Geomorphological analysis of neotectonic deformation,northern Owens Valley,California

At the western edge of the Basin and Range Province, the Owens Valley is the site of active seismicity and deformation. Morphometric analyses of three geomorphological features are used to determine the patterns and rates of neotectonic deformation: (l) a network of Pleistocene channels cut on top of the Bishop Tuff; (2) uplifted terraces of the Owens River; and (3) alluvial fans of the White Mountain front.In the Owens Valley, the three analyses are consistent with the same solution: net eastward tilt of the Owens Valley block at a rate of between 3.5 and 6.1°/Ma. Given the dip on the basement determined from geophysical data and extrapolating the rate of tilt in the Owens Valley back in time, it is inferred that the break-up of the Sierra Nevada and the northern Owens Valley occurred in the Pliocene, between around 2 and 4 Ma ago. The pattern of deformation in the northern Owens Valley matches anticlinal flexure on the Coyote warp, near the front of the Sierra Nevada, and faulting across the Volcanic Tableland is consistent with flexural extension. It is proposed that the Coyote warp is an expression of the tectonic hinge between westward rotation of the Sierra Nevada and eastward rotation of the Owens Valley since the Pliocene.     

Soil stratigraphy and plant–soil interactions on a Late Glacial–Holocene fluvial terrace sequence,Sierra Nevada National Park,northern Venezuelan Andes

Analysis of a flight of alluvial terraces in the Sierra Nevada National Park near Pico Mucuñuque in the Eastern Mérida Andes has yielded information on geomorphic, pedogenic, and vegetational changes from Late Glacial time to the present. The terraces formed in large part due to stream incision/migration triggered by neotectonic uplift (>7000 yr BP) of a Late Glacial/Early Holocene glaciolacustrine lithosequence and, with the exception of the oldest/highest terrace, exhibit near-uniform lithology/parent materials. Soils developed in the terrace materials range from thin, weakly developed profiles (O/C/Cu horizons) to Entisols with O/Ah/Cox/Cu horizons and similar buried counterparts representing former short periods of floodplain stability or slow aggradation. The buried soils provide organic-rich material that yields radiocarbon ages, which provide time constraints on individual pedons and the geomorphic development of the site. Iron and aluminum extracts of soil matrix material provide information on the formation and accumulation of goethite and hematite, the relative accumulation of ferrihydrite (gain/loss), and the downward translocation of organically complexed Al as a function of soil development and age. SEM analysis of heavy mineral grains indicates varying material sources and degrees of weathering in the soil chronosequence. A qualitative study of plant functional types across the terrace sequence shows that older surfaces support greater plant diversity. The study also suggests ways in which the plant communities influence soil development at the site through varying organic matter inputs and varying soil moisture use by specific species (e.g., ferns on the oldest terrace), which may explain the absence of B horizons in the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene soils.     

Late Pleistocene Glaciations in the Northwestern Sierra Nevada, California

Pleistocene fluvial landforms and riparian ecosystems in central California responded to climate changes in the Sierra Nevada, yet the glacial history of the western Sierra remains largely unknown. Three glacial stages in the northwestern Sierra Nevada are documented by field mapping and cosmogenic radionuclide surface-exposure (CRSE) ages. Two CRSE ages of erratic boulders on an isolated till above Bear Valley provide a limiting minimum age of 76,400±3800 ¹⁰Be yr. Another boulder age provides a limiting minimum age of 48,800±3200 ¹⁰Be yr for a broad-crested moraine ridge within Bear Valley. Three CRSE ages producing an average age of 18,600±1180 yr were drawn from two boulders near a sharp-crested bouldery lateral moraine that represents an extensive Tioga glaciation in Bear Valley. Nine CRSE ages from striated bedrock along a steep valley transect average 14,100±1500 yr and suggest rapid late-glacial ice retreat from lower Fordyce Canyon with no subsequent extensive glaciations. These ages are generally consistent with glacial and pluvial records in east-central California and Nevada.     

