Loess stratigraphy of the Lanzhou profile and its comparison with deep-sea sediment and ice core record

After summarizing the results of Quaternary climatic fluctuations in China, authors describe the significance of the Lanzhou loess and paleosol sequence in Quaternary studies. In the Lanzhou area the loess sequence attains 400 m thickness, inwhich five stratigraphic units are identified with at least 21 intercalated paleosols, TL, paleomagnetic and fission track dating techniques have been applied to determine the age of the loess horizons. Correlations are made with the terrace of the Yellow River and oxygen isotope curves of the Pacific deep-sea cores V28-238 and V28-239 and the Vostok ice core isotope curves. The comparative study proves that the Lanzhou loess is a very sensitive recorder of climatic fluctuation.