OSL dating of sediment and climate change of late quaternary

Abstract

The objective of this project is to apply the Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) technique to date the palaeo sediment from Mu Us Desert, part of the Inner Mongolia in northern China and reconstruct the palaeo environment. Five OSL samples were collected from Dagouwan, Salawusu River Valley at Inner Mongolia by Dr S. H. Li and his team in 2009. Extraction of 150μm to 180μm silt-size feldspar from collected dune sand, lacustrine facies and fluvial facies samples and running of luminescence dating therefore to obtain the age from 50ka to 90ka. Climate proxies - magnetic susceptibility, grain size, fossil vertebrates and fossil pollens have been analyzed and it is concluded that significant climate change occurred within this period, which change from domination of warm, humid and rainy summer monsoons (before 70ka) to cold, wind, windy strengthened dry winter wind and back to warm and humid again after 55ka.