Provenance analysis of late Pleistocene sediment from IODP site U1477 reveals climate and river basin dynamics in the Zambezi river catchment

Gao, Youhong, Zhang, Hucai, Zhang, Xiaonan, Duan, Lizeng, Li, Huayong, Hall, Ian R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6960-1419, Hemming, Sidney R., LeVay, Leah J., Nie, Junsheng, Han, Xibin, Barker, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7870-6431, Berke, M.A., Brentegani, L., Caley, T., Cartagena-Sierra, A., Charles, C.D., Coenen, J.J., Crespin, J.G., Franzese, A.M., Gruetzner, J., Hines, S.K.V., Espejo, F.J.Jimenez, Just, J., Koutsodendris, A., Kubota, K., Lathika, N., Norris, R.D., dos Santos, T.Periera, Robinson, R., Rolinson, J.M., Simon, M.H., Tangunan, D., van der Lubbe, J.J.L. and Yamane, M. 2025. Provenance analysis of late Pleistocene sediment from IODP site U1477 reveals climate and river basin dynamics in the Zambezi river catchment. Gondwana Research 146 , pp. 25-38. 10.1016/j.gr.2025.05.012 Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

The provenance of sedimentary material deposited in marginal marine environments offers significant insights into the evolving conditions within adjacent river catchments, thereby revealing the basin dynamics and climate variations. In this study, we used rare earth element (REE) compositions and Sr-Nd-Hf isotope signatures to investigate the provenance of sediments at International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1477, located offshore of the Zambezi River mouth, over the past 150 thousand years (ka). These geochemical and isotope proxies indicate that the entire Zambezi River Basin (ZRB) has contributed sediments to the offshore region near the Zambezi River mouth during the last approximately 150 ka. Distinctly unradiogenic εNd and εHf signatures coupled with highly radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr values are indicative of sediment input from the middle and lower reaches of the ZRB. Conversely, more radiogenic εNd and εHf signatures along with unradiogenic 87Sr/86Sr values suggest sediment contributions from the upper reaches. The geochemical and isotope data from Site U1477 thus reveal that substantial changes in the sediment provenance occurred during the Late Pleistocene. By integrating our findings with other paleoclimate records from marine sediments and paleolake cores, we infer that the increased contribution of the upper Zambezi sediment sources to the offshore deposits from approximately 40 ka onwards reflects the reestablishment of the sediment supply from both the upper and middle Zambezi at this time. These changes were likely associated with shifts in the regional rainfall patterns across the ZRB, as well as modifications of the drainage divides due to varying sediment loads resulting from active bedrock erosion following the tectonic uplift on the Chobe fault near the Chobe–Zambezi confluence. This study offers novel insights into the Late Pleistocene evolution of the Zambezi drainage system and is essential for accurately reconstructing regional climate and environmental changes.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Earth and Environmental Sciences
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	1342-937X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 June 2025
Date of Acceptance:	17 May 2025
Last Modified:	17 Jun 2025 10:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/179057

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