ENVIRONMENTAL EVOLUTION OF ORDOS DESERT IN CHINA SINCE 1.1MA B. P. AS INDICATED BY YULIN STRATIGRAPHICAL SECTION AND ITS GRAIN-SIZE ANALYSIS RESULTS

Yulin section is a typical sedimentary record for reflecting the environmental evolution of Ordos Desert, China in the past 1.1Ma. By analyzing its sequence and grain-size composition some views have been put forward in this paper as follows. The layers of sand, loess and palaeosol in Yulin section were respectively formed by wind and the pedogenesis on parent material of the sand and loess. Since 1.1Ma B. P., Ordos Desert has alternately experienced 11 stages of shifting dunes under extreme cold-dry climatic environment, 7 stages of fixed and semi-fixed dunes and 8 stages of dust (loess) under cold-dry climatic condition; and the pedogenesis environment under 15 times of warm-humid climate and 3 times of temperate-humid climate (brownish-drab soils and black soils formed respectively). The aeolian sand had already existed in Ordos Desert at latest by 1.1Ma B. P., and from that time on it has undergone a series of alternative processes of shifting sands, fixed and semi-fixed dunes, loess and soils. Ordos Desert has been situated in the transitional belt of the Mongolian High Pressure and margin of the southeast summer monsoon since 1.1Ma B. P., and influenced repeatedly by migration of the lithofacies belts of shifting sands, fixed and semi-fixed dunes, loess and soils, which have been caused by the climatic fluctuations of glacial and interglacial periods.

构造地貌--认识高原历史的钥匙

简要评述了构造地貌的研究.并以青藏高原西北缘克里雅河流域地貌演化说明了构造变形与青藏高原的形成历。以西域砾岩顶部的玄武岩作为区域构造地貌的标志,获得的高质量Ar-Ar年龄的加权平均值为1.09Ma±0.13Ma。该年龄不仅代表了西域砾岩沉积结束的时间,并制约了区域风沙堆积时代的下限,是一个重要的气候环境变化的转折点。更重要的是,该年龄标志了克里雅河演化的开始,即目前可观察的克里雅河的历史不过1.1Ma。另外获得的系统、丰富、翔实的沉积学、构造地质学、低温热年代数据和克里雅河流域地貌的测量结果还揭示了上新世晚期以来区域强烈的变形与构造地貌的演化。获得的重要结论还包括:能够分析恢复的前克里雅河的历史不超过西域砾岩沉积期,能够推测的青藏高原西北缘河流体系演化的最老历史不超过上新世阿图什组沉积期。在中新世乌恰组沉积时,基本观察不到青藏高原现今地貌体系产生的沉积作用的记录,而是更老的前青藏高原构造地貌格榘对沉积体系产生的影响。青藏高原的主体可能在中更新世早期前后才抬升进入冰冻圈。现今的克里雅河地貌主要是在区域构造抬升中由冰川融水侵蚀形成的。克里雅河源头可能残留了青藏高原演化的关键记录。