Sedimentary Record of the Planation Surface in the Hoh Xil Region of the Northern Tibet Plateau

Miocene marl is the most widespread Tertiary stratigraphic record in the northern Tibet Plateau, termed the Wudaoliang Group in the Hoh Xil region and the correlative Suonahu Formation in the Qiangtang region. The uniform marl overlies red beds of the Eocene-Oligocene Fenghuoshan Group. The Wudaoliang Group is generally 100-400 m thick, but the thickest strata are 700-1300 m, located in the Haidinghu (Maiding Lake) and Tuotuohe (Tuotuo River) regions respectively. Based on observations from eight measured sections and outcrops, the thin-bedded marl, which varies in colour from grey-white to light brown-grey, is explained as a large-scale or serial lacustrine deposit stretching throughout northern Tibet.The Wudaoliang Group commonly crops out on geographic lowland at an average elevation of 4600 m above sea level within the mountain chains, showing concordant summit levels, e.g. the Fenghuoshan and Bairizhajia Mountains. These mountains with a flat ridge are considered to be remains of the palaeo-planation surface. However, the spatial distribution of the Wudaoliang Group is not confined by the current mountain-basin landform configuration. We have observed the Miocene Wudaoliang Group marl exposed on a 5233 m-high mountain peak. The largest difference in height between the current lake level and the mesa crest is 600 m; the maximum dip angle is 25°, but usually below 10°, which is obviously different from the Fenghuoshan Group red beds with moderate to strong structural deformation. The horizon of the Wudaoliang Group thin-bedded marl and its widespread occurrence throughout the northern Tibetan Plateau can only be reasonably inferred to a sedimentary record relevant to the palaeo-planation. Its deposition occurred on primary land floor by erosion at 20 Ma and its bed surface is a typical sign of geomorphic rise and collapse after the erosion.

Intracontinental Collisional Orogeny During Late Permian-Middle Triassic in South China: Sedimentary Records of the Shiwandashan Basin

Sedimentary response to an orogenic process is important for determining whether South China had compressional or extensional orogeny during the period from the Late Permian to the Middle Triassic besides the tectonic and magmatologic evidence. An intracontinental collision event took place between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks in the Late Permian. Beginning at the Late Triassic, the tectonic movement was completely changed in nature and entered a post-collisional extensional orogenic and basin-making process. This paper presents sedimentological evidence from the Late Permian to the Middle Triassic in the Shiwandashan basin at the southwestern end of the junction zone between the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks.

Recent sedimentary records in the East China Sea inner shelf and their response to environmental change and human activities

The East China Sea continental shelf is a unique area for the study of land-sea interactions and paleoenvironmental change because it receives a large amount of terrestrial material inputs. In recent decades, human activities and global climate change have greatly aff ected river discharges into the sea. However, changes in the deposition process caused by these factors in the East China Sea continental shelf are unclear. We collected eight short sediment cores from the East China Sea inner shelf(ECSIS) using a box core sampler in 2012 and 2015. The grainsize, 2 10 Pb, and 1 37 Cs of these cores were analyzed in order to reconstruct the deposition history since the 1950 s, and to reveal human activity and climate change influences on sediment deposition in the ECSIS. Results indicated that sediment grain size became finer after 1969, turned coarser after 1987, and then further coarser since 2003, corresponding well to the three steps of sediment load drop in the Changjiang(Yangtze) River, which are mainly caused by human activities(particularly the closure of the Three Gorges Dam). Simultaneously, the East Asian Monsoon influenced the deposition process in the ECSIS by changing the intensity of coastal currents. Mean grain size variations in the fine-grained population(divided by grain size vs. standard deviation method) coincided with that of the East Asian Winter Monsoon strength and reflected its weakness in 1987. Abrupt changes in sediment grain size over a short time scale in these sediment cores were generally caused by floods and typhoons. Spectral analyses of the sediment cores showed periodicities of 10–11 and 20–22 years, corresponding to the periodicity of solar activity(Schwabe cycle and Hale cycle). Mean grain size time series also displayed a 3–8 year periodicity corresponding to El Ni?o Southern Oscillation periodic change.

