方解石结晶度在中亚北部黄土古气候重建中的应用

Potential of calcite crystallinity in paleoclimate reconstruction of loess in Northern Central Asia

  • 摘要: 黄土碳酸盐矿物是古气候重建的重要载体,而在中亚干旱区其与气候因子的关系尚不明确,尤其是方解石成因的区分及其结晶度的气候指示潜力有待深入挖掘。本文以中亚北部干旱区表土和黄土为研究对象,利用X射线衍射分析了方解石矿物学特征,以方解石(104)晶面衍射峰的峰形参数比(峰高/峰面积,H/A值)表征结晶度,并运用广义加性模型系统评估了气候因子与方解石结晶度的关系。结果表明,次生方解石的H/A值(4.21±0.62)显著低于混合成因方解石(6.25±0.82),H/A值与年蒸散量呈显著负相关,可作为古蒸散强度的潜在代用指标。分析发现年蒸散量与年均温的非线性交互效应可解释H/A值76%的变异。H/A值在寒冷或温暖的温度背景下(0~2 ℃或6~10.5 ℃)与蒸散量密切相关。而在过渡温度区间(2.5~5.5 ℃或11~12 ℃),H/A值随蒸散量的变化存在阈值效应。研究表明方解石结晶度在中亚古气候重建中具有重要的应用潜力,为解析中亚干旱区第四纪环境演变提供了新的矿物学视角和方法支持。

     

    Abstract: In the Loess Plateau of China, carbonate minerals are important proxies for paleoclimate reconstruction. However, relationships between carbonate mineral characteristics and climatic factors remain poorly constrained in the arid region of the Central Asia, concerning particularly the discrimination between different genesis of calcites and their crystallinity as climatic proxies. This study focuses on the climatic significance of calcite crystallinity in topsoils and loess in the arid region of Central Asia, aiming to assess its potential for paleoclimatic reconstruction. A total of 48 topsoils of loess sediments and 6 samples from two loess profiles deposited since the last glacial periods were collected from northern Xinjiang, China, and southern Kazakhstan. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was performed to analyze the mineralogical characteristics of calcite. The crystallinity was quantified using a peak shape parameter (height/area ratio, H/A value) of the calcite (104) diffraction peak. Generalized Additive Models were employed to systematically evaluate the relationship between various climatic factors and calcite crystallinity of topsoils. Results demonstrate that secondary calcite exhibited significantly lower H/A values (4.21±0.62) compared to mixed-origin calcite (6.25±0.82). The H/A values show a significant negative correlation with annual evapotranspiration, suggesting their potential as a proxy of paleo-evapotranspiration intensity. Except for winter, the separate introduction of precipitation and temperature factors in other seasons did not significantly improve the explanatory power of the model.. However, non-linear interactions between annual evapotranspiration and mean annual temperature accounted for 76% of the variance in H/A values. The H/A values were closely related to the evapotranspiration as a single factor in the cold (0~2°C) or warm (6~10.5°C) thermal regimes; however, there was a threshold effect of the H/A value change with the evapotranspiration in the transitional thermal regimes (2.5~5.5°C or 11~12°C). This research provids critical insights into applying calcite crystallinity for paleoclimate reconstruction in the Central Asia, which deepens understanding of the paleoclimate characteristics and offers a novel mineralogical tool for deciphering Quaternary environmental evolution in arid Central Asia.

     

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