Loess-soil sequences in southern Anhui Province： Magnetostratigraphy and paleoclimatic significance

Two parallel loess-soil sequences from Xuancheng and Fanchang in southern Anhui Provinces are dated using geomagnetic and luminescence methods.The Brunhes/Matuyama(B/M) reversal boundary is recognized within the lower part of the so-calles Vermiculated Red Soil (VRS) in the Xuancheng section while the entire Fanchang sequence is of Brunhes age.This indicated that the most recent VRS in southern China,a stratigraphic marker and an indication of extremely warm-humid conditions,was formed during the middle Pleistocene,chronologically correlative with the S4 and S5 soil units in northern China.Microscopic and sedimentologic in vestigations reveal that eolian deposition started in this region at about 0.85 MaBp,roughly synchronous with the well-known Mid-Pleistocene climate change of global significance.The strengthening of both summer and winter monsoon circulations and the consequent river hydrological changes at that time would have provided favorable conditions for sustained eolian deposition in the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River since 0.85 MaBP.     

Magnetostratigraphic study of Cretaceous depositional succession in the northern Kuqa Depression, Northwest China

Stratigraphic studies on the depositional succession in the Kuqa Depression can be traced back to as early as 1950s[1], however, there are still some disputes about chronostratigraphic division of the Bashenjiqike For- mation because of the paucity of fos…     

Magnetostratigraphy of the Zanda basin in southwest Tibet Plateau and its tectonic implications

The Zanda basin is one of the very important basins at the north slope of the Himalaya Range. Thus the study of the basin strata will provide critical information about the tectonic evolution of the Himalayan Orogenic Belt. 268 oriented block samples were collected in the 750-m-thick sections of the Zanda basin. The characteristic remanent magnetization （ChRM） was isolated that decays linearly to the origin between 500℃ and 690℃for most studied samples. An age range of 9.5-2.6 Ma was estimated from the correlation between our observed polarity column and the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale （GPTS）. The age of the Zanda basin does not support the models that the South Tibetan Detach system （STDS） is one of the basin controlling faults. Given the sedimentological features in the basin and the tectonic features at the north edge of the basin, the Zanda basin was a half graben that was possibly controlled by the Karakorum fault on the northeast.     

泥河弯盆地井儿洼剖面磁性地层学初步研究

泥河湾盆地井儿洼剖面古地磁测年结果全部为正向极性 ,剖面顶面下 3.0 8m处白垩质粘土层铀系不平衡法测年结果为 (50 6 0 0± 6 70 0 )aBP ,据此确定其磁性地层学时代为布容正向极性时 .剖面底部未出露B/M界限 ,说明地层时代晚于 78万aBP .依据磁性地层学特征 ,井儿洼剖面可与虎头梁剖面对比 ,并能与红崖南沟、大道坡、郝家台等剖面的上部或顶部对比 ,属泥河湾组Ⅲ段 .井儿洼、虎头梁剖面下部的石膏沉积晚于红崖、铺路等剖面下部的石膏沉积 ,它们分属不同的石膏沉积旋回 .井儿洼剖面出露的湖相地层记录了古湖的消亡过程 ,是研究泥河湾古湖晚期历史的理想场所     

Magnetic characteristics and their paleoclimatic significance of Fengzhou loess in the Qinling Mountains of China

The Fengzhou loess section is very typical in the Qinling Mountains. The section, about 82 m thick and underlain by the Neogene red clay, consists of 33 layers of loess and 33 layers of paleosol. The section covers Brunnes normal polarity zone and Matuyama reversed polarity zone, and the B/M boundary is located in the middle of L₈. Matuyama reversed polarity zone records Jaramillo, Olduvai and Reunion normal polarity subchrons. The boundary between Matuyama reversed polarity zone and Gauss normal polarity zone (M/Ga) appears in the lithological boundary between loess and the Neogene red clay. Loess accumulation in Fengzhou started before 2.48 Ma. The magnetic susceptibility curve indicates 33 cold-dry and humid-warm cycles of paleoclimatic variation in the Qinling Mountains during the last 2.48 Ma. The above climatic fluctuation may be well compared with that of the oxygen isotopic records from deep-sea deposits.     

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.     

