Separation of local signals from the regional paleomonsoon record of the Chinese Loess Plateau: A rock-magnetic approach

Abstract

We propose a method based on thermal unblocking of low-temperature saturation remanent magnetization for a quantitative estimation of the superparamagnetic [Cullity, 1972] fraction (size, d < 30 nm) of magnetite produced by pedogenesis in the Chinese loess plateau [Liu, 1988]. We applied this method to the proxy climatic records of the last 130 ka from two sites 250 km apart, but separated by the mountain range Liupan-shan. Xifeng to the east (35.7°N, 107.6°E) and Baicaoyuan to the west (36.2°N, 105.0°E) currently have humid and arid microclimates, respectively. As expected, the superparamagnetic fraction increases during known warm temperature intervals at each site. Furthermore, the more humid site clearly has higher overall superparamagnetic fractions during most of the last 130 ka. However, during the period 5 to 10 ka ago, the relative humidity at both sites was the same within experimental errors. Bulk grain size evidence confirms the magnetic data, and we suggest that the present easterly summer monsoon in China came from a more southerly direction during this time to flow parallel to Liupan-shan, resulting in very similar summer humidity at Xifeng and Baicaoyuan.