Origin and weathering properties of loess-paleosol sequence in the Goseong area on the east coast of South Korea

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the origin and weathering properties of the loess-paleosol sequence in the Goseong area on the east coast of South Korea, and to discuss the local sediment inputs and their paleoclimatic implications. The geochemical properties suggest that the largest proportion of the sequence originated from the Chinese Loess Plateau and/or its source areas, with a smaller quantity originating from the weathering products of the bedrock around the section. Although its origin can be regarded as the Chinese Loess Plateau and/or its source areas, the sequence shows more weathered features than the Chinese Loess Plateau. Moreover, the weathering environments in South Korea were different from those in the Chinese Loess Plateau. The difference in weathering properties may be attributed to the more humid climatic conditions in South Korea. The abundance of local sediment input to the sequence was controlled by sea level fluctuations in the East Sea of Korea and the global ice sheet developments during the glacial and interglacial cycles in the Quaternary. Because local sediment occupies only minor proportions in the sequence, the monsoon and westerly circulations in Northeast Asia played an important role in the loess formations in South Korea as well as in the Chinese Loess Plateau.