黄土高原西北缘末次冰期晚期以来黄土沉积物的岩石磁学性质

以黄土高原西北缘的靖远和古浪剖面(包含黄土层L1上部和占土壤层SO)作为研究对象,选取代表性样品进行磁化率、频率磁化率、热磁曲线、等温剩磁获得曲线和磁滞回线等测定.结果表明,靖远和古浪L1黄土和SO古土壤具有相似的岩石磁学特征.磁性矿物含量相对较低,载磁矿物均以磁铁矿为主,同时含有磁赤铁矿和赤铁矿,且SO占土壤中的磁赤...     

Detrital and pedogenic magnetic mineral phases in the loess/palaeosol sequence at Lingtai (Central Chinese Loess Plateau)

A detailed rock magnetic investigation of loess/palaeosol samples from the section at Lingtai on the central Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) is presented. Thermal demagnetisation of isothermal remanent magnetisation (IRM) and Curie temperature measurements suggest the presence of magnetite, maghemite and hematite as remanence carrying components. Bulk and grain size fractionated samples have been analysed using coercivity spectra of remanence acquisition/demagnetisation curves, which identify four main remanence carriers in different grain size fractions of loesses and palaeosols. A linear source mixing model quantifies the contribution of the four components which have been experimentally derived as dominating endmembers in specific grain size fractions. Up to two thirds of the total IRM of the palaeosols are due to slightly oxidised pedogenic magnetite. Two detrital components dominate up to 90% of the IRM of the loess samples and are ascribed to maghemite of different oxidation degree. Detrital hematite is present in all samples and contributes up to 10% of the IRM. The iron content of the grain size fractions gives evidence that iron in pedogenically grown remanence carriers does not originate from the detrital iron oxides, but rather from iron-bearing clays and mafic silicates. The contribution of pedogenic magnetite to the bulk IRM increases with the increasing degree of pedogenesis, which depends in turn on climate change.     

Rock magnetic properties of a loess-paleosol couple along an N-S transect in the Chinese Loess Plateau

We have conducted detailed rock magnetic experiments on samples from loess unit 8 (L8) and paleosol unit 8 (S8) in Jingbian, Yichuan and Duanjiapo loess sections along an N-S transect in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Major rock magnetic results are as follows: (i) An increase of high field susceptibility (χ_h) in the same level of loess or paleosol from north to south is observed, suggesting an enhancement of pedogenesis. (ii) The low field susceptibility(χL) in loess unit L8 is almost the same in three sections. In contrast, the χ_L of paleosol unit S8 in Yichuan is highest, and the χ_L of Duanjiapo is lower than that in Yichuan section, suggesting that there is not correlation between the χ_L and the degree of pedogenesis in loess-paleosols. (iii) With the increasing of χ_L, both the contents of the superparamagnetic (SP) and the ferrimagnetic grains in loess-paleosol increase, however, the enhancement of magnetic susceptibility is probably dependent more on the increase of the ferrimagnetic concentration than on a change in the grain size. (iv) The content of the maghemite in loess unit 8 increases from the northern to the southern part of the Chinese Loess Plateau, and is positively correlated with the pedogenesis of the loess.     

Characteristics and genesis of maghemite in Chinese loess and paleosols: Mechanism for magnetic susceptibility enhancement in paleosols

Morphological characteristics and microstructures of magnetic minerals extracted from Chinese loess and paleosols were investigated using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Our results indicate that maghemite in loess–paleosol sequences was transformed from magnetite through oxidation of magnetite. Maghemite transformed from eolian magnetite during chemical weathering has low-angle grain boundaries among maghemite nano-crystals. Some nano-crystalline maghemites with nanoporous texture resulted from microbe-induced precipitation of magnetite or transformation of poorly crystalline ferric Fe (oxy)hydroxides in presence of Fe-reducing bacteria. Aggregates of euhedral maghemite nano-crystals were transformed from magnetite magnetosomes. Both microbe-induced nanoporous magnetite and microbe-produced magnetite magnetosomes are directly related to microbial activities and pedogenesis of the paleosols. It is proposed that the formation of nano-crystalline maghemite with superparamagnetic property in paleosol results in the enhancement of magnetic susceptibility, although the total amount (weight percent) of magnetic minerals in both paleosol and loess units is similar. Our results also show that nano-crystalline and nanoporous magnetite grains prefer to transform into maghemite in semi-arid soil environments instead of hematite, although hematite is a thermodynamically stable phase. This result also indicates that a decrease in crystal size will increase stability of maghemite. It is also inferred that surface energy of maghemite is lower than that of hematite.     

