Rights statement: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Geomorphology. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Geomorphology, 303, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.11.023
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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Connection of the proto-Yangtze River to the East China Sea traced by sediment magnetic properties
AU - Liu, Xianbin
AU - Chen, Jing
AU - Maher, Barbara A.
AU - Zhao, Baocheng
AU - Yue, Wei
AU - Sun, Qianli
AU - Chen, Zhongyuan
N1 - This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Geomorphology. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Geomorphology, 303, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.11.023
PY - 2018/2/15
Y1 - 2018/2/15
N2 - The evolution of the Yangtze River, and specifically how and when it connected to the East China Sea, has been hotly debated with regard to possible linkages with the so-called ‘Cenozoic Topographic Reversal’ (tectonic tilting of continental east China in the Cenozoic) and particularly the relationship to the uplift history of the Tibetan Plateau. Resolving this key question would shed light on the development of large Asian rivers and related changes in landforms and monsoon climate during this interval. Here, we use the magnetic properties of both Plio-Quaternary sediments in the Yangtze delta and of surficial river sediments to identify a key mid-late Quaternary switch in sediment source-sink relationships. Our results reveal a fundamental shift in sediment magnetic properties at this time; the upper 145 m of sediment has magnetic mineral concentrations 5 to 10 times higher than those of the underlying late Pliocene/early Quaternary sediments. We show that the distinctive magnetic properties of the upper core sediments closely match those of surficial river sediments of the upper Yangtze basin, where the large-scale E'mei Basalt block (2.5 × 105 km2) is the dominant magnetic mineral source. This switch in sediment magnetic properties occurred at around the Jaramillo event (~ 1.2–1.0 Ma), which indicates that both the westward extension of the proto-Yangtze River into the upper basin and completion of the connection to the East China Sea occurred no later than at that age.
AB - The evolution of the Yangtze River, and specifically how and when it connected to the East China Sea, has been hotly debated with regard to possible linkages with the so-called ‘Cenozoic Topographic Reversal’ (tectonic tilting of continental east China in the Cenozoic) and particularly the relationship to the uplift history of the Tibetan Plateau. Resolving this key question would shed light on the development of large Asian rivers and related changes in landforms and monsoon climate during this interval. Here, we use the magnetic properties of both Plio-Quaternary sediments in the Yangtze delta and of surficial river sediments to identify a key mid-late Quaternary switch in sediment source-sink relationships. Our results reveal a fundamental shift in sediment magnetic properties at this time; the upper 145 m of sediment has magnetic mineral concentrations 5 to 10 times higher than those of the underlying late Pliocene/early Quaternary sediments. We show that the distinctive magnetic properties of the upper core sediments closely match those of surficial river sediments of the upper Yangtze basin, where the large-scale E'mei Basalt block (2.5 × 105 km2) is the dominant magnetic mineral source. This switch in sediment magnetic properties occurred at around the Jaramillo event (~ 1.2–1.0 Ma), which indicates that both the westward extension of the proto-Yangtze River into the upper basin and completion of the connection to the East China Sea occurred no later than at that age.
KW - Yangtze River
KW - Plio-Quaternary stratigraphy
KW - Sediment magnetic properties
KW - Magnetic susceptibility
KW - Sediment source-sink
KW - Cenozoic topographic reversal
U2 - 10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.11.023
DO - 10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.11.023
M3 - Journal article
VL - 303
SP - 162
EP - 171
JO - Geomorphology
JF - Geomorphology
SN - 0169-555X
ER -