Do multiple cycles of aeolian deposit-pedogenesis exist in the reticulate red clay sections in southern China？

The Xiangyang reticulate red clay section was newly sampled in high-resolution. The viewpoints different from the previous studies^[1-7] are put forward after studying Munsell color values, weathering degrees, magnetic parameters and stable carbon isotopic compositions of the section.They are as follows: (1) The curves of hue, DCB extracted iron (Fed), DCB extracted iron/total iron ratio (Fed/Fet),weathering index (BA) of the section show that the redness is not significantly correlated with the weathering degree of the layers though the uppermost yellow-brown-colored layer is relatively weakly weathered. The variation in hues of the section is possibly attributed to the change of hematite and goethite contents. It is insufficient to determine the existence of the multiple deposit-pedogenesis cycles in the section, like the Ioess-paleosol sequence in Chinese Loess Plateau, only by the color variation. (2) Magnetic susceptibility (X) values in the non-reticulate and weakly reticulate layers are high; but are quite low in the reticulate red clay layer. The former are more than ten times higher than the latter because of the leaching and collapse of superparamagnetic (SP) and stable single domain (SSD) magnetic particles during the plinthitic processes. Hence, X values in the section are not controlled by weathering and pedogenic processes, and no longer have clear paleoclimatic implication. It is not correct to prove the existence of the multiple deposit-pedogenesis cycles in the section using X curves. (3) The organic δ^13C curve of the section illustrates the reduction of forests and increasing of C4 plants in the study area since the late stage of the Quaternary period. It could not prove the existence of the multiple deposit-pedogenesis cycles in the section either. (4) As a matter of fact, it is difficult to prove the existence of the multiple deposit-pedogenesis cycles in the Xiangyang section like the Ioess-paleosol sequence in Chinese Loess Plateau using the evidence available currently.     

Grain-size evidence for multiple origins of the reticulate red clay in southern China

The loess-paleosol sequences in Chinese Loess Plateau record the multi-cyclic paleo-climatic changes in the Quaternary period[1]. Presently, what interests people most is that at what degrees and scales the climates in southern China had corresponded to the alternating changes be-tween the glacial and interglacial climates in northern China in the Quaternary period. Many researchers[2―10] hope to find some potential Quaternary sediment materials in southern China, just as the loess-paleoso…     

Mid-Pleistocene vermiculated red soils in southern China as an indication of unusually strengthened East Asian monsoon

A paleosol unit, referred to as vermiculated red soil (VRS), widely distributes in the region south of the Yangtze River. It is characterized by red and white veins, easy to be identified in the fields, and is usually considered a stratigraphic marker. VR…     

Is there any amphidromic point of S_2 constituent around the Natuna Islands in the southern South China Sea?

The discrepancies that if there is any amphidromic point of S2 constituent and its location if there is around the Natuna Islands in the southern South China Sea have suspended for a long time, however, there is always no convincing research to settle them up to now. The TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1 altimeters have been providing a long-term sea surface height data, which can be used to calculate the constants of tidal constituents along the satellite footprint with the harmonic analysis method. Based on more than 12 years altimetry data from T/P and Jason-1, the character of phase lags from harmonic analysis is used to identify if there is a S2 am-phidromic point around the Natuna Islands. The result shows that there is no S2 amphidromic point instead of a nodal line of a standing wave, and the amplitude of S2 constituent is close to zero along the nodal line.     

Zircon U-Pb dating for the earliest Neoproterozoic mafic magmatism in the southern margin of the North China Block

Geological records of Neoproterozoic magmaticevents have recently been identified in the central Phanerozoic orogenic belts of China[1]. In regions of east Qinling orogen[2], Dabie-Sulu orogen[3], north Qaidam Basin orogen[4―6], and southwest Tarim Basin…     

Pleistocene precession forcing of the upper ocean structure variations of the southern South China Sea

The precession plays a dominant role in driving the tropical monsoon variations. Our high resolution, millennial scale marine isotope records from ODP Site 1143 in the southern South China Sea (SCS) present the detailed history of the upper ocean structure variations over the past 1.56 Ma on glacial/interglacial timescale. The cross spectral analyses between the Earth's orbital variations and the isotopic differences reveal a high coherency between the East-Asian-monsoon-related thermocline and nutricline variations of the SCS and the precession. The variations of monsoon-related isotopic difference between species also demonstrate periodicities of 11-, 12- and 14- thousand years near semi-precession which originates in the tropics, highlighting the importance of the precession in driving the east Asian monsoon changes.     

