Soil Erodibility and Physicochemical Properties of Collapsing Gully Alluvial Fans in Southern China

In southern China, collapsing gully erosion produces massive deposits of sediment on the plough layer of alluvial fan farmland, leading to reduced nutrients, increased erodibility, and even desertification. The aim of this study was to investigate soil erodibility (the factor K in the universal Soil Loss Equation, USLE) and physicochemical properties of the alluvial fans of the most severe collapsing gully erosion areas (Hubei, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Guangdong provinces) in southern China. The soils of the collapsing gully alluvial fans had a higher bulk density, but a lower total porosity, saturated water content, and silt and clay fractions than the control (CK) soils from the farmland without desertification. Soil quality gradually decreased from fan edge to fanhead. Significant decreases were found in soil pH, organic matter, cation exchange capacity, and total potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus, as well as available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, resulting in a gradual decrease in soil nutrients from the fanedge to the fanhead. Soil erodibility was greatest in the fanhead, and soil erodibility K values of the alluvial fans were 53.71%, 66.28%, 67.53%, and 71.68 % greater than that in those of the CK soils of Hubei, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Guangdong, respectively, indicating a significant correlation between the soil erodibility K values and physicochemical properties, particularly sand fraction and organic matter content. The results provide new insights into the relationship between soil physicochemical properties and erodibility of alluvial fans, and suggest that improving soil structure might increase soil fertility in the collapsing gully alluvial fan farmland.     

Aggradation and dissection sequences on spanish alluvial fans: Influence on morphological development

Similarities in Quaternary alluvial fan development are identified throughout southeast Spain. Pre-Wurm aggradation phases culminate in calcrete crusted upper fan surfaces, which are followed by Wurm dissection phases producing deep fanhead or through trenches. Deposits of the aggradation phases reflect source area size, relief and geology and in addition to proximal/distal facies variations show vertical decreases in debris flow and increases in gravel deposition. The dissection phases were complicated by cut and fill sequences forming within-trench terraces which show a southward decrease in complexity. The sequences are expressed in progressive changes in fan, terrace, and channel slopes and intersection point location. Fan morphological development during the Quaternary reflects long term progressive change, complicated by short term responses to climatic fluctuations and further comolicated by the locally variable effectiveness of trenching thresholds.     

Aggradation and dissection sequences on Spanish alluvial fans: Influence on morphological development

Similarities in Quaternary alluvial fan development are identified throughout southeast Spain. Pre-Wurm aggradation phases culminate in calcrete crusted upper fan surfaces, which are followed by Wurm dissection phases producing deep fanhead or through trenches. Deposits of the aggradation phases reflect source area size, relief and geology and in addition to proximal/distal facies variations show vertical decreases in debris flow and increases in gravel deposition. The dissection phases were complicated by cut and fill sequences forming within-trench terraces which show a southward decrease in complexity. The sequences are expressed in progressive changes in fan, terrace, and channel slopes and intersection point location. Fan morphological development during the Quaternary reflects long term progressive change, complicated by short term responses to climatic fluctuations and further comolicated by the locally variable effectiveness of trenching thresholds.     

Paleoclimatic implications of micromorphic features of Quaternary paleosols of NW Himalayas and polygenetic soils of the Gangetic Plains — A comparative study

