The Lüliang Mountains, located in the North China Craton, is a relatively stable block, but it has experienced uplift and denudation since the late Mesozoic. We hence aim to explore its time and rate of the exhum...The Lüliang Mountains, located in the North China Craton, is a relatively stable block, but it has experienced uplift and denudation since the late Mesozoic. We hence aim to explore its time and rate of the exhumation by the fission-track method. The results show that, no matter what type rocks are, the pooled ages of zircon and apatite fission-track range from 60.0 to 93.7 Ma and 28.6 to 43.3 Ma, respectively; all of the apatite fission-track length distributions are unimodal and yield a mean length of -13 μm; and the thermal history modeling results based on apatite fission-track data indicate that the time-temperature paths exhibit similar patterns and the cooling has been accelerated for each sample since the Pliocene (c.5 Ma). Therefore, we can conclude that a successive cooling, probably involving two slow (during c.75-35Ma and 35-5Ma) and one rapid (during c.5 Ma-0 Ma) cooling, has occurred through the exhumation of the Liiliang Mountains since the late Cretaceous. The maximum exhumation is more than 5 km under a steady-state geothermal gradient of 35℃/km. Combined with the tectonic setting, this exhumation may be the resultant effect from the surrounding plate interactions, and it has been accelerated since c.5 Ma predominantly due to the India-Eurasia collision.展开更多
The widely distributed red clay sediment underlying the Chinese Loess Plateau truly records the Neogene environmental evolution, and its genesis and development are intrinsically related to the uplift processes of the...The widely distributed red clay sediment underlying the Chinese Loess Plateau truly records the Neogene environmental evolution, and its genesis and development are intrinsically related to the uplift processes of the Tibetan Plateau and the evolution of East Asia monsoon system. In this paper, a detailed magnetostratigraphy of a loess-red clay section (107°13′E, 35°02′N) from the central Loess Plateau is reported. The loess-red clay sequence is composed of 175 m Quaternary loess-paleosol sequence and 128 m Neogene red clay sediments. Based on the correlation with the standard geomagnetic polarity time scale, the paleomagnetic results indicate that the age of Chaona red clay sequence extends to 8.1Ma, which is the older red clay deposition in the central Chinese Loess Plateau. The commencement of red clay at ~8.1 Ma may imply that the Ordos planation surface was broken by the movement of the Haiyuan-Liupanshan Faults, which was related to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau induced by the collision of India Plate and Eurasian Plate. And the western part adjacent to the Tibetan Plateau was uplifted to form the embryo of the Liupan Shan (Mts.) and the eastern part was down-faulted to receive red clay deposition. We link this faulting to an initial uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. The undulating nature of the broken Ordos planation surface may explain the chronological differences and depth discrepancies among various cross-sections of red clay.展开更多
Objective Climate fluctuations over suborbital or millennial timescale display significant instability during the last glacial period,which are often superimposed upon the orbital periodicity.They triggered some abrup...Objective Climate fluctuations over suborbital or millennial timescale display significant instability during the last glacial period,which are often superimposed upon the orbital periodicity.They triggered some abrupt climate events,展开更多
The Westerlies is important in linking the Northem high latitude, North Atlantic and East Asian monsoon. The location and intensity of the Westerly jet can not only control the climate of central Asia (including nort...The Westerlies is important in linking the Northem high latitude, North Atlantic and East Asian monsoon. The location and intensity of the Westerly jet can not only control the climate of central Asia (including northwest arid China), but also significantly influence the climate of the East Asian monsoon region. However, it remains unclear of the variability of the Westerlies in Asia on multiple timeseales and their global linkage.展开更多
The expansion of inland Asia deserts has considerably influenced the environmental, social and economic activities in Asia. Aridification of inland Asia, especially timing of the initiation of Asian desertification, i...The expansion of inland Asia deserts has considerably influenced the environmental, social and economic activities in Asia. Aridification of inland Asia, especially timing of the initiation of Asian desertification, is a contentious topic in paleoclimatology. Late Cenozoic eolian loess-red clay sequences on the Chinese Loess Plateau, which possess abundant paleoclimatic and paleo-environmental information, can be regarded as an indicator of inland Asia desertification. Here we present a detailed magnetostratigraphic investigation of a new red clay sequence about 654 m in Zhuanglang located at the western Chinese Loess Plateau. Sedimentological, geochemical, mineralogical, and quartz morphological lines of evidence show that the red clay is of eolian origin. Magnetostratigraphic correlations indicate that this core sequence spans from 25.6 to 4.8 Ma, and typical eolian red clay appears as early as 25 Ma. This extends the lower limit of the red clay on the Chinese Loess Plateau from the previously thought early Miocene back into the late Oligocene. This new red clay record further implies that the inland Asia desertification was initiated at least by the late Oligocene. This sequence provides a unique high-resolution geological record for understanding the inland Asia desertification process since the late Oligocene.展开更多
