Advances in Earth Science ›› 2002, Vol. 17 ›› Issue (5): 639-647. doi: 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2002.05.0639

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QUATE RNARY GLACIAL REMAINS ON THE GONGGA MOUNTAIN AND THE DIVISION OF GLACIAL PERIOD

SU Zhen, SHI Ya-feng, ZHENG Ben-xing   

  1. Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000,China
  • Received:2001-03-18 Revised:2002-06-14 Online:2002-12-20 Published:2002-10-01

SU Zhen, SHI Ya-feng, ZHENG Ben-xing. QUATE RNARY GLACIAL REMAINS ON THE GONGGA MOUNTAIN AND THE DIVISION OF GLACIAL PERIOD[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 2002, 17(5): 639-647.

The huge and magnificent Gongga mountain, located at the east margin of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau, is an important glaciation center of monsoonal maritime type in the Hengduan mountains. Here contemporary glaciers are well developed and Quaternary glacial remains are common. Over a long period of time, many scholars from abroad and at home have investigated the glaciers and the environment conditions of the region and published quite a few research results. However, there are still different views on the research of Quaternary glaciers and the division of glacial period.
Remains of Quaternary glaciers are widespread in the Gongga mountain region, glacial accumulation and erosion landforms are coexistent, especially glacial accumulation landforms were well preserved, which reflects that the region has been glaciated many times. Based on the findings in the investigation of the Gongga mountain, such as remains of Quaternary glaciers, stratigraphic contact relation, landform position, till fabric, weathering degree, as well as comparison of adjacent age-known strata and a few of dating data, the authors divided the Quaternary glaciers in the region into three ice ages, namely early antepenultime glacial period of mid-Pleistocene, late penultimate glacial period of mid-Pleistocene and last glacial period of late Pleistocene, as well as neoglacial period and little Ice Age of Holocene.
During the early Pleistocene no glacier was developed in the Gongga mountain because large part of its massif did not reach the altitude of snow line or the cryospheric altitude. Glacial tills of the early antepenultimate of mid-Pleistocene mostly occur at valley head or a higher position, they perhaps belong to semi-covered-type glaciers of small size; the late penultimate glacial period of mid-Pleistocene was the maximum reach of the glaciation in the Gongga mountain region, when the braided piedmont glaciers were formed, the Yanzigou Glacier on the eastern slope joined the Mozigou Glacier and the elevation of the main polished platform of the glacial tongue reached 1 500 m above sea level. During the last glacial period of last Pleistocene the glacier size was smaller than that of the penultimate glacial period but larger than that of the neoglacial period and the little Ice Age. They can be divided into two stages and the glacier size of the late stage was larger than that of the early stage. During the neoglacial period of Holocene glaciers experienced three rapid advances but their scales were smaller than those of last glacial period. During little Ice Age between 15~19th century glaciers obviously and fluctuatedly advanced three times and their scales were slightly larger than those of modern glaciers.

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