Zijunbu site is an ancient human activity site about 120000 ~ 90000 years ago. There are a large number of stone tools and animal bones. The photoluminescence dating shows that the human activity time is the mis5 stage between 120-90ka. It is the earliest wilderness site on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. The section of the site is divided into 11 layers from top to bottom, of which the cultural layer is the ancient soil layer of 6-9 layers. The Paleoenvironment was reconstructed by particle size analysis, magnetic susceptibility, total organic (TOC) and calcium carbonate content. Compared with the published high-resolution climate curve, the results show that the East Asian summer monsoon was strengthened in the period occupied by paleohumans, and the climate was warm and humid, which was conducive to human survival.
ZHANG Dongju
Fossils of the ursid Indarctos from Withlacoochee River 4A of Florida (late early Hemphillian North American Land Mammal Age, Hh2, ~ 7.5–6.5 Ma) represent the best sample of this genus in North America, including both craniodental and postcranial specimens, yet only the skull has been described. In this study, we describe the other material of this bear from the same locality and review the records of Indarctos in North America. Indarctos from Withlacoochee River 4A has dental characters in accordance with those of typical Indarctos oregonensis, but has distinctly more slender postcranial bones. Indarctos from other localities of North America contains two morphs with regards to postcranial robustness, but lacks a clear geographic pattern. Indarctos from Withlacoochee River 4A shares traits with the Old World Indarctos zdanskyi and may be its descendant in the New World. The machairodont from Withlacoochee River 4A shows typical characters (e.g., presence of distinct P4 preparastyle and mandibular flange) that allow referral to Amphimachairodus rather than to Nimravides. Its morphology also shows a stronger affinity of this population to the Old World Amphimachairodus horribilis rather than to Hh3 Amphimachairodus coloradensis. Previously, most North American records of Amphimachairodus were late Hemphillian (Hh3–4, ~ 6.5–4.5 Ma), when it co-occurred with a different ursid, “Agriotherium.” The Withlacoochee River 4A specimens provide evidence that Amphimachairodus dispersed from Asia during the Hh2. The special morphology of Indarctos and the presence of Amphimachairodus in a Hh2 fauna suggest that the environment had begun to change before the significant fauna turnover between the early and late Hemphillian.
QIGAO Jiangzuo
By collecting the tree ring width data in the Qilian Mountain and its surrounding areas, a regional tree ring chronological network is established. On this basis, the variability of Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) in the Qilian mountain area from May to August in recent 200 years is reconstructed by using the point by point reconstruction method, and the spatial resolution of the reconstruction is 0.5 * 0.5 degrees. All the data contained in this data set have passed the tests commonly used in tree ring climatology research, such as error reduction (RE), efficiency coefficient (CE) and correlation coefficient. The data can be used to analyze the temporal and spatial variation of drought in Qilian Mountain and its surrounding areas in the past 200 years.
DENG Yang
As one of the most complete archaic human fossils, the Harbin cranium provides critical evidence for studying the diversification of the Homo genus and the origin of Homo sapiens. However, the unsystematic recovery of this cranium and a long and confused history since the discovery impede its accurate dating. Here, we carried out a series of geochemical analyses, including non-destructive X-ray fluorescence (XRF), rare earth elements (REE), and the Sr isotopes, to test the reported provenance of the Harbin cranium and get better stratigraphic constraints. The results show that the Harbin cranium has very similar XRF element distribution patterns, REE concentration patterns, and Sr isotopic compositions to those of the Middle Pleistocene-Holocene mammalian and human fossils recently recovered from the Harbin area. The sediments adhered in the nasal cavity of the Harbin cranium have a 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.711898, falling in the variation range measured in a core drilled near the Dongjiang Bridge, where the cranium was discovered during its reconstruction. The regional stratigraphic correlations indicate that the Harbin cranium was probably from the upper part of the Upper Huangshan Formation of the Harbin area, which has an optically stimulated luminescence dating constraint between 138 and 309 ka. U-series disequilibrium dating (n = 10) directly on the cranium suggests that the cranium is older than 146 ka. The multiple lines of evidence from our experiments consistently support the theory that the Harbin cranium is from the late Middle Pleistocene of the Harbin area. Our study also shows that geochemical approaches can provide reliable evidence for locating and dating unsystematically recovered human fossils, and potentially can be applied to other human fossils without clear provenance and stratigraphy records.
