The Jianggang Harbour-centered radial sand ridge(RSR) is the largest sand body in the Yellow Sea. Its formation and evolution are of interest for scientists of various fields; however, the sediment provenance is uncer...The Jianggang Harbour-centered radial sand ridge(RSR) is the largest sand body in the Yellow Sea. Its formation and evolution are of interest for scientists of various fields; however, the sediment provenance is uncertain. In this study, rare earth element(REE) geochemical compositions of the RSR sediments together with their potential sources are investigated to identify the provenance of the RSR sediments. The typical parameters((La/Yb)_N,(La/Sm)_N and(Gd/Yb)_N) as well as the upper continental crust-normalized patterns of REEs can only be associated with source rocks, and thus can be used as effective tracers for the origin and sources of sediments. However, the REE contents of sediments are affected by many factors, such as particle sorting and chemical weathering. Onshore RSR sediments are different in REE geochemical composition from offshore RSR sediments to some extent, suggesting that not all of the offshore RSR sediments have the same sources as the onshore RSR sediments. Meanwhile, the sediments adjacent to the northeast of Cheju Island and at Lian Island near the Lianyun Harbour were not the source of the RSR sediments due to their distinctive REE patterns, dEu,(La/Yb)_N,(Gd/Yb)_N and(La/Sm)_N. The Korean river sediments could be dispersed to the Jiangsu Coast slightly impacting the fine fractions of the RSR sediments, particularly the offshore RSR sediments. Additionally, geochemical comparisons show that the modern Yellow River was responsible for the onshore RSR sediments, whereas the sediment loads from the Yangtze River could serve as a major contributor to the RSR, particularly the offshore RSR. In addition, the offshore RSR could also be partly fed by an unknown source due to some high values of(La/Yb)_N,(La/Sm)_N and La contents differing from those of the Chinese and Korean river sediments.展开更多
The sources and enrichment of organic matter in a sediment core in the first member of the Xiagou Formation(K_1g^1) from the Chang 2-2 borehole of the Jiuquan Basin,NW China,have been examined using Rock-Eval,maceral,...The sources and enrichment of organic matter in a sediment core in the first member of the Xiagou Formation(K_1g^1) from the Chang 2-2 borehole of the Jiuquan Basin,NW China,have been examined using Rock-Eval,maceral,carbon isotopes and biomarker data.This data indicates that highly variable organic matter sources and preservation conditions in response to climate change.TOC content,HI,and δ^(13)C value were strongly correlated with the abundance of gammacerane,woody organic matter content,steranes/hopanes ratio,and C_(29) sterane content.This correlation demonstrates the importance that the control of the salinity of the depositional environment and organic matter sources can have upon the enrichment,type,and carbon isotopic composition of organic matter.In the Jiuquan Basin's relatively high temperature and arid climate,high salinity lakes with high primary productivity of algae,planktons,and bacteria,and good organic matter preservation conditions(anoxic bottom water) resulted in the enrichment of isotopically-light algae-bacterial organic matter.In the Jiuquan Basin's regions with a relatively low temperature and wet climate,fresh lakes with low primary productivity of algae,planktons,and bacteria received significant terrigenous high plants input,resulting in the deposition of a low abundance of isotopically heavier terrestrial organic matter.展开更多
A series of laboratory incubation experiments were conducted to examine the decomposition of algal organic matter in clay-enriched marine sediment under oxic and anoxic conditions. During the 245-day incubation period...A series of laboratory incubation experiments were conducted to examine the decomposition of algal organic matter in clay-enriched marine sediment under oxic and anoxic conditions. During the 245-day incubation period, changes in the concentrations of TOC, major algal fatty acid components （14：0, 16：0, 16：1, 18：1 and 20：5）, and n-alkanes （C16-C23） were quantified in the samples. Our results indicate that the organic matters were degraded more rapidly in oxic than anoxic conditions. Adsorption of fatty acids onto clay minerals was a rapid and reversible process. Using a simple G model, we calculated the decomposition rate constants for TOC, n-alkanes and fatty acids which ranged from 0.017-0.024 d^-1, 0.049-0.103 d^-1 and 0.011 to 0.069 d-l, respectively. Algal organic matter degraded in two stages characterized by a fast and a slow degradation processes. The addition of clay minerals montmorillonite and kaolinite to the sediments showed significant influence affecting the decomposition processes of algal TOC and fatty acids by adsorption and incorporation of the compounds with clay particles. Adsorption/association of fatty acids by clay minerals was rapid but appeared to be a slow reversible process. In addition to the sediment redox and clay influence, the structure of the compounds also played important roles in affecting their degradation dynamic in sediments.展开更多
