用锆石U/Pb测年技术追踪黄土红黏土物源:进展与展望

A REVIEW OF RECENT PROGRESS IN CHINESE LOESS AND RED-CLAY PROVENANCE STUDIES USING ZIRCON U/Pb DATING

摘要: 黄土高原的黄土和红黏土沉积序列蕴藏着丰富的古气候和古环境信息,为理解黄土高原地区的气候历史和气候演化机制提供了良好载体。然而,跟古气候信息相比,地学家对于黄土物源的演化历史还存在较大争论。单颗粒锆石U/Pb测年是一种新兴的物源示踪方法,因为这种方法能提供样品里单颗粒锆石的年代,能够最大限度地恢复物源信息,具有较高的可信度。因此,这种方法可能能够帮助解决地学家关于黄土红黏土物源演化历史的争论。比较了锆石U/Pb方法与其他传统示踪方法在构造尺度和轨道尺度上指示的黄土物源的异同,并根据这些结果提出了今后利用锆石U/Pb测年研究黄土物源的重点方向。

Abstract: Loess and the underlying red-clay sequences on the Chinese Loess Plateau contain important paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental information, but great debates remain with the provenance of Chinese loess and red-clay. Zircon U/Pb dating is a novel provenance tracing technique and is starting to be used to solve provenance problems of Chinese loess. In this paper, we review these studies and propose several points that need to be paid attention to in future studies.