Formation age and palaeoenvironment significance of Holocene peat in Sanhe- Jizhou area

The peat layer was widely distributed in piedmont alluvial plain of the southern Yan Mountains. However, its formation age is still controversial, with relatively weak relevant research of climate environment. The ¹⁴C dating work of typical peat profiles was conducted from Sanhe in Heibei Province to Jizhou in Tianjin. The peat formation time was divided into two periods, on the basis of sporopollen and other proxy indicators, and its environment characteristics were also studied. ¹⁴C dating showed that the cool-forming period of Touying peat layer in Jizhou was Early Holocene (10 500 a B.P.), and the main body of Bulaodian peat layer in Sanhe was Late Holo-cene (3 500~2 400 a B.P.). The climate of Early Holocene was inferred to be from warm and humid to cool and slightly humid, according to sporopollen assemblage features of Touying peat layer and its underlying stratum in Jizhou and the previous sporopollen research of Bulaodian peat layer and other fossil assemblage. This research could provide basis for the Quaternary stratigraphic division and paleoenvironment restoration in this area.