Vegetation and rainfall are two important factors affecting soil erosion and thus resulting in nutrient loss in the Chinese Loess Plateau.A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of rainfall intensi...Vegetation and rainfall are two important factors affecting soil erosion and thus resulting in nutrient loss in the Chinese Loess Plateau.A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of rainfall intensities(60,100 and 140 mm h-1) and vegetation(Caragana korshinskii) coverages(0%,30% and 80%) on soil loss,nutrient loss,and the composition and volume fractal dimension of eroded sediment particles under simulated rainfall conditions.The results showed that vegetation cover,rainfall intensity and their interaction all had significant effects on sediment transport and the sedimentbound nutrient loss.Higher rainfall intensity and lower coverage led to higher sediment and nutrient losses.Positive linear relationships were observed between soil loss and nutrient loss.The treatments showed more significant effects on the enrichment ratio(ER) of nitrogen(ERN) than organic matter(EROM) and phosphorus(ERP).Compared with the original surface soil,the eroded sediment contained more fine particles.Under the same coverage,the clay content significantly decreased with increasing rainfall intensity.The ER of sediment-bound nutrients was positively correlated with that of clay,suggesting that the clay fraction was preferentially eroded and soil nutrients were mainly adsorbed onto or contained within this fraction.There were increments in the fractal dimension of the sediment particles compared to that of the original surface soil.Moreover,the fractal dimension was positively correlated with clay,silt,and sediment-bound OM,N,and P contents,whereas it was negatively correlated with sand content.This study demonstrated that fractal dimension analysis can be used to characterize differences in particle-size distribution and nutrient loss associated with soil erosion.展开更多
Molybdenum(Mo) proxies, including bulk concentration and isotopic composition, have been increasingly used to reconstruct ancient ocean redox states. This study systematically reviews Mo cycles and their accompanying ...Molybdenum(Mo) proxies, including bulk concentration and isotopic composition, have been increasingly used to reconstruct ancient ocean redox states. This study systematically reviews Mo cycles and their accompanying isotopic fractionations in modern ocean as well as their application in paleo-ocean redox reconstruction. Our review indicates that Mo enrichment in sediments mainly records the adsorption of Fe-Mn oxides/hydroxides and chemical bonding of H2 S. Thus, Mo enrichment in anoxic sediments generally reflects the presence of H2 S in the water column or pore waters. In addition to the effect of euxinia, sedimentary Mo enrichment is related to the size of the oceanic Mo reservoir. Given these primary mechanisms for oceanic Mo cycling, Mo abundance data and Mo/TOC ratios acquired from euxinic sediments in geological times show that fluctuations of the oceanic Mo reservoir are well correlated with oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans and suggest that oxygenation occurred in phases. Mo proxies suggest that Mo isotopes in strongly euxinic sediments reflect the contemporaneous Mo isotopic composition of seawater, but other processes such as iron-manganese(Fe-Mn) adsorption and weak euxinia can result in different fractionations. Diagenesis may complicate Mo enrichment and its isotopic fractionation in sediments. With appropriate constraints on the Mo isotopic composition of seawater and various outputs, a Mo isotope mass-balance model can quantitatively reconstruct global redox conditions over geological history. In summary, Mo proxies can be effectively used to reconstruct oceanic redox conditions on various timescales due to their sensitivity to both local and global marine redox conditions. However, given the complexity of geochemical processes, particularly the effects of diagenesis, further work is required to apply Mo proxies to ancient oceans.展开更多
Soil erosion, which includes soil detachment, transport, and deposition, is one of the important dynamic land surface processes. The magnetic tracer method is a useful method for studying soil erosion processes. In th...Soil erosion, which includes soil detachment, transport, and deposition, is one of the important dynamic land surface processes. The magnetic tracer method is a useful method for studying soil erosion processes. In this study, five types of magnetic tracers were made with fine soil, fly ash, cement, bentonite, and magnetic powder （reduced iron powder） using the method of disk granulation. The tracers were uniformly mixed with soil and tested in the laboratory using simulated rainfall and inflow experiments to simulate the interrill and rill components of soil erosion, in order to select one or more tracers which could be used to study detachment and deposition by the erosive forces of raindrops and surface flow of water on a slope. The results