Reevaluation of multiparameter relative dating techniques and their application to the glacial sequence along the eastern escarpment of the Sierra Nevada,California

Four valleys, recently studied by other workers, were examined along the eastern Sierra Nevada to refine relative-dating techniques. A variety of weathering parameters and soil properties fail to delineate more than two major post-Sherwin Pleistocene glaciations. We correlate these two glaciations with the Tahoe and Tioga Glaciations. Type Mono Basin Till, usually considered to be pre-Tahoe, exhibits the following weathering similarities with Tahoe Till, if both are under sagebrush: (1) grusification of subsurface granitic boulders; (2) degree of pitting, mineral relief, and rind development on surface granitic boulders; and (3) very slight clay increase in the B horizon. Type Casa Diablo Till also has weathering characteristics similar to Tahoe Till, except a slightly more developed Bt horizon is present. Hence, dates on basalt of 0.126 ± 0.025 and 0.062 ± 0.013 my Casa Diablo Till also has weathering characteristics similar to Tahoe Till, except a slightly more developed Bt horizon is present. Hence, dates on basalt of 0.126 ± 0.025 and 0.062 ± 0.013 my (Bailey et al. 1976), which bracket type Casa Diablo, may provide age control on the Tahoe glaciation. In addition, we are unable to demonstrate that the Tenaya is a separate glaciation. In three of the four valleys studied our weathering data for Tenaya Till are equivalent with those for Tioga Till, but with those for Tahoe Till in the fourth valley. We were not satisfied with our ability to differentiate the Casa Diablo, Mono Basin, and Tenaya as separate glaciations even though data were collected in the type areas for two of these deposits. Reasons for suggesting a change back to a two-fold Tahoe-Tioga glacial sequence, rather than the present five-fold sequence, are that we have measured a greater number of parameters than has been done previously, soils were submitted to detailed laboratory analyses, and surface weathering features were studied under consistent present vegetation cover to avoid possible problems induced by ancient forest fires. Nevertheless our relative-dating scheme does not rule out the possibility of a more detailed glacial sequence.     

A 180,000-year pollen record from Owens Lake, CA: terrestrial vegetation change on orbital scales

Pollen from the upper 90 m of core OL-92 from Owens Lake is a climatically sensitive record of vegetation change that indicates shifts in the plant associations representing warm and cold desertscrub, pinyon–juniper woodland, and pine–fir forest during the past 180,000 years. These changes are synchronized with glacial–interglacial cycles. During glacial and stadial climates, juniper woodland expanded downslope and replaced warm desert shrubs while upper montane and subalpine forests in the arid Inyo Mountains also expanded, and those in the Sierra Nevada were displaced by the ice cap and periglacial conditions. Conversely, during interglacial and interstadial climates, warm desert plants expanded their range in the lowlands, juniper and sagebrush retreated upslope, and montane and subalpine forests expanded in the Sierra Nevada. The reconstructed vegetation history demonstrates a regional climatic response, and the congruence of the pollen sequence with marine and ice cap oxygen isotope stratigraphies suggests a link between regional vegetation and global climate change at orbital scales.     

Climatic Implications of the Late Quaternary Alluvial Record of a Small Drainage Basin in the Central Great Plains

Four late-Quaternary alluvial fills and terraces are recognized in Wolf Creek basin, a small (163 km²) drainage in the Kansas River system of the central Great Plains. Two terraces were created during the late Pleistocene: the T-4 is a fill-top terrace underlain by sand and gravel fill (Fill I), and the T-3 is a strath terrace cut on the Cretaceous Dakota Sandstone. Both Fill II (early Holocene) and Fill III (late Holocene) are exposed beneath the T-2, a Holocene fill-top terrace. The T-1 complex, consisting of one cut and three fill-top terraces, is underlain by Fills III and IV. A poorly developed floodplain (T-0) has formed within the past 1000 yr. As valleys in Wolf Creek basin filled during the early Holocene, an interval of soil formation occurred about 6800 yr B.P. Early Holocene fill has been found only in the basin's upper reaches, indicating that extensive erosion during the middle Holocene removed most early-Holocene fill from the middle and lower reaches of the basin. Valley filling between 5000 and 1000 yr B.P. was interrupted by soil formation about 1800, 1500, and 1200 yr B.P. As much as 6 m of entrenchment has occurred in the past 1000 yr. Holocene events in Wolf Creek basin correlate well with those in other localities in the central Great Plains, indicating that widespread changes in climate, along with adjustments driven by complex response, influenced fluvial activity.     

