ALGAL, SPORES AND POLLEN ASSEMBLAGES FROM LATE PLEISTOCENE IN THE EAST PART OF THE CHINA SEA AND THEIR PALEOENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

The paper deals with fossil spores, pollen and algae from the sediments of 70,00-12,000a B. P. in the eastern sea area of China, distinguishing three spores, pollen and algal zones. Zone Ⅰ indicates that the climate was cold, the sea level was lower, the continental shelf of theDonghai Sea (the East China Sea)was exposed as the plain with various grasses thickened and manylakes andswamps dotted in which lived abundant freshwater algae of Pediastrum, Zygnema, etc.The hills in the continental margin were covered by the dark coniferous forests of Abies, Piceaand Pinus. The climate of Zone Ⅱ was warm, resulting in the sea level rising and the con-tinental shelf submerged as neritic environment with a variety of diatoms, dinoflagllate andDictyocha. The vegetation of the hills in the continental margin became mixed forests ofconiferous and broad-leaf trees mainly composed of Pinus and Quercus. Zone Ⅲ indicatesthat the climate became cold again and the continental shelf was exposed as plain with thesame landscape as that of Zone Ⅰ. The Huanghe River and the Changjiang River at that timeconverged and flowed across the plain and down to the Okinawa Trough.