Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T03:42:40.688Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Chronology of the Baxie Loess Profile and the History of Monsoon Climates in China Between 17,000 and 6000 Years BP

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Weijian Zhou ,
Zhisheng An ,
Benhai Lin ,
Jule Xiao ,
Jinzhao Zhang ,
Jun Xie ,
Mingfu Zhou ,
S. C. Porter ,
M. J. Head  and
D. J. Donahue
Weijian Zhou
Affiliation:
Xi'an Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Academia Sinica, Xi'an 710061 Shaanxi Province, Peoples Republic of China
Zhisheng An
Affiliation:
Xi'an Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Academia Sinica, Xi'an 710061 Shaanxi Province, Peoples Republic of China
Benhai Lin
Affiliation:
Xi'an Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Academia Sinica, Xi'an 710061 Shaanxi Province, Peoples Republic of China
Jule Xiao
Affiliation:
Xi'an Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Academia Sinica, Xi'an 710061 Shaanxi Province, Peoples Republic of China
Jinzhao Zhang
Affiliation:
Xi'an Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Academia Sinica, Xi'an 710061 Shaanxi Province, Peoples Republic of China
Jun Xie
Affiliation:
Xi'an Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Academia Sinica, Xi'an 710061 Shaanxi Province, Peoples Republic of China
Mingfu Zhou
Affiliation:
Xi'an Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Academia Sinica, Xi'an 710061 Shaanxi Province, Peoples Republic of China
S. C. Porter
Affiliation:
Xi'an Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Academia Sinica, Xi'an 710061 Shaanxi Province, Peoples Republic of China
M. J. Head
Affiliation:
Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 USA
D. J. Donahue
Affiliation:
Radiocarbon Dating Research Unit, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601 Australia
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The valley of the Baxie River, situated in the western region of the Loess Plateau in central China, contains a loess profile 15 m thick, which can be considered representative of loess-paleosol sequences formed over the last 17 ka. Both thermoluminescence (TL) determinations on fine-grained sediment (4–11 μm) and 14C determinations on various organic fractions of paleosols from the profile have provided an extremely useful chronological framework for these sequences. These sequences indicate a weakened summer monsoon during the last glacial maximum followed by a strengthening of the summer monsoon, beginning ca. 13 ka cal bp. An abrupt change to a weakened summer monsoon regime lasted from ca. 10.9 to 10.2 ka cal bp. The Asian summer monsoon circulation, recording the Holocene optimum, then increased and lasted from ca. 10.2 to 6 ka cal bp. The organic component of samples taken down the profile has δ13C values ranging from −21 to −24‰ with respect to the PDB standard. The more positive δ13C values suggest that the proportion of C4-type plants in river valleys of the Loess Plateau increased as Asian summer monsoon influence weakened, and C3-type vegetation increased as the summer monsoon influence strengthened. Magnetic susceptibility and organic content were low during loess deposition, also reflecting weakening of summer monsoon. Two 14C determinations on the humin fraction of the organic component near the top of the lower paleosol and the base of the upper paleosol complex gave ages of 10.2 and 10.9 ka cal BP, respectively. These ages mark the beginning and termination of a brief event involving increased dust influx under weakened summer monsoon conditions.

