Reconstructing the Paleoenvironmental Record of the Wuqi Paleolake in the Northern Chinese Loess Plateau

摘要

Lacustrine sediments can allow useful reconstructions of paleoenvironmental conditions. We collected a 22.39 m sediment core from within the Wuqi Paleolake in the northern Chinese Loess Plateau in order to reconstruct the region's climatic fluctuations within the Neogene-Quaternary transition. Paleomagnetic, magnetic susceptibility, grain size, and loss on ignition data were used constrain the lake's temporal formation and extinction and to reconstruct its paleoenvironment. The Wuqi Paleolake existed from 2.58-0.78 Ma BP, experiencing four distinct stages: a formation stage during which the climate warmed from slightly cold and dry conditions (2.58-2.33 Ma BP), a high-water stage which was sharply interrupted (2.33-1.80 Ma BP), a low-water stage during which the climate moderated but aeolian sediments began to increase (1.80-0.95 Ma BP), and a final stage during which the lake level fluctuated substantially (possibly reflecting an unstable climate) before finally drying up (0.95-0.78 Ma BP).