A magnetic investigation along a NW-SE transect of the Chinese loess plateau and its implications

An investigation of rock magnetic properties using the temperature-dependence of susceptibility (TDS) and Xray diffraction (XRD) analyses was conducted on specimens of the last glacial loess (LI) and the last interglacial soil (SI) along a NW-SE transect of the loess plateau in China Parallel subsamples were used for different heating/cooling runs in an argon atmosphere to detail the TDS characteristics. Also, "thermal pre-treatment" was carried out for investigating magnetic mineral changes under oxidizing conditions, We find that the TDS behavior in the temperature interval of 250-500 degreesC is useful in identifying the pedogenic maghemitized magnetite in both loess and paleosol, and that it can be used as a proxy of the degree of pedogenesis, which is closely linked to climatic conditions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.