Acta Geographica Sinica ›› 2009, Vol. 64 ›› Issue (9): 1126-1133.doi: 10.11821/xb200909010

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Relationship between Development of Coastal Dune Rock and Holocene Environmental Changes in South China

WANG Wei,WU Zheng   

  1. Geography and Quaternary Environment Institute,South China Normal University,Guangzhou 510631,China
  • Received:2009-04-17 Revised:2009-06-21 Online:2009-09-25 Published:2009-09-25
  • Supported by:

    Guangdong Natural Science Foundation, No. 7005836;National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.40871020

Abstract:

A correspondence was found between Holocene environmental changes and coastal dune rock development by comparing the features of the sea-level and climate changes in Holocene period with the ages, scales, and cemented styles of the dune rocks on South China coasts. The finding can well explain some unresolved problems in the previous researches on the coastal dune rocks in South China: (1) There was no dune rock that formed before 5000 aBP in South China because the dune rocks that formed before 5000 aBP were covered by the sea water rise in the late periods; (2) The dune rocks with ages of around 3000 aBP were widely seen in South China today because the coastal dunes were cumulated on a large scale at that time as a result of temperature fall since the end of Megathermal; (3) Medieval Warm Period was the main period for the aeolian dunes to be cemented into the coastal dune rocks in South China; (4) Lack of dune rock of less than 1000 a BP was due to the fact that the climate conditions in recent 1000 years were not suitable for the cementation.

Key words: South China, coasts, dune rock, climate changes, sea-level, Holocen