青藏高原可可西里库赛湖年纹层石英颗粒表面形态特征研究

Surface textural analysis of quartz grains from varved sediments of Lake Kusai in the Hoh Xil area,Tibetan Plateau

湖泊是风成沉积的理想载体,利用扫描电镜分析石英砂的表面微结构特征,可以用于判断石英颗粒被风或水流搬运的相对距离和湖泊的水动力条件,从而判断其沉积环境与演化历史.库赛湖位于青藏高原北部可可西里地区,是青海省沙尘天气频发的地区之一,为进一步证实库赛湖年纹层粗颗粒层的风成成因,以库赛湖沉积年纹层为研究对象,结合青藏高原北部典型沙丘沉积、库赛湖冰面风成沉积、典型河流沉积和库赛湖湖滨相水成粗颗粒沉积样品,利用扫描电镜对上述沉积物石英颗粒表面特征进行观察研究,并统计35种特征的出现频率.结果表明:库赛湖地区典型风成物石英颗粒表面具有圆形轮廓、中低浮雕、翻板、新月型撞击坑、球根状边缘、直形阶梯、弓形阶梯、碟形坑等微形貌特征;典型水成物石英颗粒表面具有V型撞击坑、小型和中型贝壳状断口、少量溶蚀坑等微形貌特征;库赛湖年纹层粗颗粒层石英颗粒表面具有圆形轮廓、低浮雕、翻板、新月形撞击坑、球根状边缘、碟形坑等明显风成特征,与研究区风成物的石英颗粒表面特征相似,而与研究区典型水成物的石英颗粒表面特征差别很大.因此,库赛湖年纹层中的粗颗粒层是由风成作用形成的.

Lake sediments containing aeolian deposits in the arid areas are one of the important archives for sedimentary studies. Surface textural analysis of quartz grains by scanning electron microscopy can provide an insight into the sedimentary history of clastic sediments, depositional environment and successive sedimentary cycles. Lake Kusai is located in almost uninhabited Hoh Xil region of the Northern Tibetan Plateau, and is one of the frequently dust storm-occurred areas occurring in Qinghai Province. In order to confirm the coarse grained layers formed by aeolian processes in varved sediments of Lake Kusai, 35 types of surface features of quartz grains are analyzed in different sediments, such as coarse grained layers in varved sediments of Lake Kusai, aeolian dune sediments, fluvial sediments, aeolian dust samples in the ice of Lake Kusai, lacustrine deposits in the lakeside. The results show that quartz grains in aeolian sediments have surface microtextures of rounded outline, low or medium relief, aeuate steps, straight steps, crescent percussion marks, upturned plates, bulbous edges and dish-shaped depression, etc. The quartz grains in fluvial sediments have microtextures of angular or subangular outline, medimn or high relief, V-shaped percussion cracks, small or medium conchoidal fractures, and solution pits, etc. The microtextures of quartz grains in the coarse-grained layers of varved sediments in Lake Kusai are rounded outline, low relief, acuate steps, straight steps, crescent percussion marks, upturned plates, bulbous edges, and dish-shaped depression, etc, which are similar to these of the aeolian sediments, but quite different from these of fluvial sediments. Thus, it is indicated that the coarse grained layers in varved sediments of Lake Kusai are formed by aeolian processes.