Suid is one of the most common taxa among the Pleistocene mammalian fauna in China.However,its phylogenetic taxonomy and evolution are far from clear.The newly recovered suid fossil materials from the Early Pleistocen...Suid is one of the most common taxa among the Pleistocene mammalian fauna in China.However,its phylogenetic taxonomy and evolution are far from clear.The newly recovered suid fossil materials from the Early Pleistocene Shanshenmiaozui site in Nihewan Basin in North China provide new insight into the evolution of its kind in North China.The new materials include partial skulls and mandibles of males,and most of their teeth were preserved in situ.The specimens can be referred to the species Sus lydekkeri,which is the only species of Sus found in North China from the Early Pleistocene.The fossils of the once reported Pleistocene species“Potamochoerus chinhsienensis”should also be provisionally included in the species S.lydekkeri according to its form and size,which at least now excludes it from Potamochoerus.The species S.lydekkeri is very close to the extant species S.scrofa,and even was combined into the latter as a chronological subspecies by some authors,while its larger size,prominent preorbital fossa,backwardly positioned infraorbital foramen,frequently appearing verrucosic type(at least the intermediate type of the male lower canine),and simple crown structures support its validness as an independent species.The Early Pleistocene forms are characterized by a larger size,lower L/W ratio of cheekteeth,both upper and lower M3s having no more than three lobes,and the male lower canine is exclusively of a verrucosic type.Suid fossils are a very good indicator of paleoenvironments and paleoclimate.Both the northern and the southern faunas in China contain suid fossils throughout the Pleistocene Epoch,while the southern fauna has prominently more diversified taxa and more abundant fossil collections;whether that is caused by different origins or by environmental modifications is still not clear.展开更多
In 2015,the discovery of mammalian fossils,paleolithic artifacts,and burned bones in the Maoershan Cave of the Guilin Basin,northeastern Guangxi,indicated that it is a late Middle Pleistocene Paleolithic site.In 2021,...In 2015,the discovery of mammalian fossils,paleolithic artifacts,and burned bones in the Maoershan Cave of the Guilin Basin,northeastern Guangxi,indicated that it is a late Middle Pleistocene Paleolithic site.In 2021,stratigraphic sectioning and the systematic screening of small mammal sand samples were conducted.This paper presents a comprehensive account of the new material of the fruit bat Rousettus leschenaultii,accompanied by a concise overview of the non-volant micromammals that coexisted with it in the Quaternary sediments of the Maoershan Cave.This finding marks the second occurrence of fruit bat fossils in China,contributing to our understanding of the dental morphology and past geographical distribution of Rousettus.The micromammalian assemblage of the Maoershan Cave is composed of 3 orders,9 families,26 genera,and 30 species,and exhibits notable similarities with those of the late Middle Pleistocene Yumi Cave,Xinglong Cave,Yanhui Cave,Mawokou Cave,Zhongliangshan,and Chuan Cave faunas.The biochronology of the micromammalian assemblage from the Maoershan Cave has been determined to be consistent with the late Middle Pleistocene,providing a new assemblage in the Pleistocene mammalian faunal sequence in southern China.The presence of abundant oriental forested elements indicates that the Guilin Basin used to be a humid and warm subtropical forest paleoenvironment similar to the contemporary environment during the late Middle Pleistocene.展开更多
In order to research the mechanical characteristics of intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess, triaxial shear tests and isotonic compression test of intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess were conducted by improved SJ-I...In order to research the mechanical characteristics of intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess, triaxial shear tests and isotonic compression test of intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess were conducted by improved SJ-IA triaxial shear equipment. According to test results, it can be found that the intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess has the properties of shear dilatancy and shear shrinkage. With the increase of confining pressure, stress-strain curve develops from softening to hardening. The failure mode of intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess is shear failure with the rupture angle between 55° and 61°. And it is better to determine the yield stress （py, qy） of the intact loess under different confining pressures by using the εv-q/p curve. Along with the increase of confining pressure, yield deviatoric stress qy and yield spherical stress py present logarithmic relationship. Besides, the strength parameters, elastic modulus K and G of intact loess, are obtained, which are benefit for loess projects design.展开更多
