A 7000‐year record of environmental change: Evolution of Holocene environment and human activities in the Hangjiahu Plain, the lower Yangtze, China

A 7000-year record of environmental change on the Hangjiahu Plain reveals how shifts in climate and hydrology shaped the rise and fall of the Liangzhu Civilization. The study, based on sediment core analysis from the Tangqi ZK-3 location, shows that a warm, humid climate with strong hydrodynamic forces prevailed before 7000 years ago, supporting mixed evergreen deciduous forests. Between 7000 and 6000 years ago, sea-level rise slowed, allowing higher grounds to emerge, coinciding with the Majiabang culture's development. From 6000 to 4500 years ago, a drier, cooler climate with deforestation created ideal conditions for the Songze and Liangzhu cultures. However, prolonged waterlogging and frequent floods between 4500 and 3000 years ago led to the decline of settlements and the civilization's eventual collapse. The research used OSL dating, grain size analysis, pollen analysis, and magnetic susceptibility to reconstruct these changes.

Zhao, C., Mo, D., Yuxiang, J., lu, P., Bin, L., Wang, N., Chen, M., Liao, Y., Zhan, P., & Zhuang, Y. (2022). A 7000‐year record of environmental change: Evolution of Holocene environment and human activities in the Hangjiahu Plain, the lower Yangtze, China. Geoarchaeology, 38(3), 335–350. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.21945