Discovery of a large area of ice-wedge networks in Ordos： Implications for the southern boundary of permafrost in the north of China as well as for the environment in the latest 20 kaBP

Deep sea deposits, ice cores and loess deposits have been used extensively and successfully, to study global climatic changes. Since permafrost is a consequence of cold climates, indicators of permafrost can also be used to reconstruct ancient climates in certain areas during certain periods. The recent discovery of large areas of ice wedge networks, and determination of their ages, have enabled us to locate the southern boundary of the permafrost that ex-isted in China about 20 thousand years…     

Distribution characteristics of magnetic susceptibility of the surface sediments in the southern Yellow Sea

The characteristic distributions of magnetic susceptibility (MS) are analyzed on the basis of susceptibility of 172 surface sediment samples in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS). The preliminary results are as follows: first, the distributions clearly correspond to different modern sediment assemblages in the continental sea, which indicates different sediment origins. With the 30 μCGS isoline being taken as demarcation line, the study area can then be divided into section H (high MS value area) and section L (low MS value area). Section H is mainly adjacent to land with two main sources of the Changjiang River and the Huanghe River.Section L is mainly an eddy sediment area, where Yellow Sea Cold Water is entrenched all the year round. The distribution pattern of MS could tell apart strong or weak hydrodynamic conditions and has a close relation to the circulation system in this area. At the areas of the SYS Circumfluent and northern East China Sea (NECS) Circumfluent (weak hydrodynamic), the MS has low values, while in the areas of Coastal Current (strong hydrodynamic), the values are high.At the same time, the oxidizing areas tend to take on higher MS, while the reducing areas have lower one. It seems safe to say that the MS in the continental sea reflects more of the sediment origin and sedimentary environment, which is different from that of loess, lake and surface soil as a climate proxy.     

Pure CO2 fluids in the Sarekoubu gold deposit at southern margin of Altai Mountains in Xinjiang, West China

Sarekoubu gold deposit occurs in metamorphosed acid volcanic rocks and volcaniclastic rocks of Devonian Kangbutiebao Formation along the southern margin of Altai Mountains in Xinjiang, West China. Pyritization, silicification and carbonatization are developed in wallrocks, and main gold mineralization stages are pyrite-quartz stage (Ⅱ)and polymetallic sulfide stage (Ⅲ). Primary fluid inclusions are often seen in main gold mineralization stages, which are almost pure CO2 liquid inclusions (Lco2) under room temperature with high densities of 0.85--1.07 g/cm^3. CO2-rich inclusions (Lco2-LH2O) and H2O-rich inclusions (LH2O-LCo2)are subordinate. Fluid inclusions in stage Ⅰ (polymetallic sulfide stage) are more complex than in stage Ⅱ, containing CO2-CH4 system with -78.1-61.9℃ of solid CO2 melting temperatures and -33.7-17.7℃ of partial homogenization temperatures. The trapping pressures of high densities are estimated to be 150-350 MPa. Laser Raman microprobe was used to confirm the composition of pure CO2 liquid inclusions. δ^13C values of CO2 inclusions range from -10.73‰ to -21.15‰, which are similar to some of fluids in the mantle-derived minerals that contain surface organic carbon by subduction recycling. These characteristics differ from many hydrothermal gold deposits. CO2 fluids have a regional source related to post-collisional orogeny.     

The worm-shaped veins in the red earth of South China——Pedological evidence for root traces of past forest

Field observation of the macromorphology and analyses of micromorphology and geochemistry were conducted to the worm-shaped veins (WSVs) in the red earth of South China. The WSVs exhibit outward features of root traces and contain the traces of stele that can be used as the definite evidence of root traces. Surrounding the worm-shaped veins there are some micro-features pressed by past root growth. Geochemical analyses indicate that the white part in the WSV was depleted in Fe content. These lines of evidence suggest the WSVs in the red earth of South China are the root traces of past forest.     

