Thickness of calcium carbonate coats on stones of the Heishanxia terraces of the Yellow River and dating of coarse clastic sedimentary geomorphic surfaces

Abstract

The calcium carbonate coats on stones developed in soil on the geomorphic surfaces of coarse clastic sediments in arid-semiarid regions contain evident information of age. The thickness of coats can be used not only as a good age indicator for the geomorphic surfaces but also coats themselves can be directly used as dating materials in the ESR method. Through measuring the thickness of carbonate coats on stones in soils on the alluvial terraces in the mouth of the Heishanxia gorge of the Yellow River and ESR dating of layers separated from the carbonate coats, the average of accumulation rates of the thickness of carbonate coats on stones since 1.57 Ma was calculated to be 0.10 mm/ka in the studied area, and a regression equation between carbonate coat thickness and age was also generated. From these research results, ages of T2-T11 terraces of the Yellow River in the studied area were systematically determined, and their values are in tum 18 ka, 94 ka, 139 ka, 215 ka, 305 ka, 410 ka, 495 ka, 742 ka, 1072 ka and 1570 ka. The reliability of all these age data is confirmed by the obtained 14C, OSL ages (T 2 , T 3 and T 4 ) and ESR ages of neighbor terraces, and they are completely consistent with the geological epochs estimated by geological and geomorphologic comparison and analysis.

Diversion of the paleo‐Yellow River channel in the Qingtongxia area of Ningxia, China: Evidence from terraces and fluvial landforms

“…However, based on the field investigation, we found that the gravel layer in the water-rich zone is typical Yellow River gravel (Figures 3 and 5). The physical characteristics of the surficial and subsurface gravels analysed here, in addition to the data reported in previous studies, describe well-rounded, sorted sediments that are diagnostic of the Yellow River (Xing et al, 2002;Liu et al, 2003;Zhang et al, 2004;Pan, Liu, Gao, Wang, & Li, 2007;Fu, Zhang, Ma, Wang, & Wu, 2013;Hu et al, 2019). And some gravels, which are like these features of the Yellow River, are exposed throughout the region.…”

ESR dose response of Al center measured in quartz samples from the Yellow River (China): Implications for the dating of Upper Pleistocene sediment

“…On the eleven levels described by Xing et al (2002), only nine terraces were recognized during the present study (Fig. 2).…”

“…1) seemed particularly suited to such research concerning the dating of "recent" fluvial terraces. Indeed, it is composed of a set of 11 terraces stretches since the current alluvial flood plain up to 130 m of relative altitude (Xing et al, 2002). The lower terraces are clearly identified in the landscape and the entire region was little affected by human activity.…”

Paleomagnetic chronology and paleoenvironmental records from drill cores from the Hetao Basin and their implications for the formation of the Hobq Desert and the Yellow River

“…Liu (1985). The black dashed line indicates the limit of the Asian summer monsoon identified by Gao (1962) The data for the terraces in the Zhongwei area are from Xing et al (2002), and those for the terraces in Jinshan Gorge are from . (B) Lithology Polarity GPTS (Ma) Site location of drill core WEDP05…”

“…Systematic geomorphological work conducted in the Lanzhou and Zhongwei area (Fig. 1B) suggests that the upper reaches of the Yellow River from Yinchuan Basin formed from ~1.7 -~1.6 Ma (Li, 1991;Li et al, 1996Li et al, , 1997Xing et al, 2002). Because of the geographical connectivity of the Hetao and Yinchuan Basins (CEA, 1988), the Yellow River may have flowed across the Yinchuan Basin and discharged into the Hetao Basin at least since that time.…”