Evaluating OSL-SAR protocols for dating quartz grains from the loess in Ili Basin,Central Asia

Late Pleistocene records of loess deposition are a critical archive for understanding terrestrial paleoenvironment changes in Central Asia. The age of loess is not well known for the deserts regions and surrounding high plateaus in Central Asia. Previous studies have shown that there remains a disparity between ages for loess deposition by luminescence and ¹⁴C dating. This study evaluates the potential of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) to date a loess sequence resting on fluvial sands in the east Ili Basin, Central Asia. The single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol on coarse grain quartz was employed for equivalent dose determinations. The basal fluvial sand returned a secure OSL age, with low overdispersion value in equivalent doses (19 ± 2%) of ca. 36 ka and provides a close, but maximum age estimate (within 5 ka) on the initiation of loess deposition. However, the loess yielded high overdispersion values for equivalent doses and age reversals, coincident with diffuse paleosols; indicating that pedoturbation with loess deposition may be a dominant process. OSL ages between ca. 45 and 14 ka calculated using a maximum age model and OSL ages from other sites in the Basin suggests that the latest major period of loess deposition was between 70 and 10 ka ago. A future hypothesis to test based on these analyses is that there may be three periods of heightened loess deposition at ca. 45, 35 to 19 and 14 ka, when desert source areas to the west were particularly dry.     

过去2．5百万年间黄土与深海古气候变化周期的对比分析

过去２．５Ｍａ间宝鸡黄土粒度记录和深海氧同位素曲线的Ｆｏｕｒｉｅｒ功率谱分析结果表明：在１．６Ｍａ以上部分，两者的周期性相当一致；但在２．５-１．６Ｍａ时段，两者的周期记录差异很大．深海氧同位素曲线记录的全球大陆冰量变化周期以与地轴倾斜度有关的０．０４１Ｍａ为主，而黄土粒度曲线记录的内陆风力强度变化周期则以与偏心率有关的０．４Ｍａ和０．１Ｍａ为主．造成这种异同的原因是：在２．５-１．６Ｍａ时段，内陆风力强度变化主要受地球轨道变化驱动，而从１．６Ｍａ前开始，转而主要受全球大陆冰量变化驱动．     

Characteristics of particle size distributions for the collapsed riverbank along the desert reach of the upper Yellow River

As a result of the interaction between hydrodynamics and the effects of gravity, riverbank collapse is a common occurrence in the desert reach of the upper Yellow River (also called as Ningxia-Mongolia Inner reach), of which the riverbank may be divided into three types such as sandy riverbank in the wide-valley desert reach, silt-deposition riverbank on the fluvial plain and silt–sandy riverbank. The char-acteristics of both typical riverbank collapse and the particle size distributions (PSDs) for collapsed riverbanks of sandy, silt-deposition, and silt–sandy types were determined from analysis of data obtained from the field observations. It was found that particles from the silt-deposition riverbank had the smallest median size and those from the sandy riverbank the largest, with those from the silt–sandy riverbank being intermediate in size. The PSDs of the sandy and silt-deposition riverbanks exhibited double-peaked and single-peaked structures, respectively, while those of the silt–sandy riverbank exhibited multiple peaks. Furthermore, the corresponding to three kinds of riverbank collapse mechanisms were revealed. These results are significant with regard both to the understanding of river dynamics and to the planning of river harnessing projects.     

中主应力对击实黄土强度和变形特性的影响

为研究中主应力对击实黄土强度和变形特性的影响,利用空心圆柱扭剪仪对击实黄土进行主应力轴方向为0°的定向剪切试验,重点探讨中主应力系数b对剪切过程中击实黄土强度和变形的影响。试验结果表明,在不同中主应力系数下试样的广义剪应力-应变曲线发展模式基本相同,其曲线差异不显著,剪切后期试样表现出显著的延性特性。中主应力对击实黄土的强度影响较大,b=0.25时归一化强度最大,而b=0.5时最小。当b从0到0.25时强度增加;当b=0.25时强度达到峰值,随着b的继续增加,强度迅速减小;当b=0.5时强度达到最小值,随着b的进一步增加,强度先增大后减小。随着中主应力系数b的增加,击实黄土的有效内摩擦角呈现增大的趋势,强度参数在b=0时最小,b=0.75时最大,b=1(三轴拉伸)高于b=0(三轴压缩)。     

