The impact of environmental change and human land use on alluvial valleys in the Loess Plateau of China during the Middle Holocene

Rosen, Aaron

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2008.05.017

Cited by 66 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…In the loess plateau and sandy regions of China, the intensifi cation of gullying during the Holocene is widely attributed to anthropogenic intervention (Huang et al, 2002;Zhao et al, 2005;Wang et al, 2008;Rosen, 2008). Our research suggests that humans may not be the most salient factor in this process.…”

Section: Environment and Human Occupation In The Chifeng Valleymentioning

confidence: 75%

“…Age-depth model for section 2 constructed using the OSL ages obtained with different grain size fractions of quartz (see Table I). ) clays and the formation of calcareous nodules (Zhao and Huang, 2004;Porter and An, 2005;Rosen, 2008). The age of the upper sediment in the paleosol zone is ~193 ka, roughly corresponding to the transition from MIS 7 to 6.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the CLP, Huang et al (2002) and Rosen (2008) have described the formation of Mid-Holocene dark, clay rich soils within small cultivated valleys and gullies, which developed mainly during the Middle Holocene humid phase. This kind of soil differs from the A horizon soils developed in different parts of the fl ooded Chifeng Valley.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This conclusion is in accordance with Porter and An's (2005) research, where it is argued that in the CLP the initiation of the summer monsoon fi rst generated soils, and only later, in designated locations, gullying. Huang et al (2002) and Rosen (2008), who have worked on the Holocene sections in the CLP, reported cycles of soil formation and gullying resulting from Holocene climate changes and human land management. However, we conclude that in the Chifeng region most of the aggradation throughout the Holocene within the main valleys was mainly controlled by natural processes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the semi-arid zones of the Middle East, the ongoing degradation of soil and biomass throughout the Holocene led to increased desertifi cation and greatly impacted on anthropogenic activity (Avni, 2005;Avni et al, 2006). In the loess plateau and in sandy areas of China, gullying during the Holocene is widely attributed to anthropogenic interventions (Huang et al, 2002;Zhao et al, 2005;Wang et al, 2008;Rosen, 2008).…”

Section: Previous Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Upper Pleistocene‐Holocene geomorphic changes dictating sedimentation rates and historical land use in the valley system of the Chifeng region, Inner Mongolia, northern China

Avni

Zhang

Shelach

et al. 2010

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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This study focuses on the late Quaternary landscape evolution in the Chifeng region of Inner Mongolia, China, its relations to the history of the Pleistocene-Holocene loess accumulation, erosion and redeposition, and their impact on human occupation.Based on 57 optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of loess sediments, fl uvial sand and fl oodplain deposits accumulated on the hill slopes and fl oodplains, we conclude that during most of the Pleistocene period the region was blanketed by a thick layer of aeolian loess, as well as by alluvial and fl uvial deposits. The loess section is divided into two main units that are separated by unconformity. The OSL ages at the top of the lower reddish loess unit yielded an approximate age of 193 ka, roughly corresponding to the transition from MIS 7 to 6, though they could be older. The upper gray loess unit accumulated during the upper Pleistocene glacial phase (MIS 4-3) at a mean accumulation rate of 0·22 m/ka. Parallel to the loess accumulation on top of the hilly topography, active fans were operating during MIS 4-2 at the outlet of large gullies surrounding the major valley at a mean accumulation rate of 0·24 m/ka. This co-accumulation indicates that gullies have been a long-term geomorphic feature at the margins of the Gobi Desert since at least the middle Pleistocene. During the Holocene, the erosion of the Pleistocene loess on the hills led to the burial of the valley fl oors by the redeposited sediments at a rate that decreases from 3·2 m/ka near the hills to 1-0·4 m/ka 1 in the central part of the Chifeng Valley. This rapid accumulation and the frequent shifts of the courses of the river prevented the construction of permanent settlements in the valley fl oors, a situation which changed only with improved man-made control of the local rivers from the tenth century AD.

