干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

The Maza Tagh fault zone lies in the central Tarim basin (latitude: N38 degrees 40. 911’, longitude: E80 degrees 18. 484’), about 300 km long in the west-east direction. Lower Pleistocene section is a complete sedimentary sequence and well-exposed section in the south of Maza Tagh Mountain. 16 sites 130 samples were collected from grey yellow mudstones and sand-mudstones. Rock magnetism show the magnetite is the principal carriers of natural remnant magnetization. Thermal demagnetization revealed normal and reversed polarity. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility measurements on 107 samples shows a subveitical minimum susceptibility axis in tilt and strong foliation, which indicate their primary depositional nature. The direction of the maximum susceptibility axis in tilt announced the NWW-SEE paleo-current directions. The high resolution magnetostratigraphic results suggest the age of these strata is from 1. 3 similar to 0. 9Ma. The time of the newest uplift recorded in this section is about 0. 8Ma. The lithology features of the Lower Pleistocene strata suggest that the paleo-climate is warns and wet. The transfer of paleo-current directions imply that the existence of paleo-great lake in the central Tarim basin at Lower Pleistocene and the dramatic uplift of the western of the West Kunlun Mountain at the end of Pleistocene.