Quantitative Analysis of Aeolian Sand Provenance: A Comprehensive Analysis in the Otindag Dune Field, Central Inner Mongolia, China

Yingying Cui, Yali Zhou (), Ivan Lizaga, Zhibao Dong (), Jin Zhang, Aimin Liang, Ping Lü and Tong Feng
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Yingying Cui: School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Yali Zhou: School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Ivan Lizaga: Isotope Bioscience Laboratory—ISOFYS, Department of Green Chemistry and Methods, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Zhibao Dong: School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Jin Zhang: School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Aimin Liang: School of Geographical Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
Ping Lü: School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China
Tong Feng: School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710062, China

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-19

Abstract: The identification and quantification of aeolian sand contributions are essential for understanding the formation of dune fields and mechanisms of modern surface processes. In the present study, we take aeolian sand in the Otindag dune field (hereafter, often referred to as, simply, Otindag) as the research object. The dune field’s immediate source is quantitatively identified based on heavy minerals and the Conservativeness Index (CI), Consensus Ranking (CR), and the Consistent Tracer Selection (CTS) method. The primary source area of the aeolian sand was found to be from the northwestern, upwind area of the Otindag (59 ± 14%), followed by the Yinshan Mountain (17 ± 10%) and the lake basin (23 ± 12%). The proposed sediment transport model elucidates that sediments from the upwind of the Otindag are directly transported from the northwest to the Otindag, where they are deposited. Materials from the southern Yinshan Mountains are carried by rivers to the southern edge of the Otindag, where they are subsequently transported by wind and ultimately deposited. The lake deposits within the Otindag also contribute to the aeolian sand supply under the influence of wind. This study demonstrates that the fingerprinting techniques of CI, CR, and CTS serve as successful strategies for conducting quantitative provenance research in dune fields.

Keywords: aeolian sand; heavy mineral; quantitative provenance; Otindag dune field (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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