Dating and genesis of the upper Weihe River terraces in Longxi basin,China

Seven terraces along the Weihe River in Longxi basin have been investigated. These terraces all consist of archetypal duality in structure, namely the floodplain deposits and the layer of gravels overlaid by varying thickness of the loess. By resorting to various dating approaches such as palaeomagnetic, optically stimulated luminescenece (OSL), 14C and loess-paleosol sequence, we provide preliminary timing of these seven terraces along upper Weihe River. Analysis on sedimentation characteristics and dating of these terraces showed that seven terraces may be jointly generated by tectonic uplifts and climatic changes. Tectonic uplifts may accommodate initial river incision, and climatic change may be responsible for processes of subsequent channel widening and aggradation. Aggradation normally occurs during glacial periods, in contrast to down-cuttings during transitions from glacial to interglacial period. Moreover, on the basis of the timings and heights of these terraces, we infer that the long-term rate of river incision was determined to be 0.2 m/kyr during the last 870 kyr, which differs from other river incision rates. This discrepancy may reflect spatio-temporal differentiation of tectonic activities in the Qinling orogenic belt during the Pleistocene.     

Paragenesia of Quaternary pediments and river terraces on the north piedmont of Wutai Mountains

A study has been made of the paragenetic relations of the pediments and river terraces on the northern piedmont of Wutai Mountains via geomorphologic mapping of 1:10000 scale, and an analysis on the role of tectonic, climatic, and drainage factors in the parageneses. The Quaternary pediments and river terraces on the north piedmont of Wutai Mountains united to constitute six steps of geomorphic surfaces. The episodic uplifting of fault blocks was the dominant factor in the formation of the unified surfaces, however climatic change and drainage diversities led to undulation of the surfaces. The second terrace of Yangyan River (T2) was formed in the last glacial maximum, when the river was in aggradational state. The third to fifth terraces were formed in interglacial stages, when the river was in equilibrium or degradational state. It is inferred that climate had no insignificant effect on the river incision caused by tectonic uplifting. In light of terraces dating, since the Quaternary the Wutai fault-block mountains experienced six rapid uplifting events, and the starting time of the last four events was respectively 1.2, 0.6, 0.13, and 0.02 Ma B.P.     

Age and genesis of the Shagou River terraces in eastern Qilian Mountains

The fluvial terrace sequence in eastern Qilian Mountains is a record of periodic uplift events of the Tibetan Plateau. Based on paleomagnetic dating, thermolumines-cence dating, radio carbon dating and loess-paleosol sequence on terraces, we preliminarily determine the ages of five major terraces of the Shagou River, northern side of the Qilian Mountains. The ages of five terraces were about 830, 418, 250,140 and 10 ka, respectively. Analysis on characteristics of terraces show that five major terraces were mainly tectonic genesis. Therefore, five major terraces recorded five strong rising events in the Qilian Mountains during the past 830 ka. The ages of those rising events are about the same as those terraces formation. Sub-terraces, constituting a main terrace, were perhaps mainly formed by climatic changes.     

黄河中游的地貌与地文期问题

上起积石峡下至三门峡的黄河中游地区在晚新生代期间发育了一级夷平面、一级剥蚀面和七级河流阶地。夷平面形成于２．４Ｍａ以前的晚第三纪，剥蚀面形成于２．４～１．８Ｍａ Ｂ．Ｐ的第四纪初期；黄河的七级阶地分别是开始于１３００、１１００、７８０、５９０、１４０、５０、１０ｋａ Ｂ．Ｐ的河流下切形成的，其原因在于构造的脉动式上升。基于上述研究成果，我们将每一地貌面形成的时期定义为一个地文期，它与其后因构造运动     

粤北锦江扶溪段河流阶地的光释光测年

南岭是我国重要的自然地理分界线和东亚季风环流屏障，第四纪期间粤北山地发育的多级河流阶地是研究南岭构造运动与气候变化的良好地质载体。粤北锦江扶溪段保留了5级阶地，运用光释光（OSL）技术对T2到T5级阶地的砾石层进行了测年，并从气候和构造角度分析了阶地成因。结果显示:T3形成于67 ka，对应于深海氧同位素的MIS4阶段；T2形成于51 ka，对应于MIS3b阶段；阶地沉积层堆积于冷期，气候变化影响着河流的侧蚀、堆积和下切作用交替进行，而新构造运动的构造抬升发动了足够的下切量使锦江扶溪段依次下切17 m、19 m、12 m和10 m形成T5、T4、T3和T2；南岸的河谷下切速率为0.3 mm/a，大于2倍的流域现代侵蚀速率，地貌发育符合年轻山地的抬升-下切-侵蚀模式。     

