第四纪下限问题的研究现状及其解决途径

THE PRESENT STATE IN THE STUDY OF THE QUARTER-NARY LOWER DEMARCATION LINE AND ITS SOLUTINO

第四纪下限是地质年代表中的一个时间等时界面.由气候地层学原则所确定的第四纪下限并不是一个等时界面,从而导致各地区的第四纪下限各异.应该放弃“新生代以来首次气候恶化” 这个确定第四纪下限的标准,采用与人类的出现阶段有关的生物发展阶段——生物地层学原则来划分N—Q界限,并用年代学资料提高精度.

This paper briefs the history, present state and the problem in the study of the lower demarcation plane of the Quaternary period in some regions in the world and their solutions proposed by the International Goelogical Congress (IGC ) . The paper points out that the demarcation plane is nothing but a iso-tehronic surface in geological time scale. The Quarternary lower demarcation determined by climate stratigraphy is not isochronic, causing different lower demarcations in different regions. Therefore this paper suggests that the standard in determination of Quarternary lower demarcation by 'the climate deteriorating for the first time in Cenozoic Era' should be discarded and the biological development stage, the principle of biology stratigraphy relating to the development of the human beings, should be adopted to determine the N-Q line, and that the chronological data should be used to raise the accuracy.