Sandy desert landscape is a geological product of arid climate and abundant sand materials supply in natural conditions, therefore the formation of sandy desert is an ideal studying object for understanding the intera...Sandy desert landscape is a geological product of arid climate and abundant sand materials supply in natural conditions, therefore the formation of sandy desert is an ideal studying object for understanding the interaction between various stratigraphic/epigenetic spheres of the earth system. However, until now, the knowledge about the provenance and formation of these deserts in Xinjiang, Central Asia is diverse and inconsistent, a systematic review is necessary. Ancient aeolian sand sediments in the internal areas of these deserts and their twin dust deposits in the Cenozoic strata surrounding the Xinjiang deserts are direct and indirect clues reflecting the provenance of sand materials and the formation and evolution of deserts. Based on the geochemical, mineralogical and isotopic evidences of desert sands and relevant deposits in the peripheral regions, this paper reviews the research progress on the development of the sandy deserts in Xinjiang, Northwest China. Many proofs proposed that desert sands in Xinjiang were mainly sourced from the ancient pluvial, alluvial and fluvial sediments and were eventually achieved because of the local sand supply. It pointed out that the settings of tectonic structure in Xinjiang had made sediments both in the Tarim Basin and the Junggar Basin being influenced greatly by regional hydrological system and aeolian processes originated from the planetary wind system of westerly, the East Asian winter monsoon and the topographical mountain-valley winds. However, the directions of transpor- tation paths are different between the hydrological dynamics and the aeolian dynamics, which are decided by the slantwise structures of the basins tectonics and the regional atmospheric circulation routes, respectively, and have determined anisotropies of the transport pathway of these sediments delivered by different agents. This results in a geological cycle of detrital sediment transportation in the two large sediment mixing, alternation and recycle basins and thus largely increases the degree of between younger and older sediment sources, as well as the complexity and diversity of sand provenances.展开更多
Based on the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental evidences of geological history and human history periods, this paper reviews the researches and progresses on the development of the sandy deserts in Xinjiang. It p...Based on the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental evidences of geological history and human history periods, this paper reviews the researches and progresses on the development of the sandy deserts in Xinjiang. It pointed out that the features of tectonic structure in Xinjiang had made both the Tarim Basin and the Junggar Basin being influenced greatly by the foehn effects originated from the planetary wind system of westerly, the East Asian ocean-continental monsoon and the topographical mountain-valley winds. The regional patterns of climate and environment since the Quaternary were characterized by the overall persistent drought accompanied by fluctuations in the secondary scale. Formations of aeolian sediments in the basins and at the margins are a potential response to global climate change, particularly the aridification of the Asian hinterland deduced by the uprising of the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding highlands. For the question about the formation time of the Tak- lamakan Desert, because the research methods, objects and information carriers used in previous studies are different, there are many disputes in the academic circles at present. Evidences from aeolian deposits/rocks at the edge and in the hinterland of these sandy de- serts and their chronological data indicate that an arid climate and land surface aeolian processes have occurred at the edge of the Tarim Basin and its hinterland areas since the Tertiary period. However, the duration time of these processes at mass scale should have begun after the middle Pleistocene and lasted to the Holocene. Occurrence of dune fields in recent 2000 years in the oasis areas should be greatly influenced by human factors.展开更多
The history of dune landform changes and dust activity at mid-latitudes is a good archive for exploring environmental changes and related landscape response.In this study,the dynamic changes,material sources,dust acti...The history of dune landform changes and dust activity at mid-latitudes is a good archive for exploring environmental changes and related landscape response.In this study,the dynamic changes,material sources,dust activity history and the influencing factors of typical sand dunes in the Hexi Corridor were comprehensively analyzed from the aspects of aeolian geomorphology,grain-size sedimentology,geochemistry and climatology.The results show that in the past half century,the typical crescent-shaped dunes and chains of crescent-shaped dunes in the study area have moved or swayed greatly,with an average speed ranging from 0.8 m/a(Dunhuang)to 6.2 m/a(Minqin).The dynamic changes of sand dunes are mainly affected by annual precipitation,annual average wind speed and annual gale days,which indicates that climate is the primary influencing factor of dune landform changes.The three-stage grain-size curve model of dune sands is obviously different from that of gobi sediments(two-stage),revealing the“immaturity”of the latter in sedimentology,while the former has experienced efficiently aeolian differentiation and non-local origin.The comprehensive evidences of paleogeography,sedimentology and geochemistry reveal that the source materials of sand dunes are mainly alluvial/proluvial and palaeo-fluvial sediments,including clastic sediments in the denudation/erosion zones of the north and south piedmonts.Indicators such as the proportion of surface fine particles,the coverage of surface salt crusts,and the content of erodible sandy materials indicate that the western gobi areas are not the main source areas of wind-blown dust in the central and eastern parts of the Hexi Corridor.The spatial distribution of the movement direction of sand dunes is similar to that of the regional dominant wind direction,which indicates that the difference in the dynamic evolution of dune landforms between the east and west of the Hexi Corridor should be controlled by the regional-scale wind system,that is,controlled by the dynamic mechanism rather than the difference in material sources.The warming and humidification of the Hexi climate is a synchronous response to the global warming and the strengthening of the Asian Summer Monsoon.It is also the main reason for the reduction of dust storms in the study area,which means that a potential inverse desertification process exists in the Hexi Corridor during the same period and it is also controlled by climate change.However,the process of desertification in the oasis areas during the period is caused by groundwater fluctuation affected by human activities.展开更多