祁连山东段冲积扇的发育时代及其成因

第四纪期间祁连山东段山麓地带广泛发育了多级冲积扇,它们是研究区域构造抬升与气候变化最为直接的载体.本文主要通过ESR,IRSL以及14C等绝对测年手段对该区冲积扇的形成年代进行研究,结果表明祁连山东段北麓最高级冲积扇形成于0.85 MaBP,而毛毛山南麓的最高级冲积扇形成于0.43 MaBP.随后各地又相继发育了0.25,0.16,0.06,0.01 MaBP等多级冲洪积台地.根据主要冲积扇的形成年代及其与区域构造气候事件的对比,认为它们是构造运动与气候变化共同作用的产物.     

Terrace dating as an archive of the run-through of the Sanmen Gorges

Analysis of morphological properties in the Sanmen Gorges region of the Yellow River shows that four river terraces have been developed at the entrance to the gorges. Commonly, thick aeolian loess-paleosol sequence was deposited on the terraces, which makes it easy to date the terraces. The dating of paleomagnetic, loess-paleosol sequence matching and thermoluminescence show that terraces T₂, T₃ and T₄ were formed 0.129 Ma, 0.625 Ma and 0.865 Ma ago, respectively. The formation of these terraces in this region indicates that the Yellow River has experienced four intensive downcutting events during the last 0.9 Ma. The Yellow River cut through the Sanmen Gorges and inpoured into the East China Sea no later than 0.865 Ma.     

Formation of the Yazi Spring Stream and its significance on tectonics-climate on the northern slope of Kunlun Mountains

The sequences of fluvial terraces in the Yazi Spring Stream are signs of the stepwise uplift of the Kunlun Mountains in the northern part of the Tibetan Plateau since the Late Pleistocene. Geomorphic and sedimentary features of the terraces reveal that they have resulted from the phased tectonic uplift and the consequent river incision in the northern plateau. Using the method of Single-aliquot Regenerative-dose （SAR） Protocol and Radiocarbon ^14C dating, the deposit ages of three-grade terraces were obtained, which are 57.5, 12.8 and 5.7 kaBP, respectively. The features and ages of terraces reveal that the incision rate of the stream accelerated at the beginning of the Holocene. The incision rate changed suddenly at 12.8 KaBP, from 0.43±0.07 mm/a to 1.59±0.55 mm/a. This implicates that uplift of the Kunlun Mountains is intensive at the first onset of the Holocene, corresponding to the obvious change of slip-rate on the AItyn Tagh Fault. But its uplift rate is much lower than that of the latter, which suggests that growth of the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is stronger than its interior.     

黄河山陕峡谷保德-克虎段高阶地砾石层的初步研究

野外考察发现山西黑峪口地区存在七级阶地序列,其中上覆红粘土的T6、T7阶地为晚第三纪阶地.对该区阶地上砾石的岩性和粒径进行了研究,岩性对比表明,T6、T7阶地上砾石的岩性与黄河低阶地上砾石的岩性相似,而与东西向的蔚汾河阶地岩性差别较大;上下游之间对比发现,灰岩砾石岩性由保德地区占主导地位到克虎地区退居次要地位,灰岩砾石的粒径也从上游向下游变小,说明该区晚第三纪阶地并非东西向河流形成的,而是古黄河或古南北向水系的产物.T7阶地上覆盖厚度70m以上的粉、细砂层和晚第三纪红土层,磁性地层研究表明,该层的底部时代在6.8Ma左右,T6阶地上覆红粘土的底部年龄在3.3Ma左右,山陕峡谷由北向南流的古河流在6.8Ma之前已经形成,T6阶地的形成时代与青藏运动A幕相对应.青藏运动A幕以来河流在该区下切了160m,平均下切速率约为青藏运动A幕以前平均下切速率的5倍以上.     

