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Paelomagnetic and petromagnetic studies of Chinese Cenozoic sediments: Paleoclimatic, tectonic, and evolutionary implications

The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) was investigated in three Chinese Loess Plateau sedimentary sections along a W–E transect. Previously published models assumed that winter monsoons were responsible for the magnetic fabric formation of loess sequences. In our new interpretation, the stronger summer monsoons from the southeast played the major role in magnetic fabric orientation in the studied west and central parts of the Chinese Loess Plateau. The AMS was generated during the rainy summer monsoon when the sedimentary particles including magnetite were rearranged, settled, and fixed. We reconstruct the summer paleomonsoon routes for the last 130 kyr. These winds prevail from SE to NW but appear to be affected by regional topographic factors.

Evidence in the world’s ocean current system indicates an abrupt cooling from 34.1 to 33.6 Ma across the Eocene-Oligocene boundary (EOB) at 33.9 Ma. I describe and date with magnetostratigraphy a section from the north Junggar Basin (Burqin section). Three fossil assemblages revealed through the EOB (34.8, 33.7, and 30.4 Ma) demonstrate that perissodactyl faunas were abruptly replaced by rodent/lagomorph-dominant faunas during climate cooling, and the changes in mammalian communities were accelerated by aridification in central Asia.

Paleomagnetic studies of two sections of the northern Junggar Basin, China, are presented from Burqin and Tieersihabahe. Our paleomagnetic results demonstrate counterclockwise tectonic rotations in Burqin and Tieersihabahe (–17.2 ± 9.6° and –11.8 ± 6.1°, respectively) as well as considerable northward latitudinal displacement (12.2 ± 6.5° and 9.7 ± 4.1°, respectively) with respect to Europe. These results are consistent with the motions of contiguous blocks in the same geological time intervals (India, north and south China, Tarim, Amuria, and Kazakhstan). No significant intracontinental shortening or vertical-axis rotation is observed for the Junggar block from 40 Ma to 20 Ma. Our results reveal that the major compression and rotation between Junggar and northern Europe occurred after 20 Ma due to continuous penetration of India into Asia. We interpret the uplift of the Altay Mountains and the formation of the Lake Baikal rift system to be due to such intracontinental compression and relative rotations. / Geophysics

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:AEU.10048/1759
Date06 1900
CreatorsZhang, Rui
ContributorsVadim A. Kravchinsky, Barendregt, René W.(Geography, University of Lethbridge), Froese, Duane (Earth and Atmosphere Sciences), Heimpel, Moritz (Physics), Sacchi, Mauricio D.(Physics)
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format3173897 bytes, application/pdf
RelationR. Zhang, V. A. Kravchinsky, R. Zhu, and L. Yue. 2010. Paleomonsoon route reconstruction along a W–E transect in the Chinese Loess Plateau using the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility: summer monsoon model. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 299, 436–446.

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