NI Xijun
A new species, Yuomys robustus of the ctenodactyloid rodent Yuomys, is described in the paper. It is from the Western margin of the Ordos Basin District in eastern Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. Yuomys robustus is characterized by a combination of features: large size, high tooth crown, having a postparacrista on M2 and lacking hypocone on P4. We also emended the diagnosis of type species of Yuomys, Y. cavioides. It is characterized by the absence of hypocone on P4, having a distinct ridge connecting the metaconule to the protocone on M1–M3, a postparacrista on M1, a mesostyle on M2, and a small ridge or spur on the mesial side of the protoloph on P4 and M1; the hypoconid smaller than the protoconid and is elongated, the paraconid absent and the mesostylid faintly visible on p4, but well developed on m1–m3; the talonid basin, sinusid, and posteroflexid are large and open on lower cheek teeth. The occurrence of Lophiomeryx angarae in the same stratigraphic layer as Y. robustus indicates that the horizon is possibly late Eocene in age, not early Oligocene as suggested by previous workers. Body mass estimations of Y. cavioides, Y. eleganes, and Y. robustus show that their weights are roughly in the range of 485–880 g, which is in between those of extant Myospalax and Ratufa. From the middle Eocene to the late Eocene, Yuomys exhibited a trend of gradually enlarging the cheek teeth, and increasing the tooth crown height and body mass.
LI Qiang
In eastern Asia, several Middle-Late Pleistocene human fossils, such as the Dali, Jinniushan, Hualongdong, and Harbin crania, evidently resemble each other and are phylogenetically closer to H. sapiens than to H. neanderthalensis or other archaic humans. The Harbin cranium is the best preserved of this group. It shows a mosaic combination of plesiomorphic and apomorphic features. Here, we suggest that the Harbin skull should be recognized as a new species of Homo.
NI Xijun
More than 100,000 years ago, several human species coexisted in Asia, Europe, and Africa - A completely preserved fossil human cranium discovered in the Harbin area provides critical evidence for understanding the evolution of humans and the origin of our species - The Harbin cranium has a large cranial capacity (1,420 mL) falling in the range ofmodern humans, but is combined with a mosaic of primitive and derived characters - Our comprehensive phylogenetic analyses suggest that the Harbin cranium represents a new sister lineage for Homo sapiens - A multi-directional “shuttle dispersal model” is more likely to explain the complex phylogenetic connections among African and Eurasian Homo species/populations
NI Xijun
Holding particular biological resources, the Tibetan Plateau is a unique geologic-geographic-biotic interactively unite and hence play an important role in the global biodiversity domain. The Tibetan Plateau has undergone vigorous environmental changes since the Cenozoic, and played roles switching from “a paradise of tropical animals and plants” to “the cradle of Ice Age mammalian fauna”. Recent significant paleontological discoveries have refined a big picture of the evolutionary history of biodiversity on that plateau against the backdrop of major environmental changes, and paved the way for the assessment of its far-reaching impact upon the biota around the plateau and even in more remote regions. Here, based on the newly reported fossils from the Tibetan Plateau which include diverse animals and plants, we present a general review of the changing biodiversity on the Tibetan Plateau and its influence in a global scale. We define the Tibetan Plateau as a junction station of the history of modern biodiversity, whose performance can be categorized in the following three patterns: (1) Local origination of endemism; (2) Local origination and “Out of Tibet”; (3) Intercontinental dispersal via Tibet. The first pattern is exemplified by the snow carps, the major component of the freshwater fish fauna on the plateau, whose temporal distribution pattern of the fossil schizothoracines approximately mirrors the spatial distribution pattern of their living counterparts. Through ascent with modification, their history reflects the biological responses to the stepwise uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. The second pattern is represented by the dispersal history of some mammals since the Pliocene and some plants. The ancestors of some Ice Age mammals, e.g., the wholly rhino, Arctic fox, and argali sheep first originated and evolved in the uplifted and frozen Tibet during the liocene, and then migrated toward the Arctic regions or even the North American continent at beginning of the Ice Age; the ancestor of pantherines (big cats) first rose in Tibetan Plateau during the Pliocene, followed by the disperse of its descendants to other parts of Asia, Africa, North and South America to play as top predators of the local ecosystems. The early members of some plants, e.g., Elaeagnaceae appeared in Tibet during the Late Eocene and then dispersed and were widely distributed to other regions. The last pattern is typified by the history of the tree of heaven (Ailanthus) and climbing perch. Ailanthus originated in the Indian subcontinent, then colonized into Tibet after the Indian-Asian plate collision, and dispersed therefrom to East Asia, Europe and even North America. The climbing perches among freshwater fishes probably rose in Southeast Asia during the Middle Eocene, dispersed to Tibet and then migrated into Africa via the docked India. These cases highlight the role of Tibet, which was involved in the continental collision, in the ntercontinental biotic interchanges. The three evolutionary patterns
