<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The geomorphology of the upper Han River, which is located in the southern Qinling Mountains (central China) and within the northern subtropical monsoon climate zone, contains abundant information on tectonic and climatic changes. Many Paleolithic sites are preserved in the Quaternary terraces in this region, making it an ideal area for studying both geomorphology and ancient human activity. However, owing to limitations in dating methods, the formation ages of the higher terraces T3–T5 of the upper Han River remain unclear. We collected 11 samples of sediment from the higher Quaternary terraces of Wufeng, Qingqu and the Yunyang Basin for electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of quartz grains. Results show that the formation ages of terraces T3, T4 and T5 are 422–401 ka, 627–621 ka and 1129–1099 ka, respectively. Integrating this information with the timings of documented climatic transitions and the history of regional uplift, we propose that the upper Han River terraces formed in response to the combined effects of climatic transition and tectonic uplift.</p>
</abstract>

The geomorphology of the upper Han River, which is located in the southern Qinling Mountains (central China) and within the northern subtropical monsoon climate zone, contains abundant information on tectonic and climatic changes. Many Paleolithic sites are preserved in the Quaternary terraces in this region, making it an ideal area for studying both geomorphology and ancient human activity. However, owing to limitations in dating methods, the formation ages of the higher terraces T3–T5 of the upper Han River remain unclear. We collected 11 samples of sediment from the higher Quaternary terraces of Wufeng, Qingqu and the Yunyang Basin for electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of quartz grains. Results show that the formation ages of terraces T3, T4 and T5 are 422–401 ka, 627–621 ka and 1129–1099 ka, respectively. Integrating this information with the timings of documented climatic transitions and the history of regional uplift, we propose that the upper Han River terraces formed in response to the combined effects of climatic transition and tectonic uplift.

Electron Spin Resonance Dating of the Quaternary Fluvial Terrace System of the Upper Han River, Central China

Hubei Key Laboratory of Earthquake Early Warning

Geochronometria

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The geomorphology of the upper Han River, which is located in the southern Qinling Mountains (central China) and within the northern subtropical monsoon...

Electron Spin Resonance Dating of the Quaternary Fluvial Terrace System of the Upper Han River, Central China

Published Online: Feb 29, 2024

Page range: 157 - 165

Received: Aug 28, 2023

Accepted: Jan 02, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/geochr-2023-0013

Keywords
terrace, upper Han River, ESR dating, early quaternary, tectonic landform, climate change

© 2024 Wenqin Dong et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Electron Spin Resonance Dating of the Quaternary Fluvial Terrace System of the Upper Han River, Central China

Published Online: Feb 29, 2024

Page range: 157 - 165

Received: Aug 28, 2023

Accepted: Jan 02, 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/geochr-2023-0013

Keywordsterrace, upper Han River, ESR dating, early quaternary, tectonic landform, climate change

© 2024 Wenqin Dong et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
terrace, upper Han River, ESR dating, early quaternary, tectonic landform, climate change