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Provenance and climate change inferred from Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes of late Quaternary sediments in the Huanghe (Yellow River) Delta, China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 August 2012

Bangqi Hu ,
Guogang Li ,
Jun Li ,
Jianqiang Bi ,
Jingtao Zhao  and
Ruyuan Bu
Bangqi Hu*
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Marine Hydrocarbon Resources and Environmental Geology, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Land and Resources, Qingdao 266071, China State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710075, China
Guogang Li*
Affiliation:
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment & Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Qingdao 266033, China Marine Engineering and Prospecting Institute of North China Sea, North China Sea Branch of the State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao 266033, China
Jun Li
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Marine Hydrocarbon Resources and Environmental Geology, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Land and Resources, Qingdao 266071, China
Jianqiang Bi
Affiliation:
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment & Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Qingdao 266033, China Marine Engineering and Prospecting Institute of North China Sea, North China Sea Branch of the State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao 266033, China
Jingtao Zhao
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Marine Hydrocarbon Resources and Environmental Geology, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Land and Resources, Qingdao 266071, China
Ruyuan Bu
Affiliation:
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment & Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Qingdao 266033, China Marine Engineering and Prospecting Institute of North China Sea, North China Sea Branch of the State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao 266033, China
*
⁎Correspondence to: B. Hu, Key Laboratory of Marine Hydrocarbon Resources and Environmental Geology, Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, Ministry of Land and Resources, Qingdao 266071, China.
⁎⁎Correspondence to: G. Li, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environment & Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Qingdao 266033, China. Email Address:bangqihu@gmail.com, lotus.olive@126.com
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Abstract

We present a provenance study of core ZK2 from the Huanghe (Yellow River) Delta in order to assess the impacts of climate change on the sediment supplies during the last glacial–interglacial cycle. Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy methods are used to construct the age model. Sr isotopic compositions of ZK2 range from 0.716389 to 0.723884, with 87Sr/86Sr increased with decreasing grain size. Nd and Pb isotopic compositions display two large major excursions during Marine Oxygen Isotope stages (MIS) 2 and 4, with less radiogenic εNd and lower 208Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, and 206Pb/204Pb values during these periods. These excursions have been explained in terms of changes in the mixing proportion of sediments from the Loess Plateau and Ordos Plateau, resulting from East Asian monsoon intensity variations. The weak summer monsoon precipitation resulted in decreased erosion of Loess Plateau during MIS 2, 4 and the middle of MIS 3. Meanwhile, both the intensified East Asian winter monsoon and the southward expansions of Mu Us desert significantly enhanced the eolian sand entering the Huanghe. Therefore, our results highlight the impact of monsoon variability on erosion patterns in the Huanghe basin.

Keywords

SrNd and Pb isotopesLate QuaternaryHuangheProvenanceClimate changes
Type
Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 78 , Issue 3 , November 2012 , pp. 561 - 571
Copyright
University of Washington

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