Late-Middle Pleistocene Sedimentary Environment and Climate Variation in North Hebei Plain, China: Evidence from the SHBZK-1 Core

Thick Quaternary alluvial and floodplain sediments in north Hebei Plain provide important information for understanding local paleoenvironmental paleoclimatic variations. A 120.8 m drilled core (SHBZK-1) was recovered to determine the late Pleistocene climatic fluctuations, sedimentary environment their coevolutionary relationship. Laboratory analysis, including grain size distribution, magnetic susceptibility, optical stimulated luminescence dating, carried out. Lithofacies showed that are of fluvial origin contain two subfaces: river sand bar flood plain. The good correlation between susceptibility show climate change is main factor controlling variation Plain, rather than tectonic factors. Furthermore, variations lithofacies reflect intensity fluctuations Asian monsoons couple well with glacial-interglacial cycles, suggesting ice volume Northern Hemisphere drives which, turn, regulates facies through precipitation changes, as input amount minerals. This research provides a useful continental archive environmental suggests prevalence climate-driven change.