scholarly journals Determining the Age of Terrace Formation Using Luminescence Dating—A Case of the Yellow River Terraces in the Baode Area, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia-Fu Zhang ◽  
Wei-Li Qiu ◽  
Gang Hu ◽  
Li-Ping Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Yellow River ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Deposition Rates ◽  
Fluvial Terrace ◽  
Fluvial Terraces ◽  
Ordos Plateau ◽  
River Terraces ◽  
Lower Terrace ◽  
Block Based

Dating fluvial terraces has long been a challenge for geologists and geomorphologists, because terrace straths and treads are not usually directly dated. In this study, the formation ages of the Yellow River terraces in the Baode area in China were determined by dating fluvial deposits overlying bedrock straths using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating techniques. Seven terraces (from the lowest terrace T1 to the highest terrace T7) in the study area were recognized, and they are characterized by thick fluvial terrace deposits overlaid by loess sediments. Twenty-five samples from nine terrace sections were dated to about 2–200 ka. The OSL ages (120–190 ka) of the fluvial samples from higher terraces (T3–T6) seem to be reliable based on their luminescence properties and stratigraphic consistency, but the geomorphologic and stratigraphic evidence show that these ages should be underestimated, because they are generally similar to those of the samples from the lower terrace (T2). The formation ages of the terrace straths and treads for the T1 terrace were deduced to be about 44 ka and 36 ka, respectively, based on the deposition rates of the fluvial terrace deposits, and the T2 terrace has the same strath and tread formation age of about 135 ka. The incision rate was calculated to be about 0.35 mm/ka for the past 135 ka, and the uplift rate pattern suggests that the Ordos Plateau behaves as a rigid block. Based on our previous investigations on the Yellow River terraces and the results in this study, we consider that the formation ages of terrace straths and treads calculated using deposition rates of terrace fluvial sediments can overcome problems associated with age underestimation or overestimation of strath or fill terraces based on the single age of one fluvial terrace sample. The implication is that, for accurate dating of terrace formation, terrace sections should be systematically sampled and dated.

scholarly journals Luminescence chronology of the Yellow River terraces in the Heiyukou area, China, and its implication for the uplift rate of the Ordos Plateau

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan-Yan Yan ◽  
Jia-Fu Zhang ◽  
Gang Hu ◽  
Li-Ping Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Yellow River ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Red Clay ◽  
Fluvial Terraces ◽  
Ordos Plateau ◽  
River Terraces ◽  
Relative Chronology ◽  
Uplift Rates ◽  
Geomorphological Evolution

AbstractThe precise chronology of the fluvial terraces of the Yellow River in China is essential to understand its geomorphological evolution history. More terrace ages are needed for the correlation of the terraces along the river and the construction of the longitudinal profile. In this study, seven terraces (T1–T7) in the Heiyukou area of the Jinshaan Canyon of the river were identified and were sampled for optical dating. The reliability of the ages was evaluated on the bases of bleachability, comparison of optical ages on fine and coarse grains, stratigraphic consistency of OSL ages, age distribution and geomorphological setting. The results show that the paired T2 terrace was formed at 72 ± 3 ka, and the T4, T5 strath terraces were dated to 108 ± 4 and >141 ± 4 ka, respectively. The ages for the samples from T6 and T7 were significantly underestimated, and the ‘infinitely old’ pre-Quaternary Red-Clay sample on the T7 terrace was dated to 134 ± 6 ka. The long-term river incision rates were calculated to be <0.36, 0.34 and 0.18 mm/a for at least the past 141, 108 and 72 ka, respectively, which also reflect the uplift rates of the Ordos plateau. The implication for dating terrace deposits is that terraces should be systemically sampled and dated using both fine and coarse grain fractions. The reliability of the ages obtained for high terraces should be evaluated using a relative chronology of dated samples on a case-by-case basis, if no independent numerical age controls are available.

Luminescence dating of the Yellow River terraces in the Hukou area, China

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 129-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Jie Guo ◽  
Jia-Fu Zhang ◽  
Wei-Li Qiu ◽  
Gang Hu ◽  
Mao-Guo Zhuang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Yellow River ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
River Terraces

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.

Dating of the stepped quaternary fluvial terrace system of the Yellow River by electron spin resonance (ESR)

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 278-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Voinchet ◽  
Gongming Yin ◽  
Christophe Falguères ◽  
Chunru Liu ◽  
Fei Han ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Spin Resonance ◽  
Electron Spin ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Fluvial Terrace ◽  
Spin Resonance

Optical dating of the Yellow River terraces in the Mengjin area (China): First results

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 219-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Min Meng ◽  
Jia-Fu Zhang ◽  
Wei-Li Qiu ◽  
Xiao Fu ◽  
Yu-Jie Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Yellow River ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Optical Dating ◽  
River Terraces ◽  
First Results

Sequences and genesis of the Yellow River terraces from Sanmen Gorge to Kouma

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huai Su ◽  
Junping Wang ◽  
Baotian Pan ◽  
Qingzhong Ming ◽  
Qiong Li
Keyword(s):  
Yellow River ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
River Terraces

Diachronism of river terrace formation? – Lessons to learn from luminescence dating results

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Kolb ◽  
Markus Fuchs ◽  
Ludwig Zöller
Keyword(s):  
Driving Forces ◽  
Luminescence Dating ◽  
River Terrace ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Fluvial Terrace ◽  
Sedimentary Characteristics ◽  
Fluvial Deposits ◽  
Fluvial Terraces ◽  
Geological Conditions ◽  
Wide Range

&lt;p&gt;Revealing an amazing diversity of forms, river systems have always to be interpreted as products of their specific landscapes. Extremely sensitive to external and internal forcing, they reflect the particular characteristics of climatological and geological conditions as well as the changes of these conditions. These changes are regularly preserved in depositional series whose varying sedimentary characteristics can be attributed either to palaeoclimatic variations or to tectonic activities and their corresponding changes in fluvial discharge and sediment load. What applies to fluvial sediments in general, is particularly true for river terraces. Regularly, they are regarded as valuable palaeoenvironmental and archaeological archives and their particular importance is well documented by a huge and still growing number of studies spanning a wide range of climatic and regional settings.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;However, the information gained from fluvial terraces and their significance for palaeoenvironmental and present-day fluvial research strongly depend on an accurate and precise dating of the terrace formation. Numerical ages are of fundamental importance for the interpretation of sedimentological, morphological and stratigraphical findings. They are essential for assessing the influence of various driving forces and for providing insights into the mechanisms and dynamics of river adjustments over variable temporal scales.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this contribution, we present luminescence ages of fluvial deposits originating from an Upper Pleistocene river terrace in a small valley located in the headwater of the Main River, Germany. For this study, several samples from various locations throughout the river longitudinal course have been analysed. Surprisingly, the determined luminescence ages for material from the lowermost part of the valley are significantly older than those from the middle section, which in turn are older than those from the valley&amp;#8217;s upper reaches. Based on the evaluation of a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) and on intensive fieldwork, we can be sure that all samples originate from the very same morphological unit, a well-preserved late Pleistocene fluvial terrace.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our results suggest a diachronic alignment of sedimentation ages for fluvial deposits, starting with old ages close to the mouth of a river and getting progressively younger for locations approaching the upper reaches. If these findings are confirmed in other fluvial systems and are not only the result of very specific local conditions, they will be of great relevance for geomorphological research in fluvial landscapes. As a result, the widespread approach of deriving age estimates for fluvial terraces from numerical results merely determined for a single location appears to be inadequate and should be subjected to a critical review.&lt;/p&gt;

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