Sequence of Sediments at Locality 1 in Zhoukoudian and Correlation with Loess Stratigraphy in Northern China and with the Chronology of Deep-Sea Cores

1985 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liu ZeChun
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Isotope ◽  
Climatic Change ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Late Cenozoic ◽  
Glacial Cycles ◽  
Cave Deposits ◽  
Cave Sediments ◽  
Peking Man

According to recent dating by several methods, the impressive cave sediments at Locality 1 at Zhoukoudian, about 40 m thick, have not only allowed the age of Peking Man to be established, but have calibrated the general course of cave development, permitted correlation with events both within China and farther afield, and placed the sequence in the global frameword of late Cenozoic climatic change. The cave deposits can be divided into 17 layers which are correlated with the great loess sequence (L9–L4) in China and with deep-sea-core oxygen-isotope stages 16-6. The 14th layer upward (730,000–230,000 yr B.P.) represents at least four glacial cycles.

Wolverine in Northern England at About 83,000 yr B.P.: Faunal Evidence for Climatic Change during Isotope Stage 5

1985 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antony J. Sutcliffe ◽  
Thomas C. Lord ◽  
Russell S. Harmon ◽  
Miro Ivanovich ◽  
Angela Rae ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Calcium Carbonate ◽  
Oxygen Isotope ◽  
Climatic Change ◽  
Faunal Assemblage ◽  
Oxygen Isotope Stage ◽  
Uranium Series ◽  
Cave Sediments ◽  
Uranium Series Dating ◽  
Absolute Age ◽  
Carbonate Deposits

Cave sediments from Stump Cross Cave in northern England contain Pleistocene mammal remains. Uranium-series dating of calcium carbonate deposits closely associated with the fossiliferous horizons has established an absolute age of 83,000 ± 6000 yr B.P. for a faunal assemblage largely comprised of wolverines (Gulo gulo). This date lies firmly within the younger portion of oxygen-isotope stage 5. The occurrence of wolverines in the vicinity of Stump Cross Cave at ca. 83,000 yr B.P. indicates a significant climatic deterioration from ca. 120,000 yr B.P., when an Ipswichian interglacial fauna with hippopotamus was present in this part of northern England.

Landscape development in response to climatic change during Oxygen Isotope Stage 5 in the southern Siberian loess region

Boreas ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiri Chlachula ◽  
Rob Kemp ◽  
Catherine Jessen ◽  
Adrian Palmer ◽  
Phillip Toms
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Isotope ◽  
Climatic Change ◽  
Landscape Development ◽  
Oxygen Isotope Stage ◽  
Loess Region

Neogene continental denudation and the beryllium conundrum

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (42) ◽  
pp. e2026456118
Author(s):  
Shilei (李石磊) Li ◽  
Steven L. Goldstein ◽  
Maureen E. Raymo
Keyword(s):  
Fold Increase ◽  
Silicate Weathering ◽  
Late Cenozoic ◽  
Glacial Cycles ◽  
Denudation Rates ◽  
Geological Processes ◽  
Basalt Weathering ◽  
Beryllium Isotopes ◽  
Continental Weathering ◽  
Pyrite Weathering

Reconstructing Cenozoic history of continental silicate weathering is crucial for understanding Earth’s carbon cycle and greenhouse history. The question of whether continental silicate weathering increased during the late Cenozoic, setting the stage for glacial cycles, has remained controversial for decades. Whereas numerous independent proxies of weathering in ocean sediments (e.g., Li, Sr, and Os isotopes) have been interpreted to indicate that the continental silicate weathering rate increased in the late Cenozoic, beryllium isotopes in seawater have stood out as an important exception. Beryllium isotopes have been interpreted to indicate stable continental weathering and/or denudation rates over the last 12 Myr. Here we present a Be cycle model whose results show that variations in the 9Be weathering flux are counterbalanced by near-coastal scavenging while the cosmogenic 10Be flux from the upper atmosphere stays constant. As a result, predicted seawater 10Be/9Be ratios remain nearly constant even when global denudation and Be weathering rates increase by three orders of magnitude. Moreover, 10Be/9Be records allow for up to an 11-fold increase in Be weathering and denudation rates over the late Cenozoic, consistent with estimates from other proxies. The large increase in continental weathering indicated by multiple proxies further suggests that the increased CO2 consumption by continental weathering, driven by mountain-building events, was counterbalanced by other geological processes to prevent a runaway icehouse condition during the late Cenozoic. These processes could include enhanced carbonate dissolution via pyrite weathering, accelerated oxidation of fossil organic carbon, and/or reduced basalt weathering as the climate cooled.

