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- Title
Magnetism Signals in a Stalagmite From Southern China and Reconstruction of Paleorainfall During the Interglacial‐Glacial Transition.
- Authors
Chen, Q.; Zhang, T. W.; Wang, Y. T.; Yang, X. Q.; Feng, Y. X.; Zhao, J. X.; Liao, W.; Wang, W.
- Abstract
Precipitation variations deduced from speleothem stable oxygen isotopes (δ18O) have long been debated in monsoonal China. The magnetic property in speleothems is interpreted to be related to regional precipitation and can therefore offer reliable information of regional precipitation variations. Here we present a speleothem from southern China to explore the magnetic signals in speleothems and to reconstruct regional precipitation in hominin‐occupational area in southern China during MIS5. Saturation magnetization (Ms), which represents the magnetic mineral concentrations, is used as an indicator of effective rainfall variations. The precipitation inferred from Ms increased sharply in the period prior to 80.3 ka before present, followed by a drop to precipitation anomaly afterward, indicating that regional precipitation varied greatly during the hominin‐occupied interval in southern China. Power spectrum analysis of Ms values shows significant ~205‐, ~90‐, ~77‐, and ~64‐year periodicities, suggesting that the solar activity may play an important role in precipitation variations in southern China during the MIS5a/4 transition. Plain Language Summary: Precipitation variations exert great influence on past human settlement, migration, and dispersal. However, the precipitation variations in monsoonal China during late Quaternary have been a focus of an ongoing debate. Moreover, there is a shortage of precipitation data in hominin occupational area in southern China. In this study, we analyze the magnetic property in a speleothem from southern China. Concentration parameter, saturation magnetization, is used to trace the precipitation changes in southern China during ~82.3 to ~77.9 ka before present. Two wet intervals and one dry interval can be derived from the saturation magnetization profile. Saturation magnetization values varied sharply, suggesting that precipitation varied greatly during the hominin occupation period in southern China. Key Points: Saturation magnetization in speleothem can serve as an index for regional precipitationPrecipitation increased sharply with high‐frequent variations in the period prior to 80.3 ka BP and dropped to precipitation anomaly afterwardSolar activity may play great influence on precipitation variations in southern China during MIS5a/MIS4 transition
- Subjects
CHINA; MAGNETISM; SPELEOTHEMS; METEOROLOGICAL precipitation; PLEISTOCENE Epoch
- Publication
Geophysical Research Letters, 2019, Vol 46, Issue 12, p6918
- ISSN
0094-8276
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2019GL082204