Establishing a high-resolution luminescence chronology for the Zhenbeitai sand-loess section at Yulin, North-Central China

Abstract

Abstract Sand-loess sequences in the desert-loess transition zone are sensitive terrestrial archives for recording past climatic changes and atmospheric dust activities. However, a high-resolution chronology for relative long-term sand-loess sequences is still rare. In this study, we used quartz SAR OSL and K-feldspar pIRIR (pIRIR290) methods to date a 16.8\u202fm sand-loess sequence at Zhenbeitai in Yulin (North-Central China). The quartz is sensitive, fast component dominated but saturates at ∼150\u202fGy. The measured K-feldspar pIRIR290 De showed no dependency on the first IR stimulation temperature between 50\u202f°C and 260\u202f°C. Dose recovery results were consistent with unity up to ∼800\u202fGy for a test dose of approximately 30% of the equivalent dose to be measured. The resulting pIRIR290 ages are consistent with the stratigraphy up to ∼121 ka. Thus, a high-resolution chronology up to the last interglacial could be established for the Zhenbeitai sand-loess section. Derived mass accumulation rates show sedimentation rates of ∼10–80 cm/ka for the upper loess (