Structural characteristics of middle and southern Xainza-Dinggye Normal Fault System and its relationship to Southern Tibetan Detachment System

The Xainza-Dinggye Normal Fault System (XDNFS) is a large-scale nearly-north-south trending extensional structure across central and southern Tibet. Its middle segment developed in Tethys Himalaya with features of earlier magmatic core complex and later normal faults dipping moderately to northwest-west. The magmatic core complex is made up by mylonitic leucogrante with a low-angle detachment fault on the top of it and overlain by lower-grade meta-sedimentary rocks. The structural pattern of the southern segment of XDNFS take the shape of a detachment fault dipping to southeast-east with the High-Himalayan rock series as the lower plate. The Southern Tibetan Detachment System (STDS) is expressed as a ductile shear zone composed of mylonitic leucogranite in the studied area of this note. STDS was cut by the later XDNFS, which presents that nearly-east-west striking STDS is not the controlling or adjusting structure of the nearly-north-south trending extensional structures. The origin of nearly-north-south trending extensional structures in Tibet may be the result of deform ational partition of north-south compression.     

Using ~(137)Cs tracing technique to estimate wind erosion rates in the typical steppe region, northern Mongolian Plateau

Wind erosion is one of the major factors of land degradation in the typical steppe region, northern Mongolian Plateau. Using 137Cs tracing technique, we estimated the wind erosion rates of different pastures and abandoned farmland at Bayannur and Karakorum in Mongolia. The pastures and cutting grassland at Bayannur were slightly eroded by wind, with the rates of 64.58-169.07 t·km?2·a?1. The abandoned farmland in Karakorum, however, was strongly eroded by wind, with annual surface soil loss of 4.05 mm·a?1, and wind erosion rates up to 6723.06 t·km?2·a?1. The total loss of surface soil due to wind erosion has been 17.4 cm since the cultivation of the steppe land in the 1960s. The wind ero- sion rate at the abandoned farmland was much higher than that at the typical steppe sites, showing that the cultivation led to serious wind erosion in the typical steppe region, northern Mongolian Plateau. By contrast, traditional livestock grazing resulted in less disturbance to the surface soil, and did not in- duce to devastating wind erosion, which plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the steppe ecosystem in the northern Mongolian Plateau.     

Estimation of wind erosion rates by using ~(137)Cs tracing technique:A case study in Tariat-Xilin Gol transect, Mongolian Plateau

Wind erosion is one of the major environmental problems in semi-arid and arid regions. Here we es- tablished the Tariat-Xilin Gol transect from northwest to southeast across the Mongolian Plateau, and selected seven sampling sites along the transect. We then estimated the soil wind erosion rates by using the ~(137)Cs tracing technique and examined their spatial dynamics. Our results showed that the ~(137)Cs inventories of sampling sites ranged from 265.63±44.91 to 1279.54±166.53 Bq·m~(-2), and the wind erosion rates varied from 64.58 to 419.63 t·km~(-2)·a~(-1) accordingly. In the Mongolia section of the transect (from Tariat to Sainshand), the wind erosion rate increased gradually with vegetation type and climatic regimes; the wind erosion process was controlled by physical factors such as annual precipitation and vegetation coverage, etc., and the impact of human activities was negligible. While in the China section of the transect (Inner Mongolia), the wind erosion rates of Xilin Hot and Zhengxiangbai Banner were thrice as much as those of Bayannur of Mongolia, although these three sites were all dominated by typical steppe. Besides the physical factors, higher population density and livestock carrying level should be responsible for the higher wind erosion rates in these two regions of Inner Mongolia.     

Ozone mini-hole occurring over the Tibetan Plateau in December 2003

Since the Antarctic ozone-hole was discovered[1], the ozone depletion in stratosphere and its effect on climate and environment have become the global focus[2-6]. In China, since Zhou et al.[7] in 1994 and later Zou[8] dis- covered the total ozone valley …     

Discovery of eclogite and its geological significance in Qiangtang area, central Tibet

Eclogites have been found in the margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau respectively since the 1990s. First Eocene eclogite from Himalayan belt was discov- ered in Kaghan valley, northern Pakistan in 1991, in which coesite was identified[1,2]. Then two eclog…     