Micromorphological examination of the paleosols (50–10 ka) developed in alluvial fan deposits of the NW Himalayas and the bordering polygenetic soils (mainly Holocene) of the Gangetic Plains has been used to differentiate the pedosedimentary features indicating climatic changes during late Quaternary time. The paleosols within rapidly aggrading sediments of the alluvial fans of the Dehradun valley resulted in response to the reduced rate of sedimentation and climatic changes and correspond to the MIS3 and MIS2 stages. Distinctive micromorphic features of these paleosols provided the details of the prevalent pedogenesis in response to the paleoclimatic changes during 50 ka. Microfabrics of these paleosols show reorganization of the pedality from massive and/or subangular blocky to platy and prismatic structures, strong to very strong mobilization of the plasma, different types of textural pedofeatures along with faunal activities. These pedofeatures are indicative of cold-humid climate with subsequent change to even colder but drier conditions during the last Glaciation. Comparison of the micromorphological characters of the paleosols of the NW Himalayas and the polygenetic soils of the Gangetic Plains show the same degree of soil development indicating 5–10 ka pedogenic intervals in alluvial fans of the Dehradun Valley. However, the difference in their pedofeatures is attributed to different pedogenic environments. The paleosols of the Dehradun Valley show predominance of the illuvial features with superposed impure silty clay on earlier clay pedofeatures and banded clay fabric features without any pedogenic calcium carbonate. The bordering Gangetic Plains are covered with polygenetic soils developed on stable surfaces and are < 13.5 ka. These surficial soils developed during the period marked by deglaciation and correspond to MIS1 stage. These are defined by the juxtaposition of different illuvial pedofeatures along with pedogenic calcium carbonate. This study suggests that formation of the paleosols in NW Himalayas was mainly controlled by warmer intervals during the last glaciation and the movement along the adjacent thrusts. While fluctuating climate punctuated with humid–semiarid–humid conditions played a major role during the formation of soils on the Gangetic Plains in Holocene that favoured illuviation, calcification and dissolution of pedogenic carbonates in the polygenetic soils.     

Late Quaternary alluvial fans and paleosols of the Kangra basin,NW Himalaya: Tectonic and paleoclimatic implications

The paper describes Late Quaternary pedosedimentary sequences of the alluvial fans from the Kangra basin of NW Himalayas for tectonic and paleoclimatic implications. In the proximal part of the Kangra basin three coalescing alluvial fans, namely Rait-Rihlu fans (~ 65 km²), Kangra fans (~ 200 km²), and Palampur fans (~ 170 km²) from west to east evolved due to reactivation of longitudinal and transverse faults and climatic changes during the Late Quaternary. The fans are characterised by subsidence of Rait-Rihlu fans, uplift of Kangra fans and tilting of Palampur fans. The thick (~ 90 m) pedosedimentary sequences exposed along the rivers characterise the dominant formative processes over the fans. The stream flow sediments dominate the Rait-Rihlu fans, whereas the debris flow sediments dominate the Kangra and Palampur fans. The fan sequences are also marked by the formation of strongly developed paleosols on loess (L1–L3 loess paleosols) and weakly developed paleosols on fluvial deposits in response to the tectonics and climate change in NW Himalayas.     

Paleolandscape and paleoenvironmental interpretation of spring-deposited sediments in Dakhleh Oasis,Western Desert of Egypt

Iron-rich sediments in Dakhleh Oasis, Western Desert of Egypt, have been recognized as spring mounds and as archaeological sites where Paleolithic materials have been recovered. Detailed sedimentologic investigation and mapping of these features reveal that spring mound sediments were deposited in a shallow vegetated wetland formed by the discharge of iron-rich Nubian Aquifer waters along the southern margin of the oasis, controlled largely by localized faulting and the variable paleotopography of the basin floor. The spring sediments represent peri-lacustrine or lake independent features and can be differentiated from fully lacustrine deposits on the basis of their sedimentary characteristics as well as the presence of goethite and jarosite in a region where authigenic deposition during Pleistocene pluvial activity principally resulted in tufas and lacustrine marls. Spring mound formation incorporated sediment through the ponding of surface water, aeolian entrapment by local vegetation, and the formation of iron precipitates in a low-energy, oxidative and acidic environment that was not dependent upon surface water inputs into the Dakhleh basin. The potentially interpluvial nature of this water resource makes it an important sedimentary archive for archaeological investigations in the basin. The Dakhleh spring mounds record a unique groundwater controlled paleoenvironment, providing the first evidence of a bog iron in Egypt and one of the few occurrences of iron-rich wetland remnants in the modern Sahara.     

