Carbon isotopic compositions of pore and matrix carbonates in carbonate nodules, and origin of carbonate formation

Carbon isotopes of pedogenic carbonate are often used to study paleoenvironments, but the existence of detrital carbonate changes the carbon isotopic composition. To develop an experimental method to determine existence of detrital carbonate in carbonate nodules, and to avoid it during isotope analysis, 23 pedogenic carbonate nodules in Miocene loess from the Loess Plateau of China were studied through micromorphology and carbon isotope analysis. The difference in carbon isotopic composition between matrix carbonate (B) and pore carbonate (A) (δ¹³C_(B-A)) ranges from 0.27‰ to 0.44‰ in nodules containing detrital carbonate and –0.16‰ to 0.13‰ in nodules where detrital carbonate is absent. The latter is within measurement error, but the former is beyond it. Here we propose an isotopic approach to determine if nodules contain detrital carbonate: if δ¹³C_(B-A) is within the measurement error, the nodules do not contain detrital carbonate, and vice versa. We suggest that it is better to analyze pore carbonate instead of matrix carbonate when using carbon isotope of carbonate nodules to reconstruct paleoenvironments.     

Chinese deserts and sand fields in Last Glacial Maximum and Holocene Optimum

The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, c. 26-16 ka) and the Holocene Optimum (HO, c. 9-5 ka) were characterized by cold-dry and warm-wet climates respectively in the recently geological Earth. How Chinese deserts and sand fields responded to these distinctive climatic changes is still not clear, however. To reconstruct environments of the deserts and sand fields during the LGM and HO is helpful to understand the forcing mechanisms of environment change in this arid region, and to test paleoclimatic modeling results. Through our long-term field and laboratory investigations, 400 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages and more than 100 depositional records in the Chinese deserts and sand fields were obtained; on the basis of these data, we reconstruct spatial distributions of the deserts and sand fields during the LGM and HO. Our results show that the sand fields of Mu Us, Hunshandake, Horqin and Hulun Buir in northern and northeastern China had expanded 25%, 37%, 38% and 270%, respectively, during the LGM; the sand fields of Gonghe in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau had expanded 20%, and the deserts of Badain Jaran, Tengger in central northern China had expanded 39% and 29% separately during the LGM; the deserts of Taklimakan, Gurbantünggüt and Kumtag in northwestern China had expanded 10%-20% respectively, compared to their modern areas. On the other hand, all of the sand fields were nearly completely covered by vegetation during the HO; the deserts in northwestern and central northern China were reduced by around 5%-20% in area during this time. Lakes in this arid region were probably expanded during the HO but this conclusion needs more investigation. Compared with the geological distributions of deserts and sand fields, human activity has clearly changed (expanded) the area of active sand dunes at the present time. Our observations show that environmental conditions of Chinese deserts and sand fields are controlled by regional climate together with human activity.     

Neogene eolian deposits within the West Qinling Mountains: Climatic and tectonic implications

The Qinling Mountains constitute a key climate barrier between southern and northern China.Our recent investigations revealed widely spread eolian deposits of Neogene age mantling the piedmont highlands of the intermountain basins within West Qinling.Micro-mammalian fossils dated a 150.2 m section (NL-VI) near Xihe for the late Miocene to Pliocene (～10-4 Ma).Soil micromorphology,grain-size and geochemical analysis consistently define typical loess-soil alternations for the upper (0-66 m) and lower (98-150.2...     

An environmental database and temporal and spatial distribution of Chinese paleoanthropological sites

A comprehensive database of paleoenvironmental settings for paleoanthropological sites provides a useful tool to explore the link between human evolution and paleoenvironmental changes. A preliminary GIS-based environmental database for paleoanthropological sites in China (EDPC) was constructed based on data collected from published literature. The database currently contains 1114 paleoanthropological sites. It will be available for online access following the establishment of relevant rules, and after impr...