Carbonate isotopic records of paleoclimate changes in Chinese loess

摘要

Oxygen and carbon isotopes of carbonate in concretion and bulk samples collected from Xifeng, Luochuan and Weinan loess sections, China, have been analyzed. It has been found that carbon and oxygen isotopic ratios of concretion in paleosol, as useful paleoclimatic indicators, recorded temperature and humidity variation during their formation. Comparison of isotopic data from different locations may offer a spatial picture of past environmental changes. Isotopic data from carbonate of bulk sample also include useful environmental information. Carbon and oxygen isotopic curves of past 150 ka in Weinan completely reflect the fluctuations of the paleoclimate with different stratigraphical units. The curves can correlate well with those of other climatic proxies and of the deep sea sediments.