The ion chemistry of lakes and late Holocene desiccation in the Badain Jaran Desert,Inner Mongolia,China

In the markedly arid Badain Jaran Desert, one of the least-studied areas in the world, over a hundred permanent lakes exist among the dunes. The geochemistry of water samples from nine lakes and from the groundwater in the desert and on its periphery was investigated. Ion chemistry of the water from these desert lakes changes considerably on a regional scale. We argue that there is a positive correlation between the ages of these lakes and their totally dissolved solids (TDS) varying between 1.2 and 398.2 g/l. Tritium analysis of groundwater in wells gives an age generally older than four decades and younger than 100 years. The lacustrine deposits, freshwater fauna and shorelines indicate the existence of large water bodies with low salinities in the inter-dune hollows of this desert during the early and middle Holocene. The precipitation in this desert during the early and middle Holocene was estimated to be ca. 200 mm/year on average, at least twice as high as at present. On the basis of paleoecology, TL and radiocarbon ages, it was concluded that the huge enrichment of ions in the lakes and decrease of water availability originated from climatic desiccation during the last 4000 years. The paleoclimate of the Badain Jaran Desert reported here was remarkably consistent with the late Quaternary climatic histories of the regions to the immediate north, west, east and south of the study area.     

拉萨河流域中下游洪积扇土壤养分评价

  【目的】  洪积扇是拉萨河流域珍贵的土地资源,目前西藏对洪积扇土地资源的管理还相当粗放,过度放牧、不合理开垦等人为活动已导致部分土地资源土壤肥力低下。本研究根据实地调查所得的土壤养分数据,对拉萨河流域中下游洪积扇的土壤养分状况进行综合评价,为其进行合理开发利用奠定基础。  【方法】  选取该区域20个典型洪积扇,分别于2019年和2020年7—8月采集土壤样本,测定土壤有机质(OM)、全氮(TN)、全磷(TP)、全钾(TK)、碱解氮(AN)、有效磷(AP)和速效钾(AK) 7个指标。基于主成分分析确定各养分指标的权重,以全国第二次土壤养分普查养分分级标准为依据,应用物元模型进行土壤养分综合评价。  【结果】  洪积扇土壤OM、TN、TP、TK、AN、AP和AK的含量分别为2.65～314.57 g/kg、0.14～17.55 g/kg、0.04～2.06 g/kg、7.71～25.57 g/kg、7.70～358.56 mg/kg、0.12～342.50 mg/kg和17～1350 mg/kg。在321个样点中,土壤TN和TP含量在Ⅳ级以下的样点分别仅占9.97%和15.89%,而土壤AN和AP含量在Ⅳ级以下的样点分别占46.42%和48.60%,土壤AN和AP含量缺乏;61.99%的样点土壤养分综合评价等级在Ⅳ级以上,土壤养分含量充足。洪积扇草地、灌丛和农田中Ⅳ级以上的样点分别占63.84%、55.77%和60%。土壤TN、OM和AN是影响土壤养分综合水平最主要的指标。土壤养分综合评价结果显示,20个洪积扇中有1个洪积扇为Ⅰ级,土壤养分含量极丰富;分别有9个洪积扇为Ⅲ和Ⅳ级,土壤养分含量较丰富或适中;仅有1个洪积扇为Ⅵ级,土壤养分含量极贫乏。 Ⅲ、Ⅳ和Ⅵ级洪积扇海拔和年平均降雨量逐级显著降低(P<0.05),年平均气温逐级显著升高(P<0.05)。  【结论】  拉萨河流域中下游洪积扇总体呈现出海拔越低,土壤养分水平越低的分布特征。20个洪积扇中,相对于土壤全氮和全磷,土壤有效氮和有效磷含量贫乏或极贫乏的样点数增加了36.45%和32.71%,并且在不同植被类型下均存在这种现象。     

Sediment in Alluvial and Lacustrine Debris Fans as an Indicator for Land Degradation Around Lake Ashenge (Ethiopia)

Sediments deposited by (paleo) flash floods can hold valuable information on processes of environmental change, land degradation or desertification. In order to assess the suitability of flash flood deposits as proxies for land degradation, we monitored a representative gully segment in North Ethiopia (Ashenge catchment), investigated a sequence of alluvial debris fans downstream of this segment and dated a neighbouring subaquatic debris fan using short‐lived ²¹⁰Pb isotope counting. During one rainy season (July–September 2014), we measured daily rainfall, peak discharge, bedload transport, suspended sediment load and sediment deposition rates. The data show that sediment deposition in the debris fans is significantly dependent on micro‐topography (net incision in micro‐channels) (p < 0·1) and position within the sequence (net incision farther away from the lake) (p < 0·05). As sediment transfer to the lake significantly depends on the balance between available water and sediment (ratio rainfall depth/bedload transport) (p < 0·05), we could reconstruct the hydro‐sedimentary evolution of the gully over the past half century and validate it with aerial photographs and semi‐structured interviews. The findings are consistent with the short‐lived isotope count results, indicating increased sediment supply from the 1970s onwards, when little amounts of clay were deposited in the lake (<5%), and a subrecent clear water effect that resulted in increased deposition rates of clay in the lacustrine debris fan. Overall, our analysis indicates that debris fan sediments can be used to estimate past environmental degradation rates, if the contemporary water and sediment behaviour is well understood. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rangeland hillslope lengths: A case study at the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed,southeastern Arizona