Tibet is the largest and highest plateau on the Earth (having 82% of the world’s land surface area falling >4km above sea level) attributed to the India and Asian convergence tectonics. Recently, high\|resolution ...Tibet is the largest and highest plateau on the Earth (having 82% of the world’s land surface area falling >4km above sea level) attributed to the India and Asian convergence tectonics. Recently, high\|resolution digital topography data (Fielding et al., 1994) confirmed the earlier observations about flat erosional surfaces in the central part of the plateau (Jujin, et al., 1995) and suggested extraordinary flatness at a wide range of scales. Much of the Tibetan plateau across different accreted terranes has shallow slopes between 5°～10° and variation in relief of about 1 km, except in its marginal parts (Himalayan ranges; Kunlun mountains) where rough and high topography with intense fluvial dissections (variations in relief up to 7km) is quite frequent. However, in the southern and south\|central part of the plateau along the Pliocene\|Quaternary grabens, slopes generally steepen.展开更多
The Casablanca region is world famous for its fossil sites,ranging from the Mio-Pliocene to the Holocene. The"gazelles cave"at Tamaris I in the region of Casablanca(Morocco),was recently discovered during co...The Casablanca region is world famous for its fossil sites,ranging from the Mio-Pliocene to the Holocene. The"gazelles cave"at Tamaris I in the region of Casablanca(Morocco),was recently discovered during construction work.It forms a pocket,cut into the marine calcarenite of the A(i|¨)n Roumman Member and is filled with continental sediments(Lahlalfa member) of Upper Pleistocene age.The fauna is largely dominated by gazelles,hence the name given to this locality.Ankle bones discovered at the展开更多
Crocuta and Pachycrocuta are widely regarded as the most prevalent and emblematic hyenas across Eurasia during Quaternary.They are easily distinguished by their distinctive carnassial teeth.However,the disparities in ...Crocuta and Pachycrocuta are widely regarded as the most prevalent and emblematic hyenas across Eurasia during Quaternary.They are easily distinguished by their distinctive carnassial teeth.However,the disparities in non-carnassial elements are less pronounced and have received minimal attention in previous studies.This has resulted in erroneous identifications when dealing with fragmented specimens,particularly in cases where carnassial teeth are poorly preserved or absent.Such misidentifications have the potential to give rise to erroneous inferences regarding the paleozoogeography and biochronology of the animals in question.The bone-cracking hyena specimens from Huainan,Anhui(Tseng et al.,2008)are re-examined and re-evaluated here through a series of morphological comparisons and data analyses(univariate,bivariate,and multivariate analyses etc.).The results provide unequivocal confirmation that the specimens from Xiliexi are not spotted hyenas,but belong to Pachycrocuta perrieri instead.Conversely,the specimen from Dadingshan is the only genuine representative of the spotted hyena,which is supposed to be a possible earliest fossil record for Crocuta ultima thus far in China.Furthermore,the disparities in dentognathic morphology between Crocuta and Pachycrocuta are systematically summarized and analyzed,with an explanation of their eco-functional significance.The present study hypothesizes that Pachycrocuta retains a certain degree of active predatory capability,attributable to the robustness of the canine and the symphysis of the jaw,among other factors.This finding indicates that Pachycrocuta exhibits a form of flexible foraging behavior,combining opportunistic scavenging and active hunting in a manner analogous to Crocuta.Finally,the dynamic evolutionary history of hyenas in East China since Pleistocene has also been broadly reconstructed.展开更多
Cave lion(Panthera spelaea)remains have been described in all the Holarctic domain,however,its records in China are very rare.Here we describe an almost complete cranium from Salawusu,Northern China.Even though the de...Cave lion(Panthera spelaea)remains have been described in all the Holarctic domain,however,its records in China are very rare.Here we describe an almost complete cranium from Salawusu,Northern China.Even though the dentition is largely broken or missing,the cranium shows key characters with clear cave lion affinity,particularly from the basicranium region.These features include wide and short nasals,wide rostrum without post-canine constriction,enlarged ectotympanic,flatted entotympanic,separated stylomastoid foramen and hyoid fossa and medially located hypoglossal foramen.The cranium is larger than the known cranial size range of Beringia cave lion P.spelaea vereshchagini,suggesting that the geographical delimitation of cave lion subspecies may be more complex than previously understood.The coexistence of cave lion with Palaeoloxodon in Salawusu indicates a high plasticity in diet and environmental adaptation for this species.展开更多
