Astronomical Time Scale of the Late Pleistocene in the Northern South China Sea Based on Carbonate Deposition Record

Abstract

Variations in solar insolation caused by changes in the Earth’s orbit—specifically its eccentricity, obliquity, and precession—can leave discernible marks on the geologic record. Astrochronology leverages these markers to establish a direct connection between chronological measurements and different facets of climate change as recorded in marine sediments. This approach offers a unique window into the Earth’s climate system and the construction of high-resolution, continuous time scales. Our study involves comprehensive bulk carbonate analyses of 390 discrete samples from core SCS1, which was retrieved from the deep-sea floor of the northern South China Sea. By utilizing carbonate stratigraphic data, we have developed a carbonate stratigraphic age model. This was achieved by aligning the carbonate sequence from core SCS1 with the established carbonate standard stratigraphic time scale of the South China Sea. Subsequently, we construct an astronomically tuned time scale based on this age model. Our findings indicate that sediment records in this core have been predominantly influenced by a 20,000-year cycle (precession cycle) throughout the Late Pleistocene. We have developed an astronomical time scale extending back approximately 110,000 years from the present, with a resolution of 280 years, by tuning the carbonate record to the precession curve. Time-domain spectral analysis of the tuned carbonate time series, alongside the consistent comparability of the early Holocene low-carbonate event (11–8 kyr), underscores the reliability of our astronomical time scale. Our age model exposes intricate variations in carbonate deposition, epitomizing a typical “Pacific-type” carbonate cycle. Previous research has illustrated that precession forcing predominantly influences productivity changes in the South China Sea. The pronounced precession-related cycle observed in our record suggests that changes in productivity significantly impact carbonate content in the area under study. Furthermore, the clear precession period identified in the carbonate record of core SCS1 reflects the response of low-latitude processes to orbital parameters, implying that carbonate deposition and preservation in core SCS1 are chiefly influenced by the interplay between the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and the monsoon system within the precession band. Our astronomical time scale is poised to enhance paleoceanographic, paleoclimatic, and correlation studies further. Additionally, the independent evidence we provide for using proxy records for astronomical age calibration of marine sediments lends additional support to similar methods of astronomical tuning.