Comparison of two classification methods to identify grain size fractions of aeolian sediment

摘要

Grain-size class-Std(GSCStd)and Grain-size class-dD(GSCdD)methods are simple statistical approaches for classifying bulk grain-size distributions(GSDs)into grain-size fractions.Although these two methods were developed based on similar statistical principles,the classification difference between these two methods has not been analyzed.In this study,GSCStd and GSCdD methods are conducted in thirteen grain-size data sequences to examine the applicability for identifying grain size fractions.Results show that,application of the GSCStd method is equivalent to that of the GSCdD method in identifying finer grain-size fractions,and the difference between the two methods mainly comes from the identification of coarse grain-size fractions.Thus,finer grain-size fractions are recommended for use in research of surface aeolian and paleo-aeolian sediments.In addition,our results do not completely agree with previous studies,coarser grain-size fractions in our case suggest that the GSCdD method may not be more applicable than the GSCStd method.