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. Magnetostrat...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.展开更多
The Pochengzi Glaciation is a typical glaciation in Quaternary in the Tianshan Mountains. The glacial landforms comprise several integrated end moraines, like a fan spreading from the north to the south at the mouth o...The Pochengzi Glaciation is a typical glaciation in Quaternary in the Tianshan Mountains. The glacial landforms comprise several integrated end moraines, like a fan spreading from the north to the south at the mouth of the Muzhaerte River valley and on the piedmont on the southeastern slope of the Tumur Peak, the largest center of modern glaciation in the Tianshan Mountains. The landforms recorded a complex history of the ancient glacier change and contained considerable information of the glacial landscape evolution, and dating these landforms helps us understand the temporal and spatial shifts of the past cryosphere in this valley and reconstruct the paleoenvironment in this region. Electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of the glacial tills in the upper stratum from a well-exposed section, end moraines, and associated outwashes was carried out using Ge centers in quartz grains, which are sensitive to the sunlight and grinding. The results could be divided into three clusters, 13.6–25.3, 39.5–40.4 and 64.2–71.7 ka. Based on the principle of geomorphology and stratigraphy and the available paleoen- vironmental data from northwestern China, the end moraines were determined to deposit in the Last Glaciation. The landforms and the three clusters of ages demonstrate that at least three large glacial advances occurred during the Pochengzi Glaciation, which are corresponding to marine oxygen isotope stage 4 (MIS4), MIS3b and MIS2. The landforms also indicate that the gla- ciers were compound valley glacier in MIS2 and MIS3b and piedmont glacier in MIS4, and the ancient Muzhaerte glacier were 94, 95 and 99 km at their maximum extensions in these three glacial advances.展开更多
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, ha...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展开更多
Located at the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP) in the Asian interior, the Lake Qinghai is sensitive to environmental change and thus an outstanding site for studying paleoenvironmental changes. T...Located at the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP) in the Asian interior, the Lake Qinghai is sensitive to environmental change and thus an outstanding site for studying paleoenvironmental changes. Thick deposits in the Lake Qinghai provide important geological archives for obtaining high-resolution records of continental environmental history. The longest drilling core obtained from the Lake Qinghai, named Erlangjian(ELJ), reached about 1109 m and was investigated to determine its clay mineral assemblage and grain size distributions. Clay mineralogical proxies, including type, composition, and their ratios, as well as the illite crystallinity(KI) and chemical index(CI), in combination with grain size data, were used for reconstructing the history of paleoenvironmental evolution since the late Miocene in the Lake Qinghai Basin. The clay mineral records indicate that the clay mainly comprise detritus originating from peripheral material and has experienced little or no diagenesis. The proportion of authigenic origin was minor. Illite was the most abundant clay mineral, followed by chlorite, kaolinite, and smectite. Variations of clay mineral indexes reflect the cooling and drying trends in the Lake Qinghai region, and the grain size distribution is coincided with the clay minerals indexes. The paleoclimatic evolution of the Lake Qinghai Basin since the late Miocene can be divided into five intervals. The climate was relatively warm and wet in the early of late Miocene, then long-term trends in climate change character display cooling and drying; later in the late Miocene until early Pliocene the climate was in a short relatively warm and humid period; since then the climate was relatively colder and drier. These results also suggest multiple tectonic uplift events in the northeastern QTP.展开更多
基金supported by the State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology(Grant No.SKLLQG0507)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos. 40572124 and 40772116)+1 种基金Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry,Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No. 050713)This is contribution No.IS-1157 from GIGCAS