showed that the five types of magnetic tracers with high magnetic susceptibility and a wide range of sizes had a range of 0.99-1.29 gcm-3 in bulk density. In the interrill and rill experiments, the tracers FC1 and FC2 which consisted of fly ash and cement at ratios of 1：1 and 2：1, respectively, were transported in phase with soil particles since the magnetic susceptibility of sediment approximated that of the soil which was uneroded and the slopes of the regression equations between the detachment of sediment and magnetic tracers FC1 and FC2 were very close to the expected value of 20, which was the original soil/tracer ratio. The detachment and deposition on slopes could be accurately reflected by the magnetic susceptibility differences. The change in magnetic susceptibility depended on whether deposition or detachment occurred. However, the tracer FS which consisted of fine soil and the tracers FB1 and FB2 which consisted of fly ash and bentonite at ratios of 1：1 and 2：1, respectively, were all unsuitable for soil erosion study since there was no consistent relationship between sediment and tracer detachment for increasing amounts of runoff. Therefore, the tracers FC1 and FC2 could be used to study soil erosion by water.展开更多
Soil organic carbon(SOC) has primary importance in terms of soil physics, soil fertility and even of climate change control. One hundred soil samples were taken from an intensively cultivated Cambisol to quantify SOC ...Soil organic carbon(SOC) has primary importance in terms of soil physics, soil fertility and even of climate change control. One hundred soil samples were taken from an intensively cultivated Cambisol to quantify SOC redistribution triggered by soil erosion under a subhumid climate, by the simultaneous application of diffuse reflectance(240–1 900 nm) and traditional physico-chemical methods.The representative sample points were collected from the solum along the slopes at the depth of 20–300 cm with a mean SOC content of 12 g kg^(-1). Hierarchical cluster analyses were performed based on the determined SOC results. The spatial pattern of the groups created were similar, and even though the classifications were not the same, diffuse reflectance had proven to be a suitable method for soil/sediment classification even within a given arable field. Both organic and inorganic carbon distributions were found to be a proper tool for estimations of past soil erosion processes. The SOC enrichment was found on two sedimentary spots with different geomorphological positions. Soil organic matter composition also differed between the two spots due to selective deposition of the delivered organic matter. The components with low-molecular-weight reached the bottom of the slope where they could leach into the profile, while the more polymerised organic matter compositions were delivered and deposited even before on a higher segment of the slope in an aggregated form. This spatial difference appeared below the uppermost tilled soil layer as well, referring the lower efficiency of conventional ploughing tillage in soil spatial homogenisation.展开更多
Neogene eolian successions are one of the most important terrestrial palaeoenvironmental archives in East Asia.However, they have received far less attention than Quaternary loess deposits, especially in the case of l...Neogene eolian successions are one of the most important terrestrial palaeoenvironmental archives in East Asia.However, they have received far less attention than Quaternary loess deposits, especially in the case of lipid biomarker analysis.In order to obtain a better insight into the early-middle Miocene palaeoenvironment, we conducted a study of n-alkane biomarkers from sediments of the QA-I section(Qinan) in the western Chinese Loess Plateau, and compared the results with those of previous n-alkane analyses of eolian and aquatic sediments of varying age. Our principal results are as follows:(1) All QA-I samples contain n-alkanes ranging from C_(14) to C_(35), among which the relative content of short-chain n-alkanes(C_(14)–C_(20)) from microorganisms is significantly greater than that of long-chain n-alkanes(C_(26)–C_(35)) from the waxes of terrestrial higher plants;the main peak is at C_(16)–C_(18). All samples have a relatively lower abundance of medium-chain n-alkanes(C_(21)–C_(25)) than that of long-and short-chain n-alkanes, similar to strongly weathered palaeosols in Quaternary loess and Late Miocene-Pliocene Hipparion Red-Earth; however, this distribution is significantly different from that in weakly-weathered loess of Quaternary loess and Late Miocene-Pliocene Hipparion Red-Earth, as well as from aquatic sediments.(2) Despite some odd-over-even carbon predominance of long-chain n-alkanes in the QA-I samples, the carbon preference index(CPI) values are significantly lower than those of most of the weakly-weathered sediments. Our results show that strong weathering and microbial processes have significantly altered the n-alkanes in the Miocene eolian deposits in Qinan, and led to a significant oxidation and degradation of long-chain n-alkanes and the predominance of short-chain n-alkanes from bacteria. Therefore, the contribution of microorganism to total organic carbon(TOC) and its resulting in carbon isotopic composition should be carefully assessed in future studies.展开更多
