Volcanic glass found in Late Quaternary Chinese loess: A pointer for future studies?

Abstract

Abstract In a preliminary investigation of Chinese loess from Shandong Peninsula, trace amounts of volcanic glass have been found in the top of Malan loess and in the top of paleosol layers at two sections. Chemical compositions of the glass shards are compared with those of widespread tephras from Mt Changbai and Japanese volcanoes. There was only enough glass to make tentative suggestions as to the source eruptions. The volcanic glass in the top of Malan loess has a similar chemical composition to that of the ca. 22,000-25,000 BP Aira-Tanzawa (AT) tephra erupted from southern Japan, and the glass in the top of one paleosol has a similar chemical composition to that of the ca. 75,000-95,000 BP Kikai-Tozurahara (K-Tz) tephra, also from southern Japan. These possible identifications are consistent with the stratigraphic positions of the glass within the loess. The results suggest that tephrochronology has potential for dating Quaternary deposits in north-eastern China.