Power-law patterns in the Phanerozoic sedimentary records of carbon, oxygen, sulfur,and strontium isotopes

Power-law patterns appear in a variety of natural systems on the modern Earth;nevertheless,whether such behaviors appeared in the deep-time environment has rarely been studied. Isotopic records in sedimentary rocks, which are widely used to reconstruct the geological/geochemical conditions in paleoenvironments and the evolutionary trajectories of biogeochemical cycles, offer an opportunity to investigate power laws in ancient geological systems. In this study, I focus on the Phanerozoic sedimentary records of carbon, oxygen, sulfur, and strontium isotopes, which have well documented and extraordinarily comprehensive datasets. I perform statistical analyses on these datasets and show that the variations in the sedimentary records of the four isotopes exhibit power-law behaviors. The exponents of these power laws range between 2.2 and 2.9;this narrow interval indicates that the variations in carbon, oxygen, sulfur, and strontium isotopes likely belong to the same universality class, suggesting that these systematic power-law patterns are governed by universal, scale-free mechanisms. I then derive a general form for these power laws from a minimalistic model based on basic physical principles and geosystem-specific assumptions, which provides an interpretation for the power-law patterns from the perspective of thermodynamics. The fundamental mechanisms regulating such patterns might have been ubiquitous in paleoenvironments, implying that similar power-law behaviors may exist in the sedimentary records of other isotopes.

Sedimentary records of environmental evolution in the Sanmen Lake Basin and the Yellow River running through the Sanmenxia Gorge eastward into the sea

A series of independent faulted basins developed in the present middle reaches of the Yellow River during late Cenozoic, among which the Sanmen Lake Basin is located in the east edge of the Loess Plateau, a transitional zone between the second and third macromorphological step of China. The thick strata of the Sanmen Group deposited in the large basin. The Sanmen Group is a perfect place for the study on paleoenvironmental change, tectono-climatic cycles as well as the formation and evolution of the Yellow River. In this paper, the paleoenvironmental changes, regional tectonic movement and the evolutionary process of the Sanmen Lake Basin during the past 5 Ma were reconstructed based on the analysis of paleomagnetic stratigraphy, pollen, TOC and carbonate content from the Huangdigou outcrop near the Sanmenxia Reservoir, Pinglu County, Shanxi Province. The sedimentary records from the outcrop indicate that the basin was first formated by fault activity at about 5.4 MaBP, and after the strong tectonic movement at 3.6 MaBP the lake enlarged and the rainfall of summer monsoon increased. There was no great climatic transition near 2.6 MaBP, corresponding to the bottom age of loess in the Loess Plateau. After Olduvai event (about 1.77 MaBP) the Picea and Abies were presented in the sediments, which indicates a colder climate. The tectonic movement at 1.2 MaBP caused the light angular discordance between the upper and lower Sanmen Group. The sedimentary records show a cold and wet climate during the prosperous periods of loess accumulation such as L15, L9, L6. The tectonic intensification periods of the Sanmen Basin correspond with the tectonic movements in the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau chronologically. The earliest age of the outflow from the Paleo-Sanmen Lake or the partly cutting off of the Sanmenxia Gorge was about 0.41- 0.35 MaBP. The age of cutting thoroughly the Sanmenxia Gorge by the Yellow River and the disappearance of the Paleo-Sanmen Lake was about 0.15 MaBP, which symbolized the formation of the present Yellow River and had an important influence on the environmental and morphological evolution in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River.