Transformation relationship among different magnetic minerals within loess-paleosol sediments of the Chinese Loess Plateau

The dominant magnetic minerals and carriers of magnetic signals within the Chinese Loess Plateau are magnetite, maghemite, hematite, and goethite. In this study, we investigated the provenance and evolution of magnetic minerals during loess pedogenesis, using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical and electron microscopy, including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Our results reveal that single- and multiphase mineral assemblages among magnetic minerals in the loess-paleosol sequence have been formed. Partial oxidation of coarse eolian magnetite has occurred in the desert source area and the oxidation degree is enhanced after deposition of the dust upon the Chinese Loess Plateau. This mode of origin resulted in a microtexture consisting of an inner magnetite core surrounded by a hematite rim, and strongly affected the magnetic characteristics of the loess. Goethite coexists with hematite in the loess and paleosol, and nanometer-scale hematite is formed upon goethite rims via dehydration. Our study provides direct mineralogical evidence of the magnetic record and paleoclimatic implications of the loess-paleosol sequence of the Chinese Loess Plateau. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40772032 and 40573054) and National Basic Research Program (Grant No. 2007CB815603)     

Magnetic indicator of global paleoclimate cycles in Siberian loess–paleosol sequences

The loess–paleosol sequences of China, Siberia, Alaska and many other regions, along with lake sediments and glaciers, provide the only accurate paleoclimatic terrestrial records for intervals of thousands to hundreds of thousand years. The frequency dependence (FD) of magnetic susceptibility (MS) in such sequences has become the leading parameter for analyzing climatic change and Milankovitch (astronomical) periodicity in Siberian sequences; it is always higher in soil horizons than in loess. The enhanced FD parameter in soils is associated with ferromagnetic minerals, mostly magnetite, produced during pedogenesis. The MS and FD parameters of 670 samples from five sections in Siberia are reported here. Inter-section correlation is used to produce a combined FD time series for the studied sections. Chronological control is established by absolute dating and stratigraphic correlation. Spectral analysis of the FD time series reveals the presence of Milankovitch signals at ～100 kyr (eccentricity), ～40 kyr (obliquity) and ～23 kyr (precession) and demonstrates that Siberian loess–paleosol sequences are excellent continental recorders of long-term paleoclimatic changes. This suggests that the FD parameter can potentially be used more widely for evaluation of climate periodicity in loess/paleosol sequences in other parts of the world.     

Transmission electron microscope and rock magnetic investigations of remanence carriers in a Precambrian metadolerite

A Precambrian metadolerite dyke has two distinct types of remanence carriers; those with medium/high coercivities (unblocking fields of 20–120 mT) and those with low coercivities (unblocking fields of <15 mT). Optical examination reveals numerous submicron probably opaque inclusions in the plagioclase feldspar and also large opaque grains consisting of coarse oxidation-exsolution intergrowths of magnetite and ilmenite. All opaque phases have been examined using transmission electron microscopy together with microanalysis and electron diffraction. The submicron inclusions in the plagioclase are titanomagnetites(0 < x ≤ 0.14) with a size range between about 0.01 and 0.5 μm and axial ratios between 1 (equidimensional) and about 0.3. Many of these inclusions fall in the single-domain field but some are probably pseudo-single-domain. The large opaque grains contain almost pure magnetite and ilmenite and show no fine-scale exsolution; the magnetite regions of the intergrowths are of multidomain size and reveal multidomain structure under Lorentz electron microscopy. There are also some primary ilmenites containing very fine exsolved haematite, and there are very fine plates of ilmenite and very elongate needles of magnetite within the augite. Experiments on artificial samples containing very carefully prepared separates of plagioclase and large opaque grains show that the pure plagioclase acquires a remanence with unblocking fields of 20–140 mT and blocking temperatures of 390–590°C and the large opaque grains acquire a remanence with unblocking fields of less than 15 mT but a wide range of blocking temperatures up to about 570°C. It is concluded that the medium/high coercivity component of remanence in the rock is carried largely or possibly entirely by the submicron magnetites within the plagioclase and that the low coercivity component is carried largely or entirely by the multidomain magnetites in the large opaques. The contribution of the magnetite needles in the augite is uncertain as the rock does not contain any detectable component of remanence with the extremely high coercivities expected from their very elongate shape.     