粤东地区的河流阶地

 依据广东东部超过32条河流、55处河流阶地、至少25个¹⁴C、热释光的冲积层测龄数据等情况,可知：粤东最多有6级河流阶地,最大阶地高度70 m且靠近现代主河床分布。从上游向下游第一级阶地明显变形：龙川县黎咀镇上游为常态阶地,黎咀镇下游至博罗县园洲镇为半埋藏阶地,园洲镇下游进入东江三角洲为埋藏阶地。而且该冲积物时代有渐新趋势,反映晚更新世河源地区的构造抬升较早或速率较快,中下游地区构造逐渐稳定或下沉。粤东至少有12处较典型的剥夷面砾石层。其特怔：① 分布海拔20～210 m,与当地剥蚀台地高度相似;② 位于当地级别最高、分布面积大的河流阶地上;③ 石岩镇玉律、平陵镇、东坑镇、水唇镇、龙母镇张坊等剥夷面砾石层由昔日河流形成,其谷中谷成为今日小河（只有狭窄河床河漫滩,或许有第一级河流阶地）,今昔河流发育相隔数十万年;④ 剥夷面有两个倾斜方向：流域内向河谷和向下游倾斜;总体上由南岭向南海倾斜。     

Discovery of a 1.0 Ma Yellow River terrace and redating of the fourth Yellow River terrace in Lanzhou area

Based on the aeolian loess sequence-stratigraphic division and paleomagnetic datings on terraces, we found that an undiscovered terrace with the age of 1.0 Ma BP lies between the Dunwashan terrace and Wuyishan terrace. This terrace recorded an intensive Yellow River incision event during that period. Results of paleomagnetic dating and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of the Wuyishan loess section and Zaoshugou loess section on the fourth Yellow River terrace (T4) show that the age of the fourth Yellow River terrace in Lanzhou area is 0.86 Ma BP rather than the previously believed 0.6 Ma BP. This result answers a long-term question in the geomorphology community of whether there exists a 0.8 Ma terrace in Lanzhou area. The discovery of the 1.0 Ma Yellow River terrace and redating of the age of 0.6 Ma terrace in Lanzhou area provide new insights into further research on the evolution of Yellow River.     

Tibetan plateau river incision inhibited by glacial stabilization of the Tsangpo gorge

A considerable amount of research has focused on how and when the Tibetan plateau formed in the wake of tectonic convergence between India and Asia. Although far less enquiry has addressed the controls on river incision into the plateau itself, widely accepted theory predicts that steep fluvial knick points (river reaches with very steep gradients) in the eastern Himalayan syntaxis at the southeastern plateau margin should erode rapidly, driving a wave of incision back into the plateau. Preservation of the plateau edge thus presents something of a conundrum that may be resolved by invoking either differential rock uplift matching erosional decay, or other mechanisms for retarding bedrock river incision in this region where high stream power excludes the potential for aridity as a simple limit to dissection of the plateau. Here we report morphologic evidence showing that Quaternary depression of the regional equilibrium line altitude, where long-term glacier mass gain equals mass loss, was sufficient to repeatedly form moraine dams on major rivers: such damming substantially impeded river incision into the southeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau through the coupled effects of upstream impoundment and interglacial aggradation. Such glacial stabilization of the resulting highly focused river incision centred on the Tsangpo gorge could further contribute to initiating and accentuating a locus of rapid exhumation, known as tectonic anaeurysm.     

Low slip rates and long-term preservation of geomorphic features in Central Asia

In order to understand the dynamics of the India Asia collision zone, it is important to know the strain distribution in Central Asia, whose determination relies on the slip rates for active faults. Many previous slip-rate estimates of faults in Central Asia were based on the assumption that offset landforms are younger than the Last Glacial Maximum (approximately 20 kyr ago). In contrast, here we present surface exposure ages of 40 to 170 kyr, obtained using cosmogenic nuclide dating, for a series of terraces near a thrust at the northern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Combined with the tectonic offset, the ages imply a long-term slip rate of only about 0.35 mm x yr(-1) for the active thrust, an order of magnitude lower than rates obtained from the assumption that the terraces formed after the Last Glacial Maximum. Our data demonstrate that the preservation potential of geomorphic features in Central Asia is higher than commonly assumed.     

Discovery of a 1.0 Ma Yellow River terrace and redating of the fourth Yellow River terrace in Lanzhou area

Based on the aeolian loess sequence-stratigraphic division and paleomagnetic datings on terraces, we found that an undiscovered terrace with the age of 1.0 Ma BP lies between the Dunwashan terrace and Wuyishan terrace. This terrace recorded an intensive Yellow River incision event during that period. Results of paleomagnetic dating and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of the Wuyishan loess section and Zaoshugou loess section on the fourth Yellow River terrace (T4) show that the age of the fourth Yellow River terrace in Lanzhou area is 0.86 Ma BP rather than the previously believed 0. 6 Ma BP. This result answers a long-term question in the ge-omorphology community of whether there exists a 0. 8 Ma terrace in Lanzhou area. The discovery of the 1. 0 Ma Yellow River terrace and redating of the age of 0.6 Ma terrace in Lanzhou area provide new insights into further research on the evolution of Yellow River.     

