QUATERNARY SC IENCES

25 6 2005 11 QUATERNARY SC IENCES Vol. 25, No. 6 November, 2005 1001-7410 (2005) 062741-09 3 (, 100101), 4 200 4 000aB1P., ;, ; 4 000aB1P. 4 000aB1P. K901 A 1,,,,,,,, ;,,,, [ 1 ] ;, [ 2 ],, ;, [ 3 ] 4 000aB1P.,, ; [ 4 ] ; [ 5 ] 4 000,,,,,,,,, ; ( 50 ),, ; : 37 E2mail: wuwx@ igsnrr. ac. cn 3 ( : 40472095) ( : KZCX3 - SW - 321 KZCX1 - SW - 01-09) 2005-04 - 22, 2005-08 - 03

742 2005 2,,, 2204 1989B1C. [ 6 ], [ 7 18 ], ( ), 299, 280 Shaughnessy [ 7 ] 4,, [ 7 10 ], 1989B1C1, [ 8 ] 3, 1992B1C., Pankenier [ 11 ],, 1953B1C., Zhang [ 12 ],,,, 1994B1C., 1953B. C., 41, ( 82 ), 14 C,,,, Pang [ 6 ] 1876B. C., 45 16, 4, 7, 72, 1876B. C. 1948B. C.,, Pang [ 13 ], 1912B. C., Pang [ 6 ] 14 17 11, 30, 771B. C., 2000B1C1, 4 000aB1P. [ 14 18 ] 2070B. C. [ 14 ],,, 471,,,, 1994B. C.,,, 1880 1520B. C.,,, [ 14 ] :,, ;,, [ 15 ],,,, [ 16 18 ] 2030 1965B. C., 2000,, [ 15 ] [ 16 18 ], 2000B. C., [ 7 13 ], (

6 : 743 ) 2000B1C., 2000B1C. [ 6 ], 2000B. C. 25 AMS,, 2145,, 150, 3, : / ( 50 ),,,,,, ( 38 06 N, 96 25 E, 5 325m ) 5 000 ( 1% ), 18 O 4 200 4 000aB1P. [ 19 ], 15 AMS 14 C (30a) [ 20 ], (Carex m u lieensis) 13 C 4 200 4 000aB1P. [ 19, 20 ], 13 C ( YoungerD ryas) [ 20 ] 12kaB1P. 9 [ 20 ] Bond ( ) [ 21 ],, (B 23GC 255) AMS 14 C ( 20 28 ), 10kaB1P. 1. 5ka [ 22 ], [ 20 ], ( ) [ 21 ], [ 22 ], 4 200 4 000aB1P. [ 22 ] 17940 ( 15 20a) [ 23 ] UK37 ( SST) 1794022, 4 200 4 000aB1P. [ 23 ] (10 15a), 4 250aB1P. [ 24 ] :,,,,, :,,,,,,,, 4 200 4 000aB1P., 4 000aB1P., (4 500 4 200aB1P. ) 4 200 4 000aB1P.,, 200, 4 000aB1P., (4 000 3 500aB1P1) [ 16 ],,, 4 000aB1P., ( 4 000 3 500aB1P. ) [ 16 ] 4 000aB1P. 4 200 4 000aB1P. [ 25 30 ] - 1% ( GISP2) EOF1, EOF1 2215 1940B. C., GISP2

744 2005, 2275B. C. [ 25 ] ( 18 O) (Lake Van) 2250 2050B. C., 5 ( dust sp ike), [ 26 ] ( Soreq Cave), 18 O 4 150aB1P., 20% 30% [ 27 ], 2200B. C. 300 5 [ 28 ] ( 5 893m), 6 11. 7kaB1P. AMS 14 C, N IF3 4 000aB1P. 30mm, [ 29 ] (Huascar n), 4 200aB1P. 17kaB1P., [ 30 ] ( Indian Gardens), 2170B. C. 4 500 [ 25 ],, ( GISP2) Van 1%, 4 000 40,, 4 200 4 000aB1P. W eiss [ 31, 32 ] 1993 4 200 4 000aB1P. Mar2 chanta Hooghiem stra [ 33 ], Peiser [ 34 ] 500, :, 4 200 4 000aB1P., 4 000aB1P. [ 31 ], [ 35 ], [ 36 ] Bell [ 37 ] ( First Dark Age), [ 16, 17 ],W eiss [ 31 ] Science, 4 200 4 000aB1P. [ 25, 28, 32, 34 ], 4 000aB1P. [ 16, 17 ], 4 200 4 000aB1P.,,,,? 4,,,, 70%,, ;,,, 4 000aB1P.,,, [ 3 ], 4 200 4 000aB1P. 3