Constraining the timing of the India-Asia continental collision by the sedimentary record

Placing precise constraints on the timing of the India-Asia continental collision is essential to understand the successive geological and geomorphological evolution of the orogenic belt as well as the uplift mechanism of the Tibetan Plateau and their effects on climate,environment and life.Based on the extensive study of the sedimentary record on both sides of the Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone in Tibet,we review here the present state of knowledge on the timing of collision onset,discuss its possible diachroneity along strike,and reconstruct the early structural and topographic evolution of the Himalayan collided range.We define continent-continent collision as the moment when the oceanic crust is completely consumed at one point where the two continental margins come into contact.We use two methods to constrain the timing of collision onset:(1) dating the provenance change from Indian to Asian recorded by deep-water turbidites near the suture zone,and(2) dating the age of unconformities on both sides of the suture zone.The first method allowed us to constrain precisely collision onset as middle Palaeocene(59±l Ma).Marine sedimentation persisted in the collisional zone for another 20-25 Ma locally in southern Tibet,and molassic-type deposition in the Indian foreland basin did not begin until another 10-15 Ma later.Available sedimentary evidence failed to firmly document any significant diachroneity of collision onset from the central Himalaya to the western Himalaya and Pakistan so far.Based on the Cenozoic stratigraphic record of the Tibetan Himalaya,four distinct stages can be identified in the early evolution of the Himalayan orogen:(1) middle Palaeocene-early Eocene earliest Eohimalayan stage(from 59 to 52 Ma):collision onset and filling of the deep-water trough along the suture zone while carbonate platform sedimentation persisted on the inner Indian margin;(2) early-middle Eocene early Eohimalayan stage(from 52 to 41 or 35 Ma):filling of intervening seaways and cessation of marine sedimentation;(3) late Eocene-Oligocene late Eohimalayan stage(from 41 to 25 Ma):huge gap in the sedimentary record both in the collision zone and in the Indian foreland;and(4) late Oligocene-early Miocene early Neohimalayan stage(from 26 to 17 Ma):rapid Himalayan growth and onset of molasse-type sedimentation in the Indian foreland basin.

Holocene shelf-coastal sedimentary systems associated with the Changjiang River: An overview

The fate of the terrestrial sediment supplied by rivers is a critical issue for understanding the patterns of Holocene environmental change on continental shelves. The East China Sea is a typical broad continental shelf with abundant sediment supply from large rivers. Here, a variety of sedimentary records were formed during the Holocene period. The sedimentary systems associated with these records have unique charac- teristics in terms of spatial distribution, material composition, deposition rate and the timing of deposition, which are related to active sediment transport processes induced by tides and waves, shelf circulations and sediment gravity flows. The sedimentary records thus formed are high resolution slices, i.e., each record has a temporal resolution of up to 10^-10-1 a, but only covers a limited part of the Holocene time. In terms of the spatial distribution, these records are scattered over a large area on the shelf. Further studies of these systems are required to understand the underlying process-product relationships. In particular, the mid- Holocene coastal deposits on the Jiangsu coast, the early to middle Holocene sequences of the Hangzhou Bay, as well as the Holocene mud deposits off the Zhejiang-Fujian coasts, should be investigated in terms of the material supply （from both seabed reworking during the sea level rise event and river discharges）, transport-accumulation processes, the sediment sequences and the future evolution of the sedimentary systems. Advanced numerical modeling techniques should be developed to meet the needs of these studies.

Sediment records of environmental changes in the south end of the Zhejiang-Fujian coastal mud area during the past 100 years

