Iron mineralogy characteristics of the desert sediments of the Tarim Basin and its provenance implications

The vast desert area of the Tarim Basin contains a large amount of loose sediment and consequently it is one of the most important sources of aeolian dust in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. However, only limited research has been undertaken on the provenance of the desert sediments. In this study, we investigated the iron mineralogy including magnetic (Mt), hematite (Hm) and goethite (Gt) characteristics of desert sediments from the Tarim Basin and used them to determine their provenance. The results show that the sediments are characterized by a high content of Gt which comprises up to 0.16 wt%, 0.45 wt%, and 0.99 wt% of the 31-63 Îźm, 8-31 Îźm, and 2-8 Îźm fractions, respectively. In contrast, to Hm and Mt, Gt is significantly enriched in the fine particle-size fraction. Consequently, we propose that the desert sediments originate in a cold and humid environment, which favors the formation of Gt and limits the formation of Mt and Hm. The surrounding high mountains appear to be the only location within this vast region with the climatic conditions favoring Gt formation.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author