Abstract:
Mount Xishan is the classic area for study of the eolian loess and paleoclimate of the last glacial period in China. Aside from eolian loess, various types of secondary loess are well developed in the area. As the latter are accumulated more rapidly, they are more sensitive to environmental changes and exhibit higher resolution. Within the secondary loess, S 1 comprises 3 layers of paleo soil intercalated with 2 loess layers, while L 1 includes a loess layer sandwiched by 2 paleo soil layers. Radioactive dating and paleoclimate analysis point to the fact that the 3 paleo soil layers in S 1 correspond to the 3 warm events in the 5 oxygen stages in deep sea, whereas the 2 loess layers are comparable to the other 2 stages respectively.