Automated SEM-EDS heavy mineral analysis reveals no provenance shift between glacial loess and interglacial paleosol on the Chinese Loess Plateau

Understanding provenance of glacial loess and interbedded interglacial paleosol deposits on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) is important to understanding paleo-atmospheric circulation patterns. However, great debate exists about whether Chinese loess and paleosol deposits have similar provenance both spatially and temporally. Here we report heavy mineral assemblage results of two sets of loess–paleosol couplets (L1 and S1; L4 and S4) from western CLP based on scanning electron microscopy with linked energy dispersive spectrometers (SEM–EDS) analysis (QEMSCAN@). The results demonstrate no apparent provenance shift on the CLP between glacial and interglacial periods. Heavy mineral assemblage comparison between the western and the central CLP reveals no provenance shift spatially, either. Finally, a comparison of heavy mineral assemblage between loess–paleosol and potential source regions reveals that the western Mu Us desert, the Badain Jaran desert, the Ulan Buh desert as well as the Yellow river are likely key dust contributors for the CLP. In contrast, the northeastern Mu Us desert are less likely key dust sources for the CLP. The ultimate provenance history of the CLP relies no doubt on integrated provenance studies. However, due to its rapidity and robustness, integrated provenance analysis should incorporate the QEMSCAN-based heavy mineral analysis.

[1]  J. Kutzbach,et al.  Evolution of Asian monsoons and phased uplift of the Himalaya–Tibetan plateau since Late Miocene times , 2001, Nature.

[2]  G. Gehrels,et al.  Sediment delivery to the Cordilleran foreland basin: Insights from U-Pb ages of detrital zircons in Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous strata of the Colorado Plateau , 2008, American Journal of Science.

[3]  S. Gallet,et al.  Geochemical characterization of the Luochuan loess-paleosol sequence, China, and paleoclimatic implications , 1996 .

[4]  J. Saylor,et al.  Tracking exhumation of Andean ranges bounding the Middle Magdalena Valley Basin, Colombia , 2009 .

[5]  Jimin Sun,et al.  Spatial and temporal characteristics of dust storms in China and its surrounding regions, 1960-1999 : Relations to source area and climate , 2001 .

[6]  Hong Chang,et al.  Controlling factors on heavy mineral assemblages in Chinese loess and Red Clay , 2013 .

[7]  Gaojun Li,et al.  Binary sources of loess on the Chinese Loess Plateau revealed by U–Pb ages of zircon , 2013, Quaternary Research.

[8]  C. Knappett,et al.  Mineralogical analysis and provenancing of ancient ceramics using automated SEM-EDS analysis (QEMSCAN®): a pilot study on LB I pottery from Akrotiri, Thera , 2011 .

[9]  Shuzhen Peng,et al.  Spatial and glacial‐interglacial variations in provenance of the Chinese Loess Plateau , 2012 .

[10]  Jimin Sun,et al.  Temporal variations in Pb isotopes and trace element concentrations within Chinese eolian deposits during the past 8 Ma: Implications for provenance change , 2010 .

[11]  Huayu Lu,et al.  Assessing the provenance of loess and desert sediments in northern China using U-Pb dating and morphology of detrital zircons , 2010 .

[12]  J. King,et al.  AC magnetic susceptibility studies of Chinese red clay sediments between 4.8 and 4.1 Ma: Paleoceanographic and paleoclimatic implications , 2008 .

[13]  Atsushi Tani,et al.  Tracing the provenance of fine‐grained dust deposited on the central Chinese Loess Plateau , 2008 .

[14]  A. Resentini,et al.  Sediment recycling at convergent plate margins (Indo-Burman Ranges and Andaman–Nicobar Ridge) , 2013 .

[15]  Richard Arimoto,et al.  Dust emission from Chinese desert sources linked to variations in atmospheric circulation , 1997 .

[16]  Pieter Vermeesch,et al.  Genetic linkage between the Yellow River, the Mu Us desert and the Chinese Loess Plateau , 2013 .

[17]  Jimin Sun.  Nd and Sr isotopic variations in Chinese eolian deposits during the past 8 Ma: Implications for provenance change , 2005 .

[18]  Huayu Lu,et al.  An abrupt shift in dust source on the Chinese Loess Plateau revealed through high sampling resolution OSL dating , 2013 .

[19]  Jimin Sun,et al.  Re-arrangement of atmospheric circulation at about 2.6 Ma over northern China: evidence from grain size records of loess-palaeosol and red clay sequences , 2000 .

[20]  Lin Ding,et al.  Qaidam Basin and northern Tibetan Plateau as dust sources for the Chinese Loess Plateau and paleoclimatic implications , 2011 .

[21]  Gaojun Li,et al.  Evolving sources of eolian detritus on the Chinese Loess Plateau since early Miocene: Tectonic and climatic controls , 2013 .

[22]  S. Clemens,et al.  East Asian monsoon variability over the last seven glacial cycles recorded by a loess sequence from the northwestern Chinese Loess Plateau , 2006 .

[23]  Dongsheng Liu,et al.  Loess and the environment , 1985 .

[24]  Gaojun Li,et al.  Geochemical studies on the source region of Asian dust , 2011 .

[25]  M. Bickle,et al.  Reconstructing the exhumation history of the Lesser Himalaya, NW India, from a multitechnique provenance study of the foreland basin Siwalik Group , 2009 .

[26]  B. Maher,et al.  Spatial and temporal reconstructions of changes in the Asian palaeomonsoon: A new mineral magnetic approach. , 1994 .

[27]  S. Gallet,et al.  Geochemistry of the Xining, Xifeng and Jixian sections, Loess Plateau of China: eolian dust provenance and paleosol evolution during the last 140 ka , 2001 .

[28]  J. Ji,et al.  Natural and anthropogenic sources of East Asian dust , 2009 .

[29]  J. Saylor,et al.  Integrated provenance analysis of a convergent retroarc foreland system: U-Pb ages, heavy minerals, Nd isotopes, and sandstone compositions of the Middle Magdalena Valley basin, northern Andes, Colombia , 2012 .

[30]  Xingmin Meng,et al.  Provenance, transport and characteristics of modern aeolian dust in western Gansu Province, China, and interpretation of the Quaternary loess record , 1998 .