Rock magnetic investigation of loess deposits in the Eastern Qingling Mountains (central China) and its implications for the environment of early humans

Xiaoyong Wang*, Huayu Lu, Weiguo Zhang, Pengxiang Hu, Hongyan Zhang, Zhiyong Han, Shejiang Wang, Baoguo Li

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Luonan Basin, located in the transitional zone between temperate and subtropical China, is an important locality for human evolution during the early to middle Pleistocene. The loess deposits in the Luonan Basin contain numerous in situ lithic artefacts; the deposits also constitute suitable material for dating the artefacts and are potentially useful for reconstructing the climatic fluctuations which is important for studying the adaptation and occupation of the area by early humans. We carried out a combined rock magnetic and geochemical investigation of a loess sequence from the Liuwan Palaeolithic site in the Luonan Basin. The results indicate a mixture of magnetic minerals, including magnetite/maghemite and hematite/goethite. Magnetic susceptibility was used as a palaeoclimate proxy on the Chinese Loess Plateau; however, its application to the Luonan Basin may be problematic because the provenance of the loess parent material, as well as the depositional environment, differs from that of the Chinese Loess Plateau. We found that rock magnetic parameters related to the grain size of magnetic minerals, such as SIRM/χ and χARM/SIRM, are better palaeoclimatic indicators than magnetic susceptibility. Overall, the magnetic results, together with the results of bulk grain-size and chemical index of alteration, indicate that the interglacial environment of early humans in Luonan Basin was warmer and more humid than the coeval environment of the Chinese Loess Plateau.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)889-900
Number of pages12
JournalGeophysical Journal International
Volume207
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2016
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Rock magnetic investigation of loess deposits in the Eastern Qingling Mountains (central China) and its implications for the environment of early humans'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this