%0 Journal Article %A Li Xiaoze %A Qu Jianjun %A Fu Tianyang %A Wang Xuefang %A Dong Guangrong %T Some Problems of Sikouzi Sandstone in Northern Mt. Liupanshan, China %D 2012 %R 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2012.06.0644 %J Advances in Earth Science %P 644-650 %V 27 %N 6 %X

The Paleogene is a key period for the environment changes from the Mesozoic to the Cenozoic, not only in China, but also even in the world. Concerning the global environmental evolution of this period, it is an important frontier topic faced by the study of Quaternary geology. The gap of the establishment of Paleogene continental  section needs to be filled seriously in the study of red desert turnning into yellow desert in the northwestern part of China. Sikouzi sandstone is famous for its positive stratotype section of Sikouzi Formation, and also an important record of environmental evolution in the period. It is located in the northwest of Guyuan city of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China, and also in the northern part of Mt. Liupanshan which is at the northeastern edge of QinghaiTibet Plateau. From the 1920s to now, geologists have done many researches on it. However, there are still serious arguments on the following aspects such as the age, sedimentary characteristics, cause and environment of the section. One problem is about its age, namely, there are two different dating results that one is from late Oligocene to early Miocene, and the other is from Middle Eocene to late Oligocene. The other problem is about its formation, namely,  there is an argument between hydraulic origin and eolian origin. In order to solve the two problems, it is necessary to conduct key investigation in field, and extract the paleoenvironment information such as its age, sedimentary structure, particle size, minerals, chemical elements, pollen and color so that we can construct its sequence of stratigraphic section, confirm its formation age, and clarify its sedimentary characteristics, process, cause and environment, according to the methods of geomorphology, Quaternary geology and stratigraphy. By analyzing and comparing with the related records of geological environment issues of regions and the world in the same period, we can explore its response mechanism. These have important significance on accurately understanding the relationship between the regional paleogeography and the surrounding environment in the northeastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from the Paleogene to the Neogene, and exploring the paleoclimate and its relationship with planetary wind system and environment evolution mechanism.

%U http://www.adearth.ac.cn/EN/10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2012.06.0644