6 : 745 (1) [ 38 ] 4 200 4 000aB1P.,,,, (2),, [ 39 ],,,, [ 40 ], [ 41 ] 8 9 37 N 105 115 E, 517 1017, ; 50 400,, ( ) ( ) [ 41 ], [ 42 ] 4 000aB1P., ( ) ( ),, [ 43 ], : 10 000aB1P.,,, 11 000 10 000aB1P.,,, 4 200 4 000aB1P.,,, : ;,, (3) 4 000aB1P., [ 44 ] 4 000aB1P., [ 44 ] 15,, Zhang [ 45 ] 900 1250A. D.,,,, [ 46 ] 26 [ 47 ], : 50a,,

746 2005,, [ 47, 48 ], 5 000 [ 49 ] 4 000aB1P.,, 4 000aB1P. 5,,, ;,,, [ 51 ],, 5. 2 5. 1,, 4 200 4 000aB1P.,,,,,, (, ), ;, ;,,,,, :,?,,????? :,,? ( ),?,,,,,,,,, [ 50 ],, 4 000 :,,,,?,,, 4 200 4 000aB1P., Sir,, James George Frazer,

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6 : 749 44,.. (B ), 1985, 11: 1 038 1 044 Zheng Sizhong, Feng L iwen. H istorical evidence for the abnormally climatic instability during cold period in China. ( Series B), 1985, 11: 1 038 1 044 45 Zhang D. Climate changes in recent 1 000 years in China. Tungsheng ed. Science in China In: L iu Quaternary Geology and Environment in China. Beijing: Science Press, 1991. 208 213 46.. :. ( ). :, 1991. 145 154 W ang Yingjie. A p relim inary study of the relationship between water2sand and environmental changes in the reaches of Yellow R iver during 70 870A. D. In: W u Xiangding ed. Collection of Researches on Environmental Changes of the Yellow R iverbasin and Laws of W ater and Sediment Transportation ( Vol. 2 ). Geological Publishing House, 1991. 145 154 Beijing: 47. ( I)., 2001, 10 (2) : 6 11 Xu Jiongxin. H istorical sediment2related disasters in the lower Yellow R iver in relation with drainage basin factors ( ) : Influence of climate and vegetation. Journal of N atural D isasters, 2001, 10 (2) : 6 11 48 Knox J C. Sensitivity of modern and Holocene floods to climate change. Q uaternary Science Reviews, 2000, 19 (1 5) : 439 457 49 Ely L L. Response of extreme floods in the southwestern United States to climatic variations in the Late Holocene. Geom orphology, 1997, 19 (3 4) : 175 201 50.., 2002, (6) : 5 12 L i Xueqin. On Shuigongxu and its significance. Journal of N ational M useum of Chinese H istory, 2002, (6) : 5 12 51 ( ).. :.. :, 2003. 306 326 Sir James George Frazer( Translated by Su B ingqi). O rigins of floods story. In: Xu Xusheng. Legend Ages of Chinese Ancient H istory. Beijing: Cultural Relic Publishing House, 2003. 306 326 THE PO SS IB IL ITY O F OCCURR ING O F THE EXTRAO RD INARY FLOOD S O N THE EVE O F ESTABL ISHM ENT O F THE X IA DY NASTY AND THE H ISTO R ICAL TRUTH O F DAY UπS SUCCESSFUL REGULAT ING O F FLOODW ATERS W u W enxiang Ge Quansheng ( Institute of Geographical Sciences and N atural Resources Research, Chinese Academ y of Sciences, B eijing 100101) Abstract Of all the myths and legends in ancient China, none has generated more interests and stimulated more research than the story of the Extraordinary Flood and the Dyuπs successful regulation of the floodwaters. According to a surp rising number of Chinese historical texts, an extraordinary flood occurred shortly before the beginning of Xia, the first hereditary dynasty in China. Yu, the founder of the Xia dynasty, is credited w ith having successfully controlled these floods and founding the first hereditary dynasty. It is not surp rising that the p roof or disp roof of this such extraordinary flood is a literal truth, which bears great imp lications for understanding the actual existence and the mechanism of the emergence of the Xia Dynasty, has p roven irresistible and fascinated to researchers of a broad scientific sphere through the ages. In this paper, the tim ing of the occurrence of the extraordinary floods is analysed first by historical tests, then archaeological evidence, and lastly by astronom ical phenomenon. Then highly resolved and /or well dated paleoclimatic p roxy data were synthesized and then compared to those palaeoclimatic records in other parts of the world w ith an aim to reconstruct the climatic background against which the extraordinary floods occurred. Our results indicate that the extraordinary flood occurred during a period of global climatic anomaly around 2200 2000B1C1, which was widely accep ted to have p layed an important role in the collap se of civilizations in the O ld World. B ased on the detailed analysis of the relationship between clim atic change and the variations of monsoon related p recip itations, we suggest that it is of a great possibility for the occurrence of the legendary extraordinary flood. Our climate reconstruction could also p rovide a good exp lanation for the doubts of why Yu could not conquer the extraordinary floods even w ith the modern technology. Key words extraordinary floods, historical truth, Xia Dynasty, climatic background, 4 000aB1P. event