and deposits including cirques, peaks, knife-edge ridges, lateral moraines, and terminal moraines distribute above 2800 m a.s.l. in the middle part of the Helan Mountain. This distribution indicates that here was once glaciated during the late Quaternary. Morphology features show a clear sequence of landscape forming events took place throughout the Helan Mountain. Laboratory optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and accelerator mass spectrometry radio-carbon dating (AMS 14 C) results indicate a late history of glacial advance. Late Pleistocene glaciers in the middle part of the Helan Mountain advanced to near their positions at least four times, and the glacial sequences can be assigned as the middle stage of last glacial cycle (MIS3b, 43.2±4.0 ka), last glacial maximum (LGM, ~18 ka), late glacial (12.0±1.1 ka) and neo-glacial (3.4± 0.3 ka) respectively. Adopting equilibrium line altitude ~2980 m of last glacial maximum and the modern theoretical snowline altitude ~4724 m as the maximum amplitudes, and the standard marine isotope curve (MIS) as the glacial equilibrium line change since the Gonghe Movement (150 ka), the relationship between the mountain altitude and glacier development is discussed herein. Compared with other environmental indexes such as the loesspaleosol and ice core, conclusions are made that glacier advances in the Helan Mountain during the late Quaternary obviously depended on the coupled control of tectonic uplift of mountain with the climate condition. It is at last glaciation that the mountain reached the altitude above snowline and coupled with the glacial climate. The glacial advances occurred in the early and middle stages of last glacial cycle after the Gonghe Movement.     

Temperature variations on the Tibetan Plateau over the last two millennia

The paleoclimate data recovered from ice cores,tree rings and lake sediments indicate regional features of cfimatic change on the Tibeta n Plateau (TP) during the last 2000 years. The composite temperature reconstructions in-dicate that several main climatic episodes, such as the “LittleIce Age“ between 1400 and 1900, the “Medieval Warm Pe-riod“ in 1150-1400, a less warm period in 800-1100, and an earlier cold period between the 3rd and 5th centuries,occurred in the TP. In addition, temperature varied from region to region. The period from AD 800 to 1100, which waswarm in northeastern TP, was contemporaneous with cool-ing in the western and southern TP. The southern TP ex-perienced warming between 1150 and 1400. For western TP,the δ^18O records of the Guliya ice core indicate that the pe-Hod 1250-1500 witnessed a clear warming. Large-scaletrends in the temperature history from northeastern TP aremore similar to those in eastern China than are the trendsfrom the Guliya ice cap far to the west and southern TP. The most prominent similarities between the temperature varia-tions of the TP and eastern China are such cold phases as 1100-1150, 1500-1550, 1650-1700 and 1800-1850, andthe latter three cold events match with three widespreadg lacial advances which occurred on the TP during the Little Ice A2e.     

黄骅拗陷构造运动程式探讨

黄骅拗陷是勃中三叉裂谷系中的一支裂谷,其有地幔隆起,高热流和火山活动频繁有等特征。拗陷中发育着四套构造地层组合,对应着三个构造层次。裂谷盆地的演化经历了三个阶段不同方向的构造运动程式：(1)前裂谷阶段经受印支运动近南北向的挤压作用、燕山早期运动北西—南东向的挤压作用及燕山晚期运动北西西—南东东向的挤压作用等;(2)裂谷阶段经受两期裂陷作用,为北西—南东向和近南北向的引张作用;(3)压裂谷阶段裂谷萎缩引起的垂向下陷运动。     

Geology and palaeontology of the Late Miocene Middle Awash valley, Afar rift, Ethiopia.