文摘The Lüliang Mountains, located in the North China Craton, is a relatively stable block, but it has experienced uplift and denudation since the late Mesozoic. We hence aim to explore its time and rate of the exhumation by the fission-track method. The results show that, no matter what type rocks are, the pooled ages of zircon and apatite fission-track range from 60.0 to 93.7 Ma and 28.6 to 43.3 Ma, respectively; all of the apatite fission-track length distributions are unimodal and yield a mean length of -13 μm; and the thermal history modeling results based on apatite fission-track data indicate that the time-temperature paths exhibit similar patterns and the cooling has been accelerated for each sample since the Pliocene (c.5 Ma). Therefore, we can conclude that a successive cooling, probably involving two slow (during c.75-35Ma and 35-5Ma) and one rapid (during c.5 Ma-0 Ma) cooling, has occurred through the exhumation of the Liiliang Mountains since the late Cretaceous. The maximum exhumation is more than 5 km under a steady-state geothermal gradient of 35℃/km. Combined with the tectonic setting, this exhumation may be the resultant effect from the surrounding plate interactions, and it has been accelerated since c.5 Ma predominantly due to the India-Eurasia collision.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NO:40202019,90102017,40121303)National Basic Research Program of China(2004CB720202)China Postdoctoral Fund
文摘The widely distributed red clay sediment underlying the Chinese Loess Plateau truly records the Neogene environmental evolution, and its genesis and development are intrinsically related to the uplift processes of the Tibetan Plateau and the evolution of East Asia monsoon system. In this paper, a detailed magnetostratigraphy of a loess-red clay section (107°13′E, 35°02′N) from the central Loess Plateau is reported. The loess-red clay sequence is composed of 175 m Quaternary loess-paleosol sequence and 128 m Neogene red clay sediments. Based on the correlation with the standard geomagnetic polarity time scale, the paleomagnetic results indicate that the age of Chaona red clay sequence extends to 8.1Ma, which is the older red clay deposition in the central Chinese Loess Plateau. The commencement of red clay at ~8.1 Ma may imply that the Ordos planation surface was broken by the movement of the Haiyuan-Liupanshan Faults, which was related to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau induced by the collision of India Plate and Eurasian Plate. And the western part adjacent to the Tibetan Plateau was uplifted to form the embryo of the Liupan Shan (Mts.) and the eastern part was down-faulted to receive red clay deposition. We link this faulting to an initial uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. The undulating nature of the broken Ordos planation surface may explain the chronological differences and depth discrepancies among various cross-sections of red clay.
基金co-supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants Nos:41572162.41290253)International Partnership Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(No:132B61KYS20160002)
文摘Objective Climate fluctuations over suborbital or millennial timescale display significant instability during the last glacial period,which are often superimposed upon the orbital periodicity.They triggered some abrupt climate events,
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(grants No.41290254 and 41372192)the State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology,and Chinese Academy of Science(International partnership Program,grant No.132B61KYS20160002)
文摘The Westerlies is important in linking the Northem high latitude, North Atlantic and East Asian monsoon. The location and intensity of the Westerly jet can not only control the climate of central Asia (including northwest arid China), but also significantly influence the climate of the East Asian monsoon region. However, it remains unclear of the variability of the Westerlies in Asia on multiple timeseales and their global linkage.
基金supported by National Basic Research Program of China (Grants Nos. 2010CB833400, 2004CB720200)Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-Q09-04)+1 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants Nos. 41072142, 40921120406 and 40772116)State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology (SKLLQG)
文摘The expansion of inland Asia deserts has considerably influenced the environmental, social and economic activities in Asia. Aridification of inland Asia, especially timing of the initiation of Asian desertification, is a contentious topic in paleoclimatology. Late Cenozoic eolian loess-red clay sequences on the Chinese Loess Plateau, which possess abundant paleoclimatic and paleo-environmental information, can be regarded as an indicator of inland Asia desertification. Here we present a detailed magnetostratigraphic investigation of a new red clay sequence about 654 m in Zhuanglang located at the western Chinese Loess Plateau. Sedimentological, geochemical, mineralogical, and quartz morphological lines of evidence show that the red clay is of eolian origin. Magnetostratigraphic correlations indicate that this core sequence spans from 25.6 to 4.8 Ma, and typical eolian red clay appears as early as 25 Ma. This extends the lower limit of the red clay on the Chinese Loess Plateau from the previously thought early Miocene back into the late Oligocene. This new red clay record further implies that the inland Asia desertification was initiated at least by the late Oligocene. This sequence provides a unique high-resolution geological record for understanding the inland Asia desertification process since the late Oligocene.