我国东北地区黄土堆积的磁性地层年代与古气候变化

我国东北地区有较广泛的黄土分布, 是环境变化的重要地质记录. 长期以来, 由于缺乏可靠的年代学证据, 对这里黄土沉积及其记录的古气候变化了解不多. 在广泛野外踏勘的基础上, 对具有代表性的科尔沁沙地南缘牛样子沟和平安村黄土剖面进行了磁性地层与光释光年代等测试, 结果表明, 牛样子沟剖面的B/M 界限位于深度27 m 处, 平安村剖面处于布容正极性期. 基于光释光年龄和磁性地层年代计算的黄土沉积速率外推, 科尔沁沙地南缘的黄土堆积应早于1.0 Ma. 黄土是半干旱环境下的粉尘堆积, 指示东北地区的半干旱气候至少在早更新世晚期已经开始. 这里黄土开始堆积的年代对应于中更新世全球气候转型, 可能为全球气候变冷驱动了亚洲内陆干旱化和较快粉尘堆积的假说提供了证据.     

Development of a pediment on western slopes of Liupan Mountain related to the Neotectonic Uplift

The late Cenozoic uplift of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau plays an important role in adjacent geomorphic evolution and depositional environments. Liupan Mountain, located at the northeast margin of Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, has different landforms on the east and west sides. Recently, a pediment, which lies above the highest terrace of the Yellow River at the northeast edge of Longzhong Basin, has been described. The paleomagnetic measurements indicate that the pediment had developed at least 1.8 MaBP and its age is in accordance with that of the peneplains near Lanzhou and Linxia, in the southwest of Longzhong Basin. The results suggest that the Longzhong Basin lying to the west of Liupan Mountain had been subject to erosion and developed an extensive pediment; this pediment is named the Gansu Period Peneplain. It also indicates that Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and Liupan Mountain were uplifted strongly at that time, which caused not only the end of pediplanation but also Yellow River appearance and loess accumulation.     

Youger Dryas and Heinrich events recorded by magnetic susceptibility of sediments from the central temperature area of Western Pacific Warm Pool

Three short geomagnetic excursions, the Go thenburg, Mono Lake and Mungo (or Maelifell) in the Brunhes Positive Polarity period, were revealed based on the studies of magnetostratigraphy, susceptibility (χ) and δ^18O of sediments in core WP 92-5 from the central temperature area of the Western Pacific Warm Pool (WPWP), and the ages of them are 12.1--11.3 kaBP, 25.0--24.0 kaBP, and 31.0--28.0 kaBP respectively. Furthermore, the Younger Dryas (YD) and Heinrich (H) cold events were also discovered in this core by the susceptibility record. The YD cold event occurred at the depth of 30--22 cm with an age of 11.5--10.6 kaBP; H1, H2 and H3 cold events occurred at depths of 51--39 cm, 108---91 cm and 140--126 cm with ages of 15.1--13.0 kaBP, 25.0--22.1 kaBP and 30.6---28.2 kaBP respectively, which well correspond to the HI, H2, H3 events recorded by susceptibility of core SU90-09 from middle Atlantic, indicating that the susceptibility change of marine sediments can be an important sign of climatic frequent fluctuations.     

Early tectonic uplift of the northern Tibetan Plateau

The Hexi Corridor is the northmost foreland basin of the Tibetan Plateau and its formation is controlled by the northern marginal fault of Tibet, Altyn Tagh Fault （ATF）-North Qilian Shan marginal Fault （NQF）, and the southern Kuantan Shan-Longshou Shan Fault （KLF）. So its study is important to understanding the mechanism of Tibet formation and its influence on global climate change. The oldest Cenozoic sediments in the Corridor is the Huoshaogou Formation which consists of terrigenous fine conglomerate, sandstone, sandy mudstone and mudstone, depositing in al- luvial to lacustrine and fan delta sedimentary environments. Detailed paleomagnetic measurements of this sequence at Yumen clearly reveal eleven pairs of normal and reversed polarities. Fossil mammals found around the section support that most of the observed polarities can be well correlated with chrons between 13n and 18r of the standard geomagnetic polarity time scale, yielding ages of 40.2-33.35 Ma. The mean declinations of this sequence and its immediately above stratigraphy indicate an 18.3° rapid clockwise rotation of the Hexi Corridor. Since this sequence has been strongly folded and is capped by an angular unconformity, we think that the presence of the thick alluvial fan conglomeration at the bottom of the foreland basin may indicate the initial deformation and uplift of the northern Qilian Shan. This process could occur at latest at 40.2 Ma, driven by the faults NQF and KLF that thrust onto the Hexi corridor respectively from its southern and northern margins. These faults are in an early response to the collision of India with Asia, while the unconformable termination and rotation of the Huoshaogou Formation at -33.35 Ma indicate other early episode of rapid tectonic deformation and uplift of the northern Tibet.