A simple model accounting for the uptake,transport, and deposition of wind‐eroded mineral particles in the hyperarid coastal Atacama Desert of northern Chile

As previously observed in marine sediments collected downwind of African or South American continental sources, recent studies of sediment cores collected at the bottom of Mejillones Bay in north Chile (23°S) show a laminated structure in which the amount of particles of aeolian origin and their size create significant differences between the layers. This suggests inter‐annual to inter‐decadal variations in the strength of the local southerly winds responsible for (1) the erosion of the adjacent hyperarid surface of the Mejillones Pampa, and (2) the subsequent transport of the eroded particles towards the bay. A simple model accounting for the vertical uptake, transport, and deposition of the particles initially set into motion by wind at the surface of the pampa is proposed. This model, which could be adapted to other locations, assumes that the initial rate of (vertical) uptake is proportional to the (horizontal) saltation flux quantified by means of White's equation, that particles are lifted to a height (H), increasing with the magnitude of turbulence, and that sedimentation progressively removes the coarsest particles from the air column as it moves towards the bay. In this model, the proportionality constant (A) linking the vertical flux of particles with the horizontal flux, and the injection height (H) control the magnitude and size distribution of the deposition flux in the bay. Their values are determined using the wind speed measured over the pampa and the size distribution of particles collected in sediment traps deployed in the bay as constraints. After calibration, the model is used to assess the sensitivity of the deposition flux to the wind intensity variations. The possibility of performing such quantitative studies is necessary for interpreting precisely the variability of the aeolian material in the sediment cores collected at the bottom of Mejillones Bay. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flow Characteristics of Large-Scale Liquefaction-Slip of the Loess Strata in Shibei Tableland, Guyuan City, Induced by the 1920 Haiyuan M8 1/2 Earthquake

Based on the dynamic triaxial liquefaction test of the loess samples which are taken from Shibei tableland, Guyuan City, Ningxia, China, the characteristics of dynamic strain, dynamic stress and pore water pressure are studied under cyclic loading. Triaxial shear test is conducted immediately after the sample reaches liquefaction point. During the test, the property of the liquefied soil is analyzed through fluid mechanics method, whereby the fluidity of the liquefied soil is represented by apparent viscosity.The results show that the fluidity of liquefied loess changes from "shear thickening" to "shear thinning" as the shear force continues, and the fluidity of liquefied loess is closely related to its structure. In addition, in the process of forming a new stable state, the apparent viscosity and deviant stress change with axial strain in a similar approach. When the sample reaches its stable state, it meanwhile shows a relatively stable apparent viscosity. According to the fluid mechanics and the law of conservation of energy, the slip distance of the liquefied soil is estimated, and the results are in good agreement with the field investigation results.     

The control of wind strength on the barchan to parabolic dune transition

The evolution of barchan-to-parabolic dunes can be driven by vegetation establishment, which may be linked to climate change and/or human activity. However, little is known of the impact of changes in wind strength on vegetation development and the resulting impacts on the evolution of dune morphology and sedimentological characteristics. To address this issue, we studied the morphology and grain-size characteristics of barchan, barchan-to-parabolic and parabolic dunes in the Mu Us Desert in north China, which was combined with an analysis of changes in normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and climatic variables during 1982–2018. The results reveal a trend of increasing growing-season NDVI which was related to a significant decrease in drift potential (DP). Therefore, we suggest that the initiation of dune transformation was caused by the reduced wind strength which favored the establishment and development of vegetation. To reveal the response of sedimentological reorganization during the processes of dune transformation, grain-size characteristics along the longitudinal profile of the three different types of dunes were examined. The decreasing wind strength led to the transport of fine sands on the upper part of the windward face of the dunes, resulting in a progressive coarsening of the grain-size distribution (GSD) and a reduction in dune height at the crest area. No distinct trend in sorting and mean grain-size was observed on the windward slope of the barchan-to-parabolic dune, indicating that the sand in transit had little influence on the GSD. Conversely, progressive sorting and coarsening of the sand occurred towards the crest of the parabolic dune. This indicates that vegetation development limited the transport of sand from upwind of the dune, and affected a shift in the dune source material to the underlying source deposits, or to reworked pre-existing aeolian deposits, and resulted in the trapping of sand in the crest area. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Loess in the Qinling Mountains and Its Records of Palaeoenvironmental Changes