西南天山阿图什背斜晚第四纪的阶段性隆升

摘要：西南天山山前的阿图什背斜带是晚第四纪以来强烈活动的褶皱带,博古孜河横切背斜构造的中段,在背斜区形成6级基座阶地,为晚第四纪以来阿图什背斜阶段性褶皱隆起的地貌标志。 用差分GPS测量阶地纵剖面,发现T1、T2和T4阶地面在背斜的北翼坡向北,与河流的流向相反。T1、T2和T5阶地面在背斜的南翼坡向南,平均坡度分别为0.9°、1.2°和1.8°,远大于现代河床的平均坡度角0.5°。通过细颗粒石英和细颗粒混合矿物的光释光简单多片再生法(SMAR)测年,确定博古孜河T1、T2、T3、T4和T5阶地的形成年龄分别为距今约(25.0±2.6)、(42.7±4.4)、(63.1±6.3)、(96.9±9.9)和(120±10) ka BP。晚第四纪不同时段博古孜河的下切速率具有不均匀性,其中T3和T4阶地的下切速率分别为049和044 mm/a,T1 、T2和T5阶地的下切速率分别为12、169和136 mm/a。博古孜河分别在(120±10)～(96.9±9.9) ka、(42.7±4.4)～(25.0±2.6) ka和(25.0±2.6) ka至今的3个时段发生强烈的下切,应是阿图什背斜带在该时段快速构造隆起导致河流加速下切。     

Climatic-Ecological Aspects of the Arid American Southwest,with Special Emphasis on the White Mountains,California

The main purpose of the present study is the development of concepts and methods suitable for deriving climatological information on the basis of phytoindication in semiarid-semihumid regions where no climatological data are available. The macroclimate of the southwestern United States can be clearly defined using regression analysis. The humid oceanic and temperate climate in the western part of this region is distinguished from the dry continental climate of the Great Basin east of the Sierra Nevada. The very important role of summer precipitation for the distribution of vegetation is explained from a climatic-ecological point of view. Although microclimatic conditions point to unfavorable conditions for plant growth—extreme amounts of radiation lead to increasing thermal stress with altitude—the gradients of soil moisture during the warm season explain high vegetation densities.

Phytogeographical aspects show a clear separation between the Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains and between the White Mountains and Wheeler Peak. Lowest vegetation density is found in the Owens Valley and not, as might be expected, in the eastern part of the Great Basin. Thus, although the White Mountains are situated adjacent to the Sierra, their vegetation shows weak relations to the Sierran and Californian floristic province. In fact, Great Basin plants constitute the majority. An overall floristic comparison establishes a continuous change from the White Mountains to Wheeler Peak and an abrupt transition between the vegetation of the Sierra Nevada and the White Mountains.     

Pleistocene tectonics inferred from fluvial terraces of the northern Upper Rhine Graben, Germany

This study of fluvial terraces of the River Rhine and tributaries aims to search for indications of Pleistocene tectonic activity. The study area includes the northern Upper Rhine Graben (URG), the Mainz Basin and the adjacent Rhenish Massif with the Middle Rhine Valley. High rates of Quaternary surface processes, large amount of human modifications, relatively slow tectonic deformation and presently low intra-plate seismic activity characterize this area. Therefore, the records of relatively slow tectonic deformation are less well preserved and thus difficult to detect. This study uses the relative position of fluvial terraces to determine the more local effects of fault movements on the terraces and to evaluate their displacement rates and patterns. The research is based on a review of previous terrace studies and new terrace mapping from the eastern Mainz Basin and the bordering URG using topographic map interpretations and field observations. This newly mapped sequence of terrace surfaces can be correlated to other terraces in the vicinity on the basis of relative height levels. Terrace correlation between the western Mainz Basin and Middle Rhine Valley relies on a single chronostratigraphic unit (Mosbach sands) and additional relative height correlations. This is the first study to present a continuous correlation of terraces from the western margin of the URG to the Rhenish Massif and enables the study of the transition from the subsiding graben to the uplifted Rhenish Massif. By means of a longitudinal profile, which ranges from the URG to the Rhenish Massif, the influence of individual fault movements on the terrace levels and the large-scale regional uplift is demonstrated. It is evident from the profile that the uplift of Early to Middle Pleistocene terraces increases northwards, towards the Rhenish Massif. The uplift was diachronic, with a significant pulse occurring first in the northern URG (Lower Pleistocene) and later in the Rhenish Massif (Middle Pleistocene). The largest vertical displacements are recorded for the boundary fault separating the Mainz Basin and the Rhenish Massif (Hunsrück–Taunus Boundary Fault) and for faults bounding the northeastern Mainz Basin. The motions and displacement rates calculated for individual faults indicate deformation rates in the order of 0.01–0.08 mm/year. At this stage, the calculation of displacement rates depends mostly on a single dated stratigraphic unit. Additional dating of terrace deposits is urgently needed to better constrain the temporal development of the terrace sequence and the impact of tectonic movements.     

