Spatial-temporal Characteristics of Holocene Paleosols in the Chinese Loess Plateau and Paleoclimatic Significance

The evolution of Holocene climate was investigated using grain size and magnetic susceptibility of the Holocene paleosols from Baicaoyuan (BCY), Xifeng (XF) and Linyou (LY) sections in the northwest, central and southern Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP). The results show that the Holocene in the BCY, XF and LY paleosol sections could be divided into three phases: during the early Holocene (11.8–10.5 kyr B. P.), increased magnetic susceptibility (χ) and frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility (χfd) and decreased median grain size (Md) indicate that the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) has become more intense and the climate has changed from cold to warm. During the middle Holocene (10.5–5.0 kyr B. P.), the values of χ, χfd and 2–5 µm grain-size fraction (GT2/5) are higher and Md and 30–63 µm grain-size fraction (GT30/63) are the lowest, which reflect a warm and humid regional climate. At ∼ 8.0 kyr B. P., there was a transient dry-cold climatic spike corresponding to a Heinrich Event, the cold event was likely due to the collapse of the Laurentide ice sheet. During the late Holocene (5.0–0 kyr B. P.), χ and χfd values are the lowest, while Md and GT30/63 are high, as proxies of a weakened EASM, when the dry-cold climate prevailed in the region. Decreased irradiance since 5.0 kyr B.P. may have caused climatic cooling and drying. Spatially, the increased main peak values and skewness from BCY, XF to LY sections show that the grain size became fine, the East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM) reduced, and climate was warmer and wetter from northwest to southeast. In addition, Md can be used as alternative proxy for EAWM, while χfd is positive with the intensity of EASM under semiarid climate conditions in CLP.