Earth Science Frontiers ›› 2022, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (2): 303-316.DOI: 10.13745/j.esf.sf.2022.2.9

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Palynological study of the Late Oligocene-Early Pleistocene in Leizhou Peninsula, Guangdong

ZHANG Zongyan1,2(), LIU Xiang3, LI Xiang1,2, KE Xue4, ZHANG Jianyu1,2, XU Yadong3,*()   

  1. 1. Wuhan Center of China Geological Survey, Wuhan 430205, China
    2. Key Laboratory for Paleontology and Coevolution of Life and Environment, China Geological Survey, Wuhan 430205, China
    3. School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
    4. Institute of Geological Survey, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
  • Received:2021-12-20 Revised:2021-12-30 Online:2022-03-25 Published:2022-03-31
  • Contact: XU Yadong

Abstract:

The drill core ZKA01 from Leizhou Peninsula, Guangdong Province, revealed a Cenozoic stratigraphic sequence consisting of, upward from the bottom, the Oligocene Weizhou Formation, the Miocene Xiayang, Jiaowei, and Dengloujiao Formations, the Pliocene Wanglougang Formation, the Lower-Pleistocene Zhanjiang Formation, and the Middle Pleistocene Beihai Formation, where the Weizhou-Wanglougang Formations consist of littoral-neritic deposits, and the Zhanjiang-Beihai Formations consist of continental fluvial and lacustrine deposits. In this paper, 42 common seed plants, from 81 species identified from 29311 pollen fossil grains obtained from 88 layers in core ZKA01, were selected to reconstruct the paleoclimate parameters by the coexistence approach. It was found the Late Oligocene-Early Pleistocene paleoclimate sequence can be divided into four stages: the Late Oligocene-Early Miocene (25-17 Ma), Middle Miocene (17-13.5 Ma), Late Miocene-Pliocene (13.5-4 Ma), and Pliocene-Early Pleistocene (4-1.5 Ma) stages. The study area’s paleoclimate change pattern through the four stages can match the trend of global climate change rather well. The period of decreasing temperature in the Late Oligocene-Early Miocene roughly coincides with the Mi1a climate cooling event, whilst the climate change in the Middle Miocene corresponds to the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO), which is characterized by a hot, humid climate; in the late Middle Miocene temperature drops in response to the Mi3 cooling event to certain extent.

Key words: sporopollen, coexistence factor analysis method, climatic variation, Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum, Leizhou Peninsula

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