Open AccessLate Pleistocene and Holocene extreme hydrological event records from slackwater flood deposits of the A nkang east reach in the upper H anjiang R iver valley, C hina
Author(s) -
Zhou Liang,
Huang Chun Chang,
Zhou Yali,
Pang Jiangli,
Zha Xiaochun,
Xu Jie,
Zhang Yuzhu,
Guo Yongqiang
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
boreas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1502-3885
pISSN - 0300-9483
DOI - 10.1111/bor.12181
Subject(s) - holocene , geology , flood myth , younger dryas , pleistocene , chronology , loess , physical geography , thermoluminescence dating , sedimentary rock , china , palynology , flood control , climate change , geomorphology , paleontology , archaeology , oceanography , geography , pollen , ecology , biology
This paper reports an investigation into palaeoflooding along the upper reaches of the Hanjiang River valley, China. Based on the sedimentary evidence of the palaeohydrological regime, two bedsets of palaeoflood slackwater deposits ( SWD s) were identified interbedded within the Holocene loess–soil sequence along the riverbanks of the Ankang east reach. Optical Stimulated Luminescence ( OSL ) dating and stratigraphical correlation with previously dated sites were used to reconstruct the chronology of the palaeoflood events. The results show that the palaeoflood events represented by SWD 1 occurred between 13 000 and 12 400 a, coincident with the climatic transition from the Bølling–Allerød ( BL + AL ) stage to the Younger Dryas ( YD ) event. The palaeoflood events recorded by SWD 2 were dated to 1000–800 a, corresponding to the later stages of the North Song Dynasty ( AD 960–1127) and the subsequent South Song Dynasty ( AD 1127–1279), which was a time of climatic decline according to historical documents. Palaeoflood discharges were estimated using the step‐backwater method, and the peak discharges were estimated to be in the range 35 200–47 400 m 3 s −1 . These results are of significance to our understanding of the regional hydrological response to global climatic change, the utilization of water resources, hydraulic engineering, flood control and disaster reduction.