Previous studies carried out in the East China Sea （ECS） mud area focused on long-term environmental changes in sedimentary records during the Holoeene, especially during the mid-Holocene high-stand water levels period. These results indicate that sensitive grain size groups can be used as a sedimentary proxy to reconstruct the evolution of the East Asian Winter Monsoon （EAWM）. The studies have been carried out mainly in the northern and middle portions of the Zhejiang-Fujian coastal mud, however, similar research in the southern portion and the comparison between sedimentary proxy and modern measured data of EAWM are lacking. In this paper, we focused on a sedimentary record of the past 100 years with an enhanced resolution of 1.8 years. Investigations of the southern end of the Zhejiang-Fujian coastal mud area were conducted on the basis of 21~Pb chronology, grain-size analysis and chemical element analysis. The correspondence between the mean grain size （Mz） of sediment sensitive grain size and the measured EAWM was confirmed for the first time. We found that during the recent 100 years, the variation of the mean grain size of the sensitive population in the southern portion of the Zhejiang-Fujian mud was mainly controlled by the EAWM intensity changes; and not directly related to changes in the sediment discharge from Datong station of the Changjiang River （DTSD）. Finally, recent changes in the content of heavy metals in study area reflect the impact of human activities on the environment.

Fractal and its application to sedimentology

In the paper,the foundation,development,basic conception and general characteristics of fractal and the calculating method of the fractional dimension are expounded briefly, and the current situation and prospect of the fractal application in sedimentology are discussed stressly. Both sedimentary process and sedimentary record behave the fractal feature of the self similarity structure. External form and internal texture of the sediments and the distribution of the grain size of the sediments are of fractal feature very well, and the size of the fractional dimension is the quantitative index of the complexity of the background when they are formed. The further analysis on the multi fractal feature of the sedimentary body is the base of the fractal simulation and forecast, and it is the key of the application of the fractal theory to sedimentology.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a sediment core from Lake Taihu and their associations with sedimentary organic matter

Sediment core is the recorder of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon(PAH)pollutions and the associated sedimentary organic matter(SOM),acting as crucial supports for pollution control and environmental management.Here,the sedimentary records of PAHs and SOM in the past century in Lake Taihu,China,were reconstructed from a 50-cm sediment core.On the one hand,the presence of PAHs ranged from 8.99 to 199.2 ng/g.Vertically,PAHs declined with the depth increased,and the sedimentation history of PAHswas divided into two stages with a discontinuity at 20 cm depth.In composition,PAHs in the sediment core were dominated by three-ring PAHs(44.6%±9.1%,mean±standard deviation),and were followed by four-ring(27.0%±3.3%),and five-ring(12.1%±4.0%)PAHs.In toxicity assessment,the sedimentary records of benzo[a]pyrene-based toxic equivalency were well described by an exponential model with R-square of 0.95,and the environmental background toxic value was identified as 1.62 ng/g.On the other hand,different components of SOM were successfully identified by n-alkanemarkers(p<0.01)and the variations of SOMwerewell explained(84.6%).A discontinuity of SOM was recognized at 22 cm depth.Association study showed that the sedimentary PAHs were associated with both anthropogenic and biogenic SOM(p<0.05)with explained variances for most individual PAHs of 60%.It indicated the vertical distributions of PAHs were driven by sedimentary SOM.Therefore,environmental processes such as biogenic factors should attract more attentions as well as PAH emissions to reduce the impacts of PAHs.

Two types of hyperthermal events in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic:Environmental impacts, biotic effects, and driving mechanisms

