Leachate Lithium Characteristics of Loess-paleosol Sequences on the Chinese Loess Plateau and their Paleoclimatic Significance

The geochemical components of the leachate from loess-paleosol deposits can provide information about climaterelated post-depositional processes.For example,leachate lithium([Li]_(leachate))is a potential paleoclimate proxy because lithium is a typical lithophile element that is readily adsorbed by clay minerals during weathering and pedogenesis,and thus stratigraphic variations in[Li]leachatecan reflect these processes.We investigated the[Li]leachatevalues of two loess-paleosols profiles(the Luochuan and Weinan sections),on a north-south climatic gradient on the Chinese Loess Plateau.Independent paleoclimate information was provided by measurements of magnetic susceptibility,grain size,Rb/Sr ratios,and clay mineral content.During the last glacial-interglacial period,[Li]leachateincreased from 0.39 to 1.97μg/g at Luochuan and from 0.67 to 2.45μg/g at Weinan,mainly due to increasing pedogenesis.Based on these results we developed a conceptual model to explain the variations in[Li]leachate,Li^(+)within loess layers is mainly derived from dust input and the decomposition of primary minerals,influenced by the East Asian winter monsoon,while in paleosol layers Li is mainly derived from clay mineral adsorption during pedogenic processes,influenced by the East Asian summer monsoon.

A preliminary study of the quantitative couplingbetween loess-paleosol sequences and summermon soon changes

The Loess Plateau-Northeastern Tibetan Plateau in China is famous for its deep andcontmuous distributed loess, in which soils (developed from loess) vary gradually with differentbiological climates changing from subhumid to arid, which provide a natural proving ground forstUd}’ the coupling of loess-paleosol and climatic changes quantitatively. Thirty-two sections weresampled (collected) for measuring chemical element contents, clay content (and other items) and 60sections were collected for carbonate analysis to establish transfer functions between pedogenesisand climate. Finally, we estimated the paleoclAnate (P/T) in the region with transfer functions,It isrevealed that the variation of paleocldriate reflected by transfer functions accorded closely with theclimatic pattern resulted from recent work. Specifically, it was about 140 ha BP that summermonsoon reached Lanzhou or further, paleosol S1 (equaling to MIS 5 in deep sea records) developedstrongly in a large scale, even touching upon northeanstern Tibetan Plateau. And, the estimated P/Tinformation also indicated the cold and humid period during 50-30 ka BP, mean annual Precipitationwas about 400-500 nun in Angutan recorded by mega-interstadial paleosol Sm.

Rock magnetic properties of a loess-paleosol couple along an N-S transect in the Chinese Loess Plateau

We have conducted detailed rock magnetic experiments on samples from loess unit 8(L8) and paleosol unit 8 (S8) in Jingbian, Yichuan and Duanjiapo loess sections along an N-S transect in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Major rock magnetic results are as follows: ( i ) An increase of high field susceptibility (χh) in the same level of loess or paleosol from north to south is observed, suggesting an enhancement of pedogenesis. (ii) The Iow field susceptibility (χL) in loess unit L8 is almost the same in three sections. In contrast, the χL of paleosol unit S8 in Yichuan is highest, and the χL of Duanjiapo is lower than that in Yichuan section, suggesting that there is not correlation between the χL and the degree of pedogenesis in loess-paleosols. (iii) With the increasing of χL, both the contents of the superparamagnetic (SP) and the ferrimagnetic grains in Ioess-paleosol increase, however, the enhancement of magnetic susceptibility is probably dependent more on the increase of the ferrimagnetic concentration than on a change in the grain size. (iv) The content of the maghemite in loess unit 8 increases from the northern to the southern part of the Chinese Loess Plateau, and is positively correlated with the pedogenesis of the loess.

