Intensification of the East Asian Monsoon in Southern China at about300-400 kaBP Inferred from Eolian Deposits in the Middle-lower Reaches of the Yangtze River

In the East Asian monsoon region, eolian deposits widely distributed in the middle-lower reaches of the Yantgze River are among the best materials available for studies on Quaternary climate change in the subtropical zone of Southern China. Typical eolian deposits in this region include upper Xiashu Loess （XL） and underlying Vermiculated Red Soil （VRS） layers. In this paper, chronological and paleoclimatic studies are conducted on an eolian deposit sequence near Jiujiang （J J） city in northern Jiangxi province. A magnetostratigraphic study, combined with optically stimulated luminescence （OSL） dating, is conducted on the JJ section and provides further evidence that eolian deposits in the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River have been formed since the late Early Pleistocene, and that the boundary age between the XL and VRS layers is about 300-400 kaBP. In grain-size records of the JJ section, the median grain-size and content of the 〉30μn size fraction increase sharply after 300-400 kaBP, representing an East Asian winter monsoon intensification event. Further pollen analysis reveals differing pollen assemblages before and after 300-400 kaBP： there is an evident increase in plants adapted to grow in a warm humid environment after 300-400 kaBP, implying an increase in precipitation caused by intensification of the East Asian summer monsoon. Global ice volume and uplift of the Tibet Plateau （TP） are regarded as crucial factors influencing variations of the East Asian monsoon on a long-term scale. The deep-sea JlSO record, which reflects variations in global ice volume, shows no obvious change after 300-400 kaBP. Moreover, the influence of global ice volume changes on the East Asian summer and winter monsoons is inverse; the global ice volume increase （decrease） implies a strengthened （weakened） winter monsoon and weakened （strengthened） summer monsoon. We therefore interpret the coupled intensifications of the East Asian summer and winter monsoons at about 300-400 kaBP to the uplift of the TP in the Middle Pleistocene. This climate event is also documented in eolian deposits from the southern margin of the Chinese Loess Plateau （CLP） and from the desert-loess transitional belt. However, it is not recorded in the loess-paleosol sequences from the central part of the CLP, thereby indicating differing climate responses to TP uplift in different regions, which requires further study.

Geochemical Characteristics of Eolian Deposits in the Chengdu Plain of Sichuan Province and the Implications for Provenance

In this study Chengdu Red Earth （CRE） from the Chengdu Plain （CP）,Sichuan province,was analyzed for its elemental （major and trace elements） and isotopic （Sm-Nd） geochemistry and compared with Pleistocene loess and paleosol samples from the Chinese Loess Plateau （CLP） in Northern China.The geochemical composition of CRE is similar to north China loess,and also resembles the average UCC.This indicates that CRE,as loess deposits in Northern China,was derived from well-mixed sedimentary protoliths that have undergone numerous upper crustal recycling processes.However,obvious differences in the geochemical characteristics of CRE and the north China loess are also revealed in our results.For chemically stable elements,CRE has higher Ti,Zr,Hf and lower ΣREE,Ba contents in comparison with loess samples from the CLP.Further analysis shows that CRE has higher TiO2/Al2O3,SiO2/Al2O3,Ba/Rb and lower Ce/Yb,Eu/Yb,LaN/YbN and ΣLREE/ ΣHREE ratios.In Sm-Nd isotopic geochemistry,Sm and Nd content and the εNd（0） value in CRE are significantly higher than those in north China loess.The higher TiO2 content in CRE coincided with a high background concentration of Ti in the Sichuan Basin and the surrounding regions.The lower ΣREE and higher Sm,Nd,εNd（0） values are related to the wide distribution of basalt in the southwest Sichuan Basin.The elemental and isotopic geochemistry of CRE indicates that eolian materials in the CP predominantly come from the Sichuan Basin and the surrounding regions,which differs from loess deposits in the CLP.