基金Under the auspices of National Key Technology Research and Development Program(No.2012BAB03B01)National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41273015,51278172,51478167)
文摘The Jianggang Harbour-centered radial sand ridge(RSR) is the largest sand body in the Yellow Sea. Its formation and evolution are of interest for scientists of various fields; however, the sediment provenance is uncertain. In this study, rare earth element(REE) geochemical compositions of the RSR sediments together with their potential sources are investigated to identify the provenance of the RSR sediments. The typical parameters((La/Yb)_N,(La/Sm)_N and(Gd/Yb)_N) as well as the upper continental crust-normalized patterns of REEs can only be associated with source rocks, and thus can be used as effective tracers for the origin and sources of sediments. However, the REE contents of sediments are affected by many factors, such as particle sorting and chemical weathering. Onshore RSR sediments are different in REE geochemical composition from offshore RSR sediments to some extent, suggesting that not all of the offshore RSR sediments have the same sources as the onshore RSR sediments. Meanwhile, the sediments adjacent to the northeast of Cheju Island and at Lian Island near the Lianyun Harbour were not the source of the RSR sediments due to their distinctive REE patterns, dEu,(La/Yb)_N,(Gd/Yb)_N and(La/Sm)_N. The Korean river sediments could be dispersed to the Jiangsu Coast slightly impacting the fine fractions of the RSR sediments, particularly the offshore RSR sediments. Additionally, geochemical comparisons show that the modern Yellow River was responsible for the onshore RSR sediments, whereas the sediment loads from the Yangtze River could serve as a major contributor to the RSR, particularly the offshore RSR. In addition, the offshore RSR could also be partly fed by an unknown source due to some high values of(La/Yb)_N,(La/Sm)_N and La contents differing from those of the Chinese and Korean river sediments.
基金financially supported by CNPC Major Science and Technology Project (NO. 2012E330)CNPC Fourth Petroleum Resources Assessment (NO. 2013E-050209)
文摘The sources and enrichment of organic matter in a sediment core in the first member of the Xiagou Formation(K_1g^1) from the Chang 2-2 borehole of the Jiuquan Basin,NW China,have been examined using Rock-Eval,maceral,carbon isotopes and biomarker data.This data indicates that highly variable organic matter sources and preservation conditions in response to climate change.TOC content,HI,and δ^(13)C value were strongly correlated with the abundance of gammacerane,woody organic matter content,steranes/hopanes ratio,and C_(29) sterane content.This correlation demonstrates the importance that the control of the salinity of the depositional environment and organic matter sources can have upon the enrichment,type,and carbon isotopic composition of organic matter.In the Jiuquan Basin's relatively high temperature and arid climate,high salinity lakes with high primary productivity of algae,planktons,and bacteria,and good organic matter preservation conditions(anoxic bottom water) resulted in the enrichment of isotopically-light algae-bacterial organic matter.In the Jiuquan Basin's regions with a relatively low temperature and wet climate,fresh lakes with low primary productivity of algae,planktons,and bacteria received significant terrigenous high plants input,resulting in the deposition of a low abundance of isotopically heavier terrestrial organic matter.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 40476038 and 40576039)
文摘A series of laboratory incubation experiments were conducted to examine the decomposition of algal organic matter in clay-enriched marine sediment under oxic and anoxic conditions. During the 245-day incubation period, changes in the concentrations of TOC, major algal fatty acid components （14：0, 16：0, 16：1, 18：1 and 20：5）, and n-alkanes （C16-C23） were quantified in the samples. Our results indicate that the organic matters were degraded more rapidly in oxic than anoxic conditions. Adsorption of fatty acids onto clay minerals was a rapid and reversible process. Using a simple G model, we calculated the decomposition rate constants for TOC, n-alkanes and fatty acids which ranged from 0.017-0.024 d^-1, 0.049-0.103 d^-1 and 0.011 to 0.069 d-l, respectively. Algal organic matter degraded in two stages characterized by a fast and a slow degradation processes. The addition of clay minerals montmorillonite and kaolinite to the sediments showed significant influence affecting the decomposition processes of algal TOC and fatty acids by adsorption and incorporation of the compounds with clay particles. Adsorption/association of fatty acids by clay minerals was rapid but appeared to be a slow reversible process. In addition to the sediment redox and clay influence, the structure of the compounds also played important roles in affecting their degradation dynamic in sediments.