Paleo-environmental study on the growth of magnetotactic bacteria and precipitation of magnetosomes in Chinese loess-paleosol sequences

405 samples were collected from L5-S5-L6 in consideration of obvious variations in susceptibility of the geological sections, which are section Xifeng in Gansu Province and section Duanjiapo in Shaanxi Province for study of magnetotactic bacteria (MB) and magnetosomes (MS) in Chinese loess-paleosol sequences. MB in each sample were observed by TEM after being cultured under 8-18℃, room temperature (RT), 25℃, 26℃ and 30℃ conditions. In general, MB are distributed widely in loess-paleosol sequences, fewer in loess layers with predomination of vibriod in shape. However, there are more MB in paleosol layers with morphological varieties such as roddish, vibriod and occasionally approximately coccus. The magnetosomes (MS) in MB of paleosol are usually arranged in chains along the cells. It was also found that MB growth and MS formation are associated with the environment in which MB live. It can be inferred from the distributions of MB and MS that the paleoclimates fluctuated during the formation of

Transformation relationship among different magnetic minerals within loess-paleosol sediments of the Chinese Loess Plateau

The dominant magnetic minerals and carriers of magnetic signals within the Chinese Loess Plateau are magnetite, maghemite, hematite, and goethite. In this study, we investigated the provenance and evo- lution of magnetic minerals during loess pedogenesis, using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical and electron microscopy, including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high- resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Our results reveal that single- and multiphase mineral assemblages among magnetic minerals in the loess-paleosol sequence have been formed. Partial oxidation of coarse eolian magnetite has occurred in the desert source area and the oxidation degree is enhanced after deposition of the dust upon the Chinese Loess Plateau. This mode of origin resulted in a microtexture consisting of an inner magnetite core surrounded by a hematite rim, and strongly affected the magnetic characteristics of the loess. Goethite coexists with hematite in the loess and paleosol, and nanometer-scale hematite is formed upon goethite rims via dehydration. Our study provides direct mineralogical evidence of the magnetic record and paleoclimatic implications of the loess–paleosol sequence of the Chinese Loess Plateau.

Modeling and simulation of dynamic carbonate deposition in a loess-paleosol sequence

A compartment model of dynamic deposition processes has been developed and testedin the Potou loess section of China. There are four components in the model : carbonate input ofeolian dust, carbonate output of erosion, carbonate chemical equilibrium and soil water balance. Aclimate stochastic model software (CLIMAK) generates the daily weather data. The processes ofeolian dust deposition, erosion, and pedogenesis simulate the complex process of carbonatedeposition in a loess-paleosol sequence. We consider both climatic change and soil-forming factors.The results indicate that since the Late Pleistocene in Potou section, the mean carbonate fluxesfrom precipitation, eolian dust and erosion are 0.14g/cm^2/kg, 1.45g/cm^2/ka and 0.23g/cm^2/karespectively. Of this, 91.2% of the carbonate input is from eolian dust.

Loess in Kunlun Mountains and its implications on desert development and Tibetan Plateau uplift in west China

Loess on the northern slope of Kunlun Mountains is the synchronous deposition of the Taklimakan Desert. The paleomagnetism and climatic records of an over 80 m loess-paleosol sequence on the highest river terrace at the foot of Kunlun Mountains show that the loess formed at ~ 880 ka B.P., suggesting a roughly synchronous occurrence of the present-like air circulation and extremely dry climate and the initial desert. The uplift of the Tibetan-Pamir Plateau and Tian-shan Mountains may initiate these events. The rise of the plateau and adjacent mountains caused the drying and desertification of China inland and Tarim Basin, which was dramatically enhanced at ~ 500 ka B.P., leading the desert to expand to its present scale. Global change just overprints this drying trend. Local climate response to global change both in long-term evolution and glacial-interglacial cycles manifests that the stronger the westerlies, the more the precipitation. But the heat-moisture pattern seems still similar to that in the Asian monsoon region.

Geochemical indicator of original eolian grain size and implications on winter monsoon evolution

Grain size of eolian deposits from the Loess Plateau in China has been widely used to reconstruct the history of the East Asian winter monsoon. However, the grain size of bulk samples is only partially indicative to the strength of the winter monsoon because post-depositional weathering processes have significantly changed the grain size of original eolian particles. Here, non-weathered loess samples were separated into eight different particle fractions, and major chemical elements were determined in order to establish a geochemical indicator of original eolian grain size. The results show that SiO2and AI2O3contents and the SiO2/AI203 ratio in different fractions vary regularly with grain size, and that a good linear relation exists between the SiO2/AI2O3 ratio and grain size for the fractions【50μm. Because Al and Si are among the most stable elements and pedogenic processes in the Loess Plateau cannot affect the SiO2/AI2O3 ratio, this index can be used to reflect the grain size of original eolian