Palaeomagnetism of the loess/palaeosol sequence in Viatovo (NE Bulgaria) in the Danube basin

The results of a palaeomagnetic investigation of a 27 m thick loess/palaeosol sequence in Viatovo (NE Bulgaria) are presented in this paper. The sequence consists of topsoil S₀, seven loess horizons (L₁–L₇) and six interbedded palaeosols (S₁–S₆) overlying a red clay (terra rossa) complex. Magnetic viscosity experiments, IRM acquisition, AMS analysis and NRM stepwise alternating and thermal demagnetisation experiments of pilot samples were implemented for precise determination of the characteristic remanence and construction of a reliable magnetostratigraphical scheme. Analysis of IRM acquisition curves using the expectation – maximization algorithm of Heslop et al. [Heslop, D., Dekkers, M., Kruiver, P., van Oorschot, H., 2002. Analysis of isothermal remanent magnetization acquisition curves using the expectation – maximization algorithm. Geophys. J. Int., 148, 58–64] suggests that the best fitting is obtained by three coercivity components. Component 1 corresponds to SD maghemite/magnetite, while component 2 is probably related to the presence of oxidised detrital magnetites. The third component shows varying coercivities depending on the degree of pedogenic alteration of the samples and probably reflects the presence of detrital magnetite grains oxidised at different degree.

The relevance of the Viatovo section as a key representative sequence for the loess cover in the Danube basin is confirmed by the presence of geomagnetic polarity changes in the lower part of the sequence. The youngest one recorded in the seventh loess unit L₇ can be identified as corresponding to the Matuyama/Brunhes palaeomagnetic polarity transition. Two normal magnetozones were found in the red clay complex, probably corresponding to the Jaramillo and Olduvai subchronozones of the Matuyama chron.     

Distribution of Rb and Sr in the Luochuan loess- paleosol sequence of China during the last 800 ka

The concentrations of Rb and Sr, and magnetic susceptibility in loess and paleosol samples from the Luochum profile have been measured. The loess units deposited in different geological periods display a very similar pattern of Rb and Sr distribution while paleosol units exhibit a dramatic increase in the Rb/Sr ratio, ranging from 20% to 120% in increase amplitude. Owing to different geochemical behavior of the two elements, Rb appears to be immobile while Sr appears to be mobile in the processes of weathering and pedogenesis. So variations of the Rb/Sr ratio in the loess-paleosol sequences could reflect intensities of weathering and pedogenesis, thus recording the relative wind strength of the East Asian summer monsoon circulation. This could be supported by the high degree of cornlation between the Rb/Sr ratio and the magnetic susceptibility. A continuous record of the Rb/Sr ratio in the Luochuan profile over the last 800 ka bears a striking resemblance to the δ¹⁸ O curve of the deep sea sediments and is in accordance with the SPECMAP chronology. Such similarity between the terrestrial and the deep sea records suggests that variability in global ice volume is a primary dynamic factor controlling long-term changes of the East Asian summer monsoon intensity. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49725307).     