Rangeland hillslopes provide much of the sediment supplied to channel systems and their lengths exert a fundamental constraint on hillslope diffusive processes. However, information regarding lengths of rangeland hillslopes, and how best to estimate them, is limited. In this study, three groups of watersheds (10 in total) were selected from the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed according to their geology, soil and vegetation characteristics. Group 1 watersheds were at lower elevations dominated by shrubs, Group 3 were at high elevations dominated by grass, and Group 2 were mixed shrub and grass. Their hillslope lengths were calculated from 1 m-resolution DEMs using three methods: a flow routing algorithm, slope-area relationships, and inverted relationship with drainage density. Parameters that characterize the current watersheds, including Hack's exponent and coefficient, watershed shape coefficient, channel concavity and steepness, and surface roughness, were quantified and related to hillslope lengths. Results shows: (1) estimated hillslope lengths were different for the three methods and between the three groups of watersheds; (2) hillslope lengths that measured from the flow routing algorithm for the ten selected watersheds primarily ranged from 30 to 100 m, with a median value of 63.0 m, which was 20%–50% greater than those derived from slope-area plots or drainage densities; (3) hillslope lengths estimated from the flow routing method were greater in Group 3 watersheds than in Group 2 and then in Group 1 watersheds. We attributed these differences in hillslope lengths to the historic epeirogenic pulses, watershed and drainage network morphology, and differences in vegetation characteristics; (4) measured hillslope lengths from the flow routing algorithm were best correlated with hillslope relief, then surface roughness, channel steepness and concavity. These results would benefit the applications of hydrological and erosion models in rangelands.     

Bioavailability of dissolved organic carbon across a hillslope chronosequence in the Kuparuk River region,Alaska

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) represents an important component of carbon and nutrient cycling in arctic ecosystems. In northern Alaska, DOM production and microbial activity differ among landscapes with varied glaciation histories with lower rates on younger landscapes. In addition, within the region, soil DOM concentrations vary at the scale of hillslope toposequences, with higher concentrations in upslope than streamside positions. However, it is unknown whether variation in DOM production quality among and within landscapes linked to patterns in DOM quality. To answer this question, we conducted a study of DOM biodegradability within and among hillslopes of different landscape age. We examined rates of DOM decomposition and several indices of the quality of water-extracted DOM collected from soils in the summer. A variety of methods indicated that DOM quality generally was consistent across hillslope positions and among landscape ages. For example, DOM fluorescence index, an index of quality for chromophoric DOM, did not vary significantly across all hillslope positions or landscape ages. There were no significant differences among landscape ages or hillslope positions in DOM specific UV absorbance, in rates of DOM mineralization, or in DOM decomposition, indicating that DOM quality was consistent regardless of its source or position along hillslope flow paths. This suggests that despite many potential sources of variation within and among arctic hillslopes linked to differences in vegetation, hydrology, microclimate, and microbial activity, there is little variation in growing-season soil DOM quality. Microbial processing of DOM within arctic hillslopes may lead to a convergence in growing season DOM quality resulting in little spatial variation. Approximately 10–20% of the growing season DOM is labile in tundra soils, slightly higher that the proportion that is labile in arctic rivers during the summer.     

