Sequences and Genesis of Yellow River Terrace from Sanmen Gorge to Kouma
黄河三门峡至扣马段的阶地序列及成因

Based on field and geomorphologic investigations,along with analysis of thermoluminescence(TL),magnetostratigraphy and loess-paleosol sequence on terraces,we found that at least four Yellow River terraces,whose ages are 0.86 Ma,0.62 Ma,0.13 Ma and 0.05 Ma,have been developed on west Henan fault-uplift system from Sanmen Gorge to Mengjin reach and but only three Yellow River terraces,whose ages are 1.24 Ma,0.25 Ma and 0.05 Ma,have been developed on North China fault depression system from Mengjin to Kouma reach.All the terraces have similar structure that they have paleosols with a thickness of several meters developed on top of the fluvial silt.It shows that the Yellow River incised when terraces were abandoned during the transitional period from glacial to interglacial and there may be a link between the formation of terraces and glacial-interglacial climatic cycles.However,the differences in Yellow River terrace sequences between the two tectonic units,i.e.,west Henan fault-uplift and North China fault depression,indicate that the land uplift has been playing an important role in the formation of these terraces.