讨论三峡和宜昌地区第四纪古气候的演化过程及青藏高原隆升对古气候演化的影响。以三峡及宜昌地区第四纪沉积物为主要研究对象,在沉积剖面研究的基础上,对低夷平面、阶地及冲积扇和湖相沉积物进行地球化学元素分析,依据地球化学元素的变化曲线及沉积特征,认为三峡及宜昌地区第四纪古气候的演化趋势相似,经历了早更新世晚期及中更新世暖湿气候到晚更新世干冷气候的转变。结合全球气候背景、青藏高原隆升过程对气候影响等方面的资料,认为150 ka B.P.之后青藏高原隆升至4 km时,青藏高原对三峡及宜昌地区的古气候产生了较大影响。
The Three Gorges are considered to be critical to understand the formation of Yangtze River. Recent research results suggest that the Yangtze Three Gorges was created during the Quaternary but the exact time is debatable. Fe-Ti oxide minerals are seldom used to study sediment provenance, expecially using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and energy dispersive spectrometer （EDS）. In this study, the provenance of Quaternary sediments in Yichang area, which is located to the east of the Yangtze Three Gorges, was investigated by using SEM and EDS to research Fe-Ti oxides. The Panzhihua vanadium titanomagnetite and Emeishan basalt outcrop are located to the west of the Three Gorges. Further, the materials from them are observed in the Quaternary sediments of Yichang area. Fe-Ti oxide minerals from the Huangling granite are observed in the Yunchi and Shanxiyao Formations, which were formed before 0.75 Ma B.P., whereas Fe-Ti oxide minerals from the Huangling granite, Panzhihua vanadium titanomagnetite, and Emeishan basalt are observed in the riverbed and fifth-terrace sediments of the Yangtze River, which were formed after 0.73 Ma B.P.. Thus, we can infer that the Three Gorges formed after the deposition of the Shanxi Formation and before the fifth-terrace; i.e., 0.75-0.73 Ma B.P..
The Cretaceous was one of the most remarkable ＇greenhouse＇ climate periods in geological history. Most of the reported studies of the Cretaceous paleoclimate are based upon marine sedimentary records. Large spatial scale paleoclimatic reconstruction, which has a higher time resolution based upon continental sediments in China, is rarely found. This study presents paleoclimate reconstruction for the six time periods of the Early Cretaceous in China by employing continental climate-indicative sediments, including calcareous deposits, coal, oil shale, gypsum, halite, desert sedimentary systems, ferruginous deposits and laterite, copper-bearing deposits, limestone and dolomite. Based on the distribution of the association of climate-indicative sediments and the influences of paleotopography and orogenic belts （or important structural belts） on climate, seven climatic zones have been identified： 1） a warm and humid zone; 2） a warm and humid-warm and arid zone; 3） a warm and arid zone; 4） an arid and hot zone; 5） the Tibet hot and humid zone; 6） a hot and arid-semiarid zone; and 7） a hot and humid-hot and arid one. It is found that the Early Cretaceous climatic zones of China were nearly latitudinally distributed from northwest to southeast. The arid- hot climatic zone expanded in the Aptian, suggesting that a hotter and drier climate prevailed in later period of the Early Cretaceous. Conversely, the humid climatic zone expanded in the Albian, indicating that a wetter climate appeared at the end of the Early Cretaceous. The overall distribution pattern of the seven climatic zones indicates that a hot-warm and arid climate was predominant in China; this coincides with a global ＇greenhouse climate＇ background. However, palaeogeographic features and specific geologic events, such as the existence and disappearance of the eastern high plateau, and the uplift and denudation of Yinshan, Yanshan, Tianshan, Qinling and Dabie Mountains, led to distinctive regional climatic features of the Cretaceous
