Late Pleistocene sedimentary sequences and paleoclimate changes in Xunhua basin in the upper reach of Yellow River in China

doi:10.1007/s11707-012-0329-8

Front Earth Sci

2012, Vol. 6

Issue (3) : 297-305 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-012-0329-8

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Late Pleistocene sedimentary sequences and paleoclimate changes in Xunhua basin in the upper reach of Yellow River in China

Fang HAN^1,2, Kexin ZHANG^1,2(

), Junliang JI^1,2, Yadong XU^1,2, Fenning CHEN³, Xiaohu KOU²

1. Faulty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China; 2. State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China; 3. Xi’an Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, Xi’an 710054, China

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Abstract

The third terrace of the Yellow River was well developed in Xunhua basin in the north-east margin of the Tibetan Plateau. The terrace was formed at ca 75 ka as dated by the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) method. On the basis of grain size, magnetic susceptibility and palynological data, six episodes of the climatic change were identified in Xunhua basin; they include very warm and humid period during 120–114 ka, cool and dry period during 114–105 ka, warm and humid period during 105–98 ka, gradually cooling period during 98–85 ka, warm and humid period during 85–75 ka, very cold and dry period during 75–63 ka. The six stages of climatic change recorded in Xunhua basin correspond to the marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS) of 5e, 5d, 5c, 5b, 5a and 4, respectively.

Keywords sedimentary sequences river terrace Xunhua basin Tibetan Plateau Late Pleistocene paleoclimatic change

Corresponding Author(s): ZHANG Kexin,Email:kx_zhang@cug.edu.cn

Issue Date: 05 September 2012

Cite this article:

Fang HAN,Kexin ZHANG,Junliang JI, et al. Late Pleistocene sedimentary sequences and paleoclimate changes in Xunhua basin in the upper reach of Yellow River in China[J]. Front Earth Sci, 2012, 6(3): 297-305.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-012-0329-8
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2012/V6/I3/297

Fig.1 Geological map and the location of the study area (modified after Geological Survey of China University of Geosciences, 2006). 1. Holocene; 2. Upper Pleistocene; 3. Middle Pleistocene; 4. Pliocene Jishi Formation; 5. Neogene Linxia Formation; 6. Neogene Xianshuihe Formation; 7. Paleogene-Neogene Tala Formation; 8. The first Formation of Lower Cretaceous Hekou Group; 9. The second Formation of Lower Cretaceous Hekou Group; 10. Lower Triassic Jiangligou Formation; 11. Upper Cambrian Liudaogou Formation; 12. Proterozoic Hualong Group; 13. Lower Ordovician quartz diorite; 14. Ordovician quartz diorite; 15. The third terrace; 16.Reverse fault; 17. Normal fault; 18. Geological boundary; 19. angular unconformity; 20. Invasion boundary; 21. location of the studied section

Fig.2 Stratigraphic columnar section of the third terrace in Xunhua basin, Qinghai. Typical outcrop photos: 1. pebbles with imbricated structures of, fluvial channel setting in bed 1. 2. bar of meandering river with wavy beddings in bed. 3. sandstones interbedded with mudstones with horizontal beddings of natural levee setting in beds 7-8. 4. bar of meandering river with parallel beddings, containing many small cycles in bed 18. 5. sandstones interbedded with mudstones of natural levee setting in bed 29. 6.sandstones intercalated with imbricated conglomerates of fluvial marginal bank in bed 40. massive secondary loess in beds 53-54. Legend: 1. conglomerate; 2. coarse sandstone; 3.pebbly sandstone; 4.fine sandstone; 5.siltstone; 6.silty mudstone; 7.mudstone; 8.loess; 9. imbricated structure; 10. parallel bedding; 11. climbing ripple bedding; 12. positive graded bedding; 13. mud crack; 14. horizontal bedding; 15. wedge cross-bedding; 16. tabular cross-bedding

Tab.1 Analytical results of OSL and their parameters from the sedimentary sequence of the third terrace of the Yellow River in Xunhua Basin

Fig.3 Depositional model for the formation of the third terrace during the Late Pleistocene at the study area

Fig.4 Comparison diagram of magnetic susceptibility and granularity for the third terrace of the Yellow River in Xunhua Basin (Lithological symbols as in Fig. 2)

Fig.5 Representative photographs of palynomorph fossils from the third terrace section of the Yellow River in the Xunhua Basin. All specimens are housed in the Faculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China. (1): sp., from bed 52. (2): sp., from bed 52. (3): sp., from bed 53. (4): sp., from bed 53. (5): sp., from bed 53. (6): sp., from bed 42. (7): sp., from bed 42. (8): sp., from bed 42. (9): Chenopodiaceae sp., from bed 46. (10): sp., from bed 44. (11): sp., from bed 47. (12): sp., from bed 33. (13): sp., from bed 34. (14): Taxodiaceae, from bed 34. (15): Chenopodiaceae sp., from bed 36. (16): sp., from bed 36. (17): sp., from bed 37. (18): sp., from bed 26. (19): sp., from bed 26. (20): sp., from bed 26. (21): sp., from bed 29. (22): sp., from bed 31. (23): sp., from bed 29. (24): sp., from bed 18. (25):Ranunculaceae, from bed 17. (26): sp., from bed 18. (27): sp., from bed 9. (28): sp., from bed 11. (29): sp., from bed 7. (30): Gramineae, from bed 7. (31): sp., from bed 5. (32): sp. from bed 5. (33): sp., from bed 5. (34): sp., from bed 8. (35): sp., from bed 8. (36): Gramineae, from bed 8

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