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Palynological records of Holocene monsoon change from the Gulf of Tonkin (Beibuwan), northwestern South China Sea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Zhen Li*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
Yulan Zhang
Affiliation:
School of Ocean & Earth Science, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
Yongxiang Li
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Tulane University, LA 70118, USA School of Earth Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
Jing Zhao
Affiliation:
School of Ocean & Earth Science, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
*
Corresponding author. E-mail addresses:imlizhen@hotmail.comzli@sklec.ecnu.edu.cn (Z. Li).

Abstract

Palynological records in cores C4 and B106 from the Gulf of Tonkin reveal signals of paleo-monsoon and paleoenvironmental change during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. Before ∼ 13.4 cal kyr BP, the Gulf of Tonkin was exposed to the atmosphere and covered by grassland. Starting at ∼ 11.7 cal kyr BP, the Gulf of Tonkin was inundated by brackish water, indicated by the appearance of the brackish algae Cleistosphaeridium, Sentusidinium and Spiniferites, a decrease of herb content, and an increase of Pinus. After Hainan Island was completely separated from the Leizhou Peninsula by Qiongzhou Strait at ∼ 8.5 cal kyr BP, a continuous marine sedimentary environment was found. The current patterns were similar to those of the present, with a general trend of current homogenization reflected by gradually decreasing quantities of Quercus pollen and a narrowing gap between the palynological concentrations of the southern and northern parts of the region. The data suggest that three short periods of strengthened winter monsoons and currents were centered at ∼ 6.0 cal kyr BP, ∼ 2.7 cal kyr BP and ∼ 0.2 cal kyr BP and that two short periods of strengthened summer monsoons and currents were centered at ∼ 7.5 cal kyr BP and ∼ 3.4 cal kyr BP.

Type
Short Paper
Copyright
University of Washington

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