Abstract
Knowledge about origin and transport of aeolian mineral dust in the past and modern times plays an important role in the understanding of climate. Atmospheric circulation patterns and dust dynamics can be revealed by tracing back the provenance of airborne material. The source of loess deposits in the Lower Volga region of Russia is not known, yet represents a key location for Eurasian climate history reconstruction. The problem is addressed using U-Pb dating of detrital zircons from the loess deposits and potential source sediments such as East European Plain, Crimea, Caucasus, Volga, Caspian Sea and Central Asian desert sediments. Identifying the actual source of Lower Volga loess will help to understand past dust transport pathways and climate evolution in the region and its implications for regional and global climate.
Highlights
Understanding of source and sink locations of atmospheric mineral dust is essential for many climate related questions
The study focuses on loess material from three sections along the lower branch of the Volga River and its multichannel system: Srednaya Akhtuba, Leninsk and Raigorod (Fig. 1)
Samples were processed in a way so that all zircons would remain in the final heavy mineral fraction. This separated zircon fraction was mounted in epoxy and prepared for Laser-Ablation Multicollector ICP Mass Spectrometry (LA-MCICPMS) analysis together with primary standards at the University of Arizona LaserChron Center
Summary
Understanding of source and sink locations of atmospheric mineral dust is essential for many climate related questions. The understanding of aeolian dust transport and of transport processes from source to sink provides insight into globally relevant questions such as climate change and its evolution in certain parts of the world. This is of relevance in the present day. Loess deposits represent excellent records of past aeolian mineral dust and serve as informative climate archives, allowing climate reconstructions for the time frame of their accumulation. Representing deposited windblown material, loess deposits and the knowledge of its provenance provides important insights into past atmospheric conditions, wind patterns and dust dynamics
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