scholarly journals Evolution of the Upper Yellow River as Revealed by Changes in Heavy-Mineral and Geochemical (REE) Signatures of Fluvial Terraces (Lanzhou, China)

Minerals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wang ◽  
Zhang ◽  
Garzanti ◽  
Nie ◽  
Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Heavy Mineral ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Sediment Fluxes ◽  
Fluvial Terraces ◽  
Northeastern Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Pleistocene Climate ◽  
Pleistocene Climate Change ◽  
Upper Yellow River

Despite decades of study, the factors that controlled the formation and evolution of theupper reaches of the Yellow River, including uplift of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, Pliocene-Pleistocene climate change, and autogenetic processes are still poorly constrained. The stratigraphicrecord of such paleogeographic evolution is recorded in the sequence of nine terraces formed duringprogressive incision of the Yellow River in the last 1.7 Ma. This article investigates in detail forsediment provenance in terraces of the Lanzhou area, based on heavy-mineral and geochemical(REE) signatures. Two main provenance changes are identified, pointing each to a majorpaleogeographic reorganization coupled with expansion of the upper Yellow River catchment andenhanced sediment fluxes. The first change took place between the deposition of terrace T9 (formedaround 1.7 Ma) and terrace T8 (formed around 1.5 Ma), when rapid fluvial incision point to tectoniccontrol and active uplift of northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The second change took place betweendeposition of terrace T4 (formed around 0.86 Ma) and terrace T3 (formed around 0.14 Ma), duringa period of low incision rates and notably enhanced sediment fluxes as a response to enhanced EastAsian Summer Monsoon and consequently increased precipitations, pointing instead chiefly toclimatic control.

scholarly journals Extension of the Upper Yellow River into the Tibet Plateau: Review and New Data

Quaternary ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Zhengchen Li ◽  
Xianyan Wang ◽  
Jef Vandenberghe ◽  
Huayu Lu
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Published Data ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Large Lakes ◽  
River Terraces ◽  
The Tibet Plateau

The Wufo Basin at the margin of the northeastern Tibet Plateau connects the upstream reaches of the Yellow River with the lowland catchment downstream, and the fluvial terrace sequence in this basin provides crucial clues to understand the evolution history of the Yellow River drainage system in relation to the uplift and outgrowth of the Tibetan Plateau. Using field survey and analysis of Digital Elevation Model/Google Earth imagery, we found at least eight Yellow River terraces in this area. The overlying loess of the highest terrace was dated at 1.2 Ma based on paleomagnetic stratigraphy (two normal and two reversal polarities) and the loess-paleosol sequence (12 loess-paleosol cycles). This terrace shows the connections of drainage parts in and outside the Tibetan Plateau through its NE margin. In addition, we review the previously published data on the Yellow River terraces and ancient large lakes in the basins. Based on our new data and previous researches, we conclude that the modern Yellow River, with headwaters in the Tibet Plateau and debouching in the Bohai Sea, should date from at least 1.2 Ma. Ancient large lakes (such as the Hetao and Sanmen Lakes) developed as exorheic systems and flowed through the modern Yellow River at that time.

scholarly journals Heavy Mineral Variability in the Yellow River Sediments as Determined by the Multiple-Window Strategy

Minerals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingfu Jin ◽  
Mengyao Wang ◽  
Wei Yue ◽  
Lina Zhang ◽  
Yanjun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Grain Size ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
River Sediments ◽  
Size Fraction ◽  
Heavy Mineral ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Yellow River Sediment ◽  
Yellow River Sediments ◽  
End Members

In this study, heavy mineral analysis was carried out in different size fractions of the Yellow River sediment to extract its end-members. It shows that heavy mineral contents, species, and compositions vary in different grain sizes. Distribution curve of heavy mineral concentration (HMC) and particle size frequency curve are in normal distribution. In most samples, the size fraction of 4.5–5.0 Φ contains the maximum HMC (18% on average). Heavy mineral assemblages of the Yellow River are featured by amphibole + epidote + limonite + garnet. Amphibole content is high in coarse fraction of >3.0 Φ and reaches its peak value in 3.5–4.5 Φ. Epidote is rich in a size fraction of >3.5 Φ, and increase as the particle size becomes fine. Micas content is high in coarse subsamples of <3.0 Φ, but almost absent in fine grains of >4.0 Φ. Metallic minerals (magnetite, ilmenite, hematite, and limonite) increase as the sediment particle size become fine, and reach the peak in silt (>4.0 Φ). Other minerals such as zircon, rutile, tourmaline, garnet, and apatite account for about 15%, and mainly concentrate in fine sediment. Further analysis reveals that similarity value between the most abundant grain size group and wide window grain size group is high (0.978 on average). The grain size of 4.0–5.0 Φ ± 0.5 Φ is suitable to carry out detrital mineral analysis in the Yellow River sediments. Our study helps to eliminate cognitive bias due to narrow grain size strategy, and to provide heavy mineral end-members of the Yellow River sediment for provenance discrimination in the marginal seas of East China.

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