Middle Miocene eolian sediments on the southern Chinese Loess Plateau dated by magnetostratigraphy

We present the results of a magnetostratigraphic grain size and geochemical investigation, of a well-preserved sequence of eolian sediments of Miocene age at Duanjiapo, on the southern Chinese Loess Plateau. The paleomagnetic results demonstrate that the basal age of the studied interval is about 11 Ma. The results of the grain size and geochemical analyses show strong similarities between the eolian Miocene silts and the overlying Red Clay and loess units. This leads us to conclude that all formations have a similar eolian origin, although the Miocene silts include evidence of fluvial sediments derived from river originating in the Qinling Mountains, to the south of the study site. Our results indicate that the accumulation of eolian dust in the southern Chinese Loess Plateau area began at least 11 Ma ago.