Behaviours of REE and Other Trace Elements During Pedological Weathering-Evidence from Chemical Leaching of Loess and Palaeosol from the Luochuan Section in Central China

The chemical leaching method is used for a systematic analysis of distribution characteristics of acid-soluble and acid-insoluble REE and other trace elements from the Luochuan loess deposits. The study shows that the acid-insoluble phase in loess and palaeosol is a stable component of old aeolian dusts and is characteristic of the provenance; the acid-soluble phase is the unstable component in the weathering pedogenic process and reflects rock-forming features after accumulation of aeolian dusts. The acid-insoluble REE and acid-soluble Sr and Pb can be used as geochemical indicators respectively to trace the provenance characteristics and the weathering pedogenic process.