基金This work was co-supported by the CAS "Hundred Talents Project" (Grant No. Renjiaozi [2000J 005) and the National Key Project for Basic Research on Tibet Plateau (Grant No. G1998040809).
文摘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.
基金supported by Knowledge Innovation Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-301)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40501007, 40772116, 40801031)+1 种基金National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB411500)Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2006FY110200)
文摘The Pochengzi Glaciation is a typical glaciation in Quaternary in the Tianshan Mountains. The glacial landforms comprise several integrated end moraines, like a fan spreading from the north to the south at the mouth of the Muzhaerte River valley and on the piedmont on the southeastern slope of the Tumur Peak, the largest center of modern glaciation in the Tianshan Mountains. The landforms recorded a complex history of the ancient glacier change and contained considerable information of the glacial landscape evolution, and dating these landforms helps us understand the temporal and spatial shifts of the past cryosphere in this valley and reconstruct the paleoenvironment in this region. Electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of the glacial tills in the upper stratum from a well-exposed section, end moraines, and associated outwashes was carried out using Ge centers in quartz grains, which are sensitive to the sunlight and grinding. The results could be divided into three clusters, 13.6–25.3, 39.5–40.4 and 64.2–71.7 ka. Based on the principle of geomorphology and stratigraphy and the available paleoen- vironmental data from northwestern China, the end moraines were determined to deposit in the Last Glaciation. The landforms and the three clusters of ages demonstrate that at least three large glacial advances occurred during the Pochengzi Glaciation, which are corresponding to marine oxygen isotope stage 4 (MIS4), MIS3b and MIS2. The landforms also indicate that the gla- ciers were compound valley glacier in MIS2 and MIS3b and piedmont glacier in MIS4, and the ancient Muzhaerte glacier were 94, 95 and 99 km at their maximum extensions in these three glacial advances.
基金This work was co-supported by the CAS "Hundred Talents Project" (Grant No. Renjiazi [2000] 005) the National Key Project for Basic Research on Tibetan Plateau (Grant No. G1998040809).
文摘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
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40972230, 41290250)Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. ZZBS1301)the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2010CB833406)
文摘Located at the northeastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP) in the Asian interior, the Lake Qinghai is sensitive to environmental change and thus an outstanding site for studying paleoenvironmental changes. Thick deposits in the Lake Qinghai provide important geological archives for obtaining high-resolution records of continental environmental history. The longest drilling core obtained from the Lake Qinghai, named Erlangjian(ELJ), reached about 1109 m and was investigated to determine its clay mineral assemblage and grain size distributions. Clay mineralogical proxies, including type, composition, and their ratios, as well as the illite crystallinity(KI) and chemical index(CI), in combination with grain size data, were used for reconstructing the history of paleoenvironmental evolution since the late Miocene in the Lake Qinghai Basin. The clay mineral records indicate that the clay mainly comprise detritus originating from peripheral material and has experienced little or no diagenesis. The proportion of authigenic origin was minor. Illite was the most abundant clay mineral, followed by chlorite, kaolinite, and smectite. Variations of clay mineral indexes reflect the cooling and drying trends in the Lake Qinghai region, and the grain size distribution is coincided with the clay minerals indexes. The paleoclimatic evolution of the Lake Qinghai Basin since the late Miocene can be divided into five intervals. The climate was relatively warm and wet in the early of late Miocene, then long-term trends in climate change character display cooling and drying; later in the late Miocene until early Pliocene the climate was in a short relatively warm and humid period; since then the climate was relatively colder and drier. These results also suggest multiple tectonic uplift events in the northeastern QTP.