The Middle Awash study area of Ethiopia's Afar rift has yielded abundant vertebrate fossils (approximately 10,000), including several hominid taxa. The study area contains a long sedimentary record spanning Late Miocene (5.3-11.2 Myr ago) to Holocene times. Exposed in a unique tectonic and volcanic transition zone between the main Ethiopian rift (MER) and the Afar rift, sediments along the western Afar rift margin in the Middle Awash provide a unique window on the Late Miocene of Ethiopia. These deposits have now yielded the earliest hominids, described in an accompanying paper and dated here to between 5.54 and 5.77 Myr. These geological and palaeobiological data from the Middle Awash provide fresh perspectives on hominid origins and early evolution. Here we show that these earliest hominids derive from relatively wet and wooded environments that were modulated by tectonic, volcanic, climatic and geomorphic processes. A similar wooded habitat also has been suggested for the 6.0 Myr hominoid fossils recently recovered from Lukeino, Kenya. These findings require fundamental reassessment of models that invoke a significant role for global climatic change and/or savannah habitat in the origin of hominids.     

Geologic relationships and geochronology of the Cenozoic volcanoes and interbedded weathered mantles of Yulinshan in Qiangtang, North Tibet

The Yulinshan accumulations of volcanic rocks and interbedded weathered mantles provide a unique chance for studying the processes and environment of the formation of the planation surface in central Tibetan Plateau. Geochemical,⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and K/Ar geochronologic investigations of the weathered mantles and high-potassium volcanic rocks reveal that the volcano-weathered mantle accumulations formed under arid or semi-arid subtropic environment in 30–24 Ma. The sole planation surface of the Qiangtang region finally formed in about 20 Ma.     

秭归庙河的第四纪冰川遗迹

描述了秭归庙河一带的冰斗、漂砾、冰川谷及冰水阶地等冰川遗迹,该古冰川的发现有利证实中纬度地区中低山第四纪时冰川运动的存在．为了探讨该地第四纪经冰川作用,从影响冰川形成的机制（降水、温度和雪线高度）出发,通过与庐山地区的气候特征对比,来进一步阐明秭归地区第四纪冰川作用．基于庙河阶地中钙结岩中δ^18O的分析,恢复了该地第四纪冰期时的古气温和降雨量,第四纪冰期时温度和降水分别为一3．1～＋3．2℃和776～1155mm,这种气候背景条件有利于低山冰川作用的形成,总结出庙河第四纪时的冰期．     

广东河谷地貌

广东河流从上游或源头区到中下游，上更新统为主的第一级阶地变形为半埋藏阶地，到三角洲再变形为埋藏阶地．阶地变形的动力：①冰后期海面回升使洋盆增荷下沉，从而牵引大陆沉降；②溯源堆积．燕山运动使先前的河流消失，所形成的向斜谷、断陷谷是最早的河谷，而横谷才是次成河并成为向斜谷、断陷谷的支流．顺着横谷方向没有红层盆地是横谷发育较晚的证据．由此判断东江形成最早，其次北江，西江最晚形成     

The recognition of adakite-type gneisses in the North Dabie Mountain and its implication to ultrahigh pressure metamorphic geology

Adakite[1] is an igneous rock generated by the partial melting of subducting ocean slab in an island arc setting. Meanwhile, residuals of the slab-melting are transformed to eclogite or garnet-amphibolite during a slab subduction process. This note reports the adakite-type grey gneisses discovered in the North Dabie Mountain. These adakitic rocks are characterized by high Al2O3 (14.97%-17.56%), Sr (545-941 μg/g), Sr/Y (44.71-218.98), La/Yb (16.70-97.50), and low Y (3.32-12.19?μg/g), Yb (0.31-1.34 μg/g), Sc (0.92-4.2 μg/g), as well as positive Sr anomaly but absent or positive Eu anomaly. They are different from the low aluminum grey gneisses with low Al2O3 (13.73%-14.38%), Sr (262-409μg/g), Sr/Y (6.46-15.97) and La/Yb (1.90-22.60), high Y(21.79- 36.24 μg/g), Yb (2.00-5.59 μg/g) , Sc (8.30%-12.70%), and negative Sr, Eu anomaly in the North Dabie Mountain. The adakite-type grey gneisses in the North Dabie Mountain were most probably formed by the partial melting of subducting ocean slab before the Indo-Chinese epoch. We suggest that the subducting of an ocean slab took place prior to the incorporation between the Yangtze and North China plates in the Indo-Chinese epoch, resulting in formation of adakite-type igneous rocks and some ultrahigh pressure eclogites related to the subducted ocean slab. Therefore, besides the ultrahigh pressure metamorphism of the Indo-Chinese epoch, some ultrahigh pressure ecoglits were most likely formed prior to the Indo-Chinese epoch in the Dabie Mountain. In addition, the adakite-type grey gneisses with arc origin occur in the North Dabie Mountain, inferring that the Yangtze plate subducted down below the North China plate and the main suture zone between the two plates was likely along the southern side to the North Dabie Mountain.     

