Astronomical calibration of loess-paleosol deposits at Luochuan, central Chinese Loess Plateau

The 140 m loess-paleosol profile at Luochuan in the central Chinese Loess Plateau was sampled at 5-cm intervals in loess units and at 3 cm in paleosol units, in order to obtain a high resolution climatic record covering the past 2.5 million years. All samples were measured for magnetic susceptibilit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
Main Authors: Lu, HU, Liu, XD, Zhang, FQ, An, ZS, Dodson, J
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV 1999
Subjects:
loess deposits
time scale
orbital tuning
central Chinese Loess Plateau
Physical Geography
Geology
Paleontology
MATUYAMA MAGNETIC REVERSAL
NORTH-ATLANTIC
TIME-SCALE
ICE AGES
CLIMATE
RECORD
Geography
Physical
Geosciences
Multidisciplinary
North Atlantic
Online Access:http://ir.ieecas.cn/handle/361006/11860
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-0182(99)00113-3
Description
Summary:The 140 m loess-paleosol profile at Luochuan in the central Chinese Loess Plateau was sampled at 5-cm intervals in loess units and at 3 cm in paleosol units, in order to obtain a high resolution climatic record covering the past 2.5 million years. All samples were measured for magnetic susceptibility, which is regarded as a good proxy index of the East Asian summer monsoon strength. On the basis of the astronomical theory of Pleistocene climatic change, an age model of the Luochuan loess-paleosol sequence was developed by tuning the magnetic susceptibility record to time-series of insolation changes. The results show that the ages of the boundaries between the Malan and Lishi, and Lishi and Wucheng loess formations are 71 and 1320 kyr BP, respectively. The onset of loess accumulation is at 2470 kyr BP, Our age model was tested by comparing the orbitally derived ages with absolute age determinations of magnetic reversals, and cross-spectrum analyzing with solar radiation variations for summer at 65 degrees N. These indicate that the calibration provides a reliable time scale for the Luochuan loess-paleosol deposit. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

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