Seepage mechanisms and permeability differences between loess and paleosols in the critical zone of the Loess Plateau

The soil in the Loess Plateau has special permeability characteristics due to the alternating distribution of loess and paleosol layers. Using an analysis of the physical properties, microstructure and thermogravimetric analysis of loess and paleosol, this paper examines strata seepage mechanisms in the loess tableland area and considers the applicability of a hydraulic conductivity empirical formula. The analysis shows that hydraulic conductivity attenuation with depth can be represented by a negative exponential model, while hydraulic conductivity values are not normally distributed. The best-fitting models of hydraulic conductivity in the horizontal (K_H) and vertical (K_V) directions are Gaussian models, and both have strong spatial correlations. This study of the difference in permeability between loess and paleosol found that the depositional environment was the dominant causal factor, making the average hydraulic conductivity of most loess layers greater than that of the underlying paleosol layers. Different microstructures between loess and paleosol also confirmed the microscopic explanation in permeability anisotropy and their permeability difference. Thermogravimetric analysis determined temperature ranges for different types of water lost by heat, and then calculated ratios of bound water mass to liquid limit, with an average of 0.768. A modified formula suitable for loess was obtained by integrating the consistency index method and effective porosity ratio model into the hydraulic conductivity empirical formula. Compared with the results of laboratory tests and uncorrected formulas, the modified formula provides a good estimate of strata hydraulic conductivity. Accurate understandings of seepage mechanisms and permeability differences in the loess area are important, promoting ecological restoration and providing scientific guidance for the sustainable development of the Loess Plateau.     

Mineral magnetic variation of the Jingbian loess/paleosol sequence in the northern Loess Plateau of China: Implications for Quaternary development of Asian aridification and cooling

A high-resolution mineral magnetic investigation has been carried out on the Jingbian loess/paleosol sequence at the northern extremity of the Chinese Loess Plateau. Results show that the magnetic assemblage is dominated by large pseudo-single domain and multidomain-like magnetite with associated maghemite and hematite. Variations in the ratios of SIRM_100mT/SIRM, SIRM_100mT/SIRM_30mT and SIRM_100mT/SIRM_60mT (SIRM is the saturation isothermal remanent magnetization; SIRM_nmT represents the residual SIRM after an n mT alternating field demagnetization) have been used to document regional paleoclimate change in the Asian interior by correlating the mineral magnetic record with the composite δ¹⁸O record in deep-sea sediments. The long-term up-section decreasing trend in those ratios in both loess and paleosol units has been attributed to a long-term decrease in the relative contributions of eolian hematite during glacial extrema and of pedogenic hematite during interglacial extrema, respectively, which reveals a long-term decreasing trend in chemical weathering intensity in both glacial-stage source region (the Gobi and deserts in northwestern China) and interglacial-stage depositional area (the Loess Plateau region). We further relate this long-timescale variation to long-term increasing aridification and cooling, during both glacial extrema in the dust source region and interglacial extrema in the depositional area, over the Quaternary period. Changes in those ratios are most likely due to Quaternary aridification and cooling driven by ongoing global cooling, expansion of the Arctic ice-sheet, and progressive uplift of the Himalayan–Tibetan complex during this period.     

Magnetic Anisotropy as an Aid to Identifying CRM and DRM in Red Sedimentary Rocks

To further evaluate the potential of magnetic anisotropy techniques for determining the origin of the natural remanent magnetization (NRM) in sedimentary rocks, several new remanence anisotropy measurement techniques were explored. An accurate separation of the remanence anisotropy of magnetite and hematite in the same sedimentary rock sample was the goal.In one technique, Tertiary red and grey sedimentary rock samples from the Orera section (Spain) were exposed to 13 T fields in 9 different orientations. In each orientation, alternating field (af) demagnetization was used to separate the magnetite and hematite contributions of the high field isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM). Tensor subtraction was used to calculate the magnetite and hematite anisotropy tensors. Geologically interpretable fabrics did not result, probably because of the presence of goethite which contributes to the IRM. In the second technique, also applied to samples from Orera, an anisotropy of anhysteretic remanence (AAR) was applied in af fields up to 240 mT to directly measure the fabric of the magnetite in the sample. IRMs applied in 2 T fields followed by 240 mT af demagnetization, and thermal demagnetization at 90°C to remove the goethite contribution, were used to independently measure the hematite fabric in the same samples. This approach gave geologically interpretable results with minimum principal axes perpendicular to bedding, suggesting that the hematite and magnetite grains in the Orera samples both carry a depositional remanent magnetization (DRM). In a third experiment, IRMs applied in 13 T fields were used to measure the magnetic fabric of samples from the Dome de Barrot area (France). These samples had been demonstrated to have hematite as their only magnetic mineral. The fabrics that resulted were geologically interpretable, showing a strong NW-SE horizontal lineation consistent with AMS fabrics measured in the same samples. These fabrics suggest that the rock's remanence may have been affected by strain and could have originated as a DRM or a CRM.Our work shows that it is important to account for the presence of goethite when using high field IRMs to measure the remanence anisotropy of hematite-bearing sedimentary rocks. It also shows that very high magnetic fields (>10 T) may be used to measure the magnetic fabric of sedimentary rocks with highly coercive magnetic minerals without complete demagnetization between each position, provided that the field magnetically saturates the rock.     

