Phases of environmental evolution indicated by primary chemical elements and paleontological records in the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene Series for the Salawusu River Valley, China

Studies of lithology, sedimentary facies and the distribution regularity of SiO2 and Al2O3 contents and Al2O3/SiO2 ratio allow us to divide the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene Series represented by the Milanggouwan section in China's Salawusu River valley into six segments: MGS1, MGS2, MGS3, MGS4, MGS5 and MGS6. The boundary ages for MGS1 (the Dishaogouwan and Dagouwan Formations), MGS2 (the upper Chengchuan Formation), MGS3 (the middle Chengchuan Formation), MGS4 (the lower Chengchuan Formation), MGS5 (most strata of the Salawusu Formation) and MGS6 (the bottom of the Salawusu Formation and the top of the Lishi Formation) correspond to those of MIS1, MIS2, MIS3, MIS4, MIS5 and MIS6, respectively, from deep sea sediments or continental glaciers. MGS5 can be subdivided into rive subsegments (MGS5a, MGS5b, MGS5c, MGS5d and MGS5e) and the boundary ages of these subsegments correspond to those of MIS5a, MIS5b, MIS5c, MISM and MIS5e, respectively. Based on the paleoenvironment and paleoecology indicated by the primary chemical elements, fossil vertebrates, mollusks and pollen grains, we hypothesize that MGS1, MGS2, MGS3, MGS4, MGS5 and MGS6 and the subsegments of MGS5 match the corresponding stages for oxygen isotopes in the deep sea sediments and continental glaciers, and the substages of MIS5 in terms of climatic characters, further explaining the phenomena that determined the formation of the late Quaternary strata and the paleontology of the Salawusu River valley. These phenomena relate to fluctuations in the global climate (and particularly in the East Asian monsoon) during the glacial and interglacial periods.