Compression movements generated by continental collision apart from leading to uplift of the intervening ocean sediments brings about closure of the oceanic body in a phased manner.In the culminating phase of uplift w...Compression movements generated by continental collision apart from leading to uplift of the intervening ocean sediments brings about closure of the oceanic body in a phased manner.In the culminating phase of uplift when ocean sediments assume the form of a gigantic mountain system, a number of depressions or closed basins of various dimensions are developed in the orogenic belt. These depressions are principally developed by the differential folding of rocks coupled with faulting and thrusting associated with the uplift process.The mountain drainage gets impounded in these depressions and gives rise to the formation of lakes..During cold climate the depressions are also developed by glacial abrasion wh ich are subsequently filled by snowmelt to form the lakes of various dimensions.Himalaya is dotted with a number of lakes of both tectonic and glacial origin and signify the crown stage of tectonic development of the World’s tallest and youngest mountain belt.A number of lake basins have developed in the various longitudinal belts of this mountain system. Several lake basins like Tso Morari, Pangong Tso and Tso Kar have developed in close proximity of the Indus Suture zone (ISZ),the tectonic belt which marks the zone of continental collision between India and Asia.These lakes by virtue of their location, size, sediment content, water chemistry and associated geomorphic features are the potential source of information in regard to climo\|tectonic changes witnessed by Himalaya\|Tibet region in late Cenozoic period. The paper attempts at elucidating these changes that have occurred in Ladakh Trans Himalaya citing the illustration of the Tso Kar lake.展开更多
A great deal of important information referring to fault motion (such as fault activities period, intensity, frequency, and even dynamic background, etc.) can be revealed by resolving fault gouge, which are the specia...A great deal of important information referring to fault motion (such as fault activities period, intensity, frequency, and even dynamic background, etc.) can be revealed by resolving fault gouge, which are the special result of fault motion while extruding or grinding. Based on the field investigation, collected from Bailongjiang fault system of Western Qinling Orogenic (QO) Belt, 44 samples of fault gouge were for quartz micro-morphology observation and statistics by the field emission SEM, and 14 samples were tested by thermo-luminescence dating. The results showed that most of the micro-morphology of quartz grains are fish scale and orange-haut fractures, but a small amount of moss-like, stalactitic, and subconchoidal fractures. Also very few decay of quartz grains and typical conchoids fracture quartz grains can be seen. This implied that the Bailongjiang fault system was motioned repeatedly in Quaternary period but main motion period was Pleistocene. 14 thermo-luminescence dating values showed herewith two groups as 343.29-184.06 ka and 92.18-13.87 ka. Therefore, the conclusions can be reached that the fault system were motioned starting at Pliocene epoch, frequently in the middle of Pleistocene (343.29-184.06 ka), and peak frequency in late Pleistocene (92.18-13.87 ka). The fault system motions have stopped at Holocene. The results are significant for the natural disaster risk evaluation in western QO region.展开更多
文摘Suid is one of the most common taxa among the Pleistocene mammalian fauna in China.However,its phylogenetic taxonomy and evolution are far from clear.The newly recovered suid fossil materials from the Early Pleistocene Shanshenmiaozui site in Nihewan Basin in North China provide new insight into the evolution of its kind in North China.The new materials include partial skulls and mandibles of males,and most of their teeth were preserved in situ.The specimens can be referred to the species Sus lydekkeri,which is the only species of Sus found in North China from the Early Pleistocene.The fossils of the once reported Pleistocene species“Potamochoerus chinhsienensis”should also be provisionally included in the species S.lydekkeri according to its form and size,which at least now excludes it from Potamochoerus.The species S.lydekkeri is very close to the extant species S.scrofa,and even was combined into the latter as a chronological subspecies by some authors,while its larger size,prominent preorbital fossa,backwardly positioned infraorbital foramen,frequently appearing verrucosic type(at least the intermediate type of the male lower canine),and simple crown structures support its validness as an independent species.The Early Pleistocene forms are characterized by a larger size,lower L/W ratio of cheekteeth,both upper and lower M3s having no more than three lobes,and the male lower canine is exclusively of a verrucosic type.Suid fossils are a very good indicator of paleoenvironments and paleoclimate.Both the northern and the southern faunas in China contain suid fossils throughout the Pleistocene Epoch,while the southern fauna has prominently more diversified taxa and more abundant fossil collections;whether that is caused by different origins or by environmental modifications is still not clear.
