Updating the significance and paleoclimate implications of magnetic susceptibility of Holocene loessic soils

Abstract

Mass specific magnetic susceptibility variation with depth along soil profiles developed on loess parent material is one of the most frequently used physical parameter in local, regional and global correlations of loess deposits. It is also utilized as a paleo-precipitation proxy, defined either as absolute difference between susceptibilities of the enhanced B-horizon and parent loess C-horizon; or relative enhancement, using ratios of magnetic parameters. In the present study we compare and analyze the applicability of various approaches in establishment of the empirical relationships between pedogenic magnetic enhancement of Holocene soils from Bulgarian lower Danube area, published data from cCentral and Eastern Europe, and the Chinese loess, and climate parameters – mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean annual temperature (MAT). Unlike previous studies, which compile data from soils, developed on various parent materials, using maximum magnetic susceptibility of the B-horizon and mean of the C-horizon, we strictly utilize soils, developed on loess material only and consider minimum susceptibility signal in the underlying loess unit. The data analysis shows that minimum magnetic susceptibility of the parent loess exhibits strong relation to climate’s parameters as well. We show that by using minimum magnetic susceptibility of the C-horizon to correct for the detrital input, pedogenic enhancement shows significant multiple correlation with both MAP and MAT. This relationship is different for Chinese and European sites but it is not retained for sites, located at low river terraces, Black sea coast and soils having increased coarse silt and sand content. Grouping the sites according to present day vegetation cover reveals the presence of uniform linear relationship between pedogenic susceptibility enhancement and climate parameters mostly for locations with steppe vegetation, while mixed steppe-forest and forest sites reveal more scattered and steeper relation to MAT and MAP variations.