Abstract:
Taking the aeolian sand deposits of the Muping section in the northern part of the Shandong Peninsula as the research object, based on the establishment of a chronology framework by photoluminescence, the geochemical analysis of major elements was carried out to discuss its indicative paleoenvironmental significance. The results indicate that the Mouping section is a sedimentary deposit since the Last Glacial Period during 49.1~14.7 ka. The particle size characteristics show that the average particle size is smaller than that of modern aeolian sediments and the last glacial aeolian sediments in the Liaodong Peninsula, with poor sorting and a positive skewness. The main elements are SiO
2, Al
2O
3, and Fe
2O
3, and the total content of them exceeded 85%. The average contents of K
2O, CaO, Na
2O, and MgO are 3.00%, 0.62%, 1.24%, and 1.02%, respectively. According to the chronological scale and climate proxy indicators, the sedimentary sequence could be divided into three suits, representing the climate cycle from dry cold to wet and to dry cold again. The CIA (chemical index of alteration) values show that the climate from 49.1 to 42.9 ka and from 29.1 to 14.7 ka was mainly dry and cold, while the climate from 42.9 to 29.1 ka was mainly humid. Comprehensive analysis showed that the aeolian sand deposits during the Last Glacial Period in the Shandong Peninsula was jointly controlled by the East Asian monsoon, climate temperature, and sea level changes. The CIA value was not completely controlled by the East Asian summer monsoon. During the low sea level period, due to changes in provenance and consistent weathering, there may have been strong weathering. At the same time, the changes in CIA values of aeolian sand deposits during the Last Glacial Period may have recorded many Heinrich events.