文摘In 2015,the discovery of mammalian fossils,paleolithic artifacts,and burned bones in the Maoershan Cave of the Guilin Basin,northeastern Guangxi,indicated that it is a late Middle Pleistocene Paleolithic site.In 2021,stratigraphic sectioning and the systematic screening of small mammal sand samples were conducted.This paper presents a comprehensive account of the new material of the fruit bat Rousettus leschenaultii,accompanied by a concise overview of the non-volant micromammals that coexisted with it in the Quaternary sediments of the Maoershan Cave.This finding marks the second occurrence of fruit bat fossils in China,contributing to our understanding of the dental morphology and past geographical distribution of Rousettus.The micromammalian assemblage of the Maoershan Cave is composed of 3 orders,9 families,26 genera,and 30 species,and exhibits notable similarities with those of the late Middle Pleistocene Yumi Cave,Xinglong Cave,Yanhui Cave,Mawokou Cave,Zhongliangshan,and Chuan Cave faunas.The biochronology of the micromammalian assemblage from the Maoershan Cave has been determined to be consistent with the late Middle Pleistocene,providing a new assemblage in the Pleistocene mammalian faunal sequence in southern China.The presence of abundant oriental forested elements indicates that the Guilin Basin used to be a humid and warm subtropical forest paleoenvironment similar to the contemporary environment during the late Middle Pleistocene.
基金Project(2009BB6350) supported by the Chongqing Municipal Natural Science Foundation,ChinaProject(50921063) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation for Innovative Research Team of ChinaProject(51108485) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘In order to research the mechanical characteristics of intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess, triaxial shear tests and isotonic compression test of intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess were conducted by improved SJ-IA triaxial shear equipment. According to test results, it can be found that the intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess has the properties of shear dilatancy and shear shrinkage. With the increase of confining pressure, stress-strain curve develops from softening to hardening. The failure mode of intact Middle Pleistocene Epoch loess is shear failure with the rupture angle between 55° and 61°. And it is better to determine the yield stress （py, qy） of the intact loess under different confining pressures by using the εv-q/p curve. Along with the increase of confining pressure, yield deviatoric stress qy and yield spherical stress py present logarithmic relationship. Besides, the strength parameters, elastic modulus K and G of intact loess, are obtained, which are benefit for loess projects design.
文摘Tibet is the largest and highest plateau on the Earth (having 82% of the world’s land surface area falling >4km above sea level) attributed to the India and Asian convergence tectonics. Recently, high\|resolution digital topography data (Fielding et al., 1994) confirmed the earlier observations about flat erosional surfaces in the central part of the plateau (Jujin, et al., 1995) and suggested extraordinary flatness at a wide range of scales. Much of the Tibetan plateau across different accreted terranes has shallow slopes between 5°～10° and variation in relief of about 1 km, except in its marginal parts (Himalayan ranges; Kunlun mountains) where rough and high topography with intense fluvial dissections (variations in relief up to 7km) is quite frequent. However, in the southern and south\|central part of the plateau along the Pliocene\|Quaternary grabens, slopes generally steepen.
文摘The Casablanca region is world famous for its fossil sites,ranging from the Mio-Pliocene to the Holocene. The"gazelles cave"at Tamaris I in the region of Casablanca(Morocco),was recently discovered during construction work.It forms a pocket,cut into the marine calcarenite of the A(i|¨)n Roumman Member and is filled with continental sediments(Lahlalfa member) of Upper Pleistocene age.The fauna is largely dominated by gazelles,hence the name given to this locality.Ankle bones discovered at the
文摘Crocuta and Pachycrocuta are widely regarded as the most prevalent and emblematic hyenas across Eurasia during Quaternary.They are easily distinguished by their distinctive carnassial teeth.However,the disparities in non-carnassial elements are less pronounced and have received minimal attention in previous studies.This has resulted in erroneous identifications when dealing with fragmented specimens,particularly in cases where carnassial teeth are poorly preserved or absent.Such misidentifications have the potential to give rise to erroneous inferences regarding the paleozoogeography and biochronology of the animals in question.The bone-cracking hyena specimens from Huainan,Anhui(Tseng et al.,2008)are re-examined and re-evaluated here through a series of morphological comparisons and data analyses(univariate,bivariate,and multivariate analyses etc.).The results provide unequivocal confirmation that the specimens from Xiliexi are not spotted hyenas,but belong to Pachycrocuta perrieri instead.Conversely,the specimen from Dadingshan is the only genuine representative of the spotted hyena,which is supposed to be a possible earliest fossil record for Crocuta ultima thus far in China.Furthermore,the disparities in dentognathic morphology between Crocuta and Pachycrocuta are systematically summarized and analyzed,with an explanation of their eco-functional significance.The present study hypothesizes that Pachycrocuta retains a certain degree of active predatory capability,attributable to the robustness of the canine and the symphysis of the jaw,among other factors.This finding indicates that Pachycrocuta exhibits a form of flexible foraging behavior,combining opportunistic scavenging and active hunting in a manner analogous to Crocuta.Finally,the dynamic evolutionary history of hyenas in East China since Pleistocene has also been broadly reconstructed.