Is there any amphidromic point of S2 constituent around the Natuna Islands in the southern South China Sea？

The discrepancies that if there is any amphidromic point of S2 constituent and its location if there is around the Natuna Islands in the southem South China Sea have suspended for a long time, however, there is always no convincing research to settle them up to now. The TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1 altimeters have been providing a long-term sea surface height data, which can be used to calculate the constants of tidal constituents along the satellite footprint with the harmonic analysis method. Based on more than 12 years altimetry data from T/P and Jason-1, the character of phase lags from harmonic analysis is used to identify if there is a S2 amphidromic point around the Natuna Islands. The result shows that there is no S2 amphidromic point instead of a nodal line of a standing wave, and the amplitude of S2 constituent is close to zero along the nodal line.     

Overpressure distribution and pressuring mechanism on the southern margin of the Junggar Basin, Northwestern China

The south margin of the Junggar Basin, Northwest- ern China, lies on the northern piedmont of the Tian- shan Mountains. From the Permian to the Quaternary, this area has been continuously subsiding, resulting in a large topographic depression for continental-type flu- vial and lacustrine deposits. The sediments consist of interlayers of conglomerate, sand, silt and shale. Their total thickness reaches about 15000 m. Since the Neo-gene Period, the basin has been susceptible to the com- pres…     

Discovery of Late Carboniferous strata and their tectonic significance in the southern margin of the North China Block （Huoqiu and Gushi areas）

Late Carboniferous fossils （such as Boultonia？ sp., Tabulata, and spiriferoid specimens with smooth she/Is）, bioclastic material （such as crinoid stems and sponge fragments）, and Late Ordovician microfossils of the conodont Belodina have been discovered in the lower part of the strata typically referred to as the Neoproterozoic on the boundary of the provinces of Anhui and Henan in the southern margin of the North China Block. These findings prove that the strata contain macrofossils belonging to the Late Carboniferous, which belonged to a carbonate debris flow deposit that was formed under a carbonate slope environment. The conodont fossils might belong to a detrital deposit. Thus, it is possible to reset the stratigraphic sequences and tectonic attributes belonging to the North Huaiyang tectonic belt and limit the Shouxian fault to the boundary between the Dabie Orogen and North China Block.     

Preservation of black carbon in the shelf sediments of the East China Sea

Concentrations and carbon isotopic(14C,13C) compositions of black carbon(BC) were measured for three sediment cores collected from the Changjiang River estuary and the shelf of the East China Sea. BC concentrations ranged from 0.02 to 0.14 mg/g(dry weight) ,and accounted for 5% to 26% of the sedimentary total organic carbon(TOC) pool. Among the three sediment cores collected at each site,sediment from the Changjiang River estuary had relatively high BC contents compared with the sedi-ments from the East China Sea shelf,suggesting that the Changjiang River discharge played an im-portant role in the delivery of BC to the coastal region. Radiocarbon measurements indicate that the ages of BC are in the range of 6910 to 12250 years old B.P.(before present) ,that is in general,3700 to 9000 years older than the 14C ages of TOC in the sediments. These variable radiocarbon ages suggest that the BC preserved in the sediments was derived from the products of both biomass fire and fossil fuel combustion,as well as from ancient rock weathering. Based on an isotopic mass balance model,we calculated that fossil fuel combustion contributed most(60%―80%) of the BC preserved in these sediments and varied with depth and locations. The deposition and burial of this "slow-cycling" BC in the sediments of the East China Sea shelf represent a significant pool of carbon sink and could greatly influence carbon cycling in the region.     

The age of the “old red sand” on the coasts of south Fujian and west Guangdong, China

The sedimentary strata and deposition ages of the “old red sand” distributed along the coasts of south Fujian and west Guangdong are determined by lithostratigraphy, magnetic stratigraphy and earth chemistry combined with TL, ESR and¹⁴C-dating techniques. The research shows that the “old red sand” was aeolian sediments deposited from 55 400 to 9 000 aBP, the last glacial period in the middle and later age of Late Pleistocene. Most of them deposited in two periods of 56-42 ka and 30-10 ka. The “old red sand” deposited in the period of 30-10 ka, the later Würm glacier substage (Q ₃ ³ ), developed on the largest scale with the widest distribution.     