Geomorphological and sedimentological comparison of fluvial terraces and karst caves in Zhangjiajie,northwest Hunan,China: an archive of sandstone landform development

The Zhangjiajie Sandstone Peak Forest Geopark (Zhangjiajie World Geopark) of northwest Hunan, China hosts a well-preserved sequence of fluvial terraces and karst caves. In this contribution, a comparative study of fluvial terraces with karst caves along the middle-lower Suoxi River in Zhangjiajie World Geopark is presented to improve the understanding of the development of striking sandstone landscape in the upper Suoxi River. By integrating geomorphological, sedimentological, and geochronological techniques, the possible correlation between fluvial terraces and karst caves, as well as their climatic and tectonic implications is investigated. The available electron spin resonance and thermo-luminescence numerical ages coupled with morphostratigraphic analysis indicate that aggradation of fluvial terrace levels occurred at ca. 347 ± 34 ka (T₄), 104.45 ± 8.88 to 117.62 ± 9.99 ka (T₃), 60.95 ± 5.18 ka (T₂), and Holocene (T₁), followed by the stream incision. Fluvial terrace levels (T₄ to T₁) correlate morphologically with the karst cave levels (L₁ to L₄), yet the proposed chronology for the fluvial terrace levels is a bit later than the chronological data obtained from karst caves. In northwest Hunan, where a unique sandstone peak forest landscape was extensively developed, the fluvial terrace sequences as well as the cave systems are the important archives for studying the evolution of the sandstone landscape. The beginning of the sandstone landscape development must be earlier than the aggradation of the fluvial terrace T₄, allowing this unique landscape to occur in the Middle Pleistocene.     

Structure and late quaternary activity of the northern Owens valley fault zone, Owens valley, California

The Fish Springs fault is a primary strand in the northern end of the Owens Valley fault zone (OVFZ). The Fish Springs fault is the northwest strand in a 3-km-wide left echelon step of the OVFZ which bounds the Poverty Hills bedrock high. The Fish Springs fault strikes approximately north-south, dips steeply to the east, and is marked by a prominent east-facing scarp. No other faults in the OVFZ have prominent east-facing scarps at the latitude of Fish Springs, which indicates that the Fish Springs fault has accommodated virtually all of the local late Quaternary vertical displacement on the OVFZ.

The Fish Springs fault exhibits normal dip slip with no measurable lateral slip. Vertical displacements of a Late Pleistocene (0.314 ± 0.036 Ma, 2σ) cinder cone and of an overlying Tahoe-age (0.065–0.195 m.y.) alluvial fan are 76±8 m and 31±3 m, respectively. The maximum vertical 3.3. m. Two nearly equal vertical displacements of the active stream channel in the Tioga-age fan total 2.2. m. Vertical displacement of a stream terrace incised into the cinder cone is 1.2 ± 0.3 m. The minute amount of incision into that terrace indicates that uplift of the terrace probably occurred during the 1872 Owens Valley earthquake.