基金National Basic Research Program of China （973 Program）, No.2009CB421305 National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.91025023+1 种基金 No.41371060 No.41271049
文摘Sandy desert landscape is a geological product of arid climate and abundant sand materials supply in natural conditions, therefore the formation of sandy desert is an ideal studying object for understanding the interaction between various stratigraphic/epigenetic spheres of the earth system. However, until now, the knowledge about the provenance and formation of these deserts in Xinjiang, Central Asia is diverse and inconsistent, a systematic review is necessary. Ancient aeolian sand sediments in the internal areas of these deserts and their twin dust deposits in the Cenozoic strata surrounding the Xinjiang deserts are direct and indirect clues reflecting the provenance of sand materials and the formation and evolution of deserts. Based on the geochemical, mineralogical and isotopic evidences of desert sands and relevant deposits in the peripheral regions, this paper reviews the research progress on the development of the sandy deserts in Xinjiang, Northwest China. Many proofs proposed that desert sands in Xinjiang were mainly sourced from the ancient pluvial, alluvial and fluvial sediments and were eventually achieved because of the local sand supply. It pointed out that the settings of tectonic structure in Xinjiang had made sediments both in the Tarim Basin and the Junggar Basin being influenced greatly by regional hydrological system and aeolian processes originated from the planetary wind system of westerly, the East Asian winter monsoon and the topographical mountain-valley winds. However, the directions of transpor- tation paths are different between the hydrological dynamics and the aeolian dynamics, which are decided by the slantwise structures of the basins tectonics and the regional atmospheric circulation routes, respectively, and have determined anisotropies of the transport pathway of these sediments delivered by different agents. This results in a geological cycle of detrital sediment transportation in the two large sediment mixing, alternation and recycle basins and thus largely increases the degree of between younger and older sediment sources, as well as the complexity and diversity of sand provenances.
基金National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program),No.2009CB421305National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.41371060,No.41271049
文摘Based on the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental evidences of geological history and human history periods, this paper reviews the researches and progresses on the development of the sandy deserts in Xinjiang. It pointed out that the features of tectonic structure in Xinjiang had made both the Tarim Basin and the Junggar Basin being influenced greatly by the foehn effects originated from the planetary wind system of westerly, the East Asian ocean-continental monsoon and the topographical mountain-valley winds. The regional patterns of climate and environment since the Quaternary were characterized by the overall persistent drought accompanied by fluctuations in the secondary scale. Formations of aeolian sediments in the basins and at the margins are a potential response to global climate change, particularly the aridification of the Asian hinterland deduced by the uprising of the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding highlands. For the question about the formation time of the Tak- lamakan Desert, because the research methods, objects and information carriers used in previous studies are different, there are many disputes in the academic circles at present. Evidences from aeolian deposits/rocks at the edge and in the hinterland of these sandy de- serts and their chronological data indicate that an arid climate and land surface aeolian processes have occurred at the edge of the Tarim Basin and its hinterland areas since the Tertiary period. However, the duration time of these processes at mass scale should have begun after the middle Pleistocene and lasted to the Holocene. Occurrence of dune fields in recent 2000 years in the oasis areas should be greatly influenced by human factors.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.41930640,No.41771014The Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research,No.2019QZKK1003。
文摘The history of dune landform changes and dust activity at mid-latitudes is a good archive for exploring environmental changes and related landscape response.In this study,the dynamic changes,material sources,dust activity history and the influencing factors of typical sand dunes in the Hexi Corridor were comprehensively analyzed from the aspects of aeolian geomorphology,grain-size sedimentology,geochemistry and climatology.The results show that in the past half century,the typical crescent-shaped dunes and chains of crescent-shaped dunes in the study area have moved or swayed greatly,with an average speed ranging from 0.8 m/a(Dunhuang)to 6.2 m/a(Minqin).The dynamic changes of sand dunes are mainly affected by annual precipitation,annual average wind speed and annual gale days,which indicates that climate is the primary influencing factor of dune landform changes.The three-stage grain-size curve model of dune sands is obviously different from that of gobi sediments(two-stage),revealing the“immaturity”of the latter in sedimentology,while the former has experienced efficiently aeolian differentiation and non-local origin.The comprehensive evidences of paleogeography,sedimentology and geochemistry reveal that the source materials of sand dunes are mainly alluvial/proluvial and palaeo-fluvial sediments,including clastic sediments in the denudation/erosion zones of the north and south piedmonts.Indicators such as the proportion of surface fine particles,the coverage of surface salt crusts,and the content of erodible sandy materials indicate that the western gobi areas are not the main source areas of wind-blown dust in the central and eastern parts of the Hexi Corridor.The spatial distribution of the movement direction of sand dunes is similar to that of the regional dominant wind direction,which indicates that the difference in the dynamic evolution of dune landforms between the east and west of the Hexi Corridor should be controlled by the regional-scale wind system,that is,controlled by the dynamic mechanism rather than the difference in material sources.The warming and humidification of the Hexi climate is a synchronous response to the global warming and the strengthening of the Asian Summer Monsoon.It is also the main reason for the reduction of dust storms in the study area,which means that a potential inverse desertification process exists in the Hexi Corridor during the same period and it is also controlled by climate change.However,the process of desertification in the oasis areas during the period is caused by groundwater fluctuation affected by human activities.