The Fengzhou loess section is very typical in the Qinling Mountains. The section, which is about 82 m thick and underlain by Neogene red clays, consists of 33 layers of loess and 33 layers of palaeosol. It covers the Brunhes normal polarity zone and Matuyama reversed polarity zone, and the B/ M boundary is located in the middle part of loess layer 8 (L8). The loess of the Matuyama reversed polarity zone records the Jaramillo, Olduvai and Reunion normal polarity subchrons. The boundary between the Matuyama reversed polarity zone and Gauss normal polarity zone (M / Ga) appears on the lithological boundary between loess and Neogene red clays. Loess accumulation in the Fengzhou section started before 2.48 Ma B.P. Based on the stratigraphical structure, the material composition and magnetic susceptibility curve of the Fengzhou loess section, the palaeoclimatic changes during the last 2.48 Ma in the Qinling Mountains are subdivided into 66 cold-dry and warm-humid stages, equivalent to 33 climatic cycles. The     

Experimental study on the dynamic modulus of compacted loess under bidirectional dynamic load

The dynamic characteristics of compacted loess are of great significance to the seismic construction of the Loess Plateau area in Northwest China, where earthquakes frequently occur. To study the change in the dynamic modulus of the foundation soil under the combined action of vertical and horizontal earthquakes, a hollow cylindrical torsion shear instrument capable of vibrating in four directions was used to perform two-way coupling of compression and torsion of Xi'an compacted loess under different dry density and deviator stress ratios. The results show that increasing the dry density can improve the initial dynamic compression modulus and initial dynamic shear modulus of compacted loess. With an increase in the deviator stress ratio, the initial dynamic compression modulus increases, to a certain extent, but the initial dynamic shear modulus decreases slightly. The dynamic modulus gradually decreases with the development of dynamic strain and tends to be stable, and the dynamic modulus that reaches the same strain increases with an increasing dry density. At the initial stage of dynamic loading, the attenuation of the dynamic shear modulus with the strain development is faster than that of the dynamic compression modulus. Compared with previous research results, it is determined that the dynamic modulus of loess under bidirectional dynamic loading is lower and the attenuation rate is faster than that under single-direction dynamic loading. The deviator stress ratio has a more obvious effect on the dynamic compression modulus. The increase in the deviator stress ratio can increase the dynamic compression modulus, to a certain extent. However, the deviator stress ratio has almost no effect on the dynamic shear modulus, and can therefore be ignored.     

Fluoride enrichment in aquifers of the Thar Desert: controlling factors and its geochemical modelling

The groundwater is the only source of drinking water in the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, India. The study area is a part of the Thar Desert. It has low and scattered population and no industries; hence, the possibility of anthropogenic input of fluoride is almost negligible. Thus, the enrichment of fluoride is only possible due to geochemical processes taking place in the groundwater of the region. A total of 100 groundwater samples, 34 samples from Jaisalmer and 66 samples from the Pokharan administrative blocks, were collected. It was observed that the concentration of fluoride ranged from 0.08 mg/l to 4.56 mg/l in the groundwater of Jaisalmer and from 0.56 mg/l to 6.60 mg/l in the samples of the Pokharan block. The alkaline condition (average pH, 7.7 ± 0.22 and 8.01 ± 0.25 in Jaisalmer and the Pokharan administrative block, respectively) in the region favours fluorite dissolution. Ion exchange, dissolution of calcite, semi‐arid climate, alkaline conditions and weathering are responsible for fluoride enrichment in the groundwater of the study area. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.