Spatial patterns of ecohydrologic properties on a hillslope-alluvial fan transect,central New Mexico

Spatial patterns of soil properties are linked to patchy vegetation in arid and semi-arid landscapes. The patterns of soil properties are generally assumed to be linked to the ecohydrological functioning of patchy dryland vegetation ecosystems. We studied the effects of vegetation canopy, its spatial pattern, and landforms on soil properties affecting overland flow and infiltration in shrublands at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge/LTER in central New Mexico, USA. We studied the patterns of microtopography and saturated conductivity (Ksat), and generally found it to be affected by vegetation canopy and pattern, as well as landform type. On gently sloping alluvial fans, both microtopography and Ksat are high under vegetation canopy and decay with distance from plant center. On steeper hillslope landforms, only microtopography was significantly higher under vegetation canopy, while there was no significant difference in Ksat between vegetation and interspaces. Using geostatistics, we found that the spatial pattern of soil properties was determined by the spatial pattern of vegetation. Most importantly, the effects of vegetation were present in the unvegetated interspaces 2–4 times the extent of vegetation canopy, on the order of 2–3 m. Our results have implications for the understanding the ecohydrologic function of semi-arid ecosystems as well as the parameterization of hydrologic models.     

Evaluating gully erosion using Cs and Pb/Cs ratio in a reservoir catchment

Water erosion in the hilly areas of west China is the main process contributing to the overall sediment of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River. The impact of gully erosion in total sediment output has been mostly neglected. Our objective was to assess the sediment production and sediment sources at both the hillslope and catchment scales in the Yangjuangou reservoir catchment of the Chinese Loess Plateau, northwest China. Distribution patterns in sediment production caused by water erosion on hills and gully slopes under different land use types were assessed using the fallout ¹³⁷Cs technique. The total sediment production from the catchment was estimated by using the sediment record in a reservoir. Sediment sources and dominant water erosion processes were determined by comparing ¹³⁷Cs activities and ²¹⁰Pb/¹³⁷Cs ratios in surface soils and sub-surface soils with those of sediment deposits from the reservoir at the outlet of the catchment. Results indicated that landscape location had the most significant impact on sediment production for cultivated hillslopes, followed by the terraced hillslope, and the least for the vegetated hillslope. Sediment production increased in the following order: top>upper>lower>middle for the cultivated hillslope, and top>lower>upper>middle for the terraced hillslope. The mean value of sediment production declined by 49% for the terraced hillslope and by 80% for the vegetated hillslope compared with the cultivated hillslope. Vegetated gully slope reduced the sediment production by 38% compared with the cultivated gully slope. These data demonstrate the effectiveness of terracing and perennial vegetation cover in controlling sediment delivery at a hillslope scale. Averaged ¹³⁷Cs activities and ²¹⁰Pb/¹³⁷Cs ratios in the 0–5 cm surface soil (2.22–4.70 Bq kg⁻¹ and 20.70–22.07, respectively) and in the 5–30 cm subsoil (2.60 Bq kg⁻¹ and 28.57, respectively) on the cultivated hills and gully slopes were close to those of the deposited sediment in the reservoir (3.37 Bq kg⁻¹ and 29.08, respectively). These results suggest that the main sediment sources in the catchment were from the surface soil and subsoil on the cultivated slopes, and that gully erosion is the dominant water erosion process contributing sediment in the study area. Changes in land use types can greatly affect sediment production from gully erosion. An increase in grassland and forestland by 42%, and a corresponding decrease in farmland by 46%, reduced sediment production by 31% in the catchment.     

The influence of lithology on hillslope development in the area of the Jacupiranga Alkaline Complex and its surroundings (São Paulo,Brazil)

The area of the Jacupiranga Alkaline Complex and its surroundings is characterized by a variety of slope forms. Their spatial differentiation and the differences in relative relief and hilltop heights are a function of lithology. Significant contrasts exist, particularly between the ultramafic rocks of the Alkaline Complex and the quartz-rich rocks of the surrounding Precambrian basement. Although climatic conditions are uniform, the physical and chemical properties of the weathering products formed on the various rock types are very different. Through their properties, they affect the hillslope processes and thereby influence the hillslope development. Slope-forming processes on deeply weathered ultramafic rocks are slow mass movements and chemical denudation. On the more resistant ultramafic rocks, wash processes appear to be more important. Wash and rapid mass movements predominate on gneisses, granites and mica schists.The geomorphological development of the Jacupiranga Alkaline Complex can be explained in terms of a long, continuous downwearing. The large differences in elevation within the Alkaline Complex suggest that the development towards a more differentiated relief may extend well back into the Tertiary. The mutual adjustment of slope forms, processes and lithological controls favoured the development of rock-dependent summit heights, where heights are determined by the steepness of the slopes and the spacing of the drainage lines. Climatic fluctuations in the Pleistocene failed to produce any fundamental change in the long-term development of the hillslopes as their duration was too short with respect to the relaxation time of the hillslopes or their influence was not great enough to alter the overall trend of slope development.     

