Initial insights into the age and origin of the Kubuqi sand sea of northern China

The Kubuqi Desert is the only active sand sea in the semiarid regions of northern China and occurs along the southern margin of the Yellow River. Little is known about the age and origin of this large (17,000 km2) sand sea with a present annual precipitation of 200‐480 mm. Sand drift potentials indi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geomorphology (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Netherlands), 2016-04, Vol.259, p.30-39
Main Authors: Yang, Xiaoping, Forman, Steven, Hu, Fangen, Zhang, Deguo, Liu, Ziting, Li, Hongwei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aeolian record
Age
Brackish
China
Climate change
Deserts
Dune
Dunes
Holocene
Human activity
Landform
Origins
Rivers
Sand
Stratigraphy
Surface process
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Summary:The Kubuqi Desert is the only active sand sea in the semiarid regions of northern China and occurs along the southern margin of the Yellow River. Little is known about the age and origin of this large (17,000 km2) sand sea with a present annual precipitation of 200‐480 mm. Sand drift potentials indicated net capable winds for aeolian transport are from the northwest, though winds are stronger to north beyond the dune field than within the sand sea. Geomorphic and stratigraphic observations indicate that Holocene aeolian sand often drapes over bedrock and river terraces as a palimpsest landscape. Field investigations identified four stratigraphic sections with multiple aeolian sand units and palaeosols, with age control by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz grains. Palaeosols are weakly developed, mostly accumulative A horizon with organic carbon content
ISSN:0169-555X
1872-695X
DOI:10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.02.004