Terrestrial mollusk evidence for the origin and sedimentary environment of the Late Tertiary Red Clay Formation in the Loess Plateau, China

The origin and sedimentary environment of theLate Tertiary (Neogene) Red Clay Formation in northernChina had long been controversial. A new mollusk recordfrom the Xifeng red clay (red-earth) sequence in the centralLoess Plateau provides the biological evidence for addressingquestions of its origin and environmental implication. Thestudy of composition and preservation condition of seventymollusk fossil assemblages reveals the initial ecological con-dition of the red clay formation, avoiding the effect ofpost-deposited alteration. The result shows that all of identi-fiable mollusk species are composed of terrestrial taxa, mostof them are the common species found in the overlying Qua-ternary Ioess-paleosol sequence. Most of fossil individualspreserved in the red clay strata are in living conditions basedon the investigation of fieldwork, indicating the originalpopulation. Thus, the mollusk fossil assemblages can be usedas an indicator of primary environment of the red clay for-mation. The mollusk record from the Xifeng red clay se-quence supports the view that the red clay is an aeolian ori-gin, similar to the overlying Quaternary loess deposits. Ourdata also reveal the history of environmental changes atXifeng from 6.2--2.4 Ma, which is coupled in phase with theformation and development of the Arctic ice sheets and theprocess of the Tibetan Plateau uplift. Both may be the majorcause and forcing mechanisms of the late Tertiaryenvironmental changes in the Loess Plateau.

Terrestrial mollusk evidence for the origin and sedimentary environment of the Late Tertiary Red Clay Formation in the Loess Plateau,China

The origin and sedimentary environment of theLate Tertiary (Neogene) Red Clay Formation in northernChina had long been controversial. A new mollusk recordfrom the Xifeng red clay (red-earth) sequence in the centralLoess Plateau provides the biological evidence for addressingquestions of its origin and environmental implication. Thestudy of composition and preservation condition of seventymollusk fossil assemblages reveals the initial ecological con-dition of the red clay formation, avoiding the effect ofpost-deposited alteration. The result shows that all of identi-fiable mollusk species are composed of terrestrial taxa, mostof them are the common species found in the overlying Qua-ternary loess-paleosol sequence. Most of fossil individualspreserved in the red clay strata are in living conditions basedon the investigation of fieldwork, indicating the originalpopulation. Thus, the mollusk fossil assemblages can be usedas an indicator of primary environment of the red clay for-mation. The mollusk record from the Xifeng red clay se-quence supports the view that the red clay is an aeolian ori-gin, similar to the overlying Quaternary loess deposits. Ourdata also reveal the history of environmental changes atXifeng from 6.2--2.4 Ma, which is coupled in phase with theformation and development of the Arctic ice sheets and theprocess of the Tibetan Plateau uplift. Both may be the majorcause and forcing mechanisms of the late Tertiaryenvironmental changes in the Loess Plateau.