Three displacements of 1.1 ± 0.2 m each apparently have occurred at the Tioga-age fan since the midpoint of the Tioga interval, allowing an average recurrence interval of 3500 to 9000 years. Based on the age and displacement of the cinder cone, the average late Quaternary vertical displacement rate is 0.24 ± 0.04 mm/yr (2σ). At this rate, and assuming an average vertical displacement of 1.1 ± 0.2 m per event, the average recurrence interval would be 4600 ± 1100 years (2σ). The recurrence interval for the Fish Springs fault is similar to that for a strand in the southern part of the OVFZ which also ruptured in 1872.

Right-lateral, normal oblique slip characterizes the OVFZ. The location of the Poverty Hills bedrock high at a left step in the north-northwest-striking fault zone is consistent with the style of slip of the zone. The pure normal slip on the north-striking Fish Springs fault and the alignment of local cinder cones along north-striking normal faults indicate that the late Quaternary maximum horizontal compression has been oriented north-south at the north end of the OVFZ. Data from southern Owens Valley indicate a similar stress regime there. Late Quaternary slip on the OVFZ is consistent with north-south maximum horizontal compression.     

Stratigraphy and magnetic polarity of the high terrace remnants in the upper Ohio and Monongahela Rivers in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio

A synthesis of previous work and new data on the stratigraphy of high terraces of the Ohio and Monongahela Rivers upstream from Parkersburg, West Virginia, indicates a correspondence between terrace histories in the ancient Teays and Pittsburgh drainage basins. Four terraces are identified in each. Sediments of the lower three alluvial and slackwater terraces, correlated with Illinoian, early Wisconsin, and late Wisconsin glacial deposits, have been traced along the modern Ohio River through the former divide between the Teays and Pittsburgh basins. Sediments in the fourth terrace, the highest well-defined terrace in each basin, were deposited in two ice-dammed lakes, separated by a divide near New Martinsville, West Virginia. Some deposits of the highest slackwater terrace in both the Teays and Pittsburgh basins have reversed remanent magnetic polarity. This, and the stratigraphic succession in the two basins, suggests that both were ponded during the same glaciation. Reversed polarity in these terrace sediments restricts the age of the first ice-damming event for which stratigraphic evidence is well-preserved to a pre-Illinoian, early Pleistocene glaciation prior to 788,000 yr ago. In contrast, slackwater sediments in the Monongahela River valley, upstream from an outwash gravel dam at the Allegheny-Monongahela confluence, have normal remanent magnetic polarity, corroborating correlation with an Illinoian ponding event.     

Holocene sea-level changes in Palau,West Caroline Islands

¹⁴C ages supplemented by ${}^{230}\text{Th}{}^{234}\text{U}$ determinations have been obtained for calcareous deposits on Koror, Babelthuap, Auluptagel, and Adorius Islands in the Palau Group, West Caroline Islands. Test borings for a bridge between Koror and Babelthuap reveal shoreface terraces consisting largely of bioclastic sand, but resembling fringing reefs. The base of the shoreface terraces dates to between 7000 and 8000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. and the upper surfaces are slightly younger than 4000 yr B.P. Spacing of the subsurface isochrons indicates that the rate of sedimentation increased up-section on Koror terrace and decreased up-section on Babelthuap terrace. The average rate of deposition in the terraces was 0.5 cm/yr. Isochrons in the Babelthuap shoreface terrace are 7 m higher than those in the Koror terrace. If deposition was sufficient to keep the surfaces of the terraces at low tide level, then the Babelthuap side was essentially stable and the Koror side was uplifted between about 8000 and 6300 yr ago, and then subsided until 4000 yr ago; since then there has been about 2 m of uplift. “Top hat” microatolls on Koror terrace indicate that relative sea level has dropped about 30 cm in the past 75 yr. In the absence of good evidence for changes of level in water ponded in a moat, it is likely that the microatolls indicate uplift of the terrace. On the other hand, if tectonic activity was minimal, then differences in the two terraces are due to differences in sedimentation with the Koror side of the channel being substantially subtidal between about 7000 and 5000 yr B.P. Taking the composite eustatic sea-level curve of Hawaii and elsewhere as a reference standard, it is deduced that Auluptagel Island has risen 0.8 m in the last 2900 yr, and Adorius Island has risen approximately 8 m in the last 5000–6000 yr.     

