The effects of sorting by aeolian processes on the geochemical characteristics of surface materials: a wind tunnel experiment

doi:10.1007/s11707-017-0619-2

Front. Earth Sci.

2018, Vol. 12

Issue (1) : 86-94 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-017-0619-2

RESEARCH ARTICLE

The effects of sorting by aeolian processes on the geochemical characteristics of surface materials: a wind tunnel experiment

Xunming WANG^1,²(

), Lili LANG¹, Ting HUA², Caixia ZHANG², Hui LI²

¹. Key Laboratory of Water Cycle & Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
². Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Cold & Arid Regions Environmental & Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China

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Abstract

The geochemical characteristics of aeolian and surface materials in potential source areas of dust are frequently employed in environmental reconstructions as proxies of past climate and as source tracers of aeolian sediments deposited in downwind areas. However, variations in the geochemical characteristics of these aeolian deposits that result from near-surface winds are currently poorly understood. In this study, we collected surface samples from the Ala Shan Plateau (a major potential dust source area in Central Asia) to determine the influence of aeolian processes on the geochemical characteristics of aeolian transported materials. Correlation analyses show that compared with surface materials, the elements in transported materials (e.g., Cu, As, Pb, Mn, Zn, Al, Ca, Fe, Ga, K, Mg, P, Rb, Co, Cr, Na, Nb, Si, and Zr) were subjected to significant sorting by aeolian processes, and the sorting also varied among different particle size fractions and elements. Variations in wind velocity were significantly correlated with the contents of Cr, Ga, Sr, Ca, Y, Nd, Zr, Nb, Ba, and Al, and with the Zr/Al, Zr/Rb, K/Ca, Sr/Ca, Rb/Sr, and Ca/Al ratios. Given the great variation in the geochemical characteristics of materials transported under different aeolian processes relative to those of the source materials, these results indicate that considerable uncertainty may be introduced to analyses by using surface materials to trace the potential source areas of aeolian deposits that accumulate in downwind areas.

Keywords aeolian process transported material geochemistry

Corresponding Author(s): Xunming WANG

Just Accepted Date: 09 January 2017 Online First Date: 28 February 2017 Issue Date: 23 January 2018

Cite this article:

Xunming WANG,Lili LANG,Ting HUA, et al. The effects of sorting by aeolian processes on the geochemical characteristics of surface materials: a wind tunnel experiment[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2018, 12(1): 86-94.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-017-0619-2
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2018/V12/I1/86

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