Progress in researching into the transition of the Mesozoic tectonic systems in southeast China

This paper presents the latest progress made on the research of Mesozoic tectonic system transition from the E-W paleo-Tethyan tectonic domain into NE-NNE western Pacific domain in southeast China. Tectonism of the west Pacific domain began at middle Jurassic (J₂) and formed a set of NE-trending structures, non-coaxially overprinting on E-trending tectonic belts which may be early and coevally produced by the paleo-Tethyan domain. Thus began the tectonic domain transition from the E-trending paleo-Tethyan to the NE-trending Pacific and fully finished at the early Cretaceous. The eastern Nanling area was a junction zone of the transition at middle Jurassic (J₂), and ever since the junction zone might obliquely migrate to the coastal region, where is the east part of this study area. To the north of the Nanling area, the Ganjiang Fault Zone was the boundary between two tectonic domains. Corresponding to the transition of tectonic system, the geodynamics of SE China changed from a compressional system to an extensional system, which continued until the end of Mesozoic-Tertiary.     

Estimation of soil respiration in a paddy ecosystem in the subtropical region of China

Water vapor, energy exchange, and CO2 flux were measured continuously from 2003 to 2005 using the eddy covariance technique in a paddy ecosystem in the subtropical region of China. The CO2 fluxes at nighttime during fallow periods (from middle October to late April) were used to analyze the dynamics of soil respiration and its relationship with soil temperature, and to simulate the annual dynamics of soil respiration in paddy ecosystems. The variation of soil respiration showed a clear seasonal pattern. The soil respiration rates at night during the fallow periods were 52―398 mg·m-2·h-1, and exponen- tially correlated (P<0.001) with soil temperatures at different depths of soil (5, 10, and 20 cm), particularly the temperature measured at a depth of 5 cm. Based on the simulated exponential equations developed, annual average soil respiration rates and total soil respiration of paddy soil in the subtropical region of China were estimated to be 178.5―259.9 mg·m-2·h-1 and 1.56―2.28 kg·m-2·a-1, respectively. The simulation equations can be applied to evaluating soil respiration in paddy ecosystems during the rice-growing season.     

Application of the moist vorticity vector in the analysis of a heavy rainfall event in North China

The moist vorticity vector (MVV), defined as (ζa×▽qv)/ρ introduced by Gao et al. is used to study a heavy rainfall event in North China. The MVV has zonal, meridional and vertical components in a three-dimensional framework. Analysis of domain-mean and mass-integrated quantities shows that the variation of the vertical component of the MVV closely follows the variation of the cloud hydrometeors, with a linear correlation coefficient of 0.95, indicating that the vertical component of the MVV is strongly associated with midlatitude convection. Further analysis shows that the vertical component of the MVV reflects the interaction between the horizontal vorticity and the horizontal specific humidity gradient, which can associate dynamic and thermodynamic processes with cloud microphysical processes. Thus, this study can help to understand how the interaction between circulations and clouds aids the development of convection, and the MVV can be used to trace the development and evolution of heavy rainfall.     

Estimation of soil respiration in a paddy ecosystem in the subtropical resion of China

Water vapor, energy exchange, and CO2 flux were measured continuously from 2003 to 2005 using the eddy covariance technique in a paddy ecosystem in the subtropical region of China. The CO2 fluxes at nighttime during fallow periods （from middle October to late April） were used to analyze the dynamics of soil respiration and its relationship with soil temperature, and to simulate the annual dynamics of soil respiration in paddy ecosystems. The variation of soil respiration showed a clear seasonal pattern. The soil respiration rates at night during the fallow periods were 52--398 mg· m^-2· h^-1, and exponentially correlated （P〈0.001） with soil temperatures at different depths of soil （5, 10, and 20 cm）, particularly the temperature measured at a depth of 5 cm. Based on the simulated exponential equations developed, annual average soil respiration rates and total soil respiration of paddy soil in the subtropical region of China were estimated to be 178.5--259.9 mg· m^-2· h^-1 and 1.56--2.28 kg· m^-2· a^-1, respectively. The simulation equations can be applied to evaluating soil respiration in paddy ecosystems during the rice-growing season.