Type
IV. Paleoclimatology
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 34 , Issue 3: Proceedings of the 14th International Radiocarbon Conference , 1992 , pp. 818 - 825
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Aitken, M. J. 1985 Thermoluminescence Dating. London, Academic Press: 66–67.Google Scholar
An, Z., Liu, T., Lu, Y., Porter, S. C., Kukla, G., Wu, X. and Hua, Y. 1991 The long-term paleomonsoon variation recorded by loess-paleosol sequence in central China. Quaternary International 7, in press.Google Scholar
An, Z. S., Xiao, J., Zhang, J. Z., Xie, J., Zheng, H. P. and Zhao, H. 1990 Monsoon and climatic history during the last 130,000 years in the Loess Plateau, China. In Loess Quaternary Geology Global Change. Beijing, Science Press: 108–114.Google Scholar
Fleming, S. J. 1979 Thermoluminescence Techniques in Archaeology. Oxford, Clarendon Press: 30–33.Google Scholar
Head, M. J., Zhou, W. J. and Zhou, M. F. 1989 Evaluation of 14C ages of organic fractions of paleosols from loess-paleosol sequences near Xian, China. In Long, A. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 13th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 31(3): 680–696.Google Scholar
Heller, F. and Liu, T. S. 1986 Paleoclimatic and sedimentary history from magnetic susceptibility of loess in China. Geophysical Research Letters 13: 1169–1172.Google Scholar
Kukla, G. and An, Z. S. 1989 Loess stratigraphy in central China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 72: 203–225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kutzbach, J. and Street-Perrott, F. 1985 Milankovich forcing of fluctuations in the level of tropical lakes from 18 K to present. Nature 317: 130–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, T. S., ed. 1985 Loess and the Environment. Beijing, China, Ocean Press: 251.Google Scholar
Maher, B. A. and Thompson, R. 1992 Paleoclimatic significance of the minimal magnetic record of the Chinese loess and paleosols. Quaternary Research 37: 155–170.Google Scholar
Prescott, J. R. and Stephan, L. G. 1982 Contribution of cosmic rays to the environmental dose for thermoluminescence dating latitude altitude and depth dependence. PACT 6: 15–17.Google Scholar
Qiao, Y. 1985 14C Dating of loess. In Liu, T. S., ed., Loess and the Environment. Beijing, China, Ocean Press: 48–53.Google Scholar
Readhead, M. L. 1982 Extending thermoluminescence dating to geological sediments. In Ambrose, W. and Duerden, P., eds., Archaeometry: An Australian Perspective. Canberra, ANU Press: 276–281.Google Scholar
Singhvi, A. K., Sharma, Y. P. and Agrawal, D. P. 1982 Thermoluminescence dating of sand dunes in Rajasthan India. Nature 295: 313–315.Google Scholar
Slota, P. J. Jr., Jull, A. J. T., Linick, T. W. and Toolin, L. J. 1987 Preparation of small samples for 14C accelerator targets by catalytic reduction of CO. Radiocarbon 29(2): 303–306.Google Scholar
Steinberg, C. and Muenster, U. 1985 Geochemistry and ecological role of humic substances in lake water. In Aiken, G. R., McKnight, D. M., Wershaw, R. L. and McCarthy, P., eds., Humic Substances in Soil Sediment and Water Geochemistry Isolation and Characterisation. New York, John Wiley & Sons: 105–146.Google Scholar
Stevenson, F. J. 1986 Cycles of Soil: Carbon Nitrogen Phosphorus. Sulphur Micronutrients. New York, John Wiley & Sons: 380.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M., Braziunas, T. F., Becker, B. and Kromer, B. 1991 Climatic solar oceanic and geomagnetic influences on Late-Glacial and Holocene atmospheric 14C/12C change. Quaternary Research 35: 1–24.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M. and Pearson, G. W. 1986 High-precision calibration of the radiocarbon time scale, AD 1950–500 bc. In Stuiver, M. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 12th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 28(2B): 805–838.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wintle, A. G. and Huntley, D. J. 1982 Thermoluminescence dating of sediments. Quaternary Science Reviews 1: 31–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, L. 1989 Landslide history and late Cenozoic environmental factors in the Sa Le Shan area Dongxian County Gansu Province China. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Loess Geomorphic Processes and Hazards. Journal of Lanzhou University : 81–93.Google Scholar
Zheng, H. 1985 Distribution of Holocene loess. In Liu, T. S., ed., Loess and the Environment. Beijing, China, Ocean Press: 53–59.Google Scholar
Zhou, W. J. and An, Z. S. 1991 14C chronology of the Loess Plateau in China. Proceedings of INQUA Conference. Beijing, in press.Google Scholar
Zhou, W. J., Zhou, M. F. and Head, J. 1990 14C chronology of Beizhuang Cun sedimentation sequence since 30,000 years bp. Chinese Science Bulletin 35(7): 567–572.Google Scholar