嵩山夷平面研究

夷平面研究作为一个永远年轻的课题,在经过1890～1910年和1950～1970年两次研究高潮以后,目前再度成为国内外地学界研究的热点,正在酝酿着第三次研究高潮.本文在形态分析、构造分析和相关沉积分析的基础上,确定了嵩山山顶古平坦面是早第三纪晚期形成的夷平面,它可与华北以及全球陆地同期的地形面进行对比.     

Inland thinning of West Antarctic Ice Sheet steered along subglacial rifts

Current ice loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) accounts for about ten per cent of observed global sea-level rise. Losses are dominated by dynamic thinning, in which forcings by oceanic or atmospheric perturbations to the ice margin lead to an accelerated thinning of ice along the coastline. Although central to improving projections of future ice-sheet contributions to global sea-level rise, the incorporation of dynamic thinning into models has been restricted by lack of knowledge of basal topography and subglacial geology so that the rate and ultimate extent of potential WAIS retreat remains difficult to quantify. Here we report the discovery of a subglacial basin under Ferrigno Ice Stream up to 1.5?kilometres deep that connects the ice-sheet interior to the Bellingshausen Sea margin, and whose existence profoundly affects ice loss. We use a suite of ice-penetrating radar, magnetic and gravity measurements to propose a rift origin for the basin in association with the wider development of the West Antarctic rift system. The Ferrigno rift, overdeepened by glacial erosion, is a conduit which fed a major palaeo-ice stream on the adjacent continental shelf during glacial maxima. The palaeo-ice stream, in turn, eroded the 'Belgica' trough, which today routes warm open-ocean water back to the ice front to reinforce dynamic thinning. We show that dynamic thinning from both the Bellingshausen and Amundsen Sea region is being steered back to the ice-sheet interior along rift basins. We conclude that rift basins that cut across the WAIS margin can rapidly transmit coastally perturbed change inland, thereby promoting ice-sheet instability.     

Modern human behaviors during the late stage of the MIS3 and the broad spectrum revolution: Evidence from a Shuidonggou Late Paleolithic site

The last glacial period was vital for the distribution and evolution of early modern humans in Asia. The Shuidonggou Late Paleolithic site, dated at 30-20 ka BP, accumulated cultural remains during the important late stage of MIS 3 period in the last glacial. These remains represent characteristics of typical Late Paleolithic conditions in North China:high degree of standardization and morphological variability of tool types, exploitation of bone materials, systematic use of body decorations, extensive use of earth-pit hearths, distinct functional spatial organization within habitations, and conversion of subsistence patterns. These characteristics illustrate early modern human behaviors during the late MIS3 period, and provide clues and perspectives for the analysis of early modern human origins in China. At the same time, the conversion of subsistence patterns is considered to be a combination of multiple early modern human behaviors, as well as the result of the Broad Spectrum Revolution. In this paper, we argue for the dynamic mechanism of Broad Spectrum Revolution from a human behavioral and ecological perspective.     

