Open AccessPotential pollen evidence for the 1933 M 7.5 Diexi earthquake and implications for post-seismic landscape recovery
Author(s) -
Hongyan Xu,
Hanchao Jiang,
Kam Biu Liu,
Ning Zhong
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
environmental research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.37
H-Index - 124
ISSN - 1748-9326
DOI - 10.1088/1748-9326/ab9af6
Subject(s) - geology , pollen , vegetation (pathology) , plateau (mathematics) , landslide , epicenter , natural (archaeology) , seismology , swamp , arboreal locomotion , physical geography , paleontology , ecology , geography , habitat , biology , medicine , mathematical analysis , mathematics , pathology
The relationships between strong earthquakes, landslides, and vegetation destruction and the process of post-seismic recovery in tectonically active alpine valley areas have not been adequately documented. Here we show detailed pollen study results from a swamp located near the epicenter of the 1933 M 7.5 Diexi earthquake in eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) to reveal the impact of earthquake on vegetation, and the post-seismic recovery process. Based on 210 Pb- 137 Cs age model, the seismic event layer is well constrained. The earthquake event corresponds stratigraphically to a zone with the lowest pollen concentrations, the lowest pollen diversity, and a high frequency of non-arboreal pollen. Elaeagnaceae scrubs rapidly developed in post-seismic landscape recovery processes, which is important for reducing soil erosion and landslide activities. Natural ecological recovery is slow due to increasing human activities and historical climatic fluctuations.