Pedosedimentary events in loess of China and Quaternary climatic cycles

In the Loess Plateau of China, the orbitally induced climatic oscillations are generally expressed by alternation of pedogenetic and sedimentary events (pedosedimentary events). In the last years, investigations at different localities revealed that complete loess-soil sequences contain 37 major soil stratigraphic units which are spatially correlativ. Recent studies have demonstrated that many of these soil units are polygenetic (polycyclic), which were formed by several pedogenetic stages interrupted by dust deposition stages, evidencing climatic oscillations within the interglacial periods. Some loess units contain also clearly ex-

Magnetic property of Chinese loess and its paleoclimate significance

The magnetic minerals of paleosol unit S8 and loess unit L8 in Weman section have been studied. The experiments show that the remanent magnetization of Chinese loess is mainly carried by magnetite, with small amounts of a higher coercivity mineral, presumable hematite, also present. The remanent stability is not affected by maghemite presenting loess and paleosol with instability property. The grain size of the magnitic minerals is dominated by pseudo-single domain (PSD). The coercivity (Hc), remanent coercivity (Hrc) and saturation magnetization (Mr) gradually change from paleosol to loess, which indicates that the change of the -egional climate from the interglacial to glacial stage is a gradual process.

Extension of drylands in northern China around 250 kaBP linked with the uplift of the southeast margin of Tibetan Plateau

Study on two loess sections, one located at Wu-wei near the Tengger Desert in northwestern China, another located near Ganzi at the southeast margin of the Tibetan Plateau in southwest China, reveals a coeval drying step occurred at -250 kaBP. It is expressed by the increase in eolian grain-size at Wuwei, and by a drastic extension of C4 plants and a decrease of loess chemical weathering intensity at Ganzi. Examination of the available eolian data indicates that the event has also been clearly documented in the loess sections near the deserts in northern China, and in the eolian records from the North Pacific. On the contrary, the signal is rather weak for the central and southern Loess Plateau regions as well as for Central Asia, where the climates are influenced by the southeast Asian monsoon and the westerlies, respectively. Since the climate at Ganzi is under strong control of the southwest Asian monsoon, we interpret this drying step as a result of decreased influence of the southwest summer

Transformation functions of soil color and climate

Measurements on modern soil color suggest well functional relationships between the soil formation process and the present climatic factors. The redness and yellowness of soil are chiefly caused by the contents of hematite and fullonite, and their correlations to climate are the best in humid regions in tropic and warm temperate regions. The lightness of soil mainly correlates to the organic accumulation, humification and carbonatization processes, and its correlation to climate can only be found in the humid-arid extratropical belt. The humidity and surface roughness of soil have so strong influence on soil color that there are great errors on the measurement of colorness in the field. The study on soil colors of typical loess sections shows that soil color can record the characteristics of Asia monsoon and the global climatic fluctuations well at millennial and ten-thousand-year scales. It can also indicate the pedogenesis and the climatic characteristics which magnetic susceptibility could not be

Millennial-scale monsoonal climatic change from paleosol sequences on the Chinese western Loess Plateau and Tibetan Plateau: a brief summary and review

This paper summarizes the work from the INQUA 1997 Project "Response of soilformation to short-warm-episodes of Asian summer monsoon" and its seeded related internationaland domestic grants. It reviews the effects of the millennial monsoonal changes on the loess-paleosols of the Chinese Loess and Tibetan Plateaus. High-resolution proxy records ofpedogenesis and monsoons demonstrate that both Asian winter and summer monsoons wereunstable and synchronously and inversely coupled during the last glaciation. During that timerapid episodic cycles of cold surges and warm enhancements spanned only ca. 1-2 ka in high-frequency domain. Sub-Milankovitch cycles (6-8 ka) of progressive cooling or weakening in low-frequency domain generally resembled the pattern of the North Atlantic climatic change. However,during the last interglacial, Asian winter and summer monsoons seemed to vary independently, theformer being stable and the later unstable. Soil formation seems to occur in surprisingly fastresponse to the summer monsoon warm enhancements, resulting in weakly or moderatelydeveloped paleosol sequences. North Atlantic and polar cold air surges though the westerlies andother paths, and the north-south swing of the westerlies beside the Tibetan Plateau, may be thealternative mechanisms for the rapid monsoonal changes during the last glacial. But in the lastinterglacial, the summer monsoons worked largely independently.