Stratigraphic architecture of the Neoproterozoic glacial rocks in the “Xiang-Qian-Gui” region of the central Yangtze Block, South China

Recently ,theinterestinglowlatitudeandlowaltitudeSnowballEarthhypothesis[1,2 ] iswidelyreco gnized ,and greatlystimulatingthestudyoftheNeoproterozoicglaciations ,whichmaybecloselyre latedtothewell knownEarlyCambrianbio radiationevent.By 1980 ,theNeoproterozoicglaciationinSouthChinaisbelievedtobedividedintotwoglaciationsandoneinterglaciation[3～ 5] ,namely ,theearlyChang’anGlaciation ,lateNantuoGlaciationandFu luInterglaciation .However ,thereweredifferentwaysofcorrelation ,themostobvious…     

New evidence for human occupation of the northern Tibetan Plateau, China during the Late Pleistocene

The described stone artifacts are recovered from the 70 m-high terrace (4600 m a.s.l.) at the southeastern shore of the Siling Co on the northern Tibetan Plateau. The terrace was formed during the Interstadial period before the LGM, ca. 40-30 ka B.P. based on paleoenvironmental research. The Paleoliths from the Siling Co provide evidence for early human occupation of the northern Tibetan Plateau. They show technological and typological affinities with the European Middle Paleolithic suggesting that the early human occupation here might relate to migratory waves during the Late Pleistocene that dispersed humans across the Old World.     

对嵩山夷平面的再认识

夷平面是当代地貌学研究的一个重要课题之一,对于重建一个地区的地貌演化历史具有重要的意义．本文在形态分析、构造分析和相关沉积分析的基础上,确定了嵩山山顶古平坦面是早第三纪晚期形成的夷平面,它可与华北以及全球陆地同期的地形面进行对比。     

Sedimentary environments of the Cenozoic sedimentary debris found in the moraines of the Grove Mountains, east Antarctica and its climatic implications

During the field work of the 1998～1999's and 1999～2000's Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition (CHNARE) in the Grove Mountains, east Antarctica, some Cenozoic sedimentary debris are found in two terminal moraine banks over the blue ice near Harding Mount in the center of this region. All the debris are of characteristics of glaciogenic diamicton and belong to the products of the glacial movements of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. In this paper, the authors make a detailed study on the sedimentary environments of the sedimentary debris through petrologic, sedimentological, mineralogical, and geo-chemical methods. Characteristics of their sedimentary textures and structures, grain size distributions, quartz grains' surface textures and features, together with their geo-chemical compositions all show that these sedimentary rocks are a kind of subglacial lodgement tills which are deposited in the ice sheet frontal area by reactions of glacial movements and glaciogenic melt water. Their palaeoenvironmental implications in revealing the retreat history of East Antarctic Ice Sheet are discussed. The authors draw the conclusion from current study that the glacial frontal of the East Antarctica Ice Sheet might have been retreated to this area during the Pliocene Epoch, which represents a warm climate event accompanied by a large-scale ice sheet retreat in Antarctica at that time.     

Comments on the planation surface once more

The authors reviewed the research of planation surface in recent years and commented on the development of method and theory about the planation surface. Some aspects of research, such as the restrictive planation surface, the karst planation surface, the fossil planation surface, the dating of weathering crust, the research of weathering crust and environmental evolution, extremely enriched the method and theory of the planation surface. Besides, the authors pointed out that we must take further steps to study the following issues: the deformation of planation surface, the original height of planation surface, the recognition and contrast of the planation surface. The weathering crust and planation surface should be regarded as a whole, and it will still be a principal aspect in the future.     

