A systematic study was conducted to investigate the permeability, porosity, grain size, water content, mass percentage of carbonate, and magnetic susceptibility of representative Middle Pleistocene loess-palaeosol layers (from L1 to S5) on the Chinese Loess Plateau. The average infiltration rate of the loess (0.93 mm/min) was higher than the palaeosol (0.62 mm/min), and the porosity of loess was higher than that of palaeosol. The loess layers have greater water-bearing capacity and, therefore, they are more likely to form aquifers while the palaeosol layers are more prone to form aquitards. The greater permeability and the larger water-bearing space of the loess layers are largely the result of lower intensity pedogenesis due to the colder/drier climatic conditions at the time these sediments were deposited. Conversely, the weaker permeability and lesser waterbearing capacity of the palaeosol layers can be explained by the greater pedogenesis during the warmer/wetter climatic conditions. The studies demonstrate a compelling relationship between Pleistocene climate and modern hydrological systems in the southern Chinese Loess Plateau.

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