A Middle Pleistocene Glaciation Record from Lacustrine Sediments in the Western Tibetan Plateau and Discussion on Climate Change

The Tibetan Plateau is an important area for studying global climate change,but the answers to many scientific problems remain unknown.Here,we present new information from the lacustrine sedimentary record in the western Tibetan Plateau,related to the third most-recent glaciations.Continuous sediment data,including sporopollen,particle size,total organic carbon,mass susceptibility,CaCO_(3),CaSO_(4),BaSO_(4)contents and chronological data,were reconstructed and revealed that climate and environmental conditions obviously and distinctly changed between 600 and 700 thousand years ago.In comparison,the data obtained from the Guliya ice core in this area also corresponds to the global glacial climatic characteristics recorded in basin sediments in the eastern and southeastern regions of the plateau and to the information obtained from ice cores in the Antarctic and Arctic regions.In this study,we conclude that the main reason for the glaciations and new tectonic movement must be a geomagnetic polarity reversal 774 thousand years ago(from Matuyama to Brunhes).Indeed,the results of this study suggest that the described reversal event might have influenced the current global climate pattern and will continue to impact climatic changes in the future.

Mechanical characteristics of intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess in northwestern China

In order to research the mechanical characteristics of intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess, triaxial shear tests and isotonic compression test of intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess were conducted by improved SJ-IA triaxial shear equipment. According to test results, it can be found that the intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess has the properties of shear dilatancy and shear shrinkage. With the increase of confining pressure, stress-strain curve develops from softening to hardening. The failure mode of intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess is shear failure with the rupture angle between 55° and 61°. And it is better to determine the yield stress （py, qy） of the intact loess under different confining pressures by using the εv-q/p curve. Along with the increase of confining pressure, yield deviatoric stress qy and yield spherical stress py present logarithmic relationship. Besides, the strength parameters, elastic modulus K and G of intact loess, are obtained, which are benefit for loess projects design.

Geochemistry and environment evolution of Core E in the Laizhou Bay since last stage of Middle Pleistocene

Geochemistry analysis has been done on Core E (37 07' N, 118 55' E; depth: 82.1 m) taken from the Laizhou Bay in 1994. Nine kinds of invariable elements, 15 kinds of microelements and the content of lime carbonate are measured by means of ICP. The results indicate that most of the invariable elements and microelements in Core E show significant changes in the boundary stratotype, and the ratios between elements (Mn/Fe, Sr/Ba, Ti/Al) in particular. So they can be used as characteristic indicator to stratigraphic division of Quaternary. The changes of invariable elements are primarily controlled by the host minerals, and they mainly indicate the provenance as well as the sedimentation and depositional environment. Several elements, such as Fe, Al, Ca, Mg, Mn and Ti, are very sensitive to the provenance and environment. The distribution of microelements differs in four depositional periods: last stage of Middle Pleistocene, last interglacial period, last glacial period and Recent epoch, and especially in the 'cold period' and 'warm period'. The loops in the cycle curves of the most microelements correspond with the sand bed sediments, among which there are six sand units representing 'warm period' sediments, and one representing 'cold period' sediments. The carbonate is on the high side in the aeolian silt sediments formed in the glacial lowering of sea level in Core E, but on the low side in the transgressive sand beds formed in the interglacial period. The content variation of carbonate has a direct bearing on the grain size and the styles of sediments, and is a good indicator to the climate, environment and stratigraphic division.

Cosmogenic ^(26)Al/^(10)Be Burial Dating of the Uplift Rate of Southern Qinling Mountains since the Middle Pleistocene

Objective The Qinling Mountains （QM） in Central China is a natural harrier that corresponds to the boundary between the southern and northern climate and environment （Gong Hujun et al., 2017）. Northern QM is relatively steep, and southern QM is in contrast relatively low and gentle. Investigations have shown that the average uplift rate of northern QM since 17.8 Ma is approximately 0.19 mm/a （Yin Gongming et al., 2001）, whereas that of central QM since 0.36 Ma is approximately 0.32 mm/a （Wang Fei et al., 2004）. To date, however, few investigations have yet been conducted on the uplift rate of southern QM. Accordingly, we aim to obtain the uplift rate of southern QM by using the cosmogenic ^26A1/^10 Be burial dating method to determine the age of the highest river terrace on the southern slope of QM.