A deeper understanding of hyperthermal events in the Earth’s history can provide an important scientific basis for understanding and coping with global warming in the Anthropocene. Two types of hyperthermal events are classified based on the characteristics of the carbon isotope excursion(CIE) of the five representative hyperthermal events in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The first type is overall characterized by negative CIEs(NCHE) and represented by the Permian-Triassic boundary event(PTB, ~252 Ma), the early Toarcian oceanic anoxic event(TOAE, ~183 Ma), and the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum event(PETM, ~56 Ma). The second type is overall characterized by positive CIEs(PCHE) and represented by the early Aptian oceanic anoxic event(OAE1 a, ~120 Ma) and the latest Cenomanian oceanic anoxic event(OAE2, ~94 Ma).Hyperthermal events of negative CIEs(NCHE), lead to dramatic changes in temperature, sedimentation, and biodiversity. These events caused frequent occurrence of terrestrial wildfires, extreme droughts, acid rain, destruction of ozone layer, metal poisoning(such as mercury), changes in terrestrial water system, and carbonate platform demise, ocean acidification, ocean anoxia in marine settings, and various degree extinction of terrestrial and marine life, especially in shallow marine. In contrast,hyperthermal events of positive CIEs(PCHE), result in rapid warming of seawater and widespread oceanic anoxia, large-scale burial of organic matter and associated black shale deposition, which exerted more significant impacts on deep-water marine life,but little impacts on shallow sea and terrestrial life. While PCHEs were triggered by volcanism associated with LIPs in deep-sea environment, the released heat and nutrient were buffered by seawater due to their eruption in the deep sea, thus exerted more significant impacts on deep-marine biota than on shallow marine and terrestrial biota. This work enriches the study of hyperthermal events in geological history, not only for the understanding of hyperthermal events themselves, large igneous provinces, marine and terrestrial environment changes, mass extinctions, but also for providing a new method to identify the types of hyperthermal events and the inference of their driving mechanism based on the characteristics of carbon isotopic excursions and geological records.

Timing of the initial collision between the Indian and Asian continents

There exist three mainstream opinions regarding the timing of the initial collision between the Indian and Eurasian continents,namely,65±5,45±5,and 30±5 Ma.Five criteria are proposed for determining which tectonic event was related to the initial collision between India and Asia:the rapid decrease in the rate of plate motion,the cessation of magmatic activity originating from the subduction of oceanic crust,the end of sedimentation of oceanic facies,the occurrence of intracontinental deformation,and the exchange of sediments sourced from two continents.These criteria are used to constrain the nature of these tectonic events.It is proposed that the 65±5 Ma tectonic event is consistent with some of the criteria,but the upshot of this model is that the magmatic activity originating from the Tethyan subduction since the Mesozoic restarted along the southern margin of the Asian continent in this time after a brief calm,implying that the subduction of the Neotethys slab was still taking place.The magmatic activity that occurred along the southern margin of the Asian continent had a 7-Myr break during 72-65 Ma,which in this study is interpreted as having resulted from tectonic transformation from subduction to transform faulting,indicating that the convergence between the Indian and Asian continents was once dominated by strike-slip motion.The 30±5 Ma tectonic event resulted in the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau,which was related to the late stage of the convergence between these two continents,namely,a hard collision.The 45±5 Ma tectonic event is in accordance with most of the criteria,corresponding to the initial collision between these two continents.

Pacific decadal oscillation impact on East China precipitation and its imprint in new geological documents

This paper briefly introduces the history of the study of the Pacific decadal oscillation(PDO) and explores the relationship between the PDO and sediment grain size from two typical sediment cores from the lower Changjiang(Yangtze River) and Huanghe(Yellow River) estuaries. It is found that the median grain sizes of both cores exhibit relatively high correlation with the PDO. This is because the PDO causes interdecadal variability of precipitation in the East Asia Monsoon region, thus changing the hydrodynamics in both the Changjiang and Huanghe catchments, eventually resulting in variation of sediment grain size. Our analysis also revealed that during different phases of the PDO, the sediment grain size of the Changjiang and Huanghe estuaries showed different variations in cold and warm PDO phases. This is related to movement of the precipitation center driven by the shift in different PDO phases. Moreover, we compared more high resolution geological proxies with the PDO, including stalagmites and tree rings, in East China over the past century. The results indicate that variations of studied geological proxies are generally well correlated with the PDO but have some differences. Finally, longer variations of sediment grain sizes in the Changjiang and Huanghe estuaries are compared with a reconstructed PDO over the last 200 years;sediment grain sizes were still correlated with the PDO, implying that sediment grain size may be used as a new proxy for studying the long-term behavior of the PDO. This result supports previous knowledge of the PDO impact on East China climate evolution and offers a new proxy for further PDO study. Our study will improve paleoenvironment reconstruction in East China on a decadal time scale and benefit future climatic predictions.