Genetic linkage between the Yellow River, the Mu Us desert and the Chinese Loess Plateau

Stevens, Thomas; Carter, Andrew; Watson, T. P.; Vermeesch, Pieter; Andó, Sergio; Bird, Anna; Lu, Huayu; Garzanti, Eduardo; Cottam, Michael A.; Sevastjanova, Inga

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2012.11.032

Cited by 240 publications

(231 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Reduction in wind strength and/or fewer occurrences of dry cold fronts would then be expected since the termination of the glacial maximum, which is confirmed by other paleoclimatic reconstructions (de Garidel-Thoron et al, 2001;Steinke et al, 2011). The grain-size of loess deposits of the CLP also records decreased wind strength during the DG (Nugteren et al, 2004;Stevens et al, 2007). From this independent evidence, weakened wind strength during the DG is proposed to be the most important driver of dune-stabilization near the dune field margin and increased net sand accumulation in the dune field interior.…”

Section: High-northern-latitude Forcing Of Dune Activity In Mid-latitsupporting

confidence: 72%

Climate-driven changes to dune activity during the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation in the Mu Us dune field, north-central China

et al. 2015

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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Section: High-northern-latitude Forcing Of Dune Activity In Mid-latitsupporting

confidence: 72%

Climate-driven changes to dune activity during the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation in the Mu Us dune field, north-central China

et al. 2015

Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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“…In addition to these deserts, the progressive drying-up of rivers and lakes probably played an important role in contributing dust to the Chinese Loess Plateau (Stevens et al, 2013;. These drying rivers and lakes in fact acted as temporary for detrital materials derived originally from proto-sources such as the high-altitude terrain in the NTP.…”

Section: Dust Provenance Shift During the Late Miocene (95-7 Ma)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Provenance fluctuations of aeolian deposits on the Chinese Loess Plateau since the Miocene

Sun

Tada

et al. 2015

Aeolian Research

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“…Instead, this sediment has been stored in the Loess Plateau and the western Mu Us desert since at least the Middle Pleistocene . The dust deposition rate of the Loess Plateau is potentially influenced by the uplift and erosion of the northern Tibetan Plateau and the dynamics of the Yellow River system (Stevens et al, 2013). Although the total contribution of the Yellow River to the loess accumulation has not thus far been conclusively assessed (Stevens et al, 2013), fluvial transportation is required in the sequence of events leading to the formation of a loess deposit (Smalley et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heavy-mineral analysis and provenance of Yellow River sediments around the China Loess Plateau

Pan

Pang

Gao

et al. 2016

Journal of Asian Earth Sciences

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a b s t r a c tIn its upper-middle reaches the Yellow River has high sand contents after traversing through large areas of desert and the China Loess Plateau. Understanding riverbed sediment composition in the channel is critical for the interpretation of the potential provenance, aeolian sand transport and the linkage between the Loess Plateau and the Yellow River. To address these issues, we collected 52 samples from the modern riverbed, proximal deserts, and major tributaries and used analyses of grain size, grain morphology, and heavy-mineral compositions, to establish the spatial distribution and characteristics of source regions and riverbed sediments. The heavy-mineral assemblages demonstrate significant variations for the different sections of the Yellow River. The riverbed samples from the upper reach are dominated by opaque minerals (limonite and magnetite), amphibole and epidote, with minor zircon, tourmaline and rutile. Riverbed sediments from the middle reach are garnet-rich, reflecting the widespread distribution of Mesozoic sandstones. This variability closely reflects the source regions. Our data show that seasonal tributaries (the ''Ten Great Gullies") carrying detritus from the Ordos Plateau may account for the localized high garnet concentrations in the Inner Mongolia section of the upper reach. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging of quartz grains show that the river sediments are characterized by composite microtextures acquired in both fluvial and eolian environments of the Hedong, Ulan Buh and Kubuq Deserts. The mineralogical composition in the upper reach (Lanzhou-Yinchuan) is similar to that of sediments in the Loess Plateau and Northeast Tibet Plateau (Western Lanzhou). However, the composition differs markedly from that in the Inner Mongolia section of the upper and middle reaches. This variation indicates that in the upper reach the Northeast Tibet Plateau contributes significant volumes of sediment to the Yellow River and Loess Plateau, but compositions change across the Inner Mongolia section of the upper and middle reaches owing to local sediment supply from arid desert areas and seasonal tributaries.

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Genetic linkage between the Yellow River, the Mu Us desert and the Chinese Loess Plateau

Cited by 240 publications

References 59 publications

Climate-driven changes to dune activity during the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation in the Mu Us dune field, north-central China

Climate-driven changes to dune activity during the Last Glacial Maximum and deglaciation in the Mu Us dune field, north-central China

Provenance fluctuations of aeolian deposits on the Chinese Loess Plateau since the Miocene

Heavy-mineral analysis and provenance of Yellow River sediments around the China Loess Plateau

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