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Response of mollusk assemblages from the Luochuan loess section to orbital forcing since the last 250 ka

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Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

This note presents a new result of terrestrial mollusk study from the Luochuan loess section since the last 250 ka. A total of 213 samples, taken at intervals of 10 cm in the S0-L3 portion, were analyzed for fossil mollusks. Generally, 150–600 individuals were counted in each sample. According to the distribution of mollusk fossil assemblages in the loess section, 11 mollusk fossil zones have been recognized, representing different climatic and ecological conditions. Three main ecological groups were identified according to the temperature and moisture requirements of each taxon. The cold-aridiphilous group shows maxima at about 240–220, 190–182, 150–140 and 74–66 ka BP. The thermo-humidiphilous set has high abundances for at least 6 times in the section at about 246–240, 220–216, 170–158, 92–86, 60–44 and 10 kaBP. Our results show that variations in mollusk ecological groups are related with changes in the Earth orbital parameters at the 41 and 20 ka frequencies. Maxima in thermo-humidiphilous taxa are in phase with accretion intervals of obliquity (41 ka period), reflecting the East Asian summer monsoon with 41 ka period in controlling variations in terrestrial mollusk ecological groups. In addition, maxima in thermohumidiphilous taxa appearing at about 246–240, 220–216, 60 and 10 kaBP, are consistent with procession (20 ka period) maxima, indicating that the procession period also plays an important role in adjusting the ecological pattern of mollusk groups.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100029, Beijing, China

    Naiqin Wu & Xiuping Liu

  2. Laboratoire de Palynologie-URA 327, University Montpellier II, 34095, Montpellier, France

    D. D. Rousseau

Authors
  1. Naiqin Wu
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  2. D. D. Rousseau
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  3. Xiuping Liu
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Wu, N., Rousseau, D.D. & Liu, X. Response of mollusk assemblages from the Luochuan loess section to orbital forcing since the last 250 ka. Chin.Sci.Bull. 45, 1617–1622 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02886225

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02886225

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