Correlation of climatic events between East Asia and Norwegian Sea during last deglaciation

Using a high resolution 14C chronology, Sl C values and organic carbon content, from loess/paleosol and peat profiles in China, we can demonstrate century scale warm-cold East Asian monsoon paleoclimatic fluctuation events and significant precipitation variability within the last deglaciation. The major climatic events recognized are the Boiling (1 300-12 500 a B. P.), Older Dryas (12 500-11 750 a B. P. ), Allerod (11 750-11 200 a B. P.) and Younger Dryas (11 200-10 000 a B.P. ). The stratigraphic structure of the last deglaciation sediments is characterized by frequent changes in sedimentation phases reflecting climatic instability. These high frequency, rapid climatic events can correlate with fluctuations recorded by sea surface temperatures in the Norwegian Sea. This indicates a pale-oclimate teleconnection between polar, high latitude areas and East Asian monsoon areas through westerlies and the related atmospheric pressure system.

CLIMATIC CORRELATION BETWEEN CHINESE LOESS AND DEEP-SEA CORES IN THE LAST 1.8 Ma

Climatic change in the Quaternary is characterized by the succession of glacials and interglacials with frequent and wide fluctuations. As loess-paleosol sequence in the Loess Plateau of China and oxygen isotope change in deep-sea cores rank among the most complete sediments in the world which have near-continuously preserved the

Features of major greenhouse gases in loess,Shanxi Province,China

According to the investigations of five loess sections in Shanri Province, China, it was found that the concentrations of the major greenhouse gases CO2, CH4 and N2O in loess-paleosol sequences are generally high, even sometimes may be several times or scores of tunes higher than their atmospheric concentrations respectively. Although the CO2 concentration in the same loess section shows poor regularity among different layers, it increases slowly from north to south in space. The CH4 concentration in the layers under Malan Loess is much higher than that in the atmosphere, although it is not high in Malan Loess. Most of the δ13C values of CO2 in loess are -11.14‰-15.48‰, (relative to PDB standard). Analysis of carbon isotopic compositions of CO2 indicates that the main source of CO2 in loess section is decomposition of ’stable’ organic matters by microbes. The δ13Cg of CO2 is a little heavier than organic source for exchanging carbon isotope with carbonate in loess. The abundant carbonate in loess

Carbonate isotopic records of paleoclimate changes in Chinese loess

Oxygen and carbon isotopes of carbonate in concretion and bulk samples collected from Xifeng. Luochuan and Weinan loess sections, China, have been analyzed. It has been found that carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios of concretion in paleosol, as useful paleodimatic indicators, recorded temperature and humidity variation during their formation. Comparison of isotopic data from different locations may offer a spatial picture of past environmental changes. Isotopic data from carbonate of bulk sample also include useful environmental information. Carbon and oxygen isotopic curves of past 150ka in Weinan completely reflect the fluctuations of the paleodimate with different stratigraphical units. The curves can correlate well with those of other dimatic proxies and of the deep sea sediments.

THIRTY-SEVEN CLIMATIC CYCLES IN THE LAST 2.5 Ma

The climatic change in the Quaternary period is characterized by the alternation of glacials and interglacials. Since the early 1970’s, the classic quadri-glaciation pattern has been gradually replaced by the concept of multiple-glaciations. However, the problem of the total number of climatic cycles in the entire Quaternary still remains to be solved.

PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION OF AN ABRUPT CLIMATIC SHIFT AROUND 2.5 Ma IN NORTHERN CHINA

Loess-paleosol sequence and red clay\ deposit represent strikingly different environments. In northern China, the shift from the development of the red clay formation to the large-scale deposition of loess marked an important climatic and geological event. A lot of researchers in China thus put the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary at the contact between loess and red clay deposit. However, problems remain to be solved on the accurate dating,

Geochemical study of boron isotopes in the process of loess weathering

In this paper the boron contents and boron isotopic composition of acid-soluble phases in loess and paleosol samples are determined for the first time. The boron contents of acid-soluble phases in the Luochuan loess section (S0 S2) vary within the range of (0.8—2.7)?0-6 and their d 11B values vary from 1.8?to +18.6? mostly within the range of 0—+10? The boron contents and d 11B values of paleosol layers are higher than those of loess layers, especially in the loess layer S1. Varying chemical weathering intensity and loess adsorption capability are the main fac-tors leading to the variations of boron contents and d 11B values of acid-soluble phases in the loess section. The variation of chemical weathering intensity in response to the variation of climatic con-ditions seems to be the main factor leading to the variations of boron contents andδ11B values of acid-soluble phases in the loess section.