Earth surface processes and their effects on human behavior in monsoonal China during the Pleistocene-Holocene epochs

Abstract

There is a wide diversity of landforms in China. The topography of three major terraces, decreasing in height stepwise from west to east, was formed by the early Miocene. With the commencement of the Great Northern Hemisphere Glaciations (GHGs) and the glacial-interglacial cycles in the Pleistocene, thick loess deposits accumulated in north China, and fluvial terraces were formed and lakes expanded and contracted in eastern and central China. The earliest evidence of hominins in China is dated to ~1.7 Ma; they occupied the monsoon-dominated region for a long interval, until the late Pleistocene, ~50 ka. In this study, we investigated a large area rich in the relics and artifacts of early man. The results indicate that the early humans occupied riverine areas, especially medium-sized fluvial basins, and lake shores. Even in the relatively recent geological past, the occupation and abandonment of settlements were directly forced by the shifting of sand dune fields in the desert-loess transitional zone, which in turn was closely associated with variations in the monsoon climate and vegetation patterns. Our observations indicate that landforms were one of the main determinants of early human behavior, in that loess tableland, large alluvial plains, desert-Gobi areas, and the Tibetan Plateau, were not suitable environments for early human settlement. We infer that the early humans in China adapted their behavior to specific landforms and landform processes. The monsoon climate, which shapes the large-scale step-like pattern of fluvial landforms, promotes vegetation coverage and dominates soil formation, provides a crucial context for early human adaptation. The adaptation of early humans to earth surface processes in East Asia is investigated for the first time in this study. Future investigations will provide further information that will increase our understanding of the linkage between early human behavior and landform processes in East Asia.

Luminescence dating of reticulated red clay buried in Lanshanmiao Paleolithic site in Zhejiang Province, southern China

“…Loess deposits in China are divided into typical loess, which occurs on the Loess Plateau of Central China, and atypical loess, which occurs in other areas, such in the Qinling Mountain Range, in the Xiashu loess, and in Quaternary reticulated red clay in the lower drainage of the Yangtze River (Liu et al, 1985;Xiong et al, 2000;Sun et al, 2017a;. Accurate age estimates are available for most palaeolithic sites in the loess regions in North and Central China (e.g., Chen et al, 1984;An et al, 1990;Xiao et al, 2002;Yang et al, 2005;Nian et al, 2014b;Wang et al, 2005Wang et al, , 2014Wang et al, , 2016Nian et al, 2016;Lu et al, 2007Lu et al, , 2011aLu et al, , 2011bSun et al, 2012Sun et al, , 2013Sun et al, , 2014Sun et al, , 2016Sun et al, , 2017bSun et al, , 2018Lu et al, 2017;Wang et al, 2019). However, dating information is lacking for sites buried in reticulated red clay.…”

Cosmogenic nuclide burial dating of Liuwan Paleolithic site in the Luonan Basin, Central China

“…China is a key area of early human settlement in East Asia during the Pleistocene. The Qinling Mountain Range (QMR) in Central China is a recognized center of early human occupation (Woo, 1964(Woo, , 1966Xue, 1987;Li and Etler, 1992;Wang et al, 1997Wang et al, , 2004Wang et al, , 2005Wang et al, , 2008SPIA et al, 2007SPIA et al, , 2008Lu et al, 2007Lu et al, , 2011aLu et al, , 2012Lu et al, , 2017Wang andLu, 2014, 2016;Sun et al, 2017), which can correspond to the well-known Nihewan Basin in North China (Chia and Wei, 1978;Zhu et al, 2001;Deng et al, 2006). The QMR is highlighted by hundreds of Paleolithic open-air sites and characteristic artifacts, such as hand axes, spheroids, picks, and heavy-duty scrapers (Wang et al, 2005;SPIA et al, 2007).…”

“…Landforms and elevation are two important influential factors in human evolution. Hominin settlements were mainly located in riverine areas or fluvial terraces, particularly in medium-sized fluvial basins in China (Lu et al, 2017), such as the Nihewan Basin (Zhu et al, 2001(Zhu et al, , 2007 and the Bose Basin (Hou et al, 2000). Many Middle Pleistocene hominin fossil and Paleolithic sites, such as Zhoukoudian Locality 1 (Shen et al, 2009), Chenjiawo (An and Ho, 1989), and Yunxian Man (Li and Etler, 1992;Chen et al, 1997), are on the second step or the transition between the second and third steps in China (Lu et al, 2017) (Figure 1).…”

“…Hominin settlements were mainly located in riverine areas or fluvial terraces, particularly in medium-sized fluvial basins in China (Lu et al, 2017), such as the Nihewan Basin (Zhu et al, 2001(Zhu et al, , 2007 and the Bose Basin (Hou et al, 2000). Many Middle Pleistocene hominin fossil and Paleolithic sites, such as Zhoukoudian Locality 1 (Shen et al, 2009), Chenjiawo (An and Ho, 1989), and Yunxian Man (Li and Etler, 1992;Chen et al, 1997), are on the second step or the transition between the second and third steps in China (Lu et al, 2017) (Figure 1). Although Hulu Cave (Zhao et al, 2001;Liu et al, 2005) and Qiliting (Archaeology and Office, 2009) are in the Middle-Low Yangtze Plains, these areas are in hilly and mountainous locations near rivers ( Figure 2).…”

Earth surface processes and environmental sustainability in China: preface

“…The study of earth surface processes in China has always been a multidisciplinary subject (Lu et al 2017). Research on these processes includes the investigation of water, soil, the atmosphere and the biosphere, which need to be monitored, analysed and simulated at a range of scales (Fu & Pan 2016).…”