Spatial-temporal Characteristics of Holocene Paleosols in the Chinese Loess Plateau and Paleoclimatic Significance

The evolution of Holocene climate was investigated using grain size and magnetic susceptibility of the Holocene paleosols from Baicaoyuan(BCY),Xifeng(XF) and Linyou(LY) sections in the northwest,central and southern Chinese Loess Plateau(CLP).The results show that the Holocene in the B CY,XF and LY paleosol sections could be divided into three phases:during the early Holocene(11.8-10.5 kyr B.P.),increased magnetic susceptibility(χ) and frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility(χ) and decreased median grain size(Md) indicate that the East Asian Summer Monsoon(EASM) has become more intense and the climate has changed from cold to warm.During the middle Holocene(10.5-5.0 kyr B.P.),the values of χ,χand 2-5 μm grain-size fraction(GT2/5) are higher and Md and 30-63 μm grain-size fraction(GT3 0/6 3) are the lowest,which reflect a warm and humid regional climate.At~8.0 kyr B.P.,there was a transient dry-cold climatic spike corresponding to a Heinrich Event,the cold event was likely due to the collapse of the Laurentide ice sheet.During the late Holocene(5.0-0 kyr B.P.),χ and χvalues are the lowest,while Md and GT30/63 are high,as proxies of a weakened EASM,when the dry-cold climate prevailed in the region.Decreased irradiance since 5.0 kyr B.P.may have caused climatic cooling and drying.Spatially,the increased main peak values and skewness from BCY,XF to LY sections show that the grain size became fine,the East Asian Winter Monsoon(EAWM) reduced,and climate was warmer and wetter from northwest to southeast.In addition,Md can be used as alternative proxy for EAWM,while χis positive with the intensity of EASM under semiarid climate conditions in CLP.

New insights on the age of the Mengyejing Formation in the Simao Basin,SE Tethyan domain and its geological implications

Knowledge on the origin and mechanism of the large potash formation in the southeast Tethyan tectonic domain are still under debate,one of which mainly due to the controversial ages of the potash-bearing strata.Here we present a detailed detrital zircon U-Pb geochronologic-magnetostratigraphic study of the potash-bearing Mengyejing(MYJ)Formation(Fm)from the Simao Basin.948 paleomagnetic cores and 4 detrital zircon U-Pb samples were collected from a 932-m thick Jiangcheng section.Thermal demagnetization isolated 857 primary characteristic remnant magnetization(ChRM)directions,indicated by positive reversals and fold tests and petrologic examinations.Seven normal and seven reversed polarity zones were identified and correlated well with chrons C27r to C34n of the geomagnetic polarity timescale(GPTS2012),yielding the first known age sequence of>112 to~63 Ma for the MYJ Fm.The ages for the potash bearing strata in the Simao commenced~20 Ma earlier than those in the adjacent Khorat basins,opposite to the traditional viewpoint that the former would rather correspond to the middle and lower parts of the latter.Given the paleogeographic reconstruction of likely a pan-Simao-Khorat basin during the Cretaceous,~85 Ma would be another important potential period for future potash exploration in the Simao Basin.