Remanent hysteresis study of dolerite dykes

Saturation remanent hysteresis studies were carried out on numerous dolerite dyke samples from the peninsular India. These studies result in four types of remanent hysteresis curves which indicate that the magnetic material is magnetite or titanomagnetite with variable grain-size having remanent coercive forces (H _cr ) of 8 to 30 mT, requiring saturating fields (H _s ) up to 250 mT. Two extreme types of samples with (1) low coercive forces requiring high saturating fields and (2) high coercive forces requiring low saturating fields are noticed along with the generally observed ones. The Granulometric and Lowrie-Fuller Tests on these samples indicated that the magnetic material i.e., magnetite or titanomagnetite in these rocks is in the form of Multi-Domain (MD), Cation Deficient (CD) and a mixture of these two forms (MD+CD) within.     

Submicroscopic texture in titanomagnetite grains in basalt studied using the torque magnetometer and electron microscope

Samples of basalt containing homogeneous titanomagnetite have been subjected to heat treatment in air, in the laboratory, under conditions which produce multiphase oxidation products. The evolution of the microstructure in the titanomagnetite was monitored using the electron microscope and by measuring the rotational-hysteresis characteristics of the samples. This latter technique proves to be very sensitive to small changes which are undetectable by the optical or electron microscopes. Rotational-hysteresis curves and coercivity spectra, derived from acquisition of IRM and AF demagnetization of IRM, all indicate an appreciable fraction of coercivities in excess of 1 kOe in optically homogeneous (Class I) titanomagnetitie with submicroscopic microstructure. It is possible to divide Class I of the petrological scale into three or four subclasses. Class-I basalts may be assigned to the subclasses on the basis of the effect of slight laboratory heating on the rotational-hysteresis characteristic.     

The application of high resolution IRM acquisition to the discrimination of remanence carriers in Chinese loess

Summary High resolution isothermal remanent magnetisation (IRM) acquisition was performed on forty-one Chinese loess samples with the aim of investigating the effects of weathering on the remanence carrying mineralogy. Magnetic susceptibility was taken as a measure of the degree of weathering. This is a valid assumption based on previous studies which have demonstrated a close relationship between climate and magnetic susceptibility in the Chinese loess. Detailed analysis, based on fitting accumulative log-gaussian curves to IRM acquisition data, reveals up to four distinct coercivity components. The remanences of the two harder coercivity components are found to be almost independent of magnetic susceptibility. On the other hand, the remanences of the two softer coercivity components are found to be positively correlated with magnetic susceptibility. Most probably the two harder components are associated with detrital iron-oxides in the primary dustfall, whereas the softer components were created during pedogenesis.     

Rock magnetic properties and ore microscopy of the iron ore deposit of Las Truchas, Michoacan, Mexico