Speleothems, Travertines, and Paleoclimates

1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Hennig ◽  
R. Grün ◽  
K. Brunnacker
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Isotope ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Clear Relationship ◽  
Sufficient Data ◽  
Geographic Position ◽  
Oxygen Isotope Record ◽  
Isotope Record ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Stimulation Of ◽  
Frequency Curves

AbstractAge data for about 660 speleothems and about 140 spring-deposited travertines were collected, including many unpublished results. These data were plotted as histograms and also as error-weighted frequency curves on a 350,000-yr scale. These plots clearly show periods of increased speleothem/travertine growth as well as times of cessation. The periods of most frequent speleothem growth were between approximately 130,000 and 90,000 yr ago and since about 15,000 yr ago. Such periods before 150,000 yr ago, however, cannot be yet recognized because of a lack of sufficient data and the associated uncertainties of dates in this age range. A comparison with the oxygen-isotope record of deep-sea core V28–:238 shows a clear relationship, indicating that terrestrial calcite formation is controlled by paleoclimatic fluctuations. The evident climatic stimulation of Quaternary calcite formation is readily explained geochemically and is substantiated by the obvious difference in speleothem/travertine growth as a function of geographic position.

scholarly journals The Effect of Formation Processes on The Frequency of Palaeolithic Cave Sites in Semi-Arid Zones: Insights From Kazakhstan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aristeidis Varis ◽  
Christopher Miller ◽  
Patrick Cuthbertson ◽  
Abay Namen ◽  
Zhaken Taimagambetov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Arid Zones ◽  
Arid Environments ◽  
Formation Processes ◽  
Cave Deposits ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Cave Sediments ◽  
Analytical Potential ◽  
Sediment Cover ◽  
Semi Arid

Central Asian caves with Palaeolithic deposits are few but they provide a rich record of human fossils and cultural assemblages that has been used to model Late Pleistocene hominin dispersals. However, previous research has not yet systematically evaluated the formation processes that influence the frequency of Palaeolithic cave sites in the region. To address this deficiency, we combined field survey and micromorphological analyses in the piedmont zone of south Kazakhstan. Here we present our preliminary results focusing on selected sites of the Qaratau mountains. Sediment cover varies among the surveyed caves and loess-like sediments dominate the cave sequences. The preservation of cave deposits is influenced by reworking of cave sediments within the caves but also by the broader erosional processes that shape semi-arid landscapes. Ultimately, deposits of potentially Pleistocene age are scarce. Our study provides new data in the geoarchaeologically neglected region of Central Asia and demonstrates that micromorphology has great analytical potential even within the limitations of rigorous survey projects. We outline some of the processes that influence the formation and preservation of cave deposits inKazakhstan, as well as broader implications for the distribution of Palaeolithic cave sites in Central Asia and other semi-arid environments.

scholarly journals Reconstructing Pleistocene Climatic Change from the Oxygen Isotope Composition of Sediments: A Review

1984 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 43-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Curt Covey
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Isotope ◽  
Climatic Change ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
Oxygen Isotope Composition ◽  
Glacial Ice ◽  
Complicating Factors ◽  
Data Source

The isotope composition of ocean sediments is the chief data source for Pleistocene climatic changes. It is generally believed that the18O/16O ratio of a sample indicates the global total of glacial ice at the time the sample was deposited. This is roughly correct, but numerous complicating factors limit the accuracy of the isotope proxies.

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