SHI Jingsong
The cranial appendage (headgear) is an iconic structure of modern ruminants, and four of the five extant pecoran families display morphological and physiological specialties. They probably share one origin from the same genetic basis, whereas the evolution of the cranial appendages is still debatable, especially in consideration of fossil taxa lacking headgear. Amphimoschus is an enigmatic pecoran that comprises no more than two species, mainly known from the late early/early middle Miocene of Western and Central Europe and considered not to possess any cranial appendages. Here, we present Amphimoschus xishuiensis sp. nov., discovered in the Tabenbuluk area, Gansu Province, China. The new species reveals the first evidence of cranial ornamentations in the genus, including a supraorbital bump, an antorbital protuberance and frontal thickening. In our phylogenetic analysis the genus was inferred as a basal member of the Bovoidea, and thus the cranial ornamentations of A. xishuiensis might provide insight into the early evolution of cranial appendages in Bovoidea. They could be interpreted as weapons to defend territories in intense intraspecific or interspecific competition during the late early Miocene.
DENG Tao
Owing to the scarcity of records, the Asian evolution and migration of Diaceratherium, a large extinct genus of rhinoceros of the Teleoceratini, remain unclear. The skeleton described herein, from the early Miocene Shanwang Basin in China, is identified as Diaceratherium shanwangense, a species originally defined based on upper cheek teeth. This skeleton features a large body, short horn-bearing nasal bones, moderately retracted nasal notch at the P3 level, and the metapodials that are less massive than those in other previously identified species of Diaceratherium. Mammalian fossils reported from the Oligocene–Miocene transition of the Old World, such as Dorcatherium and Amphicyon, have indicated a migration route between Europe and Eastern Asia via Southern and South-eastern Asia, namely along the southern margins of the Tibetan Plateau. However, the fossil remains of Diaceratherium reported in this study were discovered in eastern China, which represents the second accurate record of the genus in Asia (together with its presence in Kazakhstan). Consequently, given the temporal range and geological distribution of Diaceratherium, we propose that the expansion of this genus to the eastern part of the continent occurred via a route following the northern margins of the Tibetan Plateau, which if verified, represents an alternative expansion route differing from the established routes of other mammals.
DENG Tao
As one of the largest land mammals, the origin and evolution of the giant rhino Paraceratherium bugtiense in Pakistan have been unclear. We report a new species Paraceratherium linxiaense sp. nov. from northwestern China with an age of 26.5 Ma. Morphology and phylogeny reveal that P. linxiaense is the highly derived species of the genus Paraceratherium, and its clade with P. lepidum has a tight relationship to P. bugtiense. Based on the paleogeographical literature, P. bugtiense represents a range expansion of Paraceratherium from Central Asia via the Tibetan region. By the late Oligocene, P. lepidum and P. linxiaense were found in the north side of the Tibetan Plateau. The Tibetan region likely hosted some areas with low elevation, possibly under 2000 m during Oligocene, and the lineage of giant rhinos could have dispersed freely along the eastern coast of the Tethys Ocean and perhaps through some lowlands of this region.
DENG Tao
Focusing on the "Holocene temperature problem", the Holocene earth temperature change has become a hot issue in the past climate change research. Based on the fossil sporopollen of Xingyun Lake in Yunnan Province, the newly developed method of quantitative reconstruction significance test based on random data is used to quantitatively reconstruct the summer temperature (average temperature in July) in the study area since the past 14000 years. It is found that there is a difference in the change trend between it and the summer precipitation records based on carbon, acid and oxygen isotopes of sediments in the lake, which is mainly reflected in the uncoupled change of the two in the early Holocene, The early Holocene had higher summer precipitation, but lower summer temperature. The author further puts forward that the internal feedback of the earth system dominated by clouds, aerosols and high latitude ice sheet boundary conditions in the northern hemisphere is the main reason for the uncoupling of early Holocene summer precipitation and temperature in Southwest China.