Iron ore and host rocks have been sampled (90 oriented samples from 19 sites) from the Las Truchas mine, western Mexico. A broad range of magnetic parameters have been studied to characterize the samples: saturation magnetization, Curie temperature, density, susceptibility, remanence intensity, Koenigsberger ratio, and hysteresis parameters. Magnetic properties are controlled by variations in titanomagnetite content, deuteric oxidation, and hydrothermal alteration. Las Truchas deposit formed by contact metasomatism in a Mesozoic volcano-sedimentary sequence intruded by a batholith, and titanomagnetites underwent intermediate degrees of deuteric oxidation. Post-mineralization hydrothermal alteration, evidenced by pyrite, epidote, sericite, and kaolin, seems to be the major event that affected the minerals and magnetic properties. Magnetite grain sizes in iron ores range from 5 to >200 μm, which suggest dominance of multidomain (MD) states. Curie temperatures are 580±5°C, characteristic of magnetite. Hysteresis parameters indicate that most samples have MD magnetite, some samples pseudo-single domain (PSD), and just a few single domain (SD) particles. AF demagnetization and IRM acquisition indicate that NRM and laboratory remanences are carried by MD magnetite in iron ores and PSD–SD magnetite in host rocks. The Koenigsberger ratio falls in a narrow range between 0.1 and 10, indicating the significance of MD and PSD magnetites.     

Magnetic properties of Jiaxian red clay sequences from northern Chinese Loess Plateau and its paleoclimatic significance

Rock magnetism research on eolian deposits from the Chinese Loess Plateau shows that magnetite, maghe- mite and hematite are the main magnetic minerals in loess-paleosol sequences and red clay se-quences[1―8], and finds that the magnetic susceptibility increase is positively correlated to the content of ultra-fine minerals and relatively strong pedogene- sis[7―15]. This offers significant information in studying the Late Cenozoic paleoclimatic history of Chinese Loess Plateau[1,5―8,10―22…     

The characteristics,origins, and geodynamic settings of supergiant gold metallogenic provinces

An investigation of the rock magnetic properties using stepwise isothermal remanence (IRM) acquisition, thermomagnetic analysis and temperature-dependent susceptibility history, identifies magnetite as the carrier of the main fraction of the remanence, associated with maghemite and hematite in Malan loess (L1), Holocene soil (S0) and last-glacial paleosol (S1). The presence of short-lived direction fluctuations indicates that no significant smoothing occurs in L1 when its remanence is locked, and thus L1 is capable of recording the geomagnetic secular variation (PSV), while the PSV has been severely smoothed or wiped out by pedogenic processes during S1 formation. It has been suggested that the Mono Lake and Laschamp excursions are two independent geomagnetic events based on this study.     

Rock-magnetic properties of topsoils and urban dust from Morelia (>800,000 inhabitants), Mexico: Implications for anthropogenic pollution monitoring in Mexico’s medium size cities

In this work, we investigate the correlation between some magnetic parameters and the level of contamination by heavy metals in urban soils from Morelia city, western Mexico. The magnetic study was carried out on 98 urban soils samples belonging to distinct land uses. Most of analyzed samples contain ferrimagnetic minerals as the responsible for magnetization, most probably corresponding to the titanomagnetites/ titanomaghemites solid solutions. This is inferred from the susceptibility vs. temperature measurements and the isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) experiments. These measurements also indicate that most of samples are almost completely saturated before 300 mT. Additionally, the S_-200 values (S_-200 = IRM_-200/ SIRM, where IRM_-200= Back-field of 200 mT after magnetic saturation) are between 0.7 and 1.0, characteristic of low coercivity magnetic minerals. The averaged saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM) curves can be used as an indicator of pollution level, as these curves show different saturation values according to the level of contamination by heavy metals: Cu, Ni, Cr and Sr. These associations of (titano)magnetite with heavy metals were observed by Scanning Electron Microscope revealing some complex aggregates rather than commonly detected spherules.     

Anhysteretic remanent magnetization: model of grain size distribution of spherical magnetite grains

A phenomenological model based on a linear relationship between the magnetic coercivity field and the reciprocal of the grain diameter is applied to explain the anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM) imparted to artificial samples with different concentrations of a very well characterized magnetite powder. By analyses of scanning electron microscopy images, the spherically shaped single domain synthetic magnetite is found to follow a lognormal grain size distribution with ~86 nm of mean diameter. The proposed model, fitted to ARM measurements up to a peak alternating field of 100 mT, yields a very good agreement. The coercivity behaviour predicted by micromagnetism theory disagrees with the experimental results of this work. A likely explanation for the discrepancy is that the magnetite particles, which consist of a mixture of grains in coherent rotation and curling modes, produce similar observations as domain processes.