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Section: Environment and Human Occupation In The Chifeng Valleymentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Previous Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Upper Pleistocene‐Holocene geomorphic changes dictating sedimentation rates and historical land use in the valley system of the Chifeng region, Inner Mongolia, northern China

Avni

Zhang

Shelach

et al. 2010

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Combining bulk sediment OSL and meteoric¹⁰Be fingerprinting techniques to identify gully initiation sites and erosion depths

et al. 2017

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Deep erosional gullies dissect landscapes around the world. Existing erosion models focus on predicting where gullies might begin to erode, but identifying where existing gullies were initiated and under what conditions is difficult, especially when historical records are unavailable. Here we outline a new approach for fingerprinting alluvium and tracing it back to its source by combining bulk sediment optically stimulated luminescence (bulk OSL) and meteoric 10Be (10Bem) measurements made on gully‐derived alluvium samples. In doing so, we identify where gully erosion was initiated and infer the conditions under which such erosion occurred. As both 10Bem and bulk OSL data have distinctive depth profiles in different uneroded and depositional settings, we are able to identify the likely incision depths in potential alluvium source areas. We demonstrate our technique at Birchams Creek in the southeastern Australian Tablelands—a well‐studied and recent example of gully incision that exemplifies a regional landscape transition from unchanneled swampy meadow wetlands to gully incision and subsequent wetland burial by post‐European settlement alluvium. We find that such historic alluvium was derived from a shallow erosion of valley fill upstream of former swampy meadows and was deposited down the center of the valley. Incision likely followed catchment deforestation and the introduction of livestock, which overgrazed and congregated in valley bottoms in the early 20th century during a period of drought. As a result, severe gully erosion was likely initiated in localized, compacted, and oversteepened reaches of the valley bottom.

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The Alluvial Geoarchaeology of the Sanyangzhuang Site on the Yellow River Floodplain, Henan Province, China

Kidder

Liu

et al. 2012

Geoarchaeology

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The Sanyangzhuang site, Henan Province, China, has a 12‐m‐deep stratigraphic sequence with remains from the Tang (A.D. 618–907), late Western Han (ca. 140 B.C.–A.D. 23), Warring States (475–221 B.C.), Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age (ca. 5000–1500 B.C.), Middle Holocene, and Early Holocene times. All of the paleosols are deeply buried. We investigate four issues relevant to the archaeology of the lower Yellow River Valley. First, we confirm that the Yellow River flowed north toward Bohai Bay throughout most of the Holocene. Second, we expand understanding of Holocene paleoenvironments. Long episodes of landscape stability punctuated by brief periods of Yellow River flooding represent the dominant environmental pattern. Third, we investigate how the complex relationships between climate, culture, and the environment affect Yellow River flooding, which in turn shapes Chinese civilization and history. Flooding in late Western Han times affected a vast area of north‐central China; this catastrophe contributed to the downfall of the late Western Han Dynasty. Finally, this research sheds light on the role of Yellow River alluviation in site burial and preservation. Rapid alluviation in the region has buried many archaeological sites. Settlement pattern research needs to take seriously the limitations placed on site visibility in quickly aggrading floodplains. However, gentle alluviation has also preserved settlements and entire landscapes providing unparalleled opportunities to explore the archaeological and historical record of the lower Yellow River Valley.

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The impact of environmental change and human land use on alluvial valleys in the Loess Plateau of China during the Middle Holocene

Cited by 66 publications

References 26 publications

Upper Pleistocene‐Holocene geomorphic changes dictating sedimentation rates and historical land use in the valley system of the Chifeng region, Inner Mongolia, northern China

Upper Pleistocene‐Holocene geomorphic changes dictating sedimentation rates and historical land use in the valley system of the Chifeng region, Inner Mongolia, northern China

Combining bulk sediment OSL and meteoric¹⁰Be fingerprinting techniques to identify gully initiation sites and erosion depths

The Alluvial Geoarchaeology of the Sanyangzhuang Site on the Yellow River Floodplain, Henan Province, China

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The impact of environmental change and human land use on alluvial valleys in the Loess Plateau of China during the Middle Holocene

Cited by 66 publications

References 26 publications

Upper Pleistocene‐Holocene geomorphic changes dictating sedimentation rates and historical land use in the valley system of the Chifeng region, Inner Mongolia, northern China

Upper Pleistocene‐Holocene geomorphic changes dictating sedimentation rates and historical land use in the valley system of the Chifeng region, Inner Mongolia, northern China

Combining bulk sediment OSL and meteoric10Be fingerprinting techniques to identify gully initiation sites and erosion depths

The Alluvial Geoarchaeology of the Sanyangzhuang Site on the Yellow River Floodplain, Henan Province, China

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Resources

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Combining bulk sediment OSL and meteoric¹⁰Be fingerprinting techniques to identify gully initiation sites and erosion depths