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    • Progress in Earth and Planetary Science
    • Progress in Earth and Planetary Science
    • Progress in Earth and Planetary Science
    • Progress in Earth and Planetary Science
    • Progress in Earth and Planetary Science
    Progress in Earth and Planetary Science

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    Interdisciplinary research

    202002202002

    Provenance changes in fine detrital quartz in the inner shelf sediments of the East China Sea associated with shifts in the East Asian summer monsoon front during the last 6 kyrs

    Wang K, Tada R, Zheng H, Irino T, Zhou B, Saito K

    Electron spin resonance, Crystallinity index, East Asian summer monsoon, The Yangtze River drainage, The East China Sea

    Comparison of temporal change patterns in between several EASM proxies. a ESR signal intensity in the fine silt fraction (4–16 μm) of MD06-3040 core sediments (this study). b ESR signal intensity in the fine silt fraction (4–20 μm) of D-GC-6 core sediments (Nagashima et al. 2013). c δ18Osw, an indicator of the sea surface salinity (SSS), at the KY07-04-01 site in the northern East China Sea during the Holocene based on paired analyses of Mg/Ca and δ18O of planktonic foraminifera (Kubota et al. 2010, 2015), where the black thin line represents the 3-point moving average. d δ18O record of a stalagmite from Heshang Cave (Hu et al. 2008). e δ18O record of a stalagmite from Dongge Cave D4 (Dykoski et al. 2005). The calibrated 14C dates of the MD06-3040 and KY07-04-01 cores are presented with 2σ errors on the top of the figures.

    The inner shelf sediments of the East China Sea (ECS) preserve valuable information regarding climatic changes on land through detrital material discharged from large rivers, particularly the Yangtze River. In this paper, we examine the provenance changes of fine-grained detrital quartz preserved in the sediment of the MD06-3040 core retrieved from the mud belt on the inner shelf of the ECS during the last 6 kyrs. The provenance of the fine silt fraction (4–16 μm) of the sediments, which is considered to represent the suspended particulate matter (SPM) from the Yangtze River, is estimated based on the electron spin resonance (ESR) signal intensity and crystallinity index (CI) of quartz. By comparing the ESR signal intensity and CI of quartz in the fine silt fraction of sediments to those from different parts of tributaries in the modern Yangtze River drainage, we can discriminate the SPM sourced from the northwestern and southeastern tributaries of the Yangtze River. Shifts in the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) front are monitored by changes in the main precipitation areas which are manifested as changes in source rock ages and types implied from the ESR signal intensity and CI of quartz in the fine silt fraction of the studied sediments discharged from the Yangtze River. Temporal changes in provenance of the fine silt fraction through time suggest that shifts in the main location of EASM precipitation (most likely representing the EASM front) occurred at a multi-centennial-to-millennial scale with the deepest northwestward penetration of the EASM precipitation front (an enhanced EASM) occurring during the period 3.5–2.0 kyr BP and a southeastward retreat (a weak EASM) occurring during the periods 6.0–4.1 and 2.0–0 kyr BP.