Palynoflora and climatic dynamics of the Laizhou Bay of Bohai Sea,North China Plain,since the late middle Pleistocene

The coastal plain of Laizhou Bay in Bohai Sea is a transitional area of land-sea interaction.Sediments in this area can bear significant information of sea-level fluctuation,climate change,as well as regional geological setting.Here,in this study,new sporopollen data from three boreholes(GK138,GK111 and GK95)in the coastal plain of Laizhou Bay,Bohai Sea were investigated,and the pollen spectrum since the late middle Pleistocene was established as six sporopollen assemblage zones(Ⅰ-Ⅵ),i.e.,Pinus-Quercus-Artemisia,Gramineae-Artemisia-Chenopodiaceae,Picea-Pinus-QuercusArtemisia,Picea-Pinus-Betula-Gramineae-Artemisia,Picea-Pinus-Cupressaceae-Chenopodiaceae and Pinus-Quercus-Gramineae-Artemisia-Chenopodiaceae.Combining with existing sedimentary successions and detailed radiocarbon dating results of the sediments from the three boreholes,paleovegetation and climatic evolution since the late middle Pleistocene were reconstructed.The findings revealed that climatic changes in this area since the late middle Pleistocene were characterized by alternating cold-arid and warmhumid conditions,which were well correlated with marine isotopic stages(MIS).The present study offers specific insight into the climatic dynamics in the North China Plain since the late middle Pleistocene and provides evidence of a clear link among the palynoflora in the area,the glacial-interglacial period climatedriven sea-level changes,and the marineδ^(18)O records.

Magnetic minerals in Mid-Pleistocene sediments on the Caiwei Guyot,Northwest Pacific and their response to the Mid-Brunhes climate event

Seamounts are ubiquitous topographic units in global oceans,and their influences on local oceanic circulation have attracted great attention in physical oceanography;however,previous efforts were less made in paleoclimatology and paleoceanography.The Caiwei Guyot in the Magellan Seamounts of the western Pacific is a typical seamount,and in this study,we investigate a well-dated sediment core by magnetic properties to reveal the relationship between deep-sea sedimentary processes and global climate changes.The principal results are as follows:(1)the dominant magnetic minerals in the sediments are low-coercivity magnetite in pseudo-single domain range,probably including a biogenic contribution;(2)the variabilities of magnetic parameters can be clustered into two sections at~500 ka,and the differences between the two units are evident in amplitudes and means;(3)changes in the grainsize-dependent magnetic parameters can be well correlated to records of global ice volume and atmospheric CO;in the middle Pleistocene.Based on these results,a close linkage was proposed between deep-sea sedimentary processes in the Caiwei Guyot and global climate changes.This linkage likely involves different roles of biogenic magnetite in the sediments between interglacial and glacial intervals,responding to changes in marine productivity and deep-sea circulation and displaying a major change in the MidBrunhes climate event.Therefore,we proposed that the sedimentary archives at the bottom of the Caiwei Guyot record some key signals of global climate changes,providing a unique window to observe interactions between various environmental systems on glacial-interglacial timescales.

RECONSTRUCTION OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT DURING THE LIFE SPAN OF NANJING HOMO ERECTUS

From the comparison of the corresponding strata to the skull of the relic Homo erectus which was found in the Calabash cave of Nanjing Tangshan and dated in 350,000 aBP with other cave strata, the region of Tangshan is a kind of periglacial environment before middle Pleistocene epoch. During the life span of Nanjing Homo erecturs , it had transformed to warm and humid sub-tropical climate from periglacial climate. The natural environment is similar to present except the individual high mountains.

Oxygen isotope stratigraphy and events in the northern South China Sea during the last 6 million years

Based on the stable isotopic analysis of more than 1000 samples of planktonic and benthic foraminifers from ODP Site 1148 in the northern South China Sea (SCS), the oxygen isotope stratigraphy has been applied to the last 3 million years for the first time in the SCS. Furthermore, the paleoceanographic changes in the northern SCS during the last 6 million years have been unraveled. The benthic foraminiferal δ180 record shows that before ~3.1 Ma the SCS was much more influenced by the warm intermediate water of the Pacific. The remarkable decrease in the deepwater temperature of the SCS during the period of 3.1-2.5 Ma demonstrates the formation of the Northern Hemisphere ice-sheet. However, the several sea surface temperature (SST) reductions during the early and middle Pliocene, reflected by the planktonic foraminiferal δ18O, might be related to the ice-sheet growth in the Antarctic region. Only those stepwise and irreversible SST reductions during the period of ~2.2-0.9 Ma could be related to the formation and growth of the Northern Hemisphere ice-sheet.