WU Duo
The Holocene single greenhouse gas concentration change simulation results (11.5-0 ka) data set is based on the Earth system model CESM model (horizontal resolution: about 2° for the atmosphere and land surface module; about 1° for the ocean and sea ice module), carry out the Holocene transient simulation test considering the change of greenhouse gas concentration. The spatial resolution is 2°; the spatial range: North: 90°N, South: 90°S, West: -180°, East: 180°; the regional range is global; the time range is Holocene. The simulation results can be used to study Holocene changes of westerly-monsoon in Eurasia under the influence of individual greenhouse gas concentration changes.
TIAN Zhiping, ZHANG Ran ZHANG Ran
This data is the sediment record of Qingtu Lake in the middle and lower reaches of Shiyang River Basin, including sediment indicators of qth01 and qth02 Lake profiles. Shiyang River Basin is located in 100 ° 57'~ 104 ° 57' e, 37 ° 02'~ 39 ° 17' n, with a total length of more than 300 kilometers and a total area of 4.16 × 104km2。 The basin is located in the transitional zone between the northwest arid region and the eastern monsoon region, and has a unique climate model. Modern climatological research shows that the hydrological changes in this region are intense, the ecosystem is fragile, and it is very sensitive to global climate change. The two profiles qth01 and qth02 involved in this data have geographical coordinates of 39 ° 03 ′ n 103 ° 40 ′ E and an altitude of 1309m. The depth of the profile is 692cm (qth01) and 736cm (qth02) respectively. AMS14C radiocarbon dating was carried out in the dating Laboratory of Peking University and pretreated in the pretreatment Laboratory of Lanzhou University. The dating samples should try to avoid the layers and sand layers with more plant roots. Radiocarbon 14C dates were calibrated using oxcal v4.4.2 and intcal20 atmospheric profiles. The mineral composition of sediment was determined by x'pert Pro MPD, and the particle size of sediment was determined by Mastersizer 2000 laser diffraction particle size analyzer. The above experiments were completed in the key experiment of the Ministry of western environmental education of Lanzhou University. Grain size data qth01 and qth02 profiles are sampled and measured at 2cm intervals, mineral data qth01 is sampled and measured at 10cm intervals, and qth02 is sampled and measured at 20cm intervals. The fluctuation of grain size and mineral content shows the significant climate change since the Holocene in the middle and lower reaches of Shiyang River, and the climate was relatively dry in the early Holocene (11.0 - 7.4 cal. kyr BP); The middle Holocene (7.4 - 4.7 cal. kyr BP) was in a climate suitable period; In the late Holocene (4.7 - 0 cal. kyr BP), the trend of aridity was obvious, and this aridity became intensified after 1.6 cal. kyr BP.
LI Yu
The present data are chronological and palynological data from the Luanhaizi Lake core in the Menyuan Basin, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. We used the AMS14C method to test nine dated samples from the LHZ18 core. Bulk samples were collected from plant remains and organic-rich horizons from the core LHZ18 for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)14C dating. Samples were measured at Beta Labs in the USA and Lanzhou University.Pollen analysis was completed at the Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environment Systems,Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, with 140 stratigraphic pollen samples and 10 topsoil pollen samples. Spore pollen identification statistics were carried out under a light microscope.The pollen results mainly include the number of grains of trees, shrubs, herbs and aquatic plants.
HUANG Xiaozhong, ZHANG Jun, WANG Tao
Guided by the theories of plate tectonics, paleogeography, petroliferous basin analysis and sedimentary basin dynamics, a large number of data and achievements of geological research and oil and gas geological research in the pan third pole in recent years are collected, including basic materials such as strata, sedimentation, paleontology, paleogeography, paleoenvironment, paleoclimate, structure, oil and gas (potassium salt) geology, especially paleomagnetism Based on the data of paleontology, detrital zircon and geochemistry, combined with the results of typical measured stratigraphic sections, the Cenozoic lithofacies and climate paleogeographic pattern are restored and reconstructed, and the pan tertiary Cenozoic lithofacies paleogeographic map (1) and pan tertiary Cenozoic climate paleogeographic map (3) are obtained, in order to explore the impact of paleogeography, paleostructure and paleoclimate on oil and gas Control and influence of (including potassium salt) resources, so as to reveal the geological conditions of oil and gas formation and the law of resource distribution, and provide scientific basis and technical support for China's overseas and domestic oil and gas exploration deployment.