青藏高原：全球气候变化的驱动机与放大器──Ⅱ．青藏高原隆起的基本过程

４０Ｍａ前印度板块与欧亚板块的碰撞导致了特提斯海的封闭和西藏成陆，但４０～２０ＭａＢＰ间地面很低。２０Ｍａ前的构造运动使青藏地区一些山地隆起，但而后又经历了长期的夷平，地貌与生物证据揭示，早上新世高原的高度仅约１０００ｍ。高原的强烈隆起开始于３．４Ｍａ前，这被高原内外普遍的砾岩堆积和盆地演化记录了下来。青藏高原东部盆地演化与大河流发育研究表明，至少有１０次强构造上升事件发生，它们分别开始于３．４、２．５、１．７、１．３、１．１、０．８、０．６、０．１４、０．０５和０．０１ＭａＢＰ。其中２．５、１．１、０．８、０．６和０．１４ＭａＢＰ五次上升事件对高原隆起十分重要。     

Late Pleistocene glaciation of the Changbai Mountains in northeastern China

The Changbai Mountains （2749 m a.s.l.） in northeastern China are one of the typical mountain regions with glaciation since late Pleistocene as evidenced by well-preserved erosive and accumulative landforms at elevations above 2000 m a.s.l, formed by glaciers around the crater lake, Tianchi Lake. Cirque glaciers developed on both the inner and outer sides of the volcanic cone. Well-preserved cirques, glacial trough valleys, glacial threholds, polished surfaces of the glacial erratics and the moraine ridges indicate that several glaciation processes took place during the last glacial period in this region. Resuits of optically stimulated luminescence （OSL） dating on the moraine sediments, and the K/Ar, thermal ionization mass spectrometry （TIMS）, electronic spinning resonance （ESR） dating on the volcanic rocks suggest two periods of glacier advances. One is named the Black Wind Mouth glacier advance taking place on the west and north slopes of the volcanic cone at an elevation of 2000-2100 m a.s.l., which is dated to about 20 ka, being the result of the Last Glacial Maximum （LGM）. The other is named the Meteorological Station glacier advance at the elevation of 2400-2600 m a.s.l., dated to 11 ka during the late glacial period, and is tentatively correlated to the Younger Dryas stage. The scope of the former glacier advance is larger than that of the latter. Regional comparisons showed that the glacial sequences in the Changbai Mountains are similar to other glaciated areas in eastern Asia during the later part of the last glacial cycle.     

南极埃默里冰架"松动牙齿"冰裂缝内冰雪填充物监测

冰架裂缝的冰雪填充物（Mélange）分布和变化受冰架变化的影响，同时会影响冰架的稳定性．2019年9月25日，东南极埃默里冰架“松动牙齿”裂缝系统发生崩解，形成了面积>1 600 km2的冰山，裂缝内的填充物出现部分流失．采用Landsat-8卫星光学数据和哨兵1号卫星SAR影响数据，结合CryoSat-2卫星测高数据和南极参考高程模型计划（REMA) 8 m分辨率DEM产品，对埃默里冰架“松动牙齿”裂缝L1、T1、T2的填充物表面形态特征及其变化进行了定量评估．结果显示:T1裂缝填充物的高程平均高于T2裂缝，表面起伏变化更明显；2016—2018年L1裂缝系统填充物高程逐年降低；在诸多影响因素中，冰流缝合区的存在对填充物冰厚度的影响不容忽视；裂缝中填充物的存在很可能促进裂缝的延伸发育．      

崂山古冰川遗迹的地质证据

崂山是中国海岸线上的最高峰。研究发现，崂山发育有典型的古冰川侵蚀和堆积地貌，拥有我国东部罕见的冰碛海岸和冰碛扇等地貌类型。更新世期间，崂山至少发育过4次古冰川作用。更新世早期，崂山东部的雪线为60-90m（现代海拔），崂山及其周围共发育60余条古冰舌，东部的冰舌一直伸入黄海之中。孢粉组合特征说明，崂山在冰期具备形成冰川的气候条件；堆积物粒度曲线显示为冰川成因的沉积特征。研究还发现，中国东部的古冰川遗迹可能大部分被埋藏起来；区域地形特征和当地气候条件是决定雪线高度的关键因素。