Terrace reconstruction and long profile projection: a case study from the Solent river system near Southampton,England

River terrace sequences are important frameworks for archaeological evidence and as such it is important to produce robust correlations between what are often fragmentary remnants of ancient terraces. This paper examines both conceptual and practical issues related to such correlations, using a case study from the eastern part of the former Solent River system near Southampton, England. In this region two recent terrace schemes have been constructed using different data to describe the terrace deposits: one based mainly on terrace surfaces; the other on gravel thicknesses, often not recording the terrace surface itself. The utility of each of these types of data in terrace correlation is discussed in relation to the complexity of the record, the probability of post-depositional alteration of surface sediments and comparison of straight-line projections with modern river long profiles. Correlation using age estimates is also discussed, in relation to optically stimulated luminescence dating of sand lenses within terrace gravels in this region during the PASHCC project. It is concluded that the need for replication at single sites means that this approach has limited use for correlative purposes, although dating of sediments is important for understanding wider landscape evolution and patterns of human occupation.     

Pedosedimentary,cultural and environmental significance of paleosols within pre-hispanic agricultural terraces in the southern Peruvian Andes

Paleosols were exposed in sections through four abandoned pre-Hispanic agricultural terraces surrounding an infilled mire basin in the southern Peruvian Andes. The two paleosols beneath the Tocotoccasa terrace represent the original ‘natural’ solum and a later soil formed after construction of the agricultural terrace, probably during the early Middle Horizon cultural period (615–695 AD). The soil at the current surface developed subsequent to the building up and reconstruction of the terrace, possibly during the late Late Intermediate period (1200–1400 AD). Micromorphology revealed an unexpected abundance of clay coatings within the upper terrace paleosol and surface terrace soil, a phenonemon attributed to the migration and/or accumulation of neoformed clay produced from the weathering of very unstable volcanic clasts, perhaps fuelled by arid/humid climatic oscillations and/or seasonal input of irrigation waters. The paleosols at Tocotoccasa could not be correlated with any degree of confidence with those beneath the other three terraces due to differences in pedosedimentary properties and uncertainties over chronological controls. Thus, it seems likely that either the terraces were (re)constructed and utilised over different cultural periods or that there is significant variation in the extent of weathering of material used for reconstruction of the terraces. Unfortunately, it cannot be ascertained from the data available whether the terraces were abandoned for any significant period of time prior to reconstruction and, if so, whether this was a regional phenomenon related to climate, social, or economic changes.     

大渡河中游泸定-石棉段阶地特征及河谷发育史探讨

基于大渡河中游泸定一石棉河段野外观察和阶地沉积物研究,分析河流的发育特征,影响及其发育演化史。研究表明,该区存在多级构造裂点或岩性裂点,发育有三级夷平面和4～6级阶地,并对阶地沉积物的ESR年代测定,结合前人的阶地测年的数据,阐述了大渡河河谷第四纪的形成过程和青藏高原形成的响应。     

龙虎山丹霞地貌区河流阶地地貌面的热释光测年研究

采用热释光(TL)测年方法对龙虎山丹霞地貌区泸溪河的阶地进行了年代学研究,获得了低阶地沉积物的堆积年代及其阶地面的形成时代,该区河流主要发育两级阶地,T1阶地堆积于3 400~6 000 a B.P.,其地貌面形成于3 400~4 000 a,T2阶地堆积于7 600~11 200 a B.P.,该级地貌面形成于7 600~8 000 a B.P.。利用低阶地地貌面的年代学成果,推算出龙虎山丹霞地貌区地壳隆升速率为0.33~0.63 m/ka,根据这一速率推算得出,第一夷平面形成于6×104a左右,第二夷平面形成于28×104a左右。分布于这些夷平面上的丹霞地貌景观的年龄与此相当。     

Moraine dam related to late Quaternary glaciation in the Yulong Mountains,southwest China,and impacts on the Jinsha River

