Abstract:

The loess-paleosol sequence in northwest of China is considered as one of the most continuous continental records since the last 2.6 Ma. Pollen, a direct recorder for vegetation change, has been widely used to reconstruct paleovegetation. However, the pollen record of long time scale especially in the central Chinese Loess Plateau has not been well studied. In this study，we preliminarily focus on the palynological records of the loess-paleosol sequence at Luochuan and aim to understand the vegetation evolution spanning the last 0.6 Ma in this region. The palynological results show that the grassland has been dominant vegetation in the Luochuan area since 0.6 Ma. The present steppe environment on the loess plateau is mainly caused by natural conditions. Therefore, the restoration and reconstruction of ecosystem on the loess plateau area should be focused on planting grassland rather than forests. These discoveries provide a solid theoretical foundation for revegetation of “Yuan” region, and have significant practical significance.

Key words: pollen, loess-paleosol, S5, paleovegetation, paleoclimate