The magnetic properties of Serbian loess and its environmental significance

• Published in: Chinese science bulletin Vol. 58; no. 3; pp. 353 - 363
• Main Authors: Liu, XiuMing, Liu, Zhi, Lü, Bin, Marković, S. B., Chen, JiaSheng, Guo, Hui, Ma, MingMing, Zhao, GuoYong, Feng, Hua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 2013; SP Science China Press
• Subjects: Boundaries; Chemistry/Food Science; Earth Sciences; Engineering; ferric oxide; Humanities and Social Sciences; Lead (metal); Life Sciences; Loess; loess soils; Magnetic domains; Magnetic permeability; Magnetic properties; Magnetite; Minerals; multidisciplinary; Physics; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); soil water; watersheds; 古土壤序列; 塞尔维亚; 成土作用; 环境意义; 磁学性质; 磁性矿物; 磁赤铁矿; 黄土高原; Serbia; China; Danube River; paleoenvironment; magnetic properties; pedogenesis; Serbian loess
• ISSN: 1001-6538; 1861-9541
• DOI: 10.1007/s11434-012-5383-9

This paper reports a loess-paleosol sequence located in the Danube River basin, Serbia, which formed at least since the latest part of the early Pleistocene, and before the paleomagnetic B/M boundary. Various magnetic parameters of the Serbian V-L1-V-S4 loess-paleosol sequence have been measured and analyzed in the Titel Loess Plateau. These parameters show a very similar magnetic behavior compared with that of the Chinese loess. There is a general positive relationship between magnetic susceptibility （X） and pedogenesis. The main contributors to Z are the magnetic grains of SP （superparamagnetic） and SD （single domain） magnetic domains, while MD （multi domain） contributes only a small percentage. The difference in Z between loess and paleosol mainly is caused by pedogenesis. The very fine magnetic minerals increase gradually with increasing soil development （from loess to soil）, and they lead to higher Z. The thermomagnetic curves show thatmagnetic minerals in the loess layers are magnetite and ma- ghemite, both providing a major contribution to X. In contrast the paleosol layers mainly are composed of magnetite, with almost no or a very small amount of maghemite, as implied by a reversible thermomagnetic behavior. This indicates that pedogenic conditions during V-S3 and V-S4 strong soil development have resulted in maghemite that is no longer stable, and has been resolved or converted to other stable phase minerals. This likely indicates that soil moisture during V-S3 and V-S4 development exceeded a critical condition of maghemite stability.