The Yulong Mountain massif is tectonically active during Quaternary and contains the southernmost glacierized mountains in China, and all of Eurasia. Past glacial remnants remain preserved on the east and west sides of the Yulong Mountains. A ridge of moraine protruded into the Jinsha River at the Daju Basin, damming the river, and forming a lake at the head of the Jinsha River. Cosmogenic ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al provide exposure age dates for the moraine-based fluvial terraces left behind after the dam breached, and for moraine boulders on both the eastern and western sides of the Yulong Mountains. Our results yield exposure ages for the terraces that range from 29 ka to 8 ka, and a downcutting rate of 7.6 m/ka. The preservation of the remaining dam for over 10,000 years suggests stability of the moraine dam and gradual erosion of the dam during drainage of the dammed lake. From the relationship between exposure ages and elevations of the fluvial terraces located in different walls of the Daju fault, we obtain a late Quaternary dip-slip rate of about 5.6 m/ka for the Daju fault. The exposure ages of 10.2 ka and 47 ka for moraine boulders located in the east and west sides of the Yulong Mountains, respectively, coincide with warm periods in the late Quaternary. This implies that precipitation provides the major control for glaciations on the Yulong Mountains, a domain of the southwest Asian monsoon.     

A regional-scale study of chromium and nickel in soils of northern California, USA

A soil geochemical survey was conducted in a 27,000-km² study area of northern California that includes the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Sacramento Valley, and the northern Coast Range. The results show that soil geochemistry in the Sacramento Valley is controlled primarily by the transport and weathering of parent material from the Coast Range to the west and the Sierra Nevada to the east. Chemically and mineralogically distinctive ultramafic (UM) rocks (e.g. serpentinite) outcrop extensively in the Coast Range and Sierra Nevada. These rocks and the soils derived from them have elevated concentrations of Cr and Ni. Surface soil samples derived from UM rocks of the Sierra Nevada and Coast Range contain 1700–10,000 mg/kg Cr and 1300–3900 mg/kg Ni. Valley soils west of the Sacramento River contain 80–1420 mg/kg Cr and 65–224 mg/kg Ni, reflecting significant contributions from UM sources in the Coast Range. Valley soils on the east side contain 30–370 mg/kg Cr and 16–110 mg/kg Ni. Lower Cr and Ni concentrations on the east side of the valley are the result of greater dilution by granitic sources of the Sierra Nevada.Chromium occurs naturally in the Cr(III) and Cr(VI) oxidation states. Trivalent Cr is a non-toxic micronutrient, but Cr(VI) is a highly soluble toxin and carcinogen. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy of soils with an UM parent show Cr primarily occurs within chromite and other mixed-composition spinels (Al, Mg, Fe, Cr). Chromite contains Cr(III) and is highly refractory with respect to weathering. Comparison of a 4-acid digestion (HNO₃, HCl, HF, HClO₄), which only partially dissolves chromite, and total digestion by lithium metaborate (LiBO₃) fusion, indicates a lower proportion of chromite-bound Cr in valley soils relative to UM source soils. Groundwater on the west side of the Sacramento Valley has particularly high concentrations of dissolved Cr ranging up to 50 μg L⁻¹ and averaging 16.4 μg L⁻¹. This suggests redistribution of Cr during weathering and oxidation of Cr(III)-bearing minerals. It is concluded that regional-scale transport and weathering of ultramafic-derived constituents have resulted in enrichment of Cr and Ni in the Sacramento Valley and a partial change in the residence of Cr.     

黄河黑山峡口最高阶地宇宙核素的初步年龄 及所反映的新构造运动*

黄河深切于青藏高原东北缘的构造山地中,留下了山地和黄河形成演化的记录,但其高阶地年龄因超出常规测年技术的范围而存在困难。文章尝试用原地成因宇宙核素¹⁰ Be和²⁶ Al以及垂直剖面取样技术,通过剖面X²最小统计同时求出了年龄、侵蚀速率、继承浓度以及阶地沉积物密度等参数,所获得的黑山峡口247m最高基座阶地的参考年龄和剥蚀速率分别约为2.4Ma和15.5 ＋8 -4 m/Ma,这是该河段高阶地测年的一次新探索。根据这一结果及相关的构造地貌特征,认为香山-天景山断裂带西段2.4Ma前以逆冲为主,以后逐渐过渡到左旋走滑,该段黄河诞生于逆冲作用减弱时期。