文摘Cave lion(Panthera spelaea)remains have been described in all the Holarctic domain,however,its records in China are very rare.Here we describe an almost complete cranium from Salawusu,Northern China.Even though the dentition is largely broken or missing,the cranium shows key characters with clear cave lion affinity,particularly from the basicranium region.These features include wide and short nasals,wide rostrum without post-canine constriction,enlarged ectotympanic,flatted entotympanic,separated stylomastoid foramen and hyoid fossa and medially located hypoglossal foramen.The cranium is larger than the known cranial size range of Beringia cave lion P.spelaea vereshchagini,suggesting that the geographical delimitation of cave lion subspecies may be more complex than previously understood.The coexistence of cave lion with Palaeoloxodon in Salawusu indicates a high plasticity in diet and environmental adaptation for this species.
文摘Compression movements generated by continental collision apart from leading to uplift of the intervening ocean sediments brings about closure of the oceanic body in a phased manner.In the culminating phase of uplift when ocean sediments assume the form of a gigantic mountain system, a number of depressions or closed basins of various dimensions are developed in the orogenic belt. These depressions are principally developed by the differential folding of rocks coupled with faulting and thrusting associated with the uplift process.The mountain drainage gets impounded in these depressions and gives rise to the formation of lakes..During cold climate the depressions are also developed by glacial abrasion wh ich are subsequently filled by snowmelt to form the lakes of various dimensions.Himalaya is dotted with a number of lakes of both tectonic and glacial origin and signify the crown stage of tectonic development of the World’s tallest and youngest mountain belt.A number of lake basins have developed in the various longitudinal belts of this mountain system. Several lake basins like Tso Morari, Pangong Tso and Tso Kar have developed in close proximity of the Indus Suture zone (ISZ),the tectonic belt which marks the zone of continental collision between India and Asia.These lakes by virtue of their location, size, sediment content, water chemistry and associated geomorphic features are the potential source of information in regard to climo\|tectonic changes witnessed by Himalaya\|Tibet region in late Cenozoic period. The paper attempts at elucidating these changes that have occurred in Ladakh Trans Himalaya citing the illustration of the Tso Kar lake.
文摘A great deal of important information referring to fault motion (such as fault activities period, intensity, frequency, and even dynamic background, etc.) can be revealed by resolving fault gouge, which are the special result of fault motion while extruding or grinding. Based on the field investigation, collected from Bailongjiang fault system of Western Qinling Orogenic (QO) Belt, 44 samples of fault gouge were for quartz micro-morphology observation and statistics by the field emission SEM, and 14 samples were tested by thermo-luminescence dating. The results showed that most of the micro-morphology of quartz grains are fish scale and orange-haut fractures, but a small amount of moss-like, stalactitic, and subconchoidal fractures. Also very few decay of quartz grains and typical conchoids fracture quartz grains can be seen. This implied that the Bailongjiang fault system was motioned repeatedly in Quaternary period but main motion period was Pleistocene. 14 thermo-luminescence dating values showed herewith two groups as 343.29-184.06 ka and 92.18-13.87 ka. Therefore, the conclusions can be reached that the fault system were motioned starting at Pliocene epoch, frequently in the middle of Pleistocene (343.29-184.06 ka), and peak frequency in late Pleistocene (92.18-13.87 ka). The fault system motions have stopped at Holocene. The results are significant for the natural disaster risk evaluation in western QO region.
