Sedimentation and diagenesis of Chinese loess: Implications for the preservation of continuous, high-resolution climate records

Research Article| October 01, 2006 Sedimentation and diagenesis of Chinese loess: Implications for the preservation of continuous, high-resolution climate records Thomas Stevens; Thomas Stevens 1Oxford University Centre for the Environment, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Simon J. Armitage; Simon J. Armitage 1Oxford University Centre for the Environment, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Huayu Lu; Huayu Lu 2Institute of Earth Environment-SKLLQG, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710075, China, and Department of Geography, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David S.G. Thomas David S.G. Thomas 3Oxford University Centre for the Environment, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Thomas Stevens 1Oxford University Centre for the Environment, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK Simon J. Armitage 1Oxford University Centre for the Environment, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK Huayu Lu 2Institute of Earth Environment-SKLLQG, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710075, China, and Department of Geography, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China David S.G. Thomas 3Oxford University Centre for the Environment, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 28 Nov 2005 Revision Received: 10 May 2006 Accepted: 18 May 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2006) 34 (10): 849–852. https://doi.org/10.1130/G22472.1 Article history Received: 28 Nov 2005 Revision Received: 10 May 2006 Accepted: 18 May 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Thomas Stevens, Simon J. Armitage, Huayu Lu, David S.G. Thomas; Sedimentation and diagenesis of Chinese loess: Implications for the preservation of continuous, high-resolution climate records. Geology 2006;; 34 (10): 849–852. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G22472.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Chinese loess has been extensively utilized to produce continuous and high-resolution climate records of the late Cenozoic. Such work assumes uninterrupted loess deposition and limited diagenesis. Here, closely spaced optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates are used to characterize the Holocene and Late Pleistocene sedimentation histories of three sites across a NW-SE transect of the Chinese Loess Plateau. The results suggest that sedimentation is episodic at subglacial-interglacial time scales, with rates rapidly varying within units and between sites. Unconformities, noneolian deposition, and mixing of sediments also appear to be common. Existing understanding of loess deposition therefore requires reexamination, while previous reconstructions of rapid climate change, not dated using absolute methods, should be regarded with caution. Loess deposits may still yield detailed climate records from specific high-sedimentation-rate strata, and evidence for rapid climate change may yet be obtainable by targeting these units through absolute dating. The rapid changes in sedimentation presented here indicate the East Asian Monsoon has the capacity to vary on millennial scales. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.