论草地建设在黄土高原地区生态环境建设中的战略地位

我国黄土高原地区当前植被稀疏,生态环境恶劣,由于人类历史时期这一地区之天然植被中草原占有较大面积,所遭受的人为活动的破坏也最为显著;加上经多年实践,一批适生草类在黄土高原地区生态环境变得十分严酷的山塬丘陵与风沙滩地比造林易于成活,改善生态环境与造林立地条件之功用易于见效,在经济上也易于获得回报,因而在这一地区实施绿色屏障方略、再造秀美山川之生态环境建设系统工程中,人工种草实处于奠基础的重要战略地位,应通过采取加强宣传教育、制订工作规划、认真管理、加强科学技术研究与指导等措施,大规模推行实施。     

Age dating of lacustrine sediments in Lake Tianshuihai of the Tibetan Plateau by using U-series isochron method and its significance

The age of the clastic-clay sediments with varied content of carbonate in core TS95 taken from the Lake Tianshuihai in the northwest of the Tibetan Plateau was determined successfully by using the total sample dissolution U-series isochron method for the first time. With this method, the serial absolute timescale (isotope time scale) covered the last 240 ka in the main body of the Tibetan Plateau with a sea level up to 4000 m is also established for the first time, thereby laying the foundation for the research on the paleoclimate and palaeoenvironment in the Lake Tianshuihai region as well as the relationship between evolution of the Tibetan Plateau and global changes. In addition to a brief introduction of the basic principles, the procedures of experiments, and the results, this note also presents the adaptability and superiority of this method as well as its possible problems.     

Magnetostratigraphy and pavleo-environmental record of Tertiary deposits of Lanzhou Basin

The Tertiary deposits of the Yongdeng section, the Lanzhou Basin were studied by means of magnetostrati-graphy. The magnetostratigraphic sequences from Paleocene to Miocene were established, and the time scale for the corresponding stratigraphy and mammalian faunas was also established by referring to their correlation to the GPTS of BKSA95 (The geomagnetic polarity time scale which was thoroughly revised and updated by Berggreen et al. in 1995). In the end the paleoenvironmental records and their relationship with the uplifting of the Tibetan Plateau were discussed. The results are as follows. The top boundary of the Xiliugou Formation is dated to be 51 Ma, i.e. Eocene. TheYehucheng Formation covers the time span of 51-31.5 Ma, i.e. from late Early Eocene to early Early Oligocene. The Xianshuihe Formation covers the time span of 31.5-15 Ma, i.e. from Early Oligocene to Middle Miocene. The lower member of the Xianshuihe Formation spans from 31.5 to 20.0 Ma, i.e. from Early Oligocene to early Early Miocene. The middle member is from 20.0 to 16.5 Ma, i.e. in the middle Early Miocene.     

Magnetostratigraphy of Late Tertiary sediments from the Chinese Loess Plateau and its paleoclimatic significance

The Late Tertiary red clay/bed sediments underlying the Quaternary loess-paleosol in the Chinese Loess Plateau possesses high-resolution paleoclimatic changes related to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Magnetostratigra-phy and susceptibility measurements are discussed in this paper. The paleomagnetic results show that the red clay/bed began to accumulate at about 8.1 Ma, which represents the oldest Late Tertiary deposit continuously in the central Loess Plateau. The magnetic susceptibility curves show stepwise increases since the initiation of red clay, superimposed on several peaks. Moreover, the magnetic susceptibility increased abruptly since 3.8 Ma, which probably indicates the inception of the modern East Asia monsoon system. Between 3.8 and 2.6 Ma, the stepwise increases of susceptibility may imply progressively intensified East Asia summer monsoon activity related with the stepwise uplift process of the Tibetan Plateau.     

西藏札达盆地构造与沉积特征

札达盆地位于青藏高原南西部,是发育于喜马拉雅山内部的盆地。盆地北东侧以阿依拉日居断裂为边界,该断裂属逆冲性质。西北边界为曲松断裂,为一拆离断层。盆地西南主边界为藏南拆离系（STDS）,是盆地主控构造。盆地内部沉积了巨厚的第三纪地层,可以分为上下2个部分,即上部的湖相沉积和下部的河湖交互相沉积。湖相沉积是以泥岩为主的巨厚沉积;河湖交互相沉积以砾岩层的出现为标志,可分为3个沉积旋回。札达盆地的主控构造为伸展构造,但同时经受了垂直于造山带的挤压作用。