Identifying the origin of the magnetic directional anomalies recorded in the Datong loess profile, northeastern Chinese loess plateau

Abstract

To better understand the origin of short-term features of palaeomagnetic signals recorded by the Chinese loess, detailed palaeomagnetic and magnetic fabric studies were conducted on a loess profile at Datong, the northeastern margin of the loess plateau, which is characterized by both high sedimentation rate (∼18 cm ka-1) and variations of sedimentary environments. It appears that the magnetic fabrics, specifically the inclination of the maximum magnetic susceptibility principal axis (K1-Inc), are robust means to identify the deposition environments. Our results (