Cao, S., Zhang, L., Mountney, N.P. orcid.org/0000-0002-8356-9889 et al. (3 more authors) (2023) Ultra‐long‐distance transport of aeolian sand: The provenance of an intermontane desert, south‐east China. Sedimentology. ISSN 0037-0746
Abstract
Intermontane deserts are an important type of arid-climate sedimentary system. Although rare at present, the sedimentary records of intermontane deserts reveal their widespread development in past greenhouse periods, and they might develop in the near future in response to ongoing global warming. Determination of the provenance of sand supplied for the construction of intermontane deserts is important to gain improved understanding of the potential impact of future climate on environmental evolution in arid and semi-arid regions. During the Cretaceous, a typical intermontane desert developed in the Xinjiang Basin, south-east China. In this study, the origin, spatial variability, and transport pathways of both aeolian and alluvial–fluvial sediments in the Xinjiang intermontane desert are investigated by analyses of bulk-rock petrography and detrital-zircon U–Pb geochronology. These results demonstrate that the sand in the Xinjiang intermontane desert succession was mainly of extraneous origin and wind-derived. The nearby South China Block and South China Magmatic Belt were primary sources, and the 1000 km distant western margin of Yangtze Block was an important secondary source. During the Late Cretaceous, the westerlies were stronger in the northern than in the southern hemisphere with doubled wind speeds. In such a climatic context, the results herein suggest that the ultra-long-distance aeolian sediment transport was likely further enabled by two factors: (i) the strengthening of intermittent westerly winds during short-lived glacial episodes; and (ii) the presence of a low-relief corridor that served as a transport pathway from source to sink.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 International Association of Sedimentologists. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Cao, S., Zhang, L., Mountney, N.P., Ma, J., Hao, M. and Wang, C. (2023), Ultra-long-distance transport of aeolian sand: The provenance of an intermontane desert, south-east China. Sedimentology, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.13106. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited. |
Keywords: | Intermontane desert; provenance analysis; sand supply mechanism; ultra-long-distance transportation; U-Pb zircon ages |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Institute for Applied Geosciences (IAG) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 25 Jul 2023 14:51 |
Last Modified: | 11 May 2024 00:13 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/sed.13106 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:201862 |