天山北麓玛纳斯河河流阶地变形与新构造运动

通过对玛纳斯河阶地的野外测量,研究了河流阶地的发育特征、拱曲变形和错断变形。阶地的变形特征表明山麓背斜带和玛纳斯背斜带一直在隆升,且隆起中心有向北迁移的趋势。阶地的错断状况表明断层F₂活动可以分为2个阶段,断层F₁的活动至少可以分为4个阶段。     

黄土高原河流演化研究中的几个地学问题——与朱照宇、丁仲礼先生商榷

以河流阶地与堆积黄土、河流起源与冰期、河流演化与新构造运动等3个问题与《专著》商榷.其中风成黄土不应属河流冲积阶地组分,黄土层厚度尺寸不应计入河流阶地面高度中;河流起源应考虑冰期要素,离石黄土中第二砂质黄土层应属鄱阳冰期层位.冰期前为河流起源Ⅰ期,冰期后为河流起源Ⅱ期;河流演化是在新构造运动支配下发生,黄河、洛河、汾河等演化均属各自流域内多个盆地间贯通的首次演化;河流尚有跨两大已成河流域间的二次演化;给出了洛河演化模式阶地位相图.     

云台山世界地质公园及周边地区河流阶地发育特征研究

云台山世界地质公园位于太行山的南部边缘,源于太行山腹地的一系列河流,切穿太行峰脊,形成众多山高谷深瀑水飞溅的峡谷群,成为南太行山旅游的核心地质遗迹景观。峡谷中河流阶地发育,通过对云台山及周边地区九条典型峡谷中河流阶地发育特征研究,探讨了河谷的发育历史;以及该地区不同时期的气候变化、新构造运动的性质和幅度,认为六级河流阶地在太行山河谷内普遍发育;但由于第四纪是强烈切割时期,所以这些河流阶地也大部分被剥蚀掉,仅在部分地区还不同程度残留有六级河流阶地的产物。     

气候环境变化的河流响应

通过综述前人及笔者的已有研究工作,指出气候环境变化可能引发各种河流地貌过程,如河流的侵蚀与加积、河口的溯源侵蚀与溯源堆积等;流域气候环境变化在河口沉积物的矿物和元素组成上也得以反映,如SX97孔中的粘土矿物和石英的含量变化教育与该孔孢粉资料所揭示的气候环境演化规律相吻合,也与早期对华南海岸沙丘和海滩岩的研究所揭示的区域气候环境演化一致,但由于局部因素的干扰,气候环境变化的河流响应体系可能变得较为复杂,在研究工作中应对此予以足够注意。     

Obliquity pacing of the late Pleistocene glacial terminations

The 100,000-year timescale in the glacial/interglacial cycles of the late Pleistocene epoch (the past approximately 700,000 years) is commonly attributed to control by variations in the Earth's orbit. This hypothesis has inspired models that depend on the Earth's obliquity (approximately 40,000 yr; approximately 40 kyr), orbital eccentricity (approximately 100 kyr) and precessional (approximately 20 kyr) fluctuations, with the emphasis usually on eccentricity and precessional forcing. According to a contrasting hypothesis, the glacial cycles arise primarily because of random internal climate variability. Taking these two perspectives together, there are currently more than thirty different models of the seven late-Pleistocene glacial cycles. Here we present a statistical test of the orbital forcing hypothesis, focusing on the rapid deglaciation events known as terminations. According to our analysis, the null hypothesis that glacial terminations are independent of obliquity can be rejected at the 5% significance level, whereas the corresponding null hypotheses for eccentricity and precession cannot be rejected. The simplest inference consistent with the test results is that the ice sheets terminated every second or third obliquity cycle at times of high obliquity, similar to the original proposal by Milankovitch. We also present simple stochastic and deterministic models that describe the timing of the late-Pleistocene glacial terminations purely in terms of obliquity forcing.     

Loess-Paleosol-Sequences in South Germany - Stratigraphy,Paleoclimate and Connections with River Terraces

Loess-paleosol sequencesin South Germany were used to reconstruct the evolution of the paleoclimate and the chronology of river terraces formation. It was demonstrated that the classical Riβ glacial period issubdividedintoat least 3 glacial/interglacial cycles. In consequence, it is probable that the Holsteinian t Loess-paleosol sequences in South Germany were used to reconstruct the evolution of the paleoclimate and the chronology of river terraces formation. It was demonstrated that the classical Riβ glacial period issubdividedintoatleast3 glacial/interglacial cycles. In consequence, it is probable that the Holsteinian period can be classified as the isotope stage 11.