LI Yalin
1) Data content: the average zonal wind speed of 200 hPa and 850 hPa (reflecting the high and low-level westerly wind) and meridional wind speed of 850 hPa (reflecting the monsoon circulation) during the past millennium; 2) Data source: monthly data of the third phase of the international paleoclimate simulation and comparison program, processing method: multi-mode equal weight arithmetic average, climate average, 3) data application: used for the study of paleoclimate change and dynamic mechanism.
YAN Qing, JIANG Nanxuan, WANG Huijun
1) Data content: the data are the ancient DNA data generated by studying the cultural layer of Klu lding site in Nyingchi region, Tibetan Plateau, including the hiseqx metagenomics data of 10 ancient DNA samples from 4 layers. It can be used to preliminarily analyze the changes of species composition recorded by ancient DNA in the sediments, and reveal the process of local agricultural development. 2) Data source and processing method: the research group has its ownership. the data were obtained by using pair-end library building and Illumina hiseqx sequencing platform. 3) Data quality: 20.3 MB, Q30 > 85%. 4) Application: The data will be used to explore the potential of the ancient DNA from archaeological sediments in revealing the development of ancient agriculture on the Tibetan Plateau.
YANG Xiaoyan
Collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates produced concomitant uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and its basin-ridge geomorphological systems. Surface relief of the Tibetan Plateau has significant dynamic and thermal effects on atmospheric circulation and on regional and global climate. It has been considered as one of the key drivers for the formation of the Asian monsoon, enhanced erosion and weathering, global decreased CO2 during the Cenozoic. Finally, this uplift caused global cooling in the Cenozoic. However, at present, the driving mechanisms of these processes still remain controversies and have not been clearly confirmed by records of chemical weathering from the Tibetan Plateau. This dataset includes major elemental compositions of the Fenghuoshan Group (thick of ~4500 m) from the Hoh Xil Basin which has been dated back to the Late Cretaceous-Eocence. Element was measured in the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences using XRF-1500. The resconstructed Paleogene chemical weathering sequences allow us to constrain the trends of chemical weathering history of the studied area. We found that intensity of chemical weathering is well correlated with global temperature change. These results provide further data supprot for discussing the dynamic mechanisms and links among the Paleogene chemical weathering in the Hoh Xil Basin, uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, and global change.
JIN Chunsheng
A 170-cm-long sediment core was extracted from Lake Xingxinghai at a water depth of 9 m (34°50.44′N, 98°06.34′E) in January 2010 using Austria’s UWITEC platform coring equipment. Both the 210Pb/137Cs and AMS 14C (11 dating data) approaches were applicated into the age-depth model establishment using Bayesian age–depth modelling by the “Bacon” software, and the age-depth model indicates the core covers the past 7400 years. The core was sliced at 0.5-cm interval upper 3 cm and 1-cm interval for other part, finally we got 173 samples totally. Pollen grains were extracted using a procedure including the treatments with 10 % HCl, 10 % NaOH and 40 % HF, followed by a 7-μm mesh sieving and acetolysis treatment (9:1 mixture of acetic anhydride and sulfuric acid). Pollen grains were identified and counted under optical microscope, and at least 300 terrestrial pollen grains were counted for each sample. The mean temporal resolution of pollen spectra is ca. 40 year/sample. The pollen spectra include forty-eight pollen taxa, are dominated by herbaceous taxa (range: 88.5~98.9%; mean: 93.4%), such as Artemisia (up to 54.4%), Cyperaceae (up to 50.1%), Poaceae (up to 48.8%), Chenopodiaceae (up to 17.9%) and Asteraceae (up to 8.5%). Abundance of arboreal pollen is less than 5% through out the core, mainly comprised of Pinus (maximum: 4.9%; mean:1.2%) and Betula (maximum: 3.0%; mean: 0.7%). The pollen dataset includes pollen percentages for the 43 terrestrial pollen taxa together with their depths and ages, and the dataset is valuable to employed in past vegetation and climate reconstructions.
TIAN Fang, CAO Xianyong
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