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Eolian evidence from the Chinese Loess Plateau: the onset of the Late Cenozoic Great Glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere and Qinghai-Xizang Plateau uplift forcing

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Abstract

On the basis of a newly-constructed record of magnetic susceptibility (SUS) and the depositional rate change of eolian loess-red clay sequences in the last 7.2 Ma BP from the hea Plateau, together with a cornperison of a record of °18O values from the equatorial East Pacific Ocean and eolian Quartz flux variations fmm the North Pacific Ocean, the evolutiomuy process of the Late Cenozoic Great Glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere can be divided into three stages: the arrival stage around 7.2–3.4 Ma BP, the initial stage at about 3.4—2.6 Ma BP, and the Great Ice Age since 2.6 Ma BP. The evolution of the East Asian monsoon is characterized by paid winter and summer monsoons, and it is basically composed of the initial stage of weak winter and summer monsoons, the transitional stage of simultaneous increase in intensity of winter and summer monsoons, and the prevailing stage of strong winter and week summer monsoons, or weak winter and strong summer monsoons. The Late Cenowic global tectonic uplift, paaicdarly the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau uplift and the associated CO2 concentration variation, controls the dng processes of the onset of Great Glaciation and the long-term changes of East Asian monsoom climate in the Northern Hemisphere to a large extent. The accelerating uplift of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau between 3.4 and 2.6 Ma BP provided an important driving force to global climiatic change.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 710054, Xi’an, China

    Zhisheng An, Mingyang Chen, Donghuai Sun, Li Li, Youbin Sun, Weijian Zhou, Jie Zhou, Huayu Lu & Xiaoke Qiang

  2. Nanjing Institute of Geography and Linmology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 210008, Nanjing, China

    Sumin Wang

  3. Institute of Geomechanics, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, 100081, Beijing, China

    Xihao Wu

  4. Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

    Xiuming Liu

  5. Geography Department, Nanjing University, 210008, Nanjing, China

    Fubao Wang

  6. Lanhou Institute of Plateau Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 730000, Lanzhou, China

    Xiaodong Liu

  7. Geology Department, Northwest University, 710069, Xi’an, China

    Yunxiang Zhang

  8. Lanzhou Institute of Desert, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 730000, Lanzhou, China

    Guangrong Dong

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  1. Zhisheng An
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Additional information

Project supported by the foundation of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZ951-A1-402), the State Science and Technology Committee (Grant No. 95-pre-40)and the Chinese Nature Science Foundation (Grant No. 49672140)

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An, Z., Wang, S., Wu, X. et al. Eolian evidence from the Chinese Loess Plateau: the onset of the Late Cenozoic Great Glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere and Qinghai-Xizang Plateau uplift forcing. Sci. China Ser. D-Earth Sci. 42, 258–271 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02878963

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02878963

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