Sedimentary environment of vermicular red clay in South China

Increasing interest in recent years has focused on vermicular red clay(VRC) in southern China due to its controversial sedimentary environment and provenance. Grain size is a useful way to determine sedimentary environment and provenance. Fisher Linear Discriminant Analysis(LDA) is a common and widely used method for multivariate statistical analysis. Based on a proper training sample set, the LDA can be used to discuss the sediment provenance. In this study, grain size data for 77 Malan loess samples and 41 floodplain deposit samples were used as a training sample set to deduce a Fisher linear discriminant function. Then, 299 VRC samples from 6 Quaternary red clay profiles were analyzed using the discriminant function. Grain size parameters and microscopic images of quartz grains separated from the VRC were evaluated in detail to determine the VRC sedimentary environment in south China. The results show that VRC profiles can be classified into two regions: the Chiang-nan Hilly Region and Wuyi Mountains Region. The VRC samples in the Chiang-nan Hilly Region originated from eolian dust deposits. This VRC is characterized by a higher content of fine particles(<20 μm) and lower average transport kinetic energy than loess in a C-M plot. The quartz grain sizes and microscope images of this VRC suggest that it could be a polyphyletic mixture of far-sourced and nearsourced eolian deposits. The far-sourced eolian deposits share similar provenance with Xiashu loess and were transported by the East Asian winter monsoon. The near-sourced eolian deposits were dust emitted from the adjacent floodplain. In the Wuyi Mountains Region, the rugged topography weakened the dustfall and strengthened the reconstructive effect of hydrodynamic forces during the Quaternary glacial periods. The VRC in this region was reworked strongly by water and retained typical hydraulic characteristics no matter the source.

Central Asian aridification during the late Eocene to early Miocene inferred from preliminary study of shallow marine-eolian sedimentary rocks from northeastern Tajik Basin

The tempo-spatial development of the Cenozoic Asian aridification across the Eocene-Oligocene and its controlling factors are important scientific topics in Earth Sciences, which are pertinent to regional and global tectonic and climatic events. However, sedimentary rocks preserving the record of aridification during this time from central Asia(ACA) are rare. Here we present a preliminary analysis of sedimentary facies of the lower Paleogene in the northeastern Tajik Basin, which reveals that: the lower part of the studied section is dominated by shallow marine deposits of the Paratethys, the middle part is typical of alternations of eolian dune and fluvial deposits, the upper part is represented by eolian loess-sandy loess(L&SL) like facies, and the top exhibits alternations of fluvial-lacustrine and loess like facies. Based on a chronological framework derived from preliminary magnetostratigraphy, published U-Pb dating of a volcanic ash, and regional litho-stratigraphic correlations, we determine that eolian and L&SL facies accumulated in the northeastern Tajik Basin during the Late Eocene and through most of the Oligocene. These sedimentary units indicate that semi-arid to arid environments of ACA had developed at least since the late Eocene. This initial aridification is closely linked to the westward retreat of the Paratethys that was likely driven by a combination of tectonic activity and sea level changes.

Thick Miocene eolian deposits on the Huajialing Mountains:The geomorphic evolution of the western Loess Plateau

The geomorphic evolution of northwestern China during the Cenozoic has been a subject of much geological interest because of its link with the uplift of the Himalayan-Tibetan complex.Much information about these changes is recoverable from the sedimentary sequences of the region.We report here on the thick eolian deposits mantling the Huajialing Mountains,a relatively flat mountain range in the western Loess Plateau.Correlation of magnetic susceptibility stratigraphy with the QA-I Miocene eolian sequence dates a 134.7 m section(NL-VII) for the interval from 18.7 to 11.8 Ma,as confirmed by micro-mammalian fossils.These eolian deposits demonstrate a much wider distribution of the Miocene eolian deposits,and also indicate that the topography contrasts in the western Loess Plateau,including the uplifts of the Huajialing Mountains and the bedrock highlands in the Qinan region,were formed by the early Miocene.The near-continuous Miocene eolian sequence from 18.7 to 11.8 Ma indicates that the substratum of Huajialing had not experienced any intense tectonic changes during this time interval,which suggests further,the relative tectonic stability of the nearby Tibetan Plateau.

Sr-Nd-Pb Isotopic Compositions of the Neogene Eolian Deposits in the Xining Basin and Implications for Their Dust Sources

The Neogene eolian deposits in the Xining Basin are valuable archive for studying the evolution of the Asian monsoon system and geomorphic processes of Northwest China. The Neogene eolian deposits that paleomagnetically dated at about 14 Ma probably were sourced from the middle and west Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau（QTP） as indicated by elemental compositions and magnetic properties. This study provides the Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic ratios of different sediments（gravels from the river terraces, Neogene eolian deposits and Quaternary loess） in the Xining Basin. The results show that：（1） Sr-Nd isotopic compositions of terrace gravels are different from those of the Neogene and Quaternary eolian deposits, although the Nd isotope ratios of gravel on the 10 th terrace（T10） and eolian deposits are similar.（2） Pb isotopic compositions of river gravels are obviously different from the eolian deposits in the Xining Basin. However, Pb isotopic compositions of eolian deposits in the basin are similar to those of eolian deposits in the central Chinese Loess Plateau.（3） Sr-Nd-Pb isotope results indicate that the Neogene eolian deposits in the Xining Basin were probably sourced from remote areas outside of the basin by long-distance transportation. The Qaidam Basin is probably an important source area for the eolian deposits in the Xining Basin.