Magnetoclimatology of aeolian sediments

Abstract

Two models-which lead to signals of opposite sign-are currently at the forefront of magnetoclimatological debates. In the classic sites of the Chinese Loess Plateau, soil formation during interglacials leads to magnetic enhancement in the palaeosols. In other regions (Alaska, Siberia), magnetic susceptibility peaks during glacial intervals. By looking at the broader picture, the relationship between these two models can be clarified. A simple qualitative analysis based on density sorting then determines the regimes under which one or the other dominates. Published data from Siberia, China, the Czech Republic and elsewhere permit a certain degree of quantification, and lead to the conclusion that proximal sites are likely to manifest Alaska/Siberian-type magneto-climatological patterns. Beyond a few hundred kilometres, however, distal sites will be dominated by Chinese-type patterns.