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program (973 Program) of China (No.2007CB407205)the National Key Technologies Research and Development Program of China during the 11th Five-Year Plan Period (No.2006BAD09B03)the CAS Action Plan for the Development of Western China (No.KZCX2-XB2-05)
文摘Vegetation and rainfall are two important factors affecting soil erosion and thus resulting in nutrient loss in the Chinese Loess Plateau.A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of rainfall intensities(60,100 and 140 mm h-1) and vegetation(Caragana korshinskii) coverages(0%,30% and 80%) on soil loss,nutrient loss,and the composition and volume fractal dimension of eroded sediment particles under simulated rainfall conditions.The results showed that vegetation cover,rainfall intensity and their interaction all had significant effects on sediment transport and the sedimentbound nutrient loss.Higher rainfall intensity and lower coverage led to higher sediment and nutrient losses.Positive linear relationships were observed between soil loss and nutrient loss.The treatments showed more significant effects on the enrichment ratio(ER) of nitrogen(ERN) than organic matter(EROM) and phosphorus(ERP).Compared with the original surface soil,the eroded sediment contained more fine particles.Under the same coverage,the clay content significantly decreased with increasing rainfall intensity.The ER of sediment-bound nutrients was positively correlated with that of clay,suggesting that the clay fraction was preferentially eroded and soil nutrients were mainly adsorbed onto or contained within this fraction.There were increments in the fractal dimension of the sediment particles compared to that of the original surface soil.Moreover,the fractal dimension was positively correlated with clay,silt,and sediment-bound OM,N,and P contents,whereas it was negatively correlated with sand content.This study demonstrated that fractal dimension analysis can be used to characterize differences in particle-size distribution and nutrient loss associated with soil erosion.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(Grant No.2013CB955704)the National Natural Science Fundation of China(Grant No.41172030)
文摘Molybdenum(Mo) proxies, including bulk concentration and isotopic composition, have been increasingly used to reconstruct ancient ocean redox states. This study systematically reviews Mo cycles and their accompanying isotopic fractionations in modern ocean as well as their application in paleo-ocean redox reconstruction. Our review indicates that Mo enrichment in sediments mainly records the adsorption of Fe-Mn oxides/hydroxides and chemical bonding of H2 S. Thus, Mo enrichment in anoxic sediments generally reflects the presence of H2 S in the water column or pore waters. In addition to the effect of euxinia, sedimentary Mo enrichment is related to the size of the oceanic Mo reservoir. Given these primary mechanisms for oceanic Mo cycling, Mo abundance data and Mo/TOC ratios acquired from euxinic sediments in geological times show that fluctuations of the oceanic Mo reservoir are well correlated with oxygenation of the atmosphere and oceans and suggest that oxygenation occurred in phases. Mo proxies suggest that Mo isotopes in strongly euxinic sediments reflect the contemporaneous Mo isotopic composition of seawater, but other processes such as iron-manganese(Fe-Mn) adsorption and weak euxinia can result in different fractionations. Diagenesis may complicate Mo enrichment and its isotopic fractionation in sediments. With appropriate constraints on the Mo isotopic composition of seawater and various outputs, a Mo isotope mass-balance model can quantitatively reconstruct global redox conditions over geological history. In summary, Mo proxies can be effectively used to reconstruct oceanic redox conditions on various timescales due to their sensitivity to both local and global marine redox conditions. However, given the complexity of geochemical processes, particularly the effects of diagenesis, further work is required to apply Mo proxies to ancient oceans.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.40701094)the Award Foundation for Excellent Young Scientists of Shandong Province, China (No.BS2009NY025)
文摘Soil erosion, which includes soil detachment, transport, and deposition, is one of the important dynamic land surface processes. The magnetic tracer method is a useful method for studying soil erosion processes. In this study, five types of magnetic tracers were made with fine soil, fly ash, cement, bentonite, and magnetic powder （reduced iron powder） using the method of disk granulation. The tracers were uniformly mixed with soil and tested in the laboratory using simulated rainfall and inflow experiments to simulate the interrill and rill components of soil erosion, in order to select one or more tracers which could be used to study detachment and deposition by the erosive forces of raindrops and surface flow of water on a slope. The results showed that the five types of magnetic tracers with high magnetic susceptibility and a wide range of sizes had a range of 0.99-1.29 gcm-3 in bulk density. In the interrill and rill experiments, the tracers FC1 and FC2 which consisted of fly ash and cement at ratios of 1：1 and 2：1, respectively, were transported in phase with soil particles since the magnetic susceptibility of sediment approximated that of the soil which was uneroded and the slopes of the regression equations between the detachment of sediment and magnetic tracers FC1 and FC2 were very close to the expected value of 20, which was the original soil/tracer ratio. The detachment and deposition on slopes could be accurately reflected by the magnetic susceptibility differences. The change in magnetic susceptibility depended on whether deposition or detachment occurred. However, the tracer FS which consisted of fine soil and the tracers FB1 and FB2 which consisted of fly ash and bentonite at ratios of 1：1 and 2：1, respectively, were all unsuitable for soil erosion study since there was no consistent relationship between sediment and tracer detachment for increasing amounts of runoff. Therefore, the tracers FC1 and FC2 could be used to study soil erosion by water.
