Magnetic properties and their paleoclimatic implications revealed from the last glacial eolian sedimentary sequence in Pengze, Jiangxi

The sand-hill section in Hongguang, Pengze County, Jiangxi Province is composed of eolian sand beds interbedded with 12 weakly-pedogenetic paleosols, and this sedimentary sequence was formed from about 25 to 13 kaBP. A detailed rock-magnetic study demonstrates that the magnetic minerals in the sequence are dominated by multi-domain magnetite grains in addition to small amounts of maghemite and hematite. Compared with the eolian sand beds, the paleosols are characterized by smaller magnetic particles, higher proportion of low-coercivity minerals and markedly increase in the magnetic mineral content. In the section, various magnetic parameters (K, ARM, SIRM and S ratios) display a roughly gradual increase from eolian sand beds to the overlying paleosols but an abrupt decrease from paleosols to the overlying eolian sand beds. The content of low-coercivity magnetic minerals shows the lowest values in the second eolian sand bed from the bottom of the section, and from the bed upwards it gradually increases on the whole in the eolian sand beds. These magnetic properties reflect regional climatic changes during the last glacial maximum.