Stages of the development of alluvial soils in the Bikin River valley (the Amur River basin) in the Middle and Late Holocene

The evolution of alluvial soils in the Bikin River basin in the Middle and the Late Holocene is discussed. On the basis of biostratigraphic data, four pollen zones have been identified in the soils: Pinus koraiensis-Picea, Pinus koraiensis-Quercus-Sphagnum, Betula-Alnus-Alnaster, and Quercus. A set of soil characteristics (texture, acid-base properties, and the organic matter content and group composition) have also been determined. These data allow us to distinguish between four stages of alluvial soil formation in the Bikin River basin. They characterize humus-forming conditions in the Middle and the Late Holocene. Reconstruction of ancient vegetation conditions makes it possible to conclude that climatic fluctuations were synchronous with changes in the soil characteristics. During the Holocene climatic optimum, humus was formed in a slightly acid medium, and humic acids predominated. In cold periods with increased precipitation, fulvic acids predominated in the composition of humus, and the portion of insoluble residue was high because of the more acid medium. The stages of alluvial pedogenesis in the Bikin River valley follow the sedimentation model of soil evolution. Alluvial gray humus soils evolved from typical gray humus soils under meadow communities during warm periods to gleyic and gleyed soils under birch shrubs and alder groves in colder and wetter periods.     

郧西县庹家湾黄土剖面色度参数特征及其古气候重建

通过对湖北省郧西县庹家湾黄土剖面的色度参数分析,并结合磁化率、粒度、铷锶比(Rb/Sr)指标揭示汉江上游地区风成黄土的色度特征及其与气候变化的关系。应用X-rite VS450型分光测色仪对庹家湾黄土剖面色度参数进行了测量。结果表明:庹家湾黄土剖面红度a*的变化与沉积物氧化铁含量呈显著正相关,平均值由高到低依次为S_0(6.34)MS(5.52)L_t(5.18)L_0(4.98)L_1(4.82)T_(1-al_2)(3.66);亮度L*的变化与氧化铁含量和有机质含量均呈负相关,其中氧化铁含量对L*的影响更大,L*在黄土层出现了峰值;色调角h*在古土壤层呈现低值(68.64°),黄土层呈现高值,a*/b*与h*特征相反,在古土壤呈现高值(0.39),黄土层呈现低值;其中在马兰黄土L_1中存在两层弱古土壤层L_1-S_2、L_1-S_1,其色度参数特征较L_1具有较高的a*值和a*/b*值及较低的L*值和h*。黄度b*指示该区域气候变化有一定的局限性,h*、a*/b*、L*和a*均可作为良好的气候替代指标,a*值和a*/b*值越大指示气候越暖湿,成壤作用越强,L*值和h*越大指示气候越冷干,成壤作用越弱。h*、a*/b*、L*和a*共同记录了该地区晚更新世以来气候经历了晚更新世末期的干冷、全新世早期逐渐回暖、全新世中期的温暖湿润、全新世晚期气候逐渐干冷,在马兰黄土形成时期,气候出现了短暂的温暖湿润期(27.5~21.5ka B.P.)。     

天山北麓褶丘陵的特征与演化

对北天山山前四排褶皱丘陵的地貌特征、组成地层与构造特征进行了研究，在此基础上探讨了山前褶皱丘陵的演化历史。第一排褶皱形成于晚第三纪中新世。上新世晚期，早更新世初期，第二排褶皱开始形成。早更新世晚期，中更新世初期，第三排褶皱开始形成。晚更新世晚期，至全新世以来，第二排褶皱与第三排褶皱一直在持续隆升，同时第四排褶皱也开始形成。     

Late Pleistocene ‐ Holocene palaeosols in the north of Sonora,Mexico: chronostratigraphy,pedogenesis and implications for environmental history