基金funded by the Hungarian Foundation(OTKA)(No.PD-100929)supported by the KutatóKari Kiválósági Támogatás-Research Centre of Excellence-11476-3/2016/FEKUTsupported by the János Bolyai Research Fellowship by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
文摘Soil organic carbon(SOC) has primary importance in terms of soil physics, soil fertility and even of climate change control. One hundred soil samples were taken from an intensively cultivated Cambisol to quantify SOC redistribution triggered by soil erosion under a subhumid climate, by the simultaneous application of diffuse reflectance(240–1 900 nm) and traditional physico-chemical methods.The representative sample points were collected from the solum along the slopes at the depth of 20–300 cm with a mean SOC content of 12 g kg^(-1). Hierarchical cluster analyses were performed based on the determined SOC results. The spatial pattern of the groups created were similar, and even though the classifications were not the same, diffuse reflectance had proven to be a suitable method for soil/sediment classification even within a given arable field. Both organic and inorganic carbon distributions were found to be a proper tool for estimations of past soil erosion processes. The SOC enrichment was found on two sedimentary spots with different geomorphological positions. Soil organic matter composition also differed between the two spots due to selective deposition of the delivered organic matter. The components with low-molecular-weight reached the bottom of the slope where they could leach into the profile, while the more polymerised organic matter compositions were delivered and deposited even before on a higher segment of the slope in an aggregated form. This spatial difference appeared below the uppermost tilled soil layer as well, referring the lower efficiency of conventional ploughing tillage in soil spatial homogenisation.
基金financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41430531, 41202249 & 41125011)the China Geological Survey (Grant No. 1212011121261)
文摘Neogene eolian successions are one of the most important terrestrial palaeoenvironmental archives in East Asia.However, they have received far less attention than Quaternary loess deposits, especially in the case of lipid biomarker analysis.In order to obtain a better insight into the early-middle Miocene palaeoenvironment, we conducted a study of n-alkane biomarkers from sediments of the QA-I section(Qinan) in the western Chinese Loess Plateau, and compared the results with those of previous n-alkane analyses of eolian and aquatic sediments of varying age. Our principal results are as follows:(1) All QA-I samples contain n-alkanes ranging from C_(14) to C_(35), among which the relative content of short-chain n-alkanes(C_(14)–C_(20)) from microorganisms is significantly greater than that of long-chain n-alkanes(C_(26)–C_(35)) from the waxes of terrestrial higher plants;the main peak is at C_(16)–C_(18). All samples have a relatively lower abundance of medium-chain n-alkanes(C_(21)–C_(25)) than that of long-and short-chain n-alkanes, similar to strongly weathered palaeosols in Quaternary loess and Late Miocene-Pliocene Hipparion Red-Earth; however, this distribution is significantly different from that in weakly-weathered loess of Quaternary loess and Late Miocene-Pliocene Hipparion Red-Earth, as well as from aquatic sediments.(2) Despite some odd-over-even carbon predominance of long-chain n-alkanes in the QA-I samples, the carbon preference index(CPI) values are significantly lower than those of most of the weakly-weathered sediments. Our results show that strong weathering and microbial processes have significantly altered the n-alkanes in the Miocene eolian deposits in Qinan, and led to a significant oxidation and degradation of long-chain n-alkanes and the predominance of short-chain n-alkanes from bacteria. Therefore, the contribution of microorganism to total organic carbon(TOC) and its resulting in carbon isotopic composition should be carefully assessed in future studies.