Red palaeosols of the late Pleistocene‐early Holocene, both buried and non‐buried, were studied recently in Sonora (NW Mexico) to reconstruct their pedogenesis as well as the palaeoenvironmental conditions. The alluvial palaeosol‐sedimentary sequence of the La Playa archaeological site is a key locality for the buried San Rafael palaeosol, which exhibits a 2Ah‐2Bw‐2BCk‐3Bgk profile and was defined as a Chromic Cambisol. Radiocarbon dates from pedogenic carbonates and charcoal set the soil formation interval between > 18 000 and 4300 calibrated years before present (cal. year BP). Micro‐morphological observations together with profile distribution of clay, carbonates, organic carbon, pedogenic iron oxides and rock magnetic properties indicated a strong eluvial‐illuvial redistribution of carbonates, moderate silicate weathering and gleying in the lower horizon. Although this soil was much more developed than the overlying syn‐sedimentary late Holocene Fluvisols, clay mineral composition and stable carbon isotope signatures of humus and carbonates were similar in both soils. We suggest that pedogenesis of the San Rafael palaeosol took place under a slightly more humid climate and relative geomorphic stability. This agrees with the regional palaeoclimate reconstruction, which indicates a moister climate during the Late Wisconsin glaciation (MIS 2). An abrupt termination of the San Rafael pedogenesis marked by disturbance and aridization features in the Ap horizon of the palaeosol could be linked to a global drought around 4200 years cal. year BP. Surface Chromic Cambisols in northern Sonora show similar pedogenetic characteristics to the buried red palaeosols of La Playa. They appear to be a relict component of the present day soil mantle.     

Palynology of late Quaternary coastal sediments, Perak, Malaysia

Twenty eight samples of peat, clay and silty clay from a tin mine exposure near Pantai Remis, Perak, Malaysia, were palynologically analyzed. Six pollen zones and eight subzones were delineated based on the dominant floral components. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon and thermoluminescence datings on selected samples indicate late Pleistocene and older age. The occurrence ofPodocarpus imbricatus pollen suggests that the deposit is no older than late Pliocene. The fluctuation of sea level during the late Pleistocene is believed to be the main factor that influenced the development of vegetation at the Pantai Remis area. The presence of mangrove peat at depths between 13.0 m and 14.0 m, which overlies a freshwaterPandanus peat, indicates the position of a former shoreline at Pantai Remis when the area was inundated sometime during the last interglacial marine incursion. During this period of high sea level, thePandanus swamp was probably being gradually replaced by mangrove vegetation. The mangrove sequence is regarded as equivalent to the Kempadang formation. A slight drop in sea level sometime during the last glacial interstadial stage probably caused a small, open alluvial swamp to be developed over the mangrove forest. This freshwater deposit may be the equivalent of the Simpang formation.     

额济纳盆地戈壁纵剖面沉积物粒度参数分析

以额济纳荒漠戈壁为研究对象,通过野外实地调查与室内实验相结合的方法,采用平均粒径、分选系数、偏度、峰度等粒度参数对戈壁纵剖面沉积物粒度特征进行了分析。研究表明:在纵剖面,除冲积扇上部外,其余采样点均沿垂直方向从上至下沉积物粒度组成由石块变为砂粒;除冲积扇上部外,颗粒平均粒径沿垂直方向呈细化趋势,平均粒径由粗变细;戈壁不同剖面层沉积物颗粒分选系数整体呈分选差或较差,仅东居延海岸边浅滩和东居延海湖岸分选较好或中等;偏度除冲积扇上部呈负偏、极负偏外,其他各点偏度沿垂直方向由上至下趋于近对称、正偏分布;在冲积扇上部和中部,峰态以宽平为主,在冲积扇下部到东居沿海湖岸沉积物沿垂直方向由下至上峰态由宽平、很宽平变成尖窄分布。总之,戈壁纵剖面沉积物的粒度特征整体呈平均粒径由粗变细,分选差或较差,偏度呈近对称、正偏分布,峰态宽平的特点,反映了不同层次颗粒的沉积